The dink shot is a peculiar but fitting name for one of the most fundamental shots in pickleball. This is a shot each and every player must be able to hit with relatvie ease to begin advancing and compete against quality competition. But if you’re new, it might be hard to figure out the technique just from observing. That’s why we’ve broken it down into a step by step process below.
What is a Dink in Pickleball?
If you’re new to pickleball, you may not be totally familiar with what a dink actually is.
A dink is a gentle, precise, underhand shot that occurs around the kitchen.
This shot is underhanded with your paddle face open pointing up. This is because anytime you are dinking you will usually hitting from below net level. Therefore, the most important thing to get right is to at least clear the net.
Dinks can actually be volleys or groundstrokes. Sometimes the shot is more awkward if you let it bounce around your feet and can be easier to hit the ball out of the air.
The goal of the dink shot is to clear the net and end up bouncing in the opponent’s kitchen.
We don’t want the opponent to be able to volley or slam the ball out of the air. It’s too difficult to return. By barely clearing the net with a soft hit most players will have to wait for the ball to bounce before they can return it. If done properly this means their return is also from below net level and is less threatening.
This can often result in dink exchanges. Both teams stand at the kitchen line where the first team to pop the ball up too high loses as the other team gets an easy put away.
How to Dink in Pickleball
Dinking is really simple! If you follow the steps below, and spend time practicing and honing your technique on your own you’ll be able to develop a consistent and effective dink with easy.
Proper Setup
When getting ready to hit a dink you should face the direction you’re aiming. I hesitate to say face square to the net because sometimes you’ll be dinking cross court. However, most times your feet should be parallel to the net.
Assume an athletic stance in the ready position, legs bent, with your paddle out in front of you in your dominant hand. This is a stance similar to any other high movement sport. You want to be able to react as quickly as possible to whatever shot might come your way.
Make sure to position just behind the non volley zone line. This way if the shot is intended as a deep drive you’ll still be able to volley out of the air without committing a fault.
Footwork when Dinking
Footwork is a small aspect of a good dink shot. But important to get right.
The golden rule of good footwork around the net is not to cross over your feet.
For example, if you are right handed and a shot comes out to your right, don’t cross your left foot over your right to reach out and get it. Doing this turns you around and makes it easy for the opponent to attack the side you now have your back to on the next shot.
Instead, step out with the foot on the same side as the ball to reach it. Similar to a shuffle. This allows you to quickly return to the starting position. You’re ready for the next shot.
In the same vein, if you have to step foot into the kitchen to hit the ball keep, one foot behind the kitchen line. This allows you to quickly step back and reestablish yourself outside the kitchen, so you would be able to volley on the next shot if need be.
Using Continental Grip
This is the standard grip for pickleball. Tennis uses this grip as well. We cover how to’s of the continental grip in our overview of volleys.
You want to have a fairly loose grip on the paddle. Not enough to where it flops around like a fish in your hands, but you want to be relaxed. We always want to eliminate unnecessary tension in our body when possible.
Using the Right Swing Technique
Our swing for the dink it going to be much similar to a punch volley than a full swing groundstroke.
Unlike a volley our paddle points towards the ground. Not directly straight down all the time, but the face of the paddle should be below your hand on a dink shot.
On our backswing should really not be much of a backswing at all. We will hit on the underside of the ball and gently lift the ball up with a minimal follow through. You don’t want to hit the ball too hard. Remember we want to barely clear the net.
It is vital that you hit with your whole arm and not your wrist. If you use your wrist you become very prone to flicking the paddle especially on your forehand. This usually has the unintended consequence of popping the ball up. Pop the ball up too high, and your opponent will be able to hit down on the pickleball and smash it towards your feet.
Remember dinking is about giving the other team an awkward shot to turn from. Usually your whole arm keeps a steady paddle face.
We swing from low to high in a controlled motion with a short swing. Again, to avoid overpowering the ball. Short backswing. Short follow through. Once you’ve mastered the basic dink you can begin to add spin to this as well.
Where is the Best Point of Contact
For a dink shot you always want to hit the ball out in front of your body. You never want to let the ball come in too close when dinking because this will result in awkward shots.
Everything works together. You keep your paddle in front of your body. The backswing is short. A compact follow through allows you to return to the starting position quickly. You’re ready for the next shot.
Temper Your Swing
We’ve already touched on this briefly, but you need to temper your power. A dink shot is about touch. Not strength.
The reasoning is two fold. We both want to keep the ball low, and keep it from hitting too deep. If it’s going to land 5 feet past the kitchen, it’s not really a dink is it.
Staying light and under control does that. Ideally the other team has no chance to hit it out of the air.
Clearing the net
This is a little secret. Something I haven’t heard talked about anywhere in pickleball.
Your dink should peak before it crosses over the net.
Let’s imagine the pickleball is one of those airplanes that draws in the sky with smoke trails. You can see the trace of the path of the shot. It makes an arc.
What I mean is that the top of that arc should be on your side of the net. The pickleball comes down as it crosses over.
What does this imply? Well you’ve now guranteed that your shot won’t be hit out of the air. It will likely bounce short in the kitchen. And bounce low. So when you’re trying to dial in depth on your dinks, this is a great thing to think about.
Wrap Up
Hopefully you now have everything you need to go out and execute a pickleball dink shot the right way. It might take time, but the best thing to do is get out there and work on it. Get in reps. Practice outside of a game.
Once you think you’re ready for more and have good control over your shots, the next step would be to check out our guide on dinking strategy. But only if you’ve developed good control and accuracy on your shot. Hope this is helpful and be sure to check out the rest of the site!