Three Keys To Hitting A Backhand Roll Dink

How many times have you set up for what should be the perfect backhand roll dink, only to watch it drop straight into the net? Or worse — pop up and hand your opponent a smash? I’ve been there, and I see it happen all the time with players in our community.

The backhand roll dink is a beautiful shot when it works. But it’s not where you start. Before you add this to your game, you need to have a consistent backhand push dink already in your toolkit. That’s not me gatekeeping — it’s just the reality of how this shot works. The roll dink is more complex, and that complexity means more chances for things to go wrong.

Here’s why: every time you hit a pickleball, you’re already putting some spin on the ball. The roll dink asks you to do that deliberately and with control, which means more moving parts in your body, more precision in your paddle, and more room for inconsistency. But once you break it down into its three key pieces, it becomes a lot more manageable.

Get Your Body Low — Really Low

The first thing the roll dink needs is a low paddle. And to get a low paddle, you need a low body. This is where I want to be honest with you, especially if you’re over 50.

As we age, we naturally tend to stand taller. Our bodies don’t bend the way they used to, and sometimes we don’t even realize how upright we’ve become on the court. So before you try the roll dink, ask yourself honestly: can you get low enough?

What does low enough look like? Think about getting your eyes below the level of the ball. That’s your benchmark. If you can get there, you’re in a position where you can start the paddle low and bring it up through the shot. If you can’t, the push dink is genuinely the better choice for you right now — and that is not a consolation prize. A consistent push dink wins points.

If you want to work on getting lower, I’ve got a video over at betterpickleball.com that goes deeper on ready position and lateral movement — check that out as your next step.

Move the Paddle Low to High

Once your body is in position, your paddle needs to travel from low to high through the shot. That upward brushing motion is what creates topspin — the ball starts tumbling end over end toward your opponent. When it lands, that topspin makes it jump forward, closer to them than they’re expecting. That surprise is exactly the advantage you’re after.

But here’s the mistake I see most often, and it’s a big one: players drive that low-to-high motion with their wrist instead of their shoulder.

When you use your wrist, you’re adding an extra source of energy into the shot — and you’re also changing where the paddle face is pointing at the moment of contact. That’s what sends the ball into the net, or floats it up for a put-away. The shoulder is the engine for this shot. Let your shoulder bring the paddle from low to high, and keep the wrist quiet.

Stay With the Shot

The third key is one that players often overlook because they’re so focused on the first two: don’t come out of the shot early.

What that means in practice is that as your paddle moves forward and up, your body lags behind just slightly. Your body follows the swing — it doesn’t drive it. If your body and paddle move at exactly the same time, you introduce another variable, another chance for the shot to go wrong.

Think of it this way: your body is a passenger, not the driver. Let the paddle lead, and let your body arrive a beat later.

Putting It All Together

So when you’re ready to practice the backhand roll dink, here’s your checklist:

• Get your body low — eyes under the ball
• Use your shoulder to drive the paddle from low to high
• Stay with the shot — body follows, doesn’t lead

That’s it. Three keys. And when all three come together, you’ll feel it immediately. The ball will have that satisfying forward spin, it’ll land deep in your opponent’s kitchen, and it’ll jump on them before they’re ready.

This is one of those shots that rewards patience. Don’t rush to add it to a match before you feel it in practice. Give yourself time to build the muscle memory, and when it clicks, it’s going to be a real weapon in your game.

You’ve got this.

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Ready to keep building your dink game? Head over to betterpickleball.com for more tips, drills, and videos designed specifically for players over 50. Your best pickleball is still ahead of you — let’s get there together.