🚫 Stop Hitting Out Balls (Even in Warmups)
🙈 When Your Opponents Save You (and You Know It)
🎯 When You’re the Target (Congrats, You’re the Chosen One)
🦊 The Art of Being Ignored (and Still Dominating)
🎙️ Ben Johns on The Pickleballers Podcast

Let’s get to it!

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We’ve all done it.
Ball’s clearly sailing out, and instead of stepping aside, we take a whack—because it’s just warm-up.

But here’s the problem: if you’re swinging at out balls during drills and warmups, you’re training your brain to always swing. Then you expect it to magically know better mid-match? Not happening.

Tanner Tomassi shared a gem this week after drilling with Andrei Daescu. Even in warm-ups, Andrei let every out ball go. Didn’t matter if it was barely wide or six inches deep—he treated every rally like game point. That’s how you build out-ball awareness that actually sticks.

So yeah, it’s habit. It’s reflex. And it takes vigilance.
If it’s out, you let it go. Period.

I’m pretty good about this, but I’ve never made it a rule—until now.
If you’re ever drilling or warming up with me and I break it… break me. 😉

What about you?
What’s your out-ball policy during drills and warm-ups?
Ever thought about setting one on purpose?

Speaking of out balls… this meme felt way too fitting for this week.

You know the moment.
You hit a ball that’s drifting wide or floating deep—
you’re already groaning inside—
and then someone on the other side reaches for it anyway.

Instant relief.
You just got away with pickleball murder.
You made a bad decision or hit a bad shot
and someone else bailed you out.

It’s a glorious feeling when it happens for you…
but brutal when you realize you’re the one doing it.

So take the laugh, but take the lesson too:
Train your brain to let those out balls go.
Don’t be the player who saves the other team and gifts them free points.

Every pickleball player has that game.
The one where every single ball seems magnetically drawn to you.
It’s not personal—it’s tactical.
You’re being targeted.

And you know what?
That’s a gift.

A recent Reddit thread asked for advice on handling life as the “targeted player,” and the responses were 🔥. You can read the full thread by clicking here or clicking the image below:

The collective wisdom turned what most players see as a nightmare into an opportunity.

When opponents target you, they’re giving you more touches, more experience, and more pressure reps than anyone else on the court.

That’s a fast track to growth—if you know how to handle it.

Mindset Shift #1: Love It.
You’re getting the ball almost every rally. That means you get the most chances to improve.
As one commenter said: “You’re in the best position to learn—every rally is a private lesson.”
You’re not the victim. You’re the experiment. And the experiment wins with data.

Mindset Shift #2: Channel ALW Energy.
When Anna Leigh Waters plays mixed with Ben Johns, she gets targeted relentlessly.
When she plays women’s doubles, she’s the one opponents avoid.
There’s always a “weaker” player—but the elite ones flip that narrative fast.

Tactical Takeaways:

• Simplify your shot selection.
When you’re the one getting targeted, your best weapon isn’t flash—it’s boring consistency.
The goal is to give opponents nothing easy to attack.
Stick to high-percentage shots.
Don’t try to “prove” you can outhit them; prove you can outlast them.
Think chess, not boxing. Make them hit one more ball. Then another. Until they crack.

• Find your balance.
When you’re under pressure, don’t rush or flail—get centered.
Your power means nothing if you’re off balance.
Use soft hands to absorb pace, reset with control, and stay grounded until the ball you want finally comes.
Only attack when your feet and mind are steady.
Be the fortress until it’s time to strike.

• Keep your paddle up and feet alive.
Most errors under pressure come from lazy positioning.
Keep your paddle above the net line and slightly forward, ready to block.
Stay light on your toes—tiny, constant foot adjustments keep you balanced and quick.
Your paddle is your shield. Hold it where it can actually protect you.

• Communicate with your partner.
It can get awkward when one player is being targeted and starts to feel like the weak link.
Talk about it.
If you know you’re getting picked on, let your partner take up more space.
Ask them to help, to step in, to look for the poach.
The best teams don’t just survive targeting—they weaponize it.

• Smile between points.
Nothing rattles a hunter more than realizing their prey is having fun.

Next time you’re the bullseye, don’t flinch.
Own it.
You’re not being picked on—you’re being built.

🗳️ Poll Time:

So, last section we talked about what to do when you’re being targeted—how to love it, learn from it, and level up through it.

But what about when you’re on the other side of that equation?

When you’re the stronger player and the opponents avoid hitting it to you?

This happens to me in one of the leagues I sub in now and then.
As the stronger player, I get ghosted.
Ball after ball, straight to my partner, while I’m over there wondering if I should’ve brought a lawn chair.

At first, I hated it.
Now? I treat it like a puzzle to solve.

Here’s what I do when no one will hit to me—and how you can still dominate when you’re the player everyone’s avoiding:

1️⃣ I become the fortress.
If my partner’s getting hammered, I lock down the middle and guard their inside shoulder like it’s my job (because it is).
When I do get a ball, I make it count—no sloppy shots, no freebies.
They’re already getting all the reps, so my job is to keep the scoreboard balanced.

2️⃣ I poach with purpose.
I don’t go full chaos gremlin, but if I see a sitter cross-dink or a lazy ball, I’m all over it.
Even when I don’t punish the shot, I want them thinking, “Oh no, she might.”
Make them feel your presence.
Let them know they’re never truly safe.

3️⃣ I play 100% and manage the rally.
If I’m the stronger player, that means I don’t get to play sloppy.
My margin for error is zero.
Every shot has to be deliberate—no floaters, no dead dinks, no gifts.
No reckless speed-ups that hang my partner out to dry.

My goal is to control the pace—keep opponents on the defensive so they can’t attack my partner.
I think two hits ahead, always placing the ball where my partner can recover, reset, and stay alive in the rally.
Because if I can stay sharp and steady, my partner gets the space to survive—and sometimes, that’s all it takes to flip the point.

4️⃣ I lead with calm.
When my partner’s getting roasted, they don’t need my critique—they need my composure.
A nod, a smile, a simple “we’ve got this” resets energy faster than any timeout.
I stay even, steady, and focused.
I become the thermostat—not the thermometer.

Remember, being ignored isn’t an insult.
It’s a compliment.

They don’t want to hit to you because they know you’re solid.
So be solid.

Do what you can to lift your partner—play larger, stay steady, keep them calm.
You may not be able to control the outcome, but you can control your attitude, your shot selection, and how well you execute everything I outlined above.

That’s what I tell myself: if I do those things, I’ve won.
Even if the scoreboard says otherwise.

🗳️ Poll time:

This week on The Pickleballers Podcast, the guys sat down with Ben Johns. It was a really good listen. We don’t often get Ben in long form, and he came across exactly how he plays: calm, measured, classy.

Quick hits I liked:

Now the part where I was like. . .YO interviewers. . .

So many stones left unturned.
The conversation was all pickleball, very guy-on-the-golf-course energy. No personal life. No fun backstory threads. No juicy curiosity. We needed a woman there to ask:

Also, Ben’s hair was up and looking sharp. Handsome guy. If there isn’t a girlfriend, it might just be because he’s too busy drilling.

Legacy: I appreciated his stance here. He isn’t trying to engineer one. He’s focused on doing the work, staying present, and letting the record be whatever it is.

🎧 If you like thoughtful, low-drama Ben, then the episode’s worth your time. Check it out here.

💥 That’s it for this week’s Five Dink Friday!

If you laughed, learned, or realized you might be the one saving your opponents’ out balls (don’t worry, your secret’s safe), forward this to your favorite pickleball pal. Let’s keep growing the Five Dink Friday fam—one laugh, lob, and lesson at a time.

If someone forwarded this to you, hit subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s drop. 🥒

Until next week—dink smarter, laugh louder, and when in doubt… let it go.

—Janelle

P.S. Conducting a very serious survey:
Who’s dressing up for Halloween pickleball?
What’s the costume, and what’s the team name?
Bonus points for photographic evidence. 🎃
Missed last week’s costume guide? It’s here.