250 Series: Skills & Drills Lab
Dinking & Ball Control
Takeaways & Training Tasks
Keep the momentum rolling with these quick steps:
- Refresh your memory with the 2 skills, 2 drills, and training video.
- Knock out the drills 2–3x before we meet again.
- Each time you play, pick one skill and make it your mission to use it often and on purpose.
Ready Position
- Paddle Up and out in front of you. Approximately net height.
- Elbow out in front of you - not tucked into your body.
- Feet shoulder width apart. Light bend in the knees
- Slight hinge forward from the hips- don’t get chest facing the ground
- Square up to the ball with toes, hips, shoulders and paddle.
Mini Pickleball
- Players set up at NVZ like doubles play.
- First 2 shots are cooperative - cross court dink serve and dink return - then GAME ON!
- Players may use all of the shots and strategies from lesson to build the
point. - Possession scoring. Play to 11 win by 2 or play in timed rounds.
Dinking
- Contact Point: Out in front. Push through the ball.
- Weight Transfer: Allow weight to flow into your shot.
- Body Positioning: Square up to the ball.Â
- Hands: Soft hand, continental grip, lay back wrist.Â
- Swing: Smooth even swing tempo, no backswing.
- Follow through where you placed the ball
Hit Call
- Part #1: Players set up at NVZ cross court or straight on.
- Engage in cooperative dink rally with players calling HIT every time their
opponent contacts the ball. - Part #2: Players set up at Baseline cross court or straight on.
- Engage in cooperative rally with players calling HIT every time their opponent contacts the ball.
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