Dead dinks are the kiss of death. As your DUPR increases, so does the need for a more aggressive dink option from the Kitchen line. That’s where the forehand topspin dink comes in.
It’s the shot you should have on autopilot—just the right amount of consistency, offense and aggression.
Pro Zane Navratil breaks it down, beginning with the three things that need to be true before you consider hitting a topspin forehand dink:
Your feet are under your body and square to the target
You should not be pushed back off the Kitchen line
You should be able to contact the ball out in front of your body
Got all those? Great. Now you’re committed. At this point, it’s all about preparation.
✅ Push the paddle to the side of your body using your non-dominant hand. This helps ensure you’re “coiled”—locked and loaded and ready to make contact.
✅ Corner the ball with proper footwork. For a forehand topspin dink, this means getting into a position where the ball is between your body and where you want it to go.
✅ When it comes to making contact,you want your paddle tip facing down so you can brush up the backside of the ball in an upwards motion.
Use this code for a 10% discount on a custom paddle
First Time Buyers Only
Why we are different
There are well over 100 paddle manufacturers serving the pickleball industry. We are the ONLY custom paddle manufacturer in the world. In order to understand what it is we do and why it’s unique, it’s necessary to understand how a paddle is made.
Every paddle with few exceptions has a honeycomb core. The different companies in the industry use one of three different materials for the core- aluminum, polymer and Nomex. We use all three. The core provides 75% of the way a paddle performs.
Then the honeycomb core is sandwiched between two thin layers of surface materials. Again, the different companies in the industry use three different materials- graphite, fiberglass composite and carbon fiber. We use all three. The surface material is about 25% of the way a paddle performs. Think of it as fine tuning the paddle’s performance characteristics.
The three different core materials combined with the three different surface materials make 9 different combinations of materials. Each plays differently. We make two (soon to be three) different shapes for our paddles. The Chaos has a large square sweet spot- at 8 1/2”, it is the widest paddle on the market. The Kratos has an equally large rectangular shaped sweet spot. Each combination of cores and surfaces is available in both the Chaos and Kratos shape.
Then we give each player the opportunity to select their paddle’s weight (ranging from 7.4-10.5 ounces).
Now comes the grip. Players can choose one of three different handle shapes, their grip size from 3 7/8” to 6”, one of three different grip materials and more than 10 colors for each grip style.
Now that the player has chosen the best paddle shape, core, surface and grip for their individual game comes the fun part. We can put any custom graphic the player chooses on their paddle face- either one of our many choices or one of their own- a picture, logo or graphic of their choosing.
Now every player can play with a totally bespoke paddle and watch their game immediately improve because they are playing with the right paddle for them in every way.
Every other sport has specialized equipment for every player except pickleball. Not anymore- now pickleball is catching up to other sports. Pickleball players spend a lot of time playing the game they love. Now they can play with the gear that suits them and not be forced to use a one size fits all paddle.
Want to Join Team TSD?
We are actively seeking avid pickleballers with sales experience to educate, demonstrate and promote Third
Shot Drop pickleball paddles.
Please send your prior sales experience, where you play, how often you play, what level player you are, if you
play Tournaments, how many players you can reach and your contact information to:
Ashley@ThirdShotDrop.com
