The Best Drill For Straight-on Dinks
Summary
Ed Ju and his partner share their go-to drill for straight-on dinks. Too many players only train cross-court, so in this drill one player hits straight while the other hits diagonally, creating a figure-eight pattern.
Keep every ball in the kitchen and put spin on each shot. If you start popping it up, loosen your grip and swing upward rather than forward. They also point out it’s a real leg workout and worth doing every session.
Key takeaways
- Cross-court-only training leaves the straight dink weak
- Figure-eight pattern: one player straight, the other diagonal
- Spin on every dink, keep it in the kitchen
- Loosen the grip and swing up, not forward, when you miss
Action items
- Add 5 minutes of figure-eight dinking to every session
- Switch roles so both players hit straight and diagonal
- Call out grip pressure on a 1-10 scale and stay around 3-4
- Stay low through the whole drill; it’s meant to tire your legs