Recently I’ve noticed an interesting habit that’s keeping many good dinkers from becoming great dinkers—they hit their dinks TOO HARD and TOO DEEP.
It’s funny to think that the problem people have with their SOFT GAME is hitting the ball TOO HARD, but I’ve seen it in AZ, CA and NV over the past week (yes, lots of traveling).
So, what do I mean by hitting the ball too hard and too deep? Let’s start with a quick statistic, the non-volley zone (NVZ/kitchen) is seven feet from the net to the NVZ line. I consider a dink that’s too hard and too deep as one that consistently lands 5 to 8 feet from the net, balls that can be attacked whether it be in the air or off the bounce. Why not hit more dinks that are unattackable?
If you come up with a reason other than being generous, please let me know.
So how do we go about improving your game at the net and hitting more unattackable dinks—dinks that will likely result in your opponent lofting up a ball for YOU to attack? Well, it takes soft hands, good positioning, and practice!
In a recent video shared by PrimeTime Pickleball, they posted a great game you can play while warming up or while you’re waiting for your next game. Remember to stay low and keep hitting your dinks with enough height to clear the net!
Be sure to check out the other Tips of the Week if you’ve missed them or if you need to knock of some rust. We’ve covered some great tips on ways to improve your dinking, to improve your preparation, and to improve your reset shots.
Let me know your thoughts and questions in the comment section below. Additionally, let me know if there is a topic you’d like covered in an upcoming Tip of the Week.