Last updated: 3 October 2026
Reviewed by Jordan Morley, FA Level 2 Football Coach
Dinking is the soft game at the heart of competitive pickleball: gentle, controlled shots that arc just over the net and drop into the opponents’ non-volley zone (kitchen). Because shots from inside the kitchen can’t be volleyed, dinking creates a patient battle in which both teams trade soft shots, waiting for the opponent to pop one up high enough to attack. Skilled dinking — with control, placement and patience — is what separates advanced pickleball players; impatiently attacking a low ball usually results in an error. The dink is to pickleball what the rally is to building a point.
- Soft controlled shots into the kitchen
- Cannot be volleyed from inside the kitchen
- A patient battle for an attackable ball
- Hallmark of advanced pickleball
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Open the Pickleball Doubles Strategy Guide →In practice
A 'dink rally' — both players softly tapping the ball back and forth into the kitchen — looks passive to newcomers but is actually a tactical battle: the first player to hit a ball with any pace or height usually gets punished with a hard put-away, so patience and shot placement during dinking exchanges often decide the point.
FAQ
Why do pickleball players dink instead of hitting hard?
A hard shot that lands short gives the opponent an easy attacking opportunity; soft dinks that stay low over the net are much harder to attack, making patience the better tactical choice near the net.
Is dinking only a defensive shot?
No — skilled players use dinks offensively too, varying placement and pace to draw errors or create an opening for a put-away shot.