Obsessed with pickleball or know someone who is? The Dink Master is on track to be the #1 most gifted pickleball present this holiday season. Increase reaction time, improve dinking accuracy, and feel the paddle become an extension of you. 🏓🔥 Head to our site to get $100 off - ships next day! shop.enhancepickleball.com/hero
These recent videos are MUCH better than the ones from 1 year ago. You're much more active in the video. While giving a lot of verbal instruction, you supplement it with action. Too much verbal instruction and insufficient action/demonstration make it harder to follow. Additionally, you are explaining "Why," and it's not always clear why we are doing these things in videos from other RUclipsrs. I've already begun to improve my skills thanks to your videos. Thank you and keep up the excellent work.
This the best video I’ve watched on this skill. I come from a tennis background and I’ve got some deeply engrained habits that just don’t work in PB. Too much backswing and my footwork often conspires against me. I get so frustrated at the net as most of my dinks either go into the net or I’m not positioned properly to be effective. I know this video will help me a lot so I’ll make a mental checklist of all these points before I go out to play again. The “Dink Master” would help me a lot as I don’t currently have a drilling partner and finding places to play PB where I live isn’t easy. Thanks so much- you’ve earned a subscriber and I’ll definitely be checking out the resources on your website. Cheers from Canada. 🇨🇦
I am a senior going on 70 and fairly new to this game. I find al, your instructional Videos to be amazing. I would be interested in hearing your's and Kenadi's Pickleball story. How did you both become so good at this sport at such a young age to be able to have your own very successful RUclips channel? Did you both grow up playing tennis at a young age and then naturally just transition into Pickleball a few years ago?
Great video. Thanks for making it and sharing it. You are spot on. FYI, there are some new teaching/ coaching recommendations about just slowing down in the transition zone instead of a hard stop split step. Thanks again. I have really enjoyed your videos lately.
Great video Connor (and Kenadi!). Such great tips, techniques and advice as always. One thing you could cover for dinks that would help is *when* you actually make contact with the ball. I see a lot of players dinking the ball too early (while it's still on the way up). It really does pay to wait a fraction longer for the ball to reach its upward trajectory peak and stop before making contact with it
Mastering the Soft Game of Pickleball Learn Proper Dinking and Resetting Technique for Advanced Play Pickleball is a fun and social sport that is growing rapidly in popularity. This instructional guide will teach you the keys to mastering the soft game of pickleball through proper dinking and resetting technique. With practice, these skills will help elevate your play to an advanced level. 1. 0:40 - The Goal of Dinking The goal of dinking is to draw your opponents up closer to the net and bait them into hitting a shot that is easier for you to then attack. Dinking rallies happen when shots are hit soft into the kitchen, which gives your opponents a poor angle to hit aggressive shots from. Look for opportunities to accelerate play when your opponent leaves you a higher or floatier ball. 2. 1:25 - Proper Dinking Technique Use a continental grip for dinks, with your index knuckle on the angled notch near the paddle face. This grip makes transitioning between forehand and backhand dinks smooth. Keep your wrist loose and steady throughout the motion, generating power from your shoulder rather than your wrist or elbow. The stroke should be compact, taking place in front of your body without a big backswing. 3. 3:57 - Using Different Spins on Your Dinks You can use topspin or slice on your dink shots. Topspin dinks have a more aggressive, downward brushing motion, while slice dinks involve cutting under the ball for more spin. Both can be effective. Focus first on making consistent contact with a controlled, compact swing. The spin will develop over time. 4. 4:42 - Correct Footwork for Dinking Avoid excessive steps by taking one large side step to cover your area of the kitchen during dink exchanges. Keep yourself square to the net in a ready position. Lead with your outside foot when moving sideways to prepare for your opponent's next shot. Proper footwork will keep you balanced and prevent tangled feet. 5. 6:03 - Where to Aim Your Dinks in the Kitchen Aim crosscourt as much as possible, as it provides more margin for error over aiming down the line. For depth, target the "pressurize zone" at the back of the kitchen to push opponents back. Use more neutral shots when stretched or scrambling. When balanced, aim for the pressurize zone to create opportunities to attack. 6. 8:05 - Push Dinks vs Neutral Dinks Push dinks are aggressive shots aimed at your opponent's feet in the pressurize zone. Use these to pressure opponents when you have time and are in control of the point. Neutral dinks are safer shots aimed higher in the kitchen to keep the rally going. Use these when you're stretched or out of position. 7. 9:19 - Top 3 Hacks for Improved Dinking Hit volley dinks (out of the air) rather than backing up. Target opponent's weaker backhand dink. Set paddle angle before moving it forward to hit - don't adjust mid-swing. 8. 11:53 - How to Practice Your Dinking Skills Dink back and forth with a partner, focusing on technique. Hit against a practice wall at net height to groove mechanics. Use solo practice devices like the Dink Master. Focus on control and consistency before adding pace or tricky shots. 9. 13:24 - The Goal of The Reset Shot The goal of resetting is to slow down your opponent's harder shots so you can move forward and get into a dinking rally near the net. Resets are typically hit from the transition zone as you move to the net after a drop shot or groundstroke. 10. 14:24 - Proper Resetting Technique Use a split step to widen your base and get in a ready position with knees bent. Keep paddle low to handle opponent's low shots. Take a short, compact swing using your shoulder rather than wrist or elbow. Minimal motion is needed - use your opponent's power instead. 11. 16:50 - Where to Aim Your Reset Shots Aim about 1 foot over the net, towards the back third of the kitchen. Make your opponent hit up on the ball so it pops up for your next shot. Don't aim too close to the net to avoid misses. Give yourself margin but keep opponent stretched out. 12. 17:35 - Full Court Examples of Dinking and Resetting Now that you understand the goals and techniques of dinking and resetting, watch full court point play to see how they are applied situationally. Observe how players use these skills together to gain control of points and set up scoring opportunities. Conclusion Mastering the soft game through accurate dinks, resets, and smooth net play is instrumental for advancing your pickleball skills. Be patient, focus on technique, and dedicate time to purposeful practice. Applying these tips will sharpen your touch and court awareness. Have fun out there! Let me know if you have any other questions.
As always, great content. Now if I can find other rec level players willing to work on these cool tips. These will help me for sure. Best takeaways: a) loose paddle grip, b) decide where you want the shot to go, and c) set the angle of paddle before you hit the shot. Great graphic demos on footwork and stroke mechanics.
Conner I might point out proper conversational etiquette for when some is in your presence is to refer to them respectfully addressing them by name...ie... Kenadi not she...oh and Kenadi if this is a monitized channel and conners not compensating you?...who made Pat Sajack look better...Vanna White. My suspension is more male views preferred Vanna. Connor your a smart man for including your sister...we know who got the looks in the family 😉. All things aside I enjoy your training videos, very informative and videos graphics are great. 👍 keep up the good work and give more video time to Kenadi I guarantee your subscribers will greatly increase.
You want your hand to be gripping the paddle softly so you have good feel and don't hit it too hard. But you don't want to be moving your wrist around a lot (you'll lose control this way)
I just want to add that eastern works for dinking too, but is more suited to roll dinks than push dinks. It also opens up the scorpion and the tomahawk. But eastern isn’t great for firefights.
I am a pro player and this video is all the points that I teach to my students. The only thing I teach that was left out is what I do to people that want to speed up in the kitchen. I tell them to hit a shallow crosscut dink and since it lands so much closer to the net makes many speed up attempts go into the net.
Obsessed with pickleball or know someone who is? The Dink Master is on track to be the #1 most gifted pickleball present this holiday season. Increase reaction time, improve dinking accuracy, and feel the paddle become an extension of you. 🏓🔥
Head to our site to get $100 off - ships next day!
shop.enhancepickleball.com/hero
Can you let us know where you got the easel/board you put the dink master on??
These recent videos are MUCH better than the ones from 1 year ago. You're much more active in the video. While giving a lot of verbal instruction, you supplement it with action. Too much verbal instruction and insufficient action/demonstration make it harder to follow. Additionally, you are explaining "Why," and it's not always clear why we are doing these things in videos from other RUclipsrs. I've already begun to improve my skills thanks to your videos. Thank you and keep up the excellent work.
I appreciate the comment! Yes, lol, we've come a long way. Thanks for fighting through our old content 😂
This the best video I’ve watched on this skill. I come from a tennis background and I’ve got some deeply engrained habits that just don’t work in PB. Too much backswing and my footwork often conspires against me. I get so frustrated at the net as most of my dinks either go into the net or I’m not positioned properly to be effective. I know this video will help me a lot so I’ll make a mental checklist of all these points before I go out to play again. The “Dink Master” would help me a lot as I don’t currently have a drilling partner and finding places to play PB where I live isn’t easy. Thanks so much- you’ve earned a subscriber and I’ll definitely be checking out the resources on your website. Cheers from Canada. 🇨🇦
You're a good teacher. Many thanks. I like the shallow, neutral and pressure zone in the NVZ.
Nice work i like to use the Nike Swoosh Visualization when resetting helps me remember the mechanism
I'M NEW TO PICKLEBALL .
THANK YOU.
GOOD TEACHING
I am a senior going on 70 and fairly new to this game. I find al, your instructional Videos to be amazing. I would be interested in hearing your's and Kenadi's Pickleball story. How did you both become so good at this sport at such a young age to be able to have your own very successful RUclips channel? Did you both grow up playing tennis at a young age and then naturally just transition into Pickleball a few years ago?
Great video. Thanks for making it and sharing it. You are spot on. FYI, there are some new teaching/ coaching recommendations about just slowing down in the transition zone instead of a hard stop split step. Thanks again. I have really enjoyed your videos lately.
Great video Connor (and Kenadi!). Such great tips, techniques and advice as always. One thing you could cover for dinks that would help is *when* you actually make contact with the ball. I see a lot of players dinking the ball too early (while it's still on the way up). It really does pay to wait a fraction longer for the ball to reach its upward trajectory peak and stop before making contact with it
Thank you!
Mastering the Soft Game of Pickleball
Learn Proper Dinking and Resetting Technique for Advanced Play
Pickleball is a fun and social sport that is growing rapidly in popularity. This instructional guide will teach you the keys to mastering the soft game of pickleball through proper dinking and resetting technique. With practice, these skills will help elevate your play to an advanced level.
1. 0:40 - The Goal of Dinking
The goal of dinking is to draw your opponents up closer to the net and bait them into hitting a shot that is easier for you to then attack. Dinking rallies happen when shots are hit soft into the kitchen, which gives your opponents a poor angle to hit aggressive shots from. Look for opportunities to accelerate play when your opponent leaves you a higher or floatier ball.
2. 1:25 - Proper Dinking Technique
Use a continental grip for dinks, with your index knuckle on the angled notch near the paddle face. This grip makes transitioning between forehand and backhand dinks smooth. Keep your wrist loose and steady throughout the motion, generating power from your shoulder rather than your wrist or elbow. The stroke should be compact, taking place in front of your body without a big backswing.
3. 3:57 - Using Different Spins on Your Dinks
You can use topspin or slice on your dink shots. Topspin dinks have a more aggressive, downward brushing motion, while slice dinks involve cutting under the ball for more spin. Both can be effective. Focus first on making consistent contact with a controlled, compact swing. The spin will develop over time.
4. 4:42 - Correct Footwork for Dinking
Avoid excessive steps by taking one large side step to cover your area of the kitchen during dink exchanges. Keep yourself square to the net in a ready position. Lead with your outside foot when moving sideways to prepare for your opponent's next shot. Proper footwork will keep you balanced and prevent tangled feet.
5. 6:03 - Where to Aim Your Dinks in the Kitchen
Aim crosscourt as much as possible, as it provides more margin for error over aiming down the line. For depth, target the "pressurize zone" at the back of the kitchen to push opponents back. Use more neutral shots when stretched or scrambling. When balanced, aim for the pressurize zone to create opportunities to attack.
6. 8:05 - Push Dinks vs Neutral Dinks
Push dinks are aggressive shots aimed at your opponent's feet in the pressurize zone. Use these to pressure opponents when you have time and are in control of the point. Neutral dinks are safer shots aimed higher in the kitchen to keep the rally going. Use these when you're stretched or out of position.
7. 9:19 - Top 3 Hacks for Improved Dinking
Hit volley dinks (out of the air) rather than backing up.
Target opponent's weaker backhand dink.
Set paddle angle before moving it forward to hit - don't adjust mid-swing.
8. 11:53 - How to Practice Your Dinking Skills
Dink back and forth with a partner, focusing on technique.
Hit against a practice wall at net height to groove mechanics.
Use solo practice devices like the Dink Master.
Focus on control and consistency before adding pace or tricky shots.
9. 13:24 - The Goal of The Reset Shot
The goal of resetting is to slow down your opponent's harder shots so you can move forward and get into a dinking rally near the net. Resets are typically hit from the transition zone as you move to the net after a drop shot or groundstroke.
10. 14:24 - Proper Resetting Technique
Use a split step to widen your base and get in a ready position with knees bent. Keep paddle low to handle opponent's low shots. Take a short, compact swing using your shoulder rather than wrist or elbow. Minimal motion is needed - use your opponent's power instead.
11. 16:50 - Where to Aim Your Reset Shots
Aim about 1 foot over the net, towards the back third of the kitchen. Make your opponent hit up on the ball so it pops up for your next shot. Don't aim too close to the net to avoid misses. Give yourself margin but keep opponent stretched out.
12. 17:35 - Full Court Examples of Dinking and Resetting
Now that you understand the goals and techniques of dinking and resetting, watch full court point play to see how they are applied situationally. Observe how players use these skills together to gain control of points and set up scoring opportunities.
Conclusion
Mastering the soft game through accurate dinks, resets, and smooth net play is instrumental for advancing your pickleball skills. Be patient, focus on technique, and dedicate time to purposeful practice. Applying these tips will sharpen your touch and court awareness. Have fun out there! Let me know if you have any other questions.
As always, great content. Now if I can find other rec level players willing to work on these cool tips. These will help me for sure. Best takeaways: a) loose paddle grip, b) decide where you want the shot to go, and c) set the angle of paddle before you hit the shot. Great graphic demos on footwork and stroke mechanics.
Great comment, thanks for watching! 🔥
For resetting hard shots at your feet, do you primarily lift with your arm/shoulder or your legs for the blocking/lifting motion?
Excellent instructions. 👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you!
Great points. Thanks. As a beginner, I'll practice the dink until it becomes second nature.
I have found this video very helpful. I realized I was using my arm and wrist in the wrong motion.
Kenadi, love your skill and athletic wear! Do you have links?
Best video! Thank you
You're welcome!
This gotta be the most beautiful pickleball court ever hahaha need to play here
Is that the epic power air both yourself and kenadi are using ?
Great tips as we've come to expect from your content! Thank you!👍👍
I need help playing singles against ppl younger, stronger and faster than me. You got a video for that?
Do you have a camp?
Thank you for posting this helpful video
Conner I might point out proper conversational etiquette for when some is in your presence is to refer to them respectfully addressing them by name...ie... Kenadi not she...oh and Kenadi if this is a monitized channel and conners not compensating you?...who made Pat Sajack look better...Vanna White. My suspension is more male views preferred Vanna. Connor your a smart man for including your sister...we know who got the looks in the family 😉. All things aside I enjoy your training videos, very informative and videos graphics are great. 👍 keep up the good work and give more video time to Kenadi I guarantee your subscribers will greatly increase.
Excellent dinking video...
Thank you 😋
Is “push” dink the same as “top spin” dink?
Ps: I really like your instruction videos & first class illustrations! Very helpful 👍🏻👍🏻
A push dink is hit more flat, without spin. A roll dink is hit with topspin. And a slice dink is hit with backspin.
It seems like you don’t cock your wrist on the backhand dink as much as some I see but still lock it. Is this just what you have found works for you?
How do you keep a loose but steady wrist? Those seem opposite to me
You want your hand to be gripping the paddle softly so you have good feel and don't hit it too hard. But you don't want to be moving your wrist around a lot (you'll lose control this way)
Got it so loose grip, firm wrist :)
More like steady wrist, but loose grip.
NO FLIPPY WRIST!!
I just want to add that eastern works for dinking too, but is more suited to roll dinks than push dinks. It also opens up the scorpion and the tomahawk. But eastern isn’t great for firefights.
Agreed.
I am officially in love with Kenadi ❤
ur wierd dude
@@akhoumanyoukeh9708sorry I’m a heterosexual male, dude
Watch it! Her bro's gonna come after you with a paddle in hand, haha!!
@@Vanessa-pe2xs haha!
@@jackeddemonur a creep commenting creepy stuff
I dont get it ; a dink low over the net will boumce lower so why play it high?
I am a pro player and this video is all the points that I teach to my students. The only thing I teach that was left out is what I do to people that want to speed up in the kitchen. I tell them to hit a shallow crosscut dink and since it lands so much closer to the net makes many speed up attempts go into the net.
The topspin and slice dinks look the same.. like you’re not doing anything at all to the padde/ball.
Helpful if you talk slower