Dinking and Kitchen Play for Tennis Players
Dinking is usually the moment tennis players decide they either love or hate pickleball.
It feels slow, passive, and uncomfortable — until you understand what it’s actually doing.
What a Dink Really Is
A dink isn’t a defensive shot.
It’s a neutralising and probing shot designed to:
Remove your opponent’s ability to attack
Create positional pressure
Force mistakes over time
Think of it less like a drop shot and more like a controlled rally ball at the net.
Why Tennis Players Struggle with Dinking
Tennis players are trained to:
Punish short balls
Hit through the court
Avoid sitting in neutral exchanges
Dinking asks you to:
Absorb pace
Hit softly under pressure
Wait instead of strike
That’s a mindset shift — not a talent issue.
The Kitchen Line Is Your Base Position
In pickleball, the kitchen line is where points are controlled.
If you’re behind it:
You can volley aggressively
You can take balls early
You can pressure opponents with position, not pace
Most tennis players stay back too long — and pay for it.
Good Dinking Sets Up Aggression
The biggest misunderstanding is that dinking is passive.
Good dinking:
Pulls opponents out of position
Forces pop-ups
Creates predictable speed-up chances
Aggression in pickleball is earned, not forced.
Common Tennis Player Mistakes at the Kitchen
Standing too far back from the line
Swinging instead of blocking volleys
Speeding up balls below net height
Trying to win points too quickly
None of these are technical flaws — they’re habits from tennis.
How Tennis Players Should Think About Dinking
A useful mental model:
Dink to gain position
Speed up to finish
If you don’t yet have position, you probably haven’t earned the attack.
Why This Is Where Tennis Players Separate Themselves
Once tennis players learn to:
Stay calm at the kitchen
Use soft hands
Pick the right moment to attack
They often become very difficult to beat.
Your athleticism and anticipation suddenly have space to work.