Dinking footwork and tethering is a fundamental aspect of pickleball that greatly impacts your performance during dinking rallies. As you gain experience and make progress in dinking, your footwork will naturally improve, and you will instinctively stay connected to your partner.
Shuffle and Stay Connected
To excel at dinking, you’ll need to use good footwork and tethering to maneuver effectively along the kitchen line during a dinking rally.
Players at the 3.5+ level excel in maintaining these rallies while avoiding mistakes. They understand the importance of staying connected with their partner to prevent leaving openings in their defense.
Dinking Footwork and Tethering
While dinking, shuffle side to side along the kitchen line without crossing your feet. If the ball lands in the kitchen, step in to play the dink shot, then quickly step back out to your ready position.
This illustration shows players tethered together, moving side to side and in and out of the kitchen as needed.
It’s essential to use good footwork and tethering. move in sync as you slide side to side to play your dink shots. As your partner shuffles over to play a dink, shuffle over with them. Failing to maintain that connection creates a gap between you, which your opponents will eagerly exploit with a speed-up dink directed into the opening.
Kitchen Line Dinking Drill
- Why It’s Important: This drill helps you master quick, small foot adjustments while playing at the kitchen line, improving your positioning for soft shots.
- How to Do It: Have your partner feed dinks to either side of you, shuffle side to side to reach the ball, ensuring you stay close to the kitchen line and maintain balance. Dink the ball back so they can hit another one to the other side. This drill improves lateral footwork and teaches you to stay light on your feet for quick adjustments.
- Key Focus: Small, controlled shuffles are crucial. Stay balanced and low as you move to reach each dink.
Dinking Game
If you find yourself with some spare time and an available court, consider playing a singles dinking game with a partner or a doubles game with four players, two per team.
Set a goal for 5 or 10 points, utilizing half the kitchen for singles or the entire kitchen for doubles. Take turns sending dinks across, scoring a point whenever your opponent hits the ball out of bounds, out of the kitchen or into the net.
After a missed shot, award the point and resume play from the person who retrieves the ball. Aim your dinks at difficult spots on the court to challenge your opponents’ returns.
This approach adds a competitive element to your practice and sharpens your focus on enhancing your dinking skills.
Summary of Footwork and Tethering
Pickleball footwork and tethering is critical when dinking—always stay connected to your partner to avoid any openings your opponents can take advantage of.
Video on Dinking Form and Technique
Courtesy of Dick’s Sporting Goods
Watch this video on Dinking Form and Technique on Youtube.