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

Drill:  Target Zones Cross Court with Depth Emphasis

• Divide NVZ into 2 depths by placing cones 2 ft  inside NVL.
• Players set up cross court from each other at NVZ
• Players are focusing on unit turn and depth accuracy
• Alternate hitting a shallow dink and a deep dink each shot.
• Perform this drill on both the odd and even sides of the court.

Skill: Lift Dink

• This is a shallow dink that is used in defensive situations to keep you safe and in play. Use this dink when you are in trouble and need to stay in the point. Example: You have been pulled out really wide or or off balance - hit a lift dink to buy you some time.
• Contact Point: Contact Point out in front, approx 12-15” in front of toes.
• Weight Transfer: Allow weight to flow into your shot. Beware not to pop up when hitting this shot. 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: Slow even swing tempo with no backswing behind the body. Slight lifting motion in the swing. Be careful not to lift too much as that will create an attackable ball.

Drill:  Net Taps

• Players stand straight on skinny at the NVZ.
• Players hit a shallow lift dink then step forward and touch the net with their paddle.
• Player must back up and take dink off the bounce after their partner hits a lift dink and then touches the net.
• Key is to hit dinks shallow and in control to keep the rally going.

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.