This pickleball drill helps players refine their dinking skills, improve patience, and develop an eye for when to speed up play strategically.

Setup:

• Players line up across from each other at the Non-Volley Zone (NVZ).
• The game is played on half the court, either cross-court (diagonal) or straight ahead.

How to Play:

1. Starting the Rally:

• Either player can feed the ball to begin the rally.
• The first four shots must land in the NVZ.

2. Rally Rules:

• Players focus on controlled dinks to outlast their opponent consistently and precisely.
• After the initial four dinks, players can choose to speed up the ball at the right moment to try and win the point.

3. Rotation:

• The player who loses the point moves to the opposite half of the court.
• This ensures that some points are played cross-court while others are played straight ahead.

4. Scoring:

• Play points to 11, with standard rally scoring.

Variation:

Dink-Only Version:

• Limit the boundaries to the NVZ and focus exclusively on maintaining soft dinking rallies.
• No speeding up allowed—players work solely on precision and patience.

Benefits:

• Sharpens dinking skills and footwork.
• Encourages players to recognize the right opportunities to speed up the ball.
• Teaches adaptability by alternating between cross-court and straight-ahead play.

This drill provides a well-rounded way to build consistency and strategic decision-making in dinking situations.