After a Crosscourt Dink: Move Your Inside Foot Toward the Center Line and Hunt Middle

Summary

Jilly B Pickleball and Jack Munro break down how to intimidate after a crosscourt dink: the closer your inside foot is to the center line, the more you cut off the angle and the more pressure the opponent feels.

Follow your own shot — wherever your follow-through goes, move your feet that direction — so the only escape is a low-percentage “Hail Mary” crosscourt. If you hit a good crosscourt dink and then sit on your heels, you wasted the dink. When the answer to “did I hit a good dink?” is yes, get hungry and hunt the middle ball.

Key takeaways

• After a crosscourt dink, step the inside foot toward the center line to cut off the angle
• Follow your shot with your feet — don’t sit on your heels
• A good dink is the cue to hunt the middle ball

Action items

• In a crosscourt dink rally, after every successful dink take one step toward the center line
• Track how often you stay planted versus follow the shot, and how often the next ball is an attackable middle