Dinking and the Soft Game in Pickleball

Dinking is the exchange of soft, controlled shots into the kitchen (non-volley zone) from the kitchen line. When both teams are at the net, rallies become dink exchanges where the goal is to force the opponent into a weak pop-up or an unforced error. The soft game refers to this broader collection of skills: dinking, resetting, and choosing the right moment to speed up the ball.

What Makes a Good Dink

A quality dink has three properties. First, it lands in the kitchen so the opponent cannot volley it from the air. Second, it is low enough that the opponent must contact it below net height, forcing an upward return. Third, it is placed deliberately: down the line, cross-court, or at the opponent's backhand hip.

The mechanics are minimal: grip the paddle softly (a relaxed grip absorbs pace), use a small pushing motion with your arm, and keep your paddle face open. Most of the control comes from your wrist and forearm, not a shoulder turn. Stand close to the kitchen line with your knees bent and your weight slightly forward so you can move laterally without being pulled out of position.

Cross-Court Dinks

The cross-court dink is the highest-percentage dink in doubles. The ball travels over the lowest part of the net (the center, at 34 inches) and has more court to land in than a down-the-line shot. Repeated cross-court dinks pull the opponent wide, open the middle, and expose the down-the-line angle for a later attack.

Cross-court dinking also keeps the exchange away from the centerline. When you dink cross-court, your opponent must reply from a wider position, which makes it harder for them to cover the middle on the next ball. This is a subtle positional advantage that compounds over a long rally.

Down-the-Line Dinks

The down-the-line dink targets the opponent directly in front of you. It travels over the higher part of the net (34 inches at center, but higher near the sideline if you are off-center), so it carries slightly more risk. Its value is as a change-up: after several cross-court dinks, a sudden down-the-line shot catches opponents leaning the wrong way. Down-the-line is also the natural set-up for an erne (a jumping volley from outside the court).

When to Speed Up the Ball

Speeding up the ball means transitioning from dinking to a hard, flat drive aimed at the opponent's body or feet. The correct time to speed up is when you receive a ball above net height at the kitchen line. That ball allows you to swing downward, giving the drive a sharp downward trajectory that is difficult to handle.

Targeting matters. The most effective speed-up is aimed at the opponent's non-paddle hip, also called the body bag. At kitchen-line range, a ball at the hip gives the opponent almost no time to reset and no comfortable angle to redirect. Drives aimed at the paddle are more predictable and can be blocked back. Drives into the body or feet are hardest to defend.

Resetting the Rally

When you are defending a speed-up or a drive at your feet, the reset is the correct response. A reset is a soft, deflecting shot that slows the ball back down and lands it in the kitchen, re-establishing the dink rally. Do not try to counter-drive a ball that is at or below your knees: the geometry forces an upward swing that will either net or produce a hittable ball.

The reset uses a soft, passive paddle face. You are absorbing the pace rather than adding to it. Think of it as catching the ball with your paddle rather than swinging at it. Block it softly over the net and into the kitchen. You have bought yourself another opportunity to re-engage in the dink rally from a level position.