Develop kitchen patience by earning the right to attack only after a controlled dink pattern creates a genuinely attackable ball.
Equipment
- Pickleball paddles
- Pickleballs
- Pickleball court
Setup
Play half-court or full-court doubles from the non-volley-zone lines. Choose a gate of four successful dinks before an attack is allowed.
How to run it
1. Feed a neutral dink and begin counting team contacts.
2. Before the gate is reached, all shots must bounce in the kitchen.
3. After four successful dinks, either team may attack only a ball that is high enough and contacted from balance.
4. Play the rally live. Award one point for winning and one decision bonus for declining a poor attack.
5. Increase the gate or require one crosscourt and one straight dink as players improve.
Coach Dave’s cues
Move the ball with purpose, but stay patient. Attack from balance with a clear target. A good decision can be correct even when execution misses.
Watch for
Attacking because the count is complete, attacking below net height, forcing spin while off balance, or treating every pop-up as one player’s fault.