Set up
Put a feeder and receiver at the kitchen on one diagonal; only the feeder knows when an attackable ball is coming.
Court: One pickleball court; use the named half-court lanes when instructed
Equipment:paddles, pickleballs
Run the drill
- Dink crosscourt while the feeder occasionally sends a slightly higher ball without warning.
- The receiver chooses to continue dinking or attack, then explains the height and position cue.
Timing: about 14 minutes for the whole block.
Roles and rotation
2 players
- Player 1: feeder; maintains a neutral dink rally and inserts unannounced attackable balls
- Player 2: receiver; reads each feed and chooses dink or attack
Rotate: Swap feeder and receiver after each short round; change diagonals halfway.
Repetitions: Each player receives the same number of unannounced decisions. Split the working time evenly.
4 players
- Players 1 and 2: feeding team; either may create an unannounced attackable dink
- Players 3 and 4: reading team; each decides whether their ball stays soft or is attacked
Rotate: Feeding and reading teams swap jobs halfway through the block.
Repetitions: All four players dink continuously; both sides later receive the decision task. No added time is required.
Targets and cues
- Correctly continue dinking on neutral balls and attack genuinely high balls without advance warning.
- Read height and opponent position after the feed leaves the paddle; do not guess before contact.
Common failure: Rushing the next contact before the player has recovered position.
Good miss:A purposeful miss made while following the stated target and movement cue.