Catch the Pop-Up
Why this drill
The fastest way to learn what an attackable dink looks like is to be punished for hitting one. If your dink rises above the net, your partner catches it out of the air with their free hand — no speed-up skills required, just an unmissable verdict on your height control.
Setup
Both players at the non-volley-zone line, cross-court diagonal. No targets needed — the net is the measuring stick.
The drill
Dink rally with one rule: any dink that can be taken out of the air at or above net height, the receiver catches with their non-paddle hand instead of hitting. A catch is a point against the dinker. Play games to 7, then switch diagonals. The catching standard is honest — if you had to reach down for it, it wasn't a pop-up. Most players discover their "safe" dink floats far more often than they believed.
One thought to take on court
Apex on your side — a dink that peaks before the net is falling by the time it can be attacked.