3 Tips for Better Dinking

Last week we discussed why we dink. Today we focus on my top three tips for better dinking.

If you look at the photo above, you will notice that I am likely hitting a ball before it has bounced. If I hit it softly over the net, it is still a dink. You see a dink doesn’t have to bounce…it is any shot hit softly over the net from the non-volley zone line. In fact, this is key to my first tip for better dinking.

Better Dinking Tip #1: Maintain Your position

Often players are moving more than their opponents. When dinking effectively you should be maintaining your position at the non-volley zone line. One key to doing this is being comfortable taking dinks in the air. This will stop you from having to step back off the line. If you are stepping for every shot you are hitting you are having to take time to recover on every shot. Stability at the line will enable you to take balls early and in front of you not only maintaining your position but taking time away from your opponent!

Better Dinking Tip #2: Use Your Forehand

Better Dinking Tip #3: Create Patterns

Players sometimes get lost in the dink and continue to hit the same shot over and over. A high-level dinker will affect small changes on every shot whether it is from side to side or from the middle of the non-volley zone to deeper to the line. It is important to have a target in your mind for every dink. Ideally, we want to be able to hit anywhere on our opponent’s non-volley zone court from any position on the court.