Dinking golden rules

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Paul from Pickleball Daily
February 19, 2025

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Tip of the day

Pro John Cincola breaks down a common mistake players make with their dinking patterns and introduces his Golden Rule to fix it.

While crosscourt dinks have advantages, such as creating sharp angles and being easier to hit with pace, they also carry risks, especially when the ball crosses in front of an opponent who can attack it.

To decide when to go crosscourt or straight ahead, John suggests using an imaginary line from your outside foot to the net. If the ball stays inside that line, you can safely go crosscourt.

But if the ball moves outside that line, the better play is to hit in front of you or to the middle to avoid giving your opponent an easy attack.

Following this rule helps players stay in control, keep better positioning, and make smarter shot selections in a dink rally.

Key points

  • Crosscourt dinks create angles and can be more aggressive, but they also expose the ball to attacks.

  • Use John’s Golden Rule: If the ball stays inside your outside foot, you can go crosscourt. If it moves past that foot, play it straight ahead or middle.

  • Going too wide shrinks your shot window, making it easier for your opponent to cut off your dink.

  • Positioning is key—hitting the right dink helps you recover quickly and cover the middle for the next shot.

  • A safer play is dinking to the middle third of the box in front of you, reducing attack risks.

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Happy pickling,

Paul

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