7 Reasons You Pop Up Dinks (and how to avoid them)

[@thatpickleballguy]

Hope you enjoyed this video! To go a step further, challenge yourself & take ThatPickleball IQ Test to see how well you really know the game. VERY FEW get 10/10. I dare you to try 😊 thatpickleballtest.typeform.com/to/YuHaz4N6

[@bangcs6848]

The combination of good knowledge, great visuals, excellent editing, and awesome humor makes you one of if not the best pickleball channel in my opinion. Thanks for this!

[@thatpickleballguy]

Oo wow thanks so much! Glad its helpful :)

[@AnnMitt]

The graphics and editing on your videos are outstanding 👏 🙌

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thank you!! My editors are fantastic!!

[@MichaelHughes124]

1. Stance (0:05): Standing up too tall at the kitchen line, not being in an athletic position. 2. Grip Tightness (1:00): Holding the paddle too tightly, causing a lack of control. 3. Big Swings (2:40): Taking large swings instead of controlled, small movements. 4. Using Wrist Too Much (4:51): Overusing the wrist instead of using the shoulder for control. 5. Not Taking Balls Out of the Air (6:28): Not intercepting the ball in the air, leading to difficult short hops. 6. Off Balance Dinks (9:16): Hitting the ball while off balance, resulting in poor control and placement. 7. Targeting Down the Line Too Often (10:33): Taking too many dinks down the line instead of crosscourt, which offers more space.

[@kelvinr2507]

Hey, this is my “secret” tutor.

[@brucemark]

So good! Love the graphics. My favorite was when you spun upside down! Great tips as usual :)

[@thatpickleballguy]

No editing there. I really did that backflip :)

[@mars0612g]

thank you for the tutorial, and i think it fundamentally helps me to improve dinking in kitchen fights. :D

[@doc-bj4bj]

Kyle, congratulations on 4th place at your last APP event. One of the items you wrote on the white board to focus on was breathing. I was interested in you making a video on breathing techniques. Like when you exhale at contact or when the ball bounces. Thanks

[@thatpickleballguy]

OO this is good. I'll add this to my list. And thanks for the kind words :)

[@madonnadoyle2122]

I like how you explain the concepts. 👏

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thanks :)

[@alohaleslie9407]

Aloha! As always, very creative in your instruction and definitely entertaining. Thanks!

[@thatpickleballguy]

Glad it was helpful!!

[@j.kimodejon3004]

Great way to mentor our PB game...real game advise and a tinge of light humor.

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thank you!! Glad its helpful!

[@j.kimodejon3004]

@@thatpickleballguy please let me know if you ever make it to Arizona? Thank you. Kimo Dejon, Robson Ranch Pickleball Club

[@user-ps3gr3ed1z]

The SFX and the motion FX are actually so enjoyable

[@thatpickleballguy]

I agree!!

[@73jamawhoha35]

Best YT content out there. Keep up the good work 👍

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thanks!!

[@bifpow9252]

Another fabulous video! Great content, well produced, great explanation, super practical, very entertaining! Keep up the good work 👍

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thanks for the kind words. Glad it was helpful!

[@dbweb.creative]

the editing is amazing :D keep it up!

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thanks! My editors do a great job!

[@nmac2439]

Thanks for the entertaining video! I like the baby bird analogy. The visual aid is a good reminder to loosen one's grip. Your content is fantastic!

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thanks :)

[@njbianca1]

great tips.. thank you for another excellent video lesson from albuquerque

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thanks for watching. Glad it was helpful!

[@mohanchandrasekaran869]

Another Gr8 video Kyle, have to appreciate the time taken to do such videos and present it...Thanks !!

[@thatpickleballguy]

Absolutely!

[@Leonardokite]

Such a nice little bird....... didn't even squawk when squeezed 😜🤣😎 I find it fascinating how pickleball has a lot of strategy, not just physical.

[@thatpickleballguy]

OO, so much strategy!!

[@shannonheckler]

Love the front flip! You are so talented!

[@thatpickleballguy]

hahahah, thanks!!

[@mooremathewj]

Excellent tips and Enjoyable content. Concise. Gotta give that bird a name!

[@thatpickleballguy]

Youre right!!

[@jimmyjoe8140]

Love the video. As someone who’s 6’6, I’m finding the importance of being low is constantly becoming evident. And I’m having to bend 6+ inches already just to match the average height of my opponents, and then bending much lower to assume the athletic advantage A comment I’d add is that: not only does being low help with moving quicker, but it sharpens your mental alertness and I find it instantly focuses me and makes me play hungrier and mentally ready for shots.

[@thatpickleballguy]

Glad you enjoyed it! Great input!

[@bobekstam1164]

Really well presented and valuable . Thx

[@thatpickleballguy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@grahammaxwell5618]

This is such good information. Can’t wait to go experiment.

[@thatpickleballguy]

🔥🔥 hit me with any questions after you try

[@HeroPrinny]

This is a fantastic video! Thank you so much!

[@thatpickleballguy]

you're welcome!

[@UUathenssheshequin]

Love your humor.

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thanks!

[@afmickel]

Excellent information, as always. Thanks Kyle - I appreciate your valuable insight!

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thanks for watching!

[@Isabella-fx5xp]

Really helpful video, thank you, Kyle! Do you have a video about the kind of quick punch attack you demonstrate at 9:05? Or does it have a name?

[@afterthesmash]

9:45 Cincola did this tip quite a while back.

[@joetalley2638]

Great job editing into your videos. Very funny! They say that women love a man with a great sense of humor. You must do very well on and off the court.

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thanks! My editors are awesome :)

[@bethechange4726]

Great Vid thanks!!

[@thatpickleballguy]

Glad you liked it!

[@gabeanderson8816]

Great video, Kyle 👏🏼 To be fair on your forehand dink, you don’t have much (if any) shoulder movement. You’re mainly using a hip hinge, with a tiny bit of elbow. Good stuff 🙌🏼

[@thatpickleballguy]

fair!

[@wolf-xf6hf]

I know I’ve already written an essay in the comments but I think this is also worth noting. Once you get to the 4.0 level I think the biggest part of technique that advanced players get wrong is moving backwards and having their weight backwards while they hit. People are generally lazy and want to expend the least amount of energy possible. This is why they don’t bend their knees and take big swings to let gravity hit the ball or flip their wrists instead of hitting the ball properly. They will almost always do the least amount of work to hit the ball. The manifests itself most problematically in my opinion with people moving slowly and late to the ball because they want to put in the least amount of effort to get to the position they hit the ball in. When people do this they often hit a ball that pushes them off the kitchen very stretched out and late to the ball causing pop ups, errors, and just generally being out of position. When you look at professional players even if they are hit a dink that bounces and they need to move backwards for they quickly decide to step back and then move back into the ball with their weight moving forwards. This also applies to drops, drives, resets, etc. pros almost never hit shots that they could have their moving forward into with their weight moving backward. This only happens when they are pressured and do not have time to set their feet. By having players focus on always hitting the ball with their weight moving forward this actually fixes a bunch of issues including ones that you talked about in this video. By making players always have to have their wright going back into the court this 1 keeps them mentally engaged. 2 it drastically improves their willingness and mindfulness of taking balls out of the air. 3 it forces them to bend their knees because they wont have enough time if the dink is good to bend their knees, then move, then stop, then move back into the ball and because they won’t have enough time they are forced to cut out the bending their knees portion of the preparation. 4 I find that it often drastically decreases the size of their backswing as when your weight is backwards your hands naturally want to follow because gravity and when your hands go back your backswing gets bigger alongside the fact that because their weight is not into the ball they have to compensate by hitting harder with a larger backswing much in the way that if you are leaning back you have to throw a ball much harder with your shoulder and arm as 1 you are physically moving backwards and 2 you cannot get your hips into the movement. By making people move back into the ball this limits backswing by keep their momentum paused before the hit the ball and therefore are less likely to subconsciously let the paddle go backward. Likewise because their weight is now into the ball they physically have to hit the ball more softly as their body weight is now adding to the power of the shot not subtracting. 5 it improves peoples ready position as now they are back up at the kitchen with their weight forward which is so important for counters and they are more prepared for a speed up cause they are more mentally engaged. Sorry for the 2 excessively long comments but I thought it was worth sharing

[@KawabachiFL]

Such a fire video 🔥🔥🔥

[@thatpickleballguy]

Glad it helped!!

[@El_Guap]

That 002 is looking well loved based upon the top.

[@thatpickleballguy]

It sure is :)

[@maryleatucker5232]

That was spectacular!

[@thatpickleballguy]

Thanks for watching. Glad it helped!

[@wolf-xf6hf]

3:58 i teach lessons to a lot of beginners and this is easily the most common mistake i see. The way i teach dinking without a backswing is making them put down the paddle and catch a ball tossed like a dink. Most people when they go to catch the ball immediately swing there hands upwards to catch the ball. I then point that out and have them catch the ball with as little movement as possible waiting for the ball and letting it simply drop into their hand. A good analogy is i tell them to imagine the ball is an egg and when you catch the ball you have to try your hardest to catch the egg without breaking it. This is something I learned when I was a national level hockey goalie. Most goalies reach and swing their arms to catch but what you want to do is beat the puck to the position where you are going to catch it and just wait. I quite literally used to have my dad throw eggs at me and I would have to catch them without breaking them. I unfortunately do not have the budget to throw eggs at my pickleball students but the thought process if removing all back swing by beating the ball to where you are going to hit it, pausing, and then only accelerating at the last moment is pretty critical

[@boblinski5207]

I saw you played great Pro doubles at APP Newport Beach, you both can go to the finals in the next Pro event. I talked to you at the event and think you are a great instructor. I'm the guy who played point guard in college in basketball. I live in Hawaii and came in and played with my partner for the first time, and we won a silver medal. I hope to see you again soon, and I have some advice for you and your partner for the next Pro Doubles. Your first game in the semis was great playing with great defense and counter-attacking the right shots. You both went away from the original strategy and the opposition took control of the match.

[@thatpickleballguy]

Good to hear from you!! Thanks for the feedback.

[@davidknapp4491]

FYI-the muscles that move the wrist (flex ion, extension, pronation, supination) are in the forearm and are anchored at the elbow and wrist (origin & insertion)😊

[@blackbeardgoatjr2434]

Try this drill: 2 hands on paddle at all times (forehands and backhands), kitchen game. Doubles or skinny singles. 5 games, rally scoring to 15. This is mainly a foot work drill to get you into position to hit a solid dink. You're welcome. I can practically guarantee you will jump up 0.5 rating in a month or less doing this drill 3x week

[@thatpickleballguy]

Love it!

[@NJCheenz2388]

This may be a dumb question, so when hitting the ball out of the air, do you let the ball hit the paddle or you put a little something on it?

[@nolanblanchard8098]

Im new to pickleball, and haven't seen this addressed, but is there a reason there's not more focus on doing high lobs over the opponent to get them off balance? I know that they can step back and wham it, but it seems like its not super practiced and with a good lob to the far corner, it would throw a lot of people off. Is there something in the rules or is it just bad practice that will get punished at higher levels?

[@fernandoherranz4095]

This technique is used a lot with my crew of rec players and it has mixed success. I guess it depends who you're playing and if they recover well or not to return it. Funny enough, the ball often gets lobbed back which kinda takes a bit of advantage away from you. Id say try it and see if you can get enough of an arc on it to place it far back in your opponent's court. Too low and you risk having them crush it on you or return it just over the net which makes your life a little more difficult. A good return on a lob could also be a drop shot back into the kitchen.

[@jeffreinardy7570]

Baby bird is a great que! I am a squeeze the life out of you holder. (not intentionally, but it is) Do you always keep that light grip, (even when back) or does your grip level change depending on where you are at and what you are trying to do? Thanks!

[@digitalreporter]

1) Tall Stance 0:04 2) Tight Grip 0:59 3) Big Swings 2:39 4) Too Much Wrist 4:50 5) Not Taking (Enough) Balls Out Of The Air 6:28 6) Off Balance Dink Placement 9:17 7) Wrong Targets 10:32

[@Smithpickleball]

Hey Kyle, for tip #6 you say to reset the ball to the inside foot of the opponent’s right side player because it’s likely their backhand, which is a weaker shot. How does this change if they’re a righty-lefty team? Then it seems like nowhere in the middle is “safest” to reset.

[@thatpickleballguy]

its a good question. Then, I put even more focus on the quality of my dink. Bc a shallow dink that can't be reached by the opponent will be good pretty much anywhere you put it. If they don't erne, I'll sometimes reset it back down the line. But most pros can erne. So I rarely do that. I'll usually go back more toward the center rather than inside foot.

[@liliadietz357]

The bird!🤣🤣

[@thatpickleballguy]

:)

[@GaneshKumar01]

How do you add spin to dinks if you don’t use your wrist in #4?

[@thatpickleballguy]

Depending on your skill level, i wouldn't focus on adding much spin at first. I'd focus on moving my feet, hitting the ball a little more flat, and just trying to make it bounce in the opponents kitchen. I do have this video as well on the backhand dink specifically. I hit most backhand dinks with some backspin, and this is how I currently do it!

[@thatpickleballguy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpaVoWhracylg7s

[@superbunnee6960]

Roberto Luongo's brother!!

[@nolanhellard7103]

I guess I can’t blame pop ups on my paddle or the ball anymore 😂

[@thatpickleballguy]

no, you still can :)

[@brianporter2806]

who need an editor when Kyle has built in jedi slow motion.

[@thatpickleballguy]

😂

[@paulkennedy8163]

For dinking You want the peak of the ball to enter a certain spot and it changes everything

[@afterthesmash]

11:02 There's no way that math is right. The ratio would be closer to sqrt(2) which would be 10 feet to 14 feet, or 14 feet to 20 feet. Edit:I watched the more advanced video and there he explains that he's calculating a more aggressive crosscourt than what this version illustrates.

[@ValueRobot]

R.I.P. PickleMall

[@thatpickleballguy]

Sad times

[@marvindennis3664]

so, when dinking, what you are asking me is: move your feet?

[@thatpickleballguy]

only if you want too, haha!

[@PatrickDeBoard1946]

you messed up. you said #6 is Off Balance Dink Knowledge, when it is actually Off Balance Dink Placement. Tell your editor. He can fix it.

[@thatpickleballguy]

oops. First mistakes i've made since 1997. Dang it

[@duanehensley8835]

I love all of your content but this is the one time I disagree with your comments about getting low at the kitchen. Look at how JW Johnson stands at the kitchen he deosn't get low at all.

[@thatpickleballguy]

Comparison to jw johnson is not typically the prototype to imitate. Hes never bent his knees in his life, lol but he has some elite qualities many of us dont have. In addition. In addition, that particular tip is to help people avoid getting off balance and being surprised when hard shots come at them. Definitely speaking to a more beginner audience :)

[@markuspotter42]

@@thatpickleballguyI’m a 4.25 and rising player. I have always been told relentlessly to get low at the kitchen. But I’ve noticed that being upright at the kitchen feels a little bit more relaxed, and efficient for me while still maintaining an athletic and ready stance. In this ok, or at my level better to keep forcing myself to keep dropping lower?

[@duanehensley8835]

@@thatpickleballguy I think I understand what you are saying. if your straight as a poker your feet are definitely not set as a good base for stability and lateral movement. However, At least for me and many other beginnners if one is too low to the net one tends to miss hit higher balls that are hit straight at you head high and end up hitting out or popping them up, where if one was more upright in those situations they'd merely hit it back as in a normal hand battle. JMO and experience. :)

[@thatpickleballguy]

@@duanehensley8835 No I definitely agree with that. Definitely don't wanna be too low. Because of what you said. I like a little knee bend and an active stance to be prepared for all situations!

[@thatpickleballguy]

@@markuspotter42 I think being upright is fine, just have a knee bend and be prepared for lateral movement. Too low can hurt you. Too tall can hurt you. Find the balance in between!