How to master dinking in pickleball #pickleball
Summary
Shea Underwood’s drill for mastering dinking: start cross-court with your partner, both at the kitchen line, and try to hit 50 dinks in a row. Count out loud. This isn’t friendly dinking: both players hit aggressive dinks and try to win the rally like in a real game.
Whenever either player misses into the net, out of bounds or past the kitchen, do five squats as a reminder to stay low, then restart from one. Volleys are fine, around-the-post shots are in play, and if you pull off an ATP your partner does the squats. It’s harder than it sounds, and it’s the kind of skill you need to get past 4.5.
Key takeaways
- Goal: 50 cross-court dinks in a row, counted out loud
- Both players dink aggressively, as in a real game
- Any miss means five squats and a restart from one
- Staying low is often the fix for missed dinks
Action items
- Try the 50-dink challenge at your next session
- Keep the squat penalty to reinforce staying low
- Let long balls go so they land out of the kitchen
- Track your best streak each week