Your pickleball strokes, measured shot by shot.

Where your paddle hand lives between shots, measured from your hip line. Up near your chest means every ball starts on time; down at the thighs means every ball starts with a catch-up move.

How soft your knees stay between shots. Straight legs mean you’re standing tall on your heels — soft knees are what make the first step quick.

Your feet compared to your shoulders between shots. Around shoulder width and a bit beyond keeps you balanced both ways.

How quickly your hand gets back up to chest height after each shot. Up is home; down is a visit.

How big your take-back is, measured as the path your hand travels. The soft game wants a short move — a backswing that needs a decision mid-flight is how drops turn into net balls.

Where you meet the ball relative to your body, from the side camera. Out front means your shoulder can do the pushing; beside or behind your hip means the wrist has to rescue it.

Dink against a wall with a line at net height (34 inches). Soft push from the shoulder, contact out front, reset to ready between every ball.

With a partner, cross-court dinks only. Every ball lands in the kitchen; every miss into the net means you got wristy. Play to 20.

Partner at the kitchen feeds to you at mid-court; hit drops that peak on YOUR side of the net and die in the kitchen. Step forward after each one.

Third-shot drops from the baseline into a towel laid in the kitchen. Three in a row on the towel, take one step in; work back out.