This week in Five Dink Friday😀

🎯 Topspin Dink Fix — I may have been swinging wrong
đŸ§Ș Tube Drill Test — exposing my questionable volleys
😂 Pickleball Fitness Era — apparently I’m training for the Olympics
🎭 Sneaky Offense — deceptive shots that steal free points
đŸ„’ Middle Pressure — the strategy that broke everyone this week

Let’s get to it!

🚚 This Week’s Edition Is Brought to You by EagleRidge Roofing and Construction

You work on your third shot drops.
Your resets.
Your kitchen confidence.

But when’s the last time you worked on your roof? 😏

Spring is here, and after a long winter, now’s the perfect time to inspect the one thing protecting everything underneath it.

Because just like pickleball


Small mistakes become expensive ones fast.

A tiny leak today can become a five-figure headache tomorrow.

That’s where Lance — the local legend comes in.

He’s not just good on the roof
 rumor has it he’s got a DUPR in the 4s and knows how to finish points at the kitchen too.

He’ll get up there so you don’t have to, and check for:

‱ Missing shingles
‱ Pipe sealing issues
‱ Flashing repairs
‱ Ventilation problems
‱ Winter damage
‱ Sneaky leaks before they attack your wallet

If everything looks good? Peace of mind.
If something needs attention? You’ll know before it gets ugly.

No ladders.
No guesswork.
No YouTube roofing disasters.

👉 Utah readers: Schedule your FREE roof inspection by calling 801- at eagleridgepros.com

#1 đŸ„’ Wait
 Have I Been Hitting My Topspin Dink Wrong This Whole Time?

I came across an Instagram reel this week about forehand topspin dinks



and immediately had a mini pickleball identity crisis 😂

Because the instructor explained the swing path VERY differently than I’ve always thought about it.

I think I’m doing mine wrong.

Or at least

not as efficiently as I could.

Instagram post

I’ve always hit my forehand topspin dink more like a ping pong roll:
‱ across my body
‱ brushing up
‱ trying to generate shape and spin

And I actually like the shot


EXCEPT:
Sometimes I absolutely dump that thing into the net 😅

So this morning I’m officially experimenting.

âž»

🎯 The Big Concept Shift

Most people think:
👉 “roll across your body.”

But her explanation was:

❌ not across
✅ more OUT and UP

Almost like:
your elbow is a hinge.

The paddle starts:
👇 UNDER the ball

Then brushes:
↗ up and outward on the outside of the ball.

And the weirdest part?

She said:
“Trust the physics.”

Because your SWING path and your PADDLE FACE are not the same thing.

That kinda broke my brain in a good way.

âž»

🧠 Her “Aim → Fire” Cue

This was the part I really liked.

She explained it like this:

👉 your paddle face AIMS
👉 your swing path FIRES

Meaning:

If you want to dink crosscourt:
‱ paddle face points crosscourt
‱ but the swing still brushes upward/outward

If you want to go more down the line:
‱ same swing path
‱ different paddle face angle

âž»

đŸ„’ My Plan This Week

I’m going to drill this for a few sessions and see if:
‱ I get more shape
‱ more consistency
‱ fewer net balls
‱ and better aggression off the bounce

Because if this works


we may have just unlocked:
✹ Topspin Dink 2.0 ✹

Will report back, cuz I have my doubts


doesn’t feel like this shot can be as lethal as my current ping pong style, top spin dink 😏

#2 ⚡ The Ball Tube Drill That Might Humble Me

Just sent this reel to my drill partner because I HAVE to try this 😂

Instagram post

You hold a ball tube underneath your arms while volleying at the kitchen line


and if the tube drops?

Congrats.
Your swings are bigger than you think 😅

I have a sneaking suspicion this drill is about to expose me.

Because in my head, my hands are super compact and elite.

But are they ACTUALLY compact?

Or am I secretly taking full-body panic cuts during hands battles? đŸ€”

There’s only one way to find out.

If I make it through without dropping the tube


I’ll assume I’m already a kitchen baddie.

If not


we pretend this section never happened.

#3 đŸ’Ș My Updated Pickleball Training Routine

A lot of you keep asking about my off-court training routine


So I finally had my trainer film one of my recent workout sessions so you can start incorporating these exercises into your own pickleball development program 😌

Instagram post

j/k 😂

But when I saw this reel, I genuinely thought:

“What on earth is this woman training for??”

Because whatever it is


she is READY.

Then it hit me.

4.5+ pickleball. Obviously.

#4 🎭 The 3 Most Deceptive Shots in Pickleball

Okay, THIS was one of my favorite videos I watched this week because I want to master deception.

I feel like my strength right now in pickleball is patience, consistency, and applying pressure — which all win points and are smart things to do



but I want to continue developing my offense.

And I realized:
deception IS offense 😏

I have used every one of the disguises Cliff covers in this video, and I’m becoming pretty proficient at the disguised kitchen lob (ask my friends
 hopefully we are still friends 😂).

That shot is MONEY.

Dink.
Dink.
Dink.

Then suddenly:

🚀 lob.

And if you disguise it well enough, nobody even moves because they were fully expecting another dink.

I have also done the delayed dink speedup through the middle, but I rarely go down the line because I don’t totally trust myself there yet, so I definitely want to drill that one more.

And then there’s the block shot / drop shot


which I have successfully executed approximately by accident 😂

THAT is the shot I really want to learn.

And I found this second video by Cliff, where he is explaining how to block/drop based on the incoming spin, super helpful as I never really thought about how much the incoming spin affects what’s possible.

If the incoming ball has topspin:
✅ easier to absorb and drop into the kitchen

If the incoming ball is flat:
✅ you will need to punch it a little and should even consider NOT doing the drop shot, but just punching it back deep.

If the incoming ball has backspin:
🚹 the technique he explained will not work as the ball will go straight into the net.

NOW

separate from Cliff’s shots


one of MY favorite deceptive shots is what I call:

🎬 “The Oscar Shot”

This is where I fully sell the:
đŸ’„ putaway



and then at the very last second, I hit a super soft, short shot that drops in the kitchen.

When done correctly?

Nobody even moves for it because they are fully on their back heels, preparing for a missile 😂

âž»

Now, tell me


what is your favorite disguise shot?

#5 🎯 Middle Might Actually Be the Most Evil Strategy in Pickleball

I had a full-on revelation this week about going middle.

Like

I always knew middle was “good.”

But I don’t think I fully understood WHY until this week.

And once I started intentionally dinking:
middle.
middle.
middle.
middle.


I started dominating games 😅

Because middle:

✅ takes away angles
✅ creates hesitation
✅ forces communication
✅ makes speedups harder
✅ creates confusion over who takes the ball

And unless a partnership is REALLY disciplined about middle balls?

That tiny hesitation shows up constantly.

What I noticed was:
when I kept the ball low through the middle, rallies got longer



and longer



and eventually both players would start cheating middle trying to protect it.

THAT is when the openings showed up.

And because I stayed patient, I felt completely in control of the rally.

âž»

🧠 The Other Big Realization?

Partner awareness is HUGE when it comes to speedups.

I know I shouldn’t speed it up if I’m off balance or out of position



but I also shouldn’t speed it up if my PARTNER isn’t ready.

If they’re not set and expecting it?
Congratulations.
I just initiated a hands battle they weren’t prepared for 😂

Consistent pressure is what I’m all about right now—constantly placing balls that make my opponents uncomfortable.

Letting the pressure build



and build



until they finally crack and give us something attackable 😏

đŸ’„ That’s a wrap for this week’s Five Dink Friday!

If this week’s edition made you:

‱ rethink your topspin dink mechanics
‱ want to expose your questionable volley technique with a ball tube
‱ or start sinisterly dinking middle until your opponents mentally unravel


then my work here is done 😏

If this landed in your inbox via a friend, hit subscribe so you don’t miss the next drop:

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Until next time


Stay patient.
Apply pressure.
And remember:

speedups are for setting up the NEXT shot 😉

See you on the courts.

— Janelle 🏓✹

đŸ„’ P.S. — By the time you’re reading this, I’ll be packing for what I’m calling:

🚱 The Great Mexican Adventure: Love Boat Edition 😂

I’m taking my kids and their significant others on a cruise Monday, and I just found out the ship has pickleball courts.

Which means


yes.

I WILL be out there on sea days trying to body bag retirees in 20 mph ocean wind 😏

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