Dinking fundamentals: staying steady at the kitchen line

A dink is a soft shot that lands in your opponent's non-volley zone and stays low enough that they cannot attack it. Dinking looks gentle, but it is where many points are quietly won and lost.

Why dink at all?

If you hit hard from the net, a skilled opponent can block your pace back at your feet. Dinking removes that pace and forces a patient exchange, waiting for your opponent to pop a ball up high enough to attack. It turns the net battle into a test of control rather than power.

The technique

Keep the paddle out in front of your body and make contact in front, not beside or behind you. The motion is a gentle push from the shoulder and legs, not a flick of the wrist — wristy dinks are inconsistent. Use a relaxed grip; squeezing tightly adds unwanted pace. Bend your knees to get under the ball rather than dropping the paddle face.

Placement and patience

Cross-court dinks have more court to work with and a lower net in the middle, so they carry more margin for error than straight-ahead dinks. Aim to keep the ball low and unattackable rather than trying to win outright. The goal is to be the one who stays patient longest; most dink rallies end when someone gets impatient and attacks a ball that was not really attackable.

How to practise

Start cooperatively: rally dinks with a partner and count how many you can keep going. Then add light pressure — try to move each other side to side while staying controlled. Only later should you practise attacking the first ball that comes up high. Building the patient base first makes the attacks far more effective.