What Is a Dink in Pickleball (and Why It Wins Games)
Strategy · The soft game · Updated 2026-07-11
A dink is a soft shot, hit from near your kitchen line, that arcs just over the net and lands in the opponent's non-volley zone - so low and short that they can't attack it.
It looks like the gentlest shot in the sport. It's actually the most aggressive thing you can do to a power player.
Why a soft shot dominates
A ball that bounces low in the kitchen forces your opponent to hit upward. An upward ball can't be driven - physics turns their next shot into either another soft reply or a rising ball you get to smash. The dink removes every power weapon from the rally and replaces it with a patience contest. The team that blinks first - lifting a dink too high or reaching for a ball they should let bounce - loses the point.
The four dinks worth knowing
| Dink | Target | When |
|---|---|---|
| Crosscourt | Diagonal kitchen corner | Default - longest court, lowest net (the middle), biggest margin |
| Straight-on | Directly across | Change-up to catch a drifting opponent |
| Middle | Between opponents | Creates 'yours/mine' confusion in doubles |
| At the feet | Opponent's backhand foot | When they're leaning or off-balance |
Winning the dink rally
- Let it bounce. Volleying a dink from too low gives the point away; a bounced ball gives you time and height.
- Stay behind the line, paddle up. You can enter the kitchen to take a bounced dink - just get back out before you volley.
- Speed up only off a high one. The rally ends when someone lifts a dink above net height. Attack that ball, not the well-executed ones.
- Count on 8-20 shot rallies. Dink battles are long by design - impatience is the opponent's best weapon against you.
See your patience pay off in the stats
Dink's match stats show total rallies, your longest runs, biggest deficits erased, and lead changes - the fingerprints of a soft game that's working. The AI Coach goes further: "you broke their 5-0 run with one calm reset" is exactly the kind of read it gives after a match, built entirely from how the points actually flowed.
Keep score through 20-shot rallies without losing count. Tap the side that scored - Dink announces the score and remembers everything else. Free on the App Store. Download Dink: Pickleball Score Keeper on the App Store.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called a dink?
The name is old net-sport slang for a soft, dying shot ('dink' = a little hit), adopted early in pickleball's history for the soft kitchen exchange. It stuck because the shot defines the sport's identity - and yes, our app is named after it.
Is dinking only for advanced players?
Backwards - beginners who learn to dink early beat bigger hitters almost immediately. The soft game is pickleball's great equalizer: it neutralizes speed and power with placement and patience.
Should I dink crosscourt or straight?
Crosscourt is the percentage play: the diagonal gives you more court, and the net is two inches lower in the middle. Straight and middle dinks are change-ups to move opponents and create confusion.
When should I stop dinking and attack?
When the ball rises above net height - that's the green light. Attacking a low dink means hitting up on the ball into a ready defense; attacking a high one means hitting down. Wait for the height.