11 Steps to Nailing the Perfect Dink
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Prepare Your Body: Start with a compact athletic stance, knees bent, feet shoulder-width apart.
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Prepare Your Paddle: Keep the paddle in front with a loose grip, striking the pickleball out front for consistency. Short, compact backswings and follow-throughs improve control.
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Watch the Pickleball: Always keep your eye on the pickleball, tracking it to your paddle for better contact.
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Move Your Feet: Maintain a parallel body position to the Kitchen Line and use lateral, not crossover, steps to reach for the dink.
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Hold the Line: Keep your feet at the Non-Volley Zone line, stepping back only for difficult shots.
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Protect Your Feet: Avoid letting the ball approach your feet when dinking, taking the ball out of the air when comfortable.
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Get Under the Pickleball: Strike the pickleball from beneath with a firm wrist and controlled motion.
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Gently Lift Through the Pickleball: Lift through the pickleball using your shoulder, not your wrist or elbow, for controlled dinking.
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Respect the Net: Maintain the right apex height, giving yourself some margin over the net without hitting it.
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Stay Low Through Contact: Engage your legs for stability but avoid standing up on the shot to control the height of your dinks.
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Revert to Ready: After each dink, swiftly return to your ready position to be prepared for the next shot, whether it's another dink, a fast shot, or a lob."
