Dink — WikiPickle

A soft shot, typically hit just over the net into the opponent's kitchen, designed to land before they can attack it.

## What it is The dink is the defining shot of pickleball. It's a soft, controlled shot hit from at or near the non-volley zone (the "kitchen") that arcs gently over the net and lands in your opponent's kitchen. The goal is to keep the ball low and unattackable, forcing your opponent to either pop it up (giving you an attack) or hit another dink. ## Why it matters If you can't dink, you can't play pickleball above the 3.0 level. Most points at intermediate and advanced levels are decided in dink rallies — patient exchanges at the kitchen where players probe for an opening or wait for an opponent to make a mistake. A reliable dink is the foundation of consistent play. ## How to execute it - Use a continental grip (handshake grip), not a forehand grip - Contact the ball out in front of your body, with a stable wrist - Push the ball with your shoulder, not your wrist — the motion is more "lift" than "swing" - Aim for a low arc that just clears the net - Land the ball inside the kitchen, ideally near your opponent's feet ## Common mistakes - **Hitting too hard.** A dink isn't a soft groundstroke; it's a placement shot. If your dink lands past the kitchen line, you've given your opponent an attack. - **Wristy contact.** Flicking the wrist makes the ball pop up. Keep the wrist quiet. - **Standing too far back.** You can't dink effectively from the baseline. Get up to the kitchen line. - **Aiming for the middle.** Cross-court dinks have more margin (longer net to clear, more court to land in). Straight-ahead dinks are riskier. ## Related concepts - [Kitchen](/terms/kitchen) — the non-volley zone where dinks land - [Third shot drop](/terms/third-shot-drop) — the shot used to get TO a dink rally - [Dink rally](/terms/dink-rally) — extended patient exchanges of dinks