How to Dink a Volleyball

"After hammering some balls at your opponent, when they are scared and back on their heels, you have set them up for the dink," says Rob Heidger, pro beach volleyball player.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Volleyballs
• Volleyballs

1. Mimic the setup for spiking the ball (see the Related eHows).

2. Jump in the air and fake as if you were going to spike.

3. Slow your arm speed at the last second so that you stop the movement just before you dink.

4. Direct the ball with your wrist with a slight tap.

5. Aim wherever they aren't, and so the ball barely rolls over the net.

Tips & Warnings

• "Grunt as you dink to fake out your opponent, who will expect you to hammer it," says Heidger.
• Heidger and his teammate, Kevin Wong, are the top-ranked U.S. men's doubles team in beach volleyball. They competed together in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

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[glg5280]

on 9/12/2008 It's important to remember to check your leagues rules as to their definition of a legal vs illegal dink. In the league I play in, outdoor 4 on 4, you can dink with an open hand, but you cannot re-direct it left or right with an open hand (e.g. jumping and swiping it to the side at the last second, with an open hand). I believe it's the same in beach rules, though I could be wrong. But you'll see a lot of guys who dink with a half-closed fist, or with the first two fingers of their hand extended out of a fist in a half-fist. Hard to explain if you don't know what I mean. Sorry.

[mikell]

on 3/17/2008 Many recreational players do not understand that a dink is still a hit, or as it is described above, a tap. Many feel that they can palm the ball from underneath and throw it to one side or the other around a block. A dink must still adhere to volleyball rules, which statess a ball must be hit, not held and/or thrown.

[mikell]

on 3/17/2008 Many recreational players do not understand that a dink is still a hit, or as it is described above, a tap. Many feel that they can palm the ball from underneath and throw it to one side or the other around a block. A dink must still adhere to the volleyball rules, which says a ball must be hit, not held and/or thrown.

on 6/11/2007 Dinking is essential for volleyball. It helped my team win a game. If you want to fake out the other team, you can have everyone on your team chanting or yelling, "spike it!" this will lead the other team to think that you would spike it. Also exaggerate your movements to make them think that the spike will come hard.

on 11/22/2005 Dinking is also an essential survival skill for setters. If the bump/pass comes too close to the net to set it, a light dink over the net will do the job perfectly -- especially since your opponents will think you're setting the ball!