How to DOMINATE Dink Rallies (Be More Aggressive at the Kitchen Line)
Summary
Cam Luhring explains what changed in his match against MLP champion Will Howells and PPA pro Pablo Tellez: after losing game one, the pros started taking more balls out of the air and took over every kitchen-line rally. Great players don’t wait for an attackable ball, they create one.
He shares three drills. In the cone drill, three cones sit just in front of the kitchen line and you defend yours by volleying dinks before they land. In the recognize-a-good-dink drill, you feed slightly behind your partner and take the next ball out of the air to keep them on defense. In take time away, earn the attack, only one player may speed up while the other lets everything bounce, so you learn to move the ball around before attacking.
Key takeaways
- Taking the ball out of the air takes time away and makes opponents feel they need a better shot
- A volleyed dink doesn’t have to be an attack; it can set up the next ball
- Attack in the green zone, set up in the yellow or red zone
- Don’t step back and let balls bounce once you’re ahead
Action items
- Set up the three-cone volley-dink game to seven
- Feed slightly behind your partner and practice taking the next ball out of the air
- Play a game where only you can speed up, and move the ball around first