Notes & Homework

Skill: Push Dink

• This is an offensive dink. You use it to push your opponents around and create open court, imbalance and pop ups to attack. Use this when you are balanced, in position and looking to create opportunities.
• Contact Point: Contact Point out in front, approx 12-15” in front of toes. Push forward through the ball with a guiding motion.
• Weight Transfer: Allow weight to flow into your shot. This will look more like a speed skater shifting side to side than a jack in the box bouncing up and down. Up weight transfer will pop the ball up.
• Body Positioning: Square up to the ball: point your toes, hips, shoulders and paddle towards the ball.
• Hands: Soft relaxed hand with continental grip, soft stable wrist, lay back your wrist.
• Swing: Smooth even swing tempo with no backswing behind the body. Follow through pointing your paddle out in front directed at where you placed the ball

Skill:  Cross Court Dinking Footwork

• Footwork: Open stance. NO CROSSOVER STEPS
• Contact Point: Out in front. If behind you when pulled wide hit down line.
• Weight Transfer: Flow into shot and return facing where you placed the ball.
• Body Positioning: When actively dinking stand 60% off center line-

Drill: Inside/Outside Dinking

• Players cross court at NVZ. 1 player dinks to inside foot then to outside foot alternating each shot.
• Opposing player works on foot work and unit turn and hits back to their partner wherever they want

Drill:  Calling the Bounce

• Players set up as if playing mini pickleball. This is about seeing the depth of the ball you are receiving.
• Both teams call the ball before it crosses the net to their side.
• You are calling the depth of the bounce:
  • Short - need to move up
  • Stay - neutral depth
  • Back - deep ball need to back up or take out of air

Skill: Offensive Dinking

• Objective is to create Open Court, Off Balance Opponents and Opportunity balls. 
• Hit push dinks to move your opponents around. 
• 2 Options: Chip away at one opponent or mix it up between the 2 to create the 3 O's.