This week:
We kick things off with a must-see pickleball parody. Then tumble down a fast-hands rabbit hole that turned into a full-blown biomechanics masterclass.
I’ll show you two killer drills I’ve been sweating through this week that are already making a difference in my game—and I hope will in yours, too.
And we close it out with some big dream energy (shirtless Ben Johns may or may not be involved). Let’s get into it.
#1🥇 Totally Tops Pickleball Parody—Thank Me Later
@fridaypickleball nailed this! And even though it's a few months old, it deserves a victory lap.
So many great one-liners. I couldn’t decide which was the best: the fact that she loves when he plays with Jessica, that she wants to get a second job, or her comment about embarrassing the family.
So many laughs.
Seriously—watch it. Then reply and tell me what made you LOL
#2🧠 Fast Hands = Shoulder Science?
I was watching a YouTube video from Building Better Pickleball—just a simple, solid drilling session with a 5.8—and honestly, it felt like free coaching. I picked up a few new drills (including a killer reset drill I’ll share later), but what really got me thinking was this comment below the video about “fast hands”:
Was this just a blowhard troll—or a gold nugget of biomechanical brilliance?
Could some secret shoulder exercises unlock lightning-fast reflexes that help me dominate at the kitchen line?
So I did what I do.
I went down the rabbit hole.
Here’s what I found:
Shoulder flexibility absolutely helps—you can move your paddle into position quicker and add pop to your counters and punches.
But focusing only on shoulders isn’t some magical unlock.
If you really want to level up your volleys, here’s what you need to focus on:
🧍♀️ Ready Position
Your elbows should be out in front of your torso (not jammed against your ribs). That gives your paddle freedom to move, especially on that forehand volley. This quick tutorial shows you exactly what I mean:
🔄 Shoulder-Driven Motion
Volleys should be tight, controlled punches—not big swings. Keep your wrist firm and generate motion from the shoulder (this is what I believe our commenter was alluding to).🧠 Anticipation > Reaction
Reading your opponent’s setup lets you prep before they speed it up—so your paddle is already in the right spot. Setting yourself up with smart combos helps you predict where the ball is most likely to come back.
That’s where the Triangle Effect comes in.🔺 The Triangle Effect
Think of the triangle as your attack path and its most likely return angle.If you're a right-handed player on the right side and attack straight ahead with your backhand, across their body to their backhand (assuming they’re right-handed too), expect it to come back down your line.
If you attack that same opponent with your forehand, across their body to their forehand, expect it to come back toward the middle, so be ready to clean it up with your backhand.
And yes—when you speed up crosscourt, expect the ball to come firing back toward your partner.
Mastering this “cause-and-effect” triangle helps you anticipate the next shot and set up lethal combos before your opponent even swings.
🏓 Paddle Position
Most pros and coaches recommend keeping your paddle tip at 11 o’clock (or 1 o’clock for lefties). This slightly open backhand angle helps:Defend against quick attacks
Prevent mishits from bad paddle angles
Protect your face mid-firefight
Combine that with a grip strength around 6–7 out of 10 (firm but not rigid) and a short, controlled swing path.
Open the wrist and punch forward—don’t wind up.As you can see, there’s way more to Fast Hands than just shoulder mobility.
Lightning reflexes come from body and paddle positioning, shoulder control, anticipation, and smart combos—all trained to become second nature.
And yeah... I think this should become a comprehensive training product.
Because each of these components—mechanics, drills, court positioning, and pattern reading—is learnable.Reply with “FAST HANDS” if this is something you’d be interested in too.
#3🎯 The Reset Drill That’ll Make You a Maestro
Okay, this is the YouTube video by Building Better Pickleball that I mentioned in #2—the one that felt like I was getting a free private coaching/drilling session (not one of those awkward ones where Jerry from Open Play is trying to fix your grip mid-game).
This was real value, and worth a watch if you’re a nerd like me (on 2x speed, of course—and just a heads up, Brian has a colorful vocabulary, so if you have virgin ears, you may want to skip it or plan to purge them after).
But if you just want the gold, fast-forward to minute 31. That’s where you’ll see a ridiculously effective reset drill I’ve now added to my drilling toolbox. It’s simple:
One player at the net
One in the transition zone
Net player rips balls at your body
Your job? Reset them softly into the kitchen. Over and over.
I did this with my husband the other night (until the mosquitoes shut us down), and WOW! It’s a great way to train that soft, touchy, "I’m-a-maestro-not-a-masher" game.
🎹 It reminded me of piano lessons growing up—I always wanted to play forte. Loud, hard, intense.
But music isn’t just volume. It’s contrast. Power and restraint.
Same with pickleball.
I don’t want to get caught up in the banger battles. I want to be able to fire hard and reset like a zen monk.
That’s the difference between a good player and a masterful one. The ability to shift gears instantly and intentionally.
It’s something I’ve been chasing hard lately—and not just in partner drills.
Which leads me to…
#4🧱 Beat the Wall: My New Favorite Flow Drill
After doing that reset drill with my husband, I started wondering—how do I train this solo?
How do I develop that same ability to go power → soft → power again… when it’s just me and my gym wall?
Enter: the Dink, Speed-Up, Counter, Reset wall drill.
You start with a dink, and then you speed it up and immediately counter with power, followed by a reset.
Then you start the pattern over. It's a good drill that helps train muscle memory and the ability to change tempo.
🎥 Here’s a quick clip of me doing it if you want to see it in action:
But then I stumbled across Austin's “Beat the Wall” drill inside the Better Pickleball Playbook app—and it was far superior. Exactly what I needed to train situational awareness and shot selection.
It’s not just about soft hands—it’s about knowing when to return power for power, and when to reset.
Here’s how it goes (and I demonstrate the drill in the video shared above if you want to see it):
Stand 7–10 feet away from the wall
Fire rapid volleys into the wall
As soon as the exchange becomes unattackable—BOOM—reset it
Start again
That decision—to attack or reset—comes down to a few key things:
Is the ball attackable?
Am I on balance?
Are my opponents in position?
Is my form breaking down?
When things start to get chaotic—low balls, off-balance, out of position, reaching—that’s when it’s time to hit the brakes and reset.
And that’s exactly what I’m training now.
Honestly? I think this drill is going to revolutionize my game.
🧠 Additionally, it’s made me rethink wall drills altogether.
I’ve already thought of several ways to apply this principle to some of my other solo wall drills.
(And OMG, I cannot wait to show you what I bought on Prime Day to level up my aggressive dinking game. I’ll share it next week—I have a feeling you're gonna want it too.)
Remember. . .
When it comes to drilling, it’s not just reps.
It’s reps with intent that count.
#5✨ Manifesting My Pickleball Dream Life
I started Five Dink Friday to scratch my own itch.
To permit myself to spend hours chasing my pickleball obsession and leveling up my game.
I figured: if I found something that helped me play better—or just made me laugh—maybe it’d help someone else too.
And now this little side hobby has taken on a life of its own.
We just passed 600 subscribers in 6 weeks (with no ads, no promos… just you amazing humans sharing it with your fellow pickleball fiends).
That makes me all kinds of grateful and wanting to paddle tap you through the screen.
With this growth, I’m now seeing an even bigger vision:
My Pickleball Vision Board
🎾 Play with Ben Johns (ideally shirtless, and I mean him with his shirt off, not me—just to be clear)
🎤 Film content + lessons with top pros and actual celebrities (hey, Ellen DeGeneres and Taylor Swift, call me)
🏝 Hit with Richard Branson at Necker Island — I’ve already been invited. Just waiting for that $60k price tag to disappear
🎉 Host events that bring the Five Dink Friday Family together IRL — clinics, tournaments, or just glorious pickleball play with legends like Tyson, Anna Leigh, Simon, and Catherine.
So again—thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping spread the word.
Because if Five Dink Friday keeps growing, maybe one day… we really will be dinking with Ben, Tyson, Taylor, and Branson.
And when that happens?
Not only will you get to come along for the ride, but you’ll also get to say you were here from the start.
One of the original 600. A Founding Five Dink Family member.
Now it’s your turn:
📢 What’s your wild pickleball dream?
Hit reply and tell me. Manifestation starts with writing it down and/or saying it out loud.
That’s a wrap on this week’s Five Dink Friday.
If you made it all the way to the bottom… you’re my kind of pickleball nerd. 💚
If someone forwarded this to you and you want in on the weekly goods, you can join the Five Dink Family here: Subscribe
Now go play, go drill, go dream—and if you liked this, forward it to someone who needs a good volley of fun and fire.
— Janelle
Co-owner of The Kitchen. Explorer of epic drills. Believer in big dreams.