5 Tips Every Pickleball Player (and Partner) Should Know
1) Reset dinks to the middle.
On dinks that pull you to the left or right or force you on the run, reset the ball by hitting it to the center.
2) Take more dinks out of the air.
Holding your ground at the kitchen line and keeping a solid base is crucial. Taking balls out of the air during dinking rallies is very important. Better if you can do that instead of taking a step back and hitting it on the bounce. Obviously you can’t do that all the time, but a lot of people are afraid to take dinks out of the air and step back instead. A good player will slowly try to keep dinking at your feet as you are doing this, and it’s giving them a lot more opportunity. Volleying balls is giving them less time to get set, and disrupting their rhythm. Bending your knees and staying low allows you to make a lot more of these.
3) Loosen your grip.
Squeezing the paddle is basically like tensing up and results in a lot more errors. It does not allow you to be as fluid as you can be. When you’re dinking, holding the paddle with a loose grip allows you to swing through the ball a lot more. I used to think that shorter, choppier swings are the way to go and that you can’t really swing through the ball that much. I guess I thought the court is small and the ball can fly off the paddle easily which is why I couldn’t swing through it that much. I was wrong. I started seeing the pros hitting dinks and drops where they are swinging through the ball and rolling over shots. Loosening your grip allows you to do this. Obviously you just can’t swing very fast, but it results in a lot more solid shots. I’m not saying to use a full swing where you’re pulling the paddle back and finishing over your shoulder. But with a loose grip, you can definitely be more fluid with your stroke.
4) Be deceptive and attack straight.
A lot of people get into cross court dinking rallies. Backhand to backhand, forehand to forehand. Attacking down the line is very effective. Looking cross court and doing this is even better. It is involving the player who is standing there watching his teammate. Attacking straight also gives the person less time to react. I catch a lot of people by hitting it straight and “chicken winging” them on their forehand side. It seems like its hard to get your paddle up and to the right. It also gives you a little mode margin of error because its hard to let that shot go because there’s not a lot of time to react.
5) Involve the player “spectating.”
We’ve all been there. Your teammate is engaged in a back and forth. They’re in a rhythm and you’re just trying to stay on your toes and be ready in case it comes to you. I feel like if you’re playing with someone at your skill level, these intense volleys are a toss up. Sure, it’s a ton of fun, but instead of just going down the line back and forth, directing the ball at the teammate spectating, or even up the middle is a good way out of this.
