The difficulty is knowing when and how to dink.
If you need to hit a low ball, try a dink, drop shot, or lob. What to do depends on where you are on the court. If you’re close to the non-volley zone line, dink the ball. From further back, try a drop shot that flies low and lands just over the net. If you can’t do either of those, lob the ball high, over your opponent’s head near the baseline.
If you can’t make a good offensive shot, a dink may be a good alternative, especially if your opponents are already in the forecourt. If one or both of your opponents are in the backcourt, however, especially if they are good at dinking, refrain from the dink, since this will only cause them to rush up to the net to play the ball. If your opponents are not good at dinking, or you don’t think they will be able to get to the ball from the backcourt, a dink can be a good play.
The key to good dinking is patience. You must continue to dink until a proper moment appears to execute a different, offensive shot. The best dink shots arc just over the net, landing close to the net on the other side. In doubles, it can be wise to send the dink cross-court because the ball can travel further, reducing the risk that it will travel out of the non-volley zone. Try to maneuver your opponents around the court until one of them makes a mistake, either hitting the ball into the net or high enough that you can make an offensive shot. When this occurs, volley the ball back quickly.
While dinking, it helps to let the ball travel higher before hitting it. Some people say you should hit the ball closer to the ground, citing that its faster motion assists in getting the ball over the net. However, the dink is a soft shot and doesn’t require much energy. Let the ball approach the top of its arc. At that point, you have the option of either hitting another dink or making a fast slap shot if it bounces high enough.
Dink shots have no real speed behind them, so breaking out of dinking requires that you add a little more energy to the hard swing you would normally make (when it’s time).
Don’t back up to play the dink off the bounce when it could be taken in the air. Dinking is done for two reasons: to change the pace of the game and to keep the ball in play until you can end the rally with a put-away shot. When you’re given the opportunity to make the put away, seize it.