Focus: Dinking with Purpose & Precision
We’ve all been there. You’re locked in a long dink rally, hitting the same cross-court shot over and over. It feels productive, you’re not making errors, after all, but you’re not making anything happen, either. You’re just waiting for your opponent to make a mistake. That’s not a strategy; that’s a hope.
The problem with most dinking practice is that it’s cooperative. You and your partner find a comfortable rhythm, hitting predictable shots to keep the rally going. It builds consistency, but it doesn’t teach you how to win the point.
The “Battleship” drill fixes that. It’s a competitive mini-game that transforms mindless dinking into a tactical mission. It forces you to dink with intention, aim for specific targets, and move your opponent – all while keeping score and adding a dose of game-day pressure.
Setup
This is a two-player drill at the kitchen line. You can play straight-on or cross-court, but cross-court is recommended as it gives you more space and better angles.
- Positions: Both players start at the non-volley zone (kitchen) line, diagonal from each other.
- Targets: Each player places four cones (or any small targets) on their side of the court. These are your battleships. Place two cones near your inside foot (close to the centerline) and two near your outside foot (close to the sideline).
How the Battleship Game Works
The goal is simple: sink your opponent’s battleships before they sink yours. You’re not just dinking; you’re aiming with purpose.
- Feed: Start the point with a cooperative cross-court dink.
- Play it Out: Continue dinking cross-court, aiming to hit one of your opponent’s cones.
- Scoring: The game is played to 11 points.
- If you win the rally (your opponent hits the ball out or into the net), you get 1 point.
- If you hit one of your opponent’s cones (sinking a battleship), you get 3 points. Once a cone is hit, it is removed from the court.
This scoring system rewards precision. A well-placed shot that sinks a ship is worth three times more than just winning a rally. It forces you to stop hitting lazy dinks and start targeting your opponent’s feet and the corners of the kitchen.
Beginner Version: “Target Practice”
For players new to directional dinking, the pressure of a live game can be too much. This variation removes the scoring and focuses purely on mechanics and accuracy.
- Goal: Simply try to hit your partner’s cones. Don’t keep score.
- Focus: Work on hitting all four targets: inside forehand, inside backhand, outside forehand, and outside backhand.
- Rhythm: Start with a cooperative rally. After a few successful dinks, try to hit a cone. If you miss, just continue the rally. The goal is to build confidence in aiming for specific spots without the fear of losing a point.
Once you can consistently hit the cones in a cooperative setting, you’re ready to move on to the full Battleship game.
Advanced Version: “Full-Scale Naval Warfare”
For advanced players, dinking with precision isn’t enough. You need to recognize when to attack. This version adds an offensive layer to the Battleship drill.
- Rule Change: You are now allowed to speed up any dink that is left too high. If your opponent pops up a dink, you can attack it.
- Scoring: The scoring remains the same. You still get 1 point for winning the rally and 3 points for sinking a battleship. Winning the point with a speed-up is worth 1 point.
What this trains:
- Shot Selection: It forces you to recognize an attackable ball and take advantage of it.
- Discipline: It punishes you for hitting lazy, high dinks. Any unforced error or high ball will be immediately attacked, just like in a real match.
- Defense: It trains your ability to defend against a speed-up and reset the ball into the kitchen.
This variation turns the drill into a complete kitchen-line battle, combining precision dinking with offensive attacks and defensive resets.
Pro Tip: Aim for the Feet
The cones in this drill are not random targets. They are placed near the feet for a reason. A well-placed dink at an opponent’s feet is one of the most difficult shots to return. It forces them to move, bend, and hit a defensive shot, often resulting in a pop-up that you can attack. Stop dinking to their paddle; start dinking to their feet. Use the Battleship drill to make this a habit, and you’ll start winning a lot more points at the kitchen line.
