If you’ve ever found yourself in the midst of a pickleball game, delicately dinking back and forth, you might have wondered, “When should I switch from just dinking to attacking?”
Understanding which balls to attack during a dink rally is key to taking control of the game. Let’s dive into the details and explore the best scenarios to go on the offensive.
1. The Dead Dink Near the Sideline: Your Green Light to Attack
A dead dink—one that lacks spin and drops comfortably in the kitchen—is often your opportunity to get aggressive. Particularly, when you get a dead dink near the sideline, it’s the perfect moment to attack. Balls close to the sideline are advantageous because many teams struggle to figure out who should cover the middle when it’s needed most.
If you speed up the ball down the line, the opponent in front of you might not be ready to cover, giving you an easy point. If they shift over, chances are their partner is caught unaware, leaving the middle wide open for you to attack.
On the other hand, avoid attacking balls in the middle of the kitchen. There aren’t enough angles to work with, and both opponents are usually in a good position to react. Stick to the sidelines for your attacking shots, and you’ll notice the openings become much more apparent.
2. Practical Tip: Create Movement
When dinking, your goal isn’t always to go for a full-blown attack right away. Sometimes, the smarter play is to set up the attack by making your opponent uncomfortable.
This means hitting the dink just far enough away from them that they have to stretch or move their feet to make the return. You’re not only making it tougher for them to hit an effective shot, but also creating opportunities to exploit gaps in their defense.
3. Attack High Dinks with Controlled Aggression
Sometimes your opponent makes a mistake, and the dink comes in a little too high—near or above waist level. When you spot one of these, it’s time to be more aggressive. Use a rolling motion, moving low to high, to add topspin to your shot. The topspin helps keep the ball in bounds and often results in a pop-up from your opponent, setting you up for an even easier attack.
When targeting this shot, you have two options: aim for your opponent’s body (preferably the paddle-holding shoulder, which is trickier to defend) or hit into an open area between the opponents. Both are effective, but choose the one you can reliably execute, especially if you’re still building confidence with these shots.
Look at the video below and think about how many of those dinks would you have sped up or attacked? Pros are pros in part because they make great decisions. But there is always a time to attack, and usually, it’s when a dink bounces too high or too long, as in the case here:
4. Surprise Lob: A Shot for the Right Moment
The offensive lob is a more advanced move that should be used sparingly for maximum effect. Ideally, you save this for the third or fourth dink of a rally when your opponents have gotten comfortable. Disguise is key: make it look like you’re going for a regular dink, then add extra power and lift to send the ball over their heads.
Topspin is your friend here, ensuring the ball stays in and “runs away” from your opponents as they scramble back.
Reading the Dink
If you want to get better at pickleball and move up in skill levels, mastering these attacking options is essential. Remember, not every dink needs to be attacked, but recognizing when to turn a neutral rally into an opportunity is what separates a good player from a great one. Practice your spin, aim for the sidelines, and develop your ability to read high dinks—these are the skills that will elevate your game.
Happy dinking, and may your attacks always catch your opponents off guard!
