This week in Five Dink Friday:
🤯 Headshot Hysteria — who really started it?
😴 Sweet Dinks Are Made of This — pickleball dreams, literally
🚀 3.0 → 5.0 in 5 Months?! — the 5 tips you need now
🎯 The Secret to Moving In — Allyce Jones’ red light/green light system
😂 Lob Return Gone Wrong — blooper or staged genius?
Let’s get to it!
#1 🤯 Headshot Hysteria (But Who Really Started It?)
This week’s viral reel is a masterclass in pickleball irony.
Picture it: Ben Johns + Anna Leigh Waters on one side, Gabe Tardio + partner on the other. They’re locked in a tight kitchen battle.
Gabe decides to test ALW’s reflexes with a speed-up… straight at her head.
She swiftly counters it back, then after a return dink rips the next ball—ding!—right off Gabe’s head.
Anna Leigh looks horrified.
The crowd gasps.
The captions cry HEADSHOT!
And Gabe? He’s standing there with that look—half disbelief, half “no way she just did that to me.”
The kind of macho face you make when you’re trying to hide the fact that you actually feel really stupid.
Here’s the kicker: nobody blinked when Gabe tried the headshot first.
ALW just read it and countered like a boss.
But when Gabe doesn’t react quickly enough?
Suddenly, she’s the villain. 🤷♀️
👉 See the reel here
Poll time:
When someone gets pegged in the head… whose fault is it?
#2 😴 Sweet Dinks Are Made of This
No explanation needed.
👉 Tell me I’m not the only one who looks like this when I know there’s pickleball in the morning.
#3 🚀 3.0 → 5.0 in 5 Months?! (Steal These Tips)
This guy went from 3.0 to 5.0 in under five months! Here are his five keys, straight from the source:
1. Think Combos, Not Singles
Every shot should set up the next. Example: rip an aggressive crosscourt dink → the highest percentage reply is coming middle.
Be there.
Be ready.
If they burn you crosscourt?
Fine.
That’s low percentage.
He’s playing the math, not the miracle.
2. Strengthen Your Strengths
Stop babysitting your weaknesses. Build your game around your weapons.
For him, it was the flick—so he drilled it until it paid rent.
What’s the shot you like to hit?
Double down.
3. Dominate the Transition Zone
Most players panic here. Don’t. Read the ball’s height and trajectory:
Opponent hitting up (ball below net height)? Crash in and attack.
Opponent hitting down (ball above net height)? Stay back, defend, reset.
The key: commit. You’re either on defense or offense—never stuck in “wait and see” mode.
4. Soft Shots = Smarter Timing
Your dinks and drops are only as good as your timing:
Ball coming down = hit.
At its apex = hit.
Short hop = hit
When you try to dink or drop on the rise = unforced error
5. Faster Hands Without Faster Hands
It’s not about youth or reflexes—it’s anticipation + paddle prep.
At the kitchen, set your paddle before the ball comes:
Opponent speeds up from their sideline? Two hands on paddle, guard your line + chest.
Speed-up straight ahead? Backhand counter ready.
From the middle? Forehand ready.
From crosscourt line? Guard the middle.
#4 🎯 The Secret to Knowing When to Move In
Transitioning from the baseline to the kitchen is where pickleball dreams go to die. We all hear the same advice: “If it’s a good drop, move in. If it’s not, stay back.”
Cool. But what the heck does “good” actually mean in real time?
Enter Allyce Jones with a simple, visual hack: watch the paddle.
Paddle down (they’re scooping up on the ball) → green light, move in.
Paddle flat, around waist height (they can drive it) → yellow light, hold your ground.
Paddle up by their shoulder/head (they’re attacking down) → red light, get ready to defend.
I love this because it takes the guesswork out of “reading the drop.”
Instead of vague advice, you’ve got clear visual cues that literally show you the trajectory.
It tied perfectly to tip #3 from the “3.0 → 5.0” video.
Nail the timing, and suddenly moving in feels easy—and game-changing.
#5 😂 Lob Return Gone Very Wrong
First watch: I winced.
Second watch: I laughed.
Third watch: I’m wondering if this is actually real or staged? The comments are split, too.
What do you think—epic fail or staged comedy?
Pro tip: next time, one chases, one covers. Otherwise, you’re both going viral… for the wrong reason.
That’s it for this week’s Five Dink Friday.
If you laughed, learned, or facepalmed, forward this to your partner-in-dinks. The more readers the merrier.
And if this was forwarded to you, subscribe so you never miss the good stuff.
Until next week—may your combos set up winners, your headshots be dodged, and your lobs stay in-bounds. 🥒
—Janelle
P.S. I still can’t decide if that lob return clip was real or staged. Hit reply and tell me what you think.