Dinking Pickles
Your Ultimate Pickleball Gear Guide

Dinking is a soft, controlled shot landing in the non-volley zone (kitchen) designed to neutralize hard hitters. It forces opponents to lift the ball, creating opportunities for you to attack. Mastering this shot is essential for controlling the game's pace.

Consult pickleball gear reviews to match a paddle to your skill level. Beginners often prefer polymer core paddles for control, while advanced players look for carbon fiber faces for spin and power. Always check the grip size for comfort.

Outdoor balls have 40 small holes to resist wind and allow for straighter flight. Indoor balls have 26 larger holes and are lighter, designed for smooth gym floors with less bounce. Using the wrong ball affects game physics and durability.

Official outdoor pickleballs feature 40 precision-drilled holes to minimize wind resistance. This specific pattern ensures a consistent flight path even in breezy conditions.

Pickleball uses a solid paddle and plastic ball on a smaller court without walls. Padel uses a stringless racket and pressurized ball on a walled court, allowing for wall rebounds. Pickleball emphasizes soft touch (dinking) more than Padel.

Joola paddles, like the Ben Johns Hyperion, consistently get top ratings in pickleball gear reviews for their carbon fiber faces and durable polymer cores. They offer an excellent balance of power, spin, and control for competitive play.

Measure from your palm's middle crease to the tip of your ring finger. A smaller grip (4”) allows for more wrist action and spin, while a larger grip (4.5”) provides stability. When in doubt, go smaller and add overgrip.

Holes create drag to stabilize the ball's flight and limit its speed. The pattern and size of the holes (larger for indoor, smaller for outdoor) are tuned for specific playing environments.