The dink is the shot that separates people who play pickleball from people who understand it. It looks like the easiest shot on the court — a soft little tap over the net — and new players are shocked at how hard it is to do reliably. That's because almost everyone learns it wrong first: as a wristy tap. Here's the version that actually holds up, built in the right order.
What a dink actually is
A dink is a soft shot, hit from inside or near the kitchen, that clears the net low and lands in your opponent's kitchen — forcing them to hit up, which keeps them from attacking you. That's the whole strategic point: a good dink takes the offense off the table and turns the point into a patience contest you're built to win.
Mechanically, a dink is a push, not a hit. Firm wrist, and the paddle moves the ball with a small motion from the shoulder — like gently pushing a door closed. Not a flick, not a swing. The softest, most boring motion you can imagine, done the same way every time.
The three things to get right, in order
First, contact out front. Meet the ball in front of your body, where your eyes are and where your shoulder can push. This is the foundation — a ball met out front is a ball you can hit softly and see clearly. A ball that drifts back to your hip before you touch it forces a wristy rescue every time.
Second, a firm, quiet wrist. Let the shoulder push and keep the wrist out of it. The wrist is the streaky joint — it feels like touch and plays like a coin flip. Firm it up and your dink starts to repeat.
Third, bend your knees to the ball. On a low dink, sink your whole body down instead of reaching the paddle down. The legs get you low; the arm just pushes. Reaching with a straight leg is the scoop, and the scoop pops up.
Notice what's not on the list: aiming, spin, disguise, power. None of it matters until the push is grooved. Build the boring version first.
What CoachVision measures
Film a few dinks from the sideline, chest height, and CoachVision reads the exact things on this list. Contact out front — where your hand meets the ball relative to your body, reported in torso-lengths, positive when it's out front where you want it. The flick-versus-push story, so you can see whether the shoulder or the wrist is driving. And your knee bend at contact, so you know whether you're bending to low balls or scooping them.
One honest note: the tool tracks your body, not your paddle or the ball — so it reads your hand as the stand-in for the paddle, which sits a forearm beyond it. That's exactly enough to coach the push.
The drill — Wall Dink Rallies
You can build a whole dink against a wall, alone. Mark a line at net height — 34 inches — and dink against it: soft push from the shoulder, contact out front, paddle back up to ready after every ball. Fifty dinks, three times a week.
The wall never gets tired and never lies. Push it and the rally flows; flick it and it falls apart. Film a set from the side after a couple of weeks, watch your contact-out-front read sit comfortably positive, and you'll know the dink is becoming yours.