Pickleball Dinking Tips: Mastering the Net Game with Do’s and Don’ts

How to: Do’s and Don’ts for Better Control:

Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and one of its most distinctive attributes is the dink—a soft, controlled shot hit near the net in the area in front of it, the non-volley zone (frequently abbreviated to NVZ) or kitchen. When you are first starting to play some pay attention to power drives and smashes, but advanced players know the best way to win a rally is with accurate dinking. Placed to the right spot at the right time, a dink can make power irrelevant, open up the court and make opponents err.

If you ever wondered how to dink at the net in pickleball, this guide will outline the technique, strategies, as well as the key dos and don’ts to improve your game.

How Do You Dink Near The Net: Step By Step Technique:

1. Get in the Right Position
2. Stand 1-step back of the non-volley line (kitchen line).
3. Keep your balanced with the knees slightly bent.
4. There, now, keep your paddle up and forward in front of your body.
5. Use a Soft Grip
6. You should grip your paddle comfortably, loosely, like you’re holding a small bird without squishing it.
7. A soft grip cushions contact and offers comfort and control.
8. Short Swing, No Big Follow-Through
9. Unlike drives, the dink shot needs a short swing.
10. Push the paddle gently forward with your arm and shoulder, not your wrist.
11. Slower is better to prevent jerky motion.

Aim for the Opponent’s Kitchen ,The idea is to get the ball to clear the net by a foot or so and bounce low.

Vary where you send it — crosscourt, down the line, right at an opponent — to keep them off balance.

1. Dinking Strategies Near the Net
2. Crosscourt Dink
3. Gives you extra space (longer diagonal) to get the ball over the net.
4. Forces the opponent to move laterally, creating court.
5. Middle Dink
6. Solid pick when playing doubles.
7. Leads to too much ambiguity over who should be taking the shot.
8. Change of Pace
9. Perfecting every dink doesn’t need to be the goal.
10. Change up your height and speed and the width of your placement to keep opponents guessing.
11. Patience is Key
12. Don’t rush to attack. Really any shot that is short gives him time to set up or a chance to take a rip Wait for a mistake or pop the ball up before attacking

The Do’s of Dinking:

• ✅ Keep those knees bent and stay low.
• A low position allows you to promptly react and manage low balls.
• ✅ Try to be consistent rather than excelling with winners.
• Thus the dink rally, which isn’t about winning at the start — it’s about shooting while the time is right.
• ✅ Do use soft hands.
• Take a relaxed hold and let the paddle absorb the force of the ball.
• ✅ Do move your feet.
• Instead of stooping or reaching, shuffle over to make it work.
• ✅ Do practice crosscourt dinks.
• They provide you with more space to work with and decrease your risk of hitting the net.

The Don’ts of Dinking:

• ❌ Don’t pop the ball up.
• High dinks are easy to smash for your opponent. Take your shots low and with proper control.
• ❌ Don’t over-swing.
• A large swing is a swing where you make a lot of mistakes.” Keep it short and compact.
• ❌ Don’t stand too far back.
• If you’re back behind the kitchen line, you’ll cede control. Remain near the non-volley zone.
• ❌ Not everything to the same spot.
• You can score on predictable dinks. Mix up your placements.
• ❌ Don’t lose patience.
• Rushing often leads to mistakes. And remember: The dink is a shot of control, not power.

Mistakes Most of The Players Do While Dinking:

1. Hitting too hard – trying to attack a dink too soon.
2. Standing – not bent – which makes low shots more difficult to return.
3. Wrist action – Snapping your wrist causes some inconsistency.
4. Bad footwork – walking instead of shuffling creates uncomfortable shots.
5. Disregard angles – if you’re not hitting crosscourt dinks, you’re eliminating your options.