Steady Dinks
Four on one court? Only one ball may be hit hard at a time.
Count to 50
A and B dink together and count out loud: 50 in a row, and a ball in the net sends you back to zero.
How to play
- A and B face each other at the kitchen line and dink. Count every ball out loud together.
- Four rounds of about 2–3 minutes: cross-court from the right half, cross-court from the left half, middle to middle, straight ahead along one sideline.
- A ball in the net sends the count back to zero. A ball wide, or one that just trickles over the net, keeps the count going.
- No hard hits. If a ball comes up high, roll it back with topspin and keep the pressure on.
- Lean forward and keep your feet working. No waiting for the ball.
- Reached 50? Keep the same pattern going with a bit more pressure until someone hits the net.
Too easy? Too hard?
Too easy: One of you plays faster dinks and tries to force the other into the net. Or raise the target to 75.
Too hard: Lower the target to 30.
Good looks like: A calm, steady rally, both players leaning in, and the pattern runs without thinking.
Net Costs Double
A and B dink to 11 on half the court. A ball in the net costs double: the rally and one of your own points.
How to play
- A and B at the kitchen line, on half the court: straight ahead or cross-court. Agree before you start.
- Dink under control. Attack only a ball that sits up high enough to hit down. Everything else stays a dink.
- Rally scoring to 11: whoever wins the rally gets the point.
- A ball in the net: the other player gets the rally point, and you also lose one of your own points. Wide or long only costs the rally point. The score can go below zero.
- Whoever lost the rally starts the next one with a dink.
- Cross-court only: if you get pulled far out wide, you may play one straight dink to recover. The next ball goes cross-court again.
Too easy? Too hard?
Too easy: A ball you pop up costs you two points. Still easy: mix topspin and slice dinks and change your targets to break the rhythm.
Too hard: Drop the penalty: a ball in the net just loses the rally. Still too hard: no score, just dink in a free rhythm.
Good looks like: Patient dinks and very few balls in the net. You attack a ball that is really up, never one that is still below the net.
Dinkles
Two dink rallies at once. When one ball dies, shout "Dinkles!" and the other ball becomes a live point for all four.
Only two of you?Play Drill 2 again: now a ball you pop up costs you two points.
How to play
- Four players, two teams of two, all at the kitchen line. Two balls at once: both diagonals dink cross-court. Before every point, one player counts "3, 2, 1, go" so both balls start together.
- While you dink, every ball must land inside the kitchen.
- When a ball dies (in the net, missed, or landing outside the kitchen), whoever caused it shouts "Dinkles!". The other ball becomes a live point for all four, team against team. If the dead ball lies where someone could step on it, call "Ball!" and replay the point.
- The first ball after "Dinkles!" is still a dink. No instant hard hit.
- On "Dinkles!", both teammates move toward the middle. If you are right-handed: on the left side you cover the middle with your forehand, on the right side with your backhand.
- Play 10 live points. The team that wins more of them wins. At 5–5, play one more.
Too easy? Too hard?
Too easy: The live point has to be won at the kitchen line. Nobody backs up. Still easy: the first ball after "Dinkles!" may be hit hard right away.
Too hard: Say the dink-first rule out loud before the next point. If it's still too chaotic, everyone freezes on "Dinkles!" and says who covers the middle, then restart without playing the point.
Good looks like: "Dinkles!" is called right away, and the live point starts without a pause. Both teammates slide to the middle together.
That's 30 minutes.Good rally, everyone.