As a reminder, crosscourt dinks should probably make up 70% to 80% of your dinks. However, not every dink should be crosscourt. This is especially true because continuously going crosscourt may put extra pressure on you to be better and better on every successive shot, including when your opponent makes a strong shot that takes you out wide on the court and out of your Pickleball Ready position. One way to relieve this pressure or neutralize a shot that puts you in a compromising position (think a dink that you have to extend well outside your shoulder for) is to reset the point with a dink.

To reset the point with a dink, softly tap the dink across the net to the opponent directly in front of you. However, remember that the net will be slightly higher, the court space to target your dink will be a bit smaller without the big crosscourt angle, and the distance from you to your opponent in front of you is much shorter than the distance from you to your opponent crosscourt. As a result, your backswing and your follow through on your dink should be much shorter.

Key Takeaway:

1. When you are compromised or out of position, reset the point and get back to neutral by softly tapping the pickleball straight across and over the net in front of you.