NVZ and Basic Dink Drills

No one wants to drill, everyone wants to improve...

This post is the second about Non-Volley Zone drills. The first was specifically about volleys and this post is about dinks. It also aligns with the RV Picklers' article shown last week, Pickleball 101, in that beginner clinics should start at the Non-Volley Zone line. 

NVZ Line Drills

Ball Toss Drills for Dinks

Playing at the NVZ is uncomfortable for many beginning players. In order to play well, comfort in positioning and moving within 6” of the line is essential. The first set of dink drills consists of tossing the ball in order to get players comfortable at the NVZ line.

Single Ball Toss

Description: Two players stand at opposing NVZ lines facing each other.  Using only the paddle hand to throw and catch, toss a single ball back and forth so that it can be caught after bouncing in the NVZ. Players should move to catch the ball in front of their torso as much as possible. 

Goal: This exercise trains the player to receive the ball in front of their body as well as move side-to-side along the NVZ. The exercise also trains the “tosser” how softly the dink is hit.


Double Ball Toss

Description: Two players stand at opposing NVZ lines facing each other.  Using only the paddle hand to throw and catch, each player tosses a ball simultaneously back and forth to their partner forth so that they can be caught after bouncing in the NVZ. Players should move to catch the ball in front of their torso as much as possible. 

Goal: This exercise trains the player to receive the ball in front of their body as well as move side-to-side along the NVZ while increasing their need to focus. The exercise also trains the “tosser” how softly the dink is hit.

Stationary Dink Drills

Dinking is the act of hitting the ball softly so that it lands in the opponents’ NVZ. Dinks are hit near the NVZ line. Drills to improve technique and shot-making are shown below.

Simple Dink Drill

Description: The simplest dink drill for 2 players is to stand at opposing NVZ lines and dink the ball back and forth. Each player should hit the ball to their partner such that the return dink can be made. Players should try to have a rally with a large number of continuous hits and should not try to hit winners. 

Goal: This drill will teach the player touch (how hard to hit the ball) and proper paddle face angles. Short reaction time will require players to return to the ready position.

Crosscourt Dink Drill 1

Description: The positions for the 2-player crosscourt dink drill are to stand at opposing NVZ lines and on opposite sides of the court. Players dink the ball back and forth. Each player should hit the ball to their partner such that the return dink can be made. Players should try to have a rally with a large number of continuous hits and should not try to hit winners. 

Goal: This drill will teach the player touch (how hard to hit the ball) and proper paddle face angles. Long slow shots will train players to move into proper position.

Crosscourt Dink Drill 2

Description: The positions for this 2-player crosscourt dink drill are similar to Drill 1 but from the opposite side of the net. Players dink the ball back and forth. Each player should hit the ball to their partner such that the return dink can be made. Players should try to have a rally with a large number of continuous hits and should not try to hit winners. 

Goal: This drill will teach the player touch (how hard to hit the ball) and proper paddle face angles. Long slow shots will train players to move into proper position. Changing positions trains the player on both backhand and forehand dinks.

Four-Corner Dink Drill

Description: This drill has 4 players positioned at the NVZ in the center of each service box. Players dink the ball back to the opposition partner who did not dink the ball to them, changing the direction of the ball. Each player should hit the ball to their “opponent” such that the return dink can be made. Players should try to have a rally with a large number of continuous hits and should not try to hit winners. 

Goal: This drill will teach the player how to change the direction of the ball. This is more difficult than returning the ball in the same direction from where it came.  After several minutes, players should rotate to the next position to learn all angles for dinking. Repeat the rotation until all 4 positions have been practiced.