What Is A Dink Shot?
Dinking in pickleball is soft pickleball shots made by a player near the non-volley zone line and is planned to land in the opponent’s kitchen area, landing in the space between the net and the non-volley zone. Using a dink shot, you can force players who hit the ball stronger than you to play the game smoothly or gently or it can be simplified, you can play as you wish. This aims to make the opponent able to make mistakes. While soft dink, aim to keep them on a low ball after bouncing to force low contact.
Why Should You Use Dink Shot?
The dink shot is usually thought of as a defensive or neutralizing shot with the idea that you have to keep dinking and patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike back. Dink strikes must be done in this manner to be offensive to set up your counter-attack. In an attacking play, you like to put more pressure on the opposition team to bounce up the ball so that you can simply finish with it. You may employ the dink as a neutralize shot to assist retake control in the dink war when you’re on defense and your rivals are hitting you strong.
When Should We Take a Dink?
The best time to dink is when you and your opponent are at the non-volley line. There are 3 best times for you to do a dink shot:
- The Third Shot
A hit on the third shot is the best time to dink when serving. When you serve, i.e., after the first shot, the opponent will try to make a stroke to return the ball as the second shot is in the rally. Then, your opponent will run toward the net while you are still on the baseline.
So, at this stage may be your opponent lucky, but if you do a dink that ends in the Non-Volley Zone or your opponent’s feet, then that will allow you to run toward the net without having to worry about kickbacks. In addition, it gives you some extra time thanks to the speed picked up by the ball in pickleball.
- When Making A Dink Return
It could go very wrong for you if you try to respond to a perfectly played – and placed – dink with an aggressive shot as a return. Statistically, smashes are tough shots, and the best strategy for responding to dinks is kitchen dink shots.
It usually results in a dinking battle for those 3-4 shots and levels the field. Then, you can smash the ball or play an aggressive groundstroke when you have that extra inch because your opponent has given you that inch.
- When the Opponent is tall
You can dink when you’re up against someone taller, it can be hard to beat him by stretching him or letting him smash. However, by using the dink as a weapon you can force your opponent to stoop low and issue a smash. Additionally, it makes it harder for very tall players to return shots because it is difficult to bend from a much higher position when doing so, leveling the game.
Steps to Do Dink Shot
As a beginner, if you don’t know how to dink in pickleball, you need to pay attention to the following steps for a successful dink shot:
- The first thing you need to do is bend your knees. This is so that your feet can be under the ball and hit it correctly and precisely. This is also useful when you want to lift the ball with your knees. This is great for increasing thigh and calf strength.
- The second thing is to try to use the continental grip which comes from tennis. You need to pay attention when you hold the paddle. After that, you touch the heel pads of your hand and the index finger muscles.
- Due to the way it resembles holding an axe, the continental is also known as “the chopper” in tennis. This handle is intended for underhanded or low swings at the ball. You like to strike a dink-underhand in that manner. Additionally, you should use a loose grip. The ball will it softly since it will absorb some of the bounce off your paddle less softly if you grip the paddle softly since it will absorb some of the ball’s power.
- With this grip, you may forehand and backhand. This grip style’s disadvantage is that it’s more difficult to strike with spin.
- You need to use a low, underhanded shot to strike a dink. The ball is hit after it has bounced once, reached its peak, and begun to fall. To regularly hit dinks, you must keep a consistent stroke. For this reason, practicing the dink is crucial. Here, we give instructions on dinking. The Shot is excellent against players who strike hard. You can defeat a player who is faster or stronger than you if you have great skill. The dink causes everything to slow down and throw them out of their hard-hitting, rapid-fire routine.
- A dink is intended to land in the “Kitchen” or “Non-Volley Zone.” This makes your adversary focus on his or her footwork too. When entering the kitchen to strike the ball, they must make sure that it bounces there. The next shot requires them to concentrate on exiting the kitchen once more. The opposition won’t be able to hit a powerful counter shot if the ball lands in the kitchen. If they attempt, the ball will either fly into the goal or cross the goal line and out of bounds.
- A flawless dink barely clears the net. However, it is difficult to continuously hit with this kind of accuracy. Therefore, shoot above the net a significant distance. Set a safety margin for yourself. Allow your attacker to make mistakes and exercise patience.
5 Tips For A Good Dink Shot
After you understand how to shot a dink, this time we will give you some tips for effectively dink shots and winning.
- The Continental Grip
Position your hand on the paddle, as if you are shaking the hand straight ahead (edge guard facing down). This is useful when you are dinking, you can also forehand or pickleball backhand.
- The Swing Path
The swing path of your stroke. The first thing you need to do is keep your swing path in a low to high swing path. Keep the paddle in front of your body so you can see the point of contact when the ball will hit the paddle. Use a short backswing is done when doing dinking and ends with a short follow-through. Do it consistently, don’t let it soar too high.
- Using The Legs
Position your legs slightly bent, this is useful when you do low dinking it will be very stable and don’t make mistakes. Don’t just stay still, but keep moving by maintaining that position.
- Clearance The Net
When you want to give the dinks a margin of error, which is when you leave at least a foot and a half of the margin so you don’t make any mistakes.
- Hit In The Non-Volley Zone
When you hit the ball past the non-volley zone, continue to speed up your game and smash it!
Conclusion
What dink means in pickleball is not just a normal soft hit, but the aim is to keep the ball low after it bounces. The battle between dinking pickleball occurs when the players compete against their dinking skills at the non-volley zone line. Do the tips that we have given above, so you can quickly get points!
Related Articles:
- What Is An Erne In Pickleball: Every Erne-Thing You Need To Know
- What is a Volley in Pickleball? Tips To Improve Your Volleying
- What Is A Lob In Pickleball: Offensive Lob shot & Defends Tips
- Pickleball Drop Shot: Why, When & How to Drop Shots
