When you search for pickleball drills to improve your dinks, most of them focus on control, and that’s great. But once you’ve got consistency down, the next step is learning how to attack out of a dink rally. That’s where the Dink Speed-Up Drill comes in.

It’s simple, it’s fun, and it teaches you how to go from calm, steady dinks to fast, point-winning shots; all without losing control.

Your Goal: 

Get comfortable controlling the pace at the kitchen and learn when (and how) to speed things up.

Setup

• Both players start at the kitchen line, dinking straight ahead.
  
• Focus on keeping the ball low, soft, and consistent.
  
• Don’t worry about power yet. This is about touch and timing.
  

How It Works

1. Start with a smooth dink rally.

2. When the moment feels right, one player speeds it up, driving the ball from their middle toward the opponent’s sideline.

3. The other player blocks or resets the ball back into the kitchen.

4. Switch roles and keep the rhythm going.

You’ll quickly feel how small changes in paddle angle or contact point can completely change the rally’s pace.

 What You Should Focus On

• Stay ready. Keep your paddle up because speed-ups come fast.
  
• Use your body, not your arm. Short, compact moves give you more control.
  
• Make it look the same. The best attacks are disguised as normal dinks.
  
  

Pro Tip: Don’t rush it. A sneaky, well-timed speed-up after five or six patient dinks is way more effective than trying to blast the ball early. Timing and disguise always beat brute force.

Why It Works

The Dink Speed-Up Drill builds confidence at the kitchen. You’ll learn to stay patient when you need to and strike when it counts , turning soft shots into smart offense.

Want more tips like this? Check out our breakdown of the “7/11” Pickleball Drill ; it feels unfair… but that’s exactly why you need it.

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