When you watch the pros, you realize dinks are more frequent and consistent. The game tends to collapse to the net, where dink wars escalate to firefights. Speedups require fast hands, a trait lower-level players often erroneously believe they're not capable of developing.
The speedup is a critical time in any point and something you can and should drill for.
Federico Staksrud’s favorite drill for faster volleys at the kitchen is remarkably simple and effective, but you’ll need a partner who’s at your skill level or higher to run it with you.
With each player on complimentary sides of the kitchen, start hitting volleys at each other at different angles while slowly sidestepping in unison:
This drill works your hand-eye coordination as well as your ability to move with the volley when necessary.
For an extra challenge, Federico suggests starting at opposite ends of the kitchen and moving to the opposite side in a scissor formation.
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Grab a partner, try out the “kitchen sweep,” take a video of your attempt, and tag us on your socials. We want to see fast hands, people!
