Set up the drill

You need two players, two paddles, several balls and one side of a court. Both players begin at opposite Kitchen lines.

The objective is cooperative first: keep the ball in the non-volley zone and build clean, repeatable contact.

Minutes 0–3: cross-court consistency

Dink cross-court only. Use a comfortable pace and enough net clearance to make the rally sustainable.

Count consecutive balls. If the rally breaks, restart immediately without turning the miss into a discussion.

Minutes 3–6: change direction

Continue dinking, but allow either player to change from cross-court to straight ahead after three or more stable contacts.

The goal is to learn directional control without changing swing size dramatically.

Minutes 6–8: target the outside foot

Aim more deliberately toward the opponent's outside foot or backhand-side space while keeping the ball unattackable.

Do not chase the sideline. The target is a body position, not a painted line.

Minutes 8–10: live point after five dinks

Begin cooperatively. After five successful dinks, the point becomes live and either player may attack an appropriate ball.

This connects control to decision-making: the first objective is to build the rally, the second is to recognize when the ball is actually attackable.

What to track