Pickleball · Advanced Plan · Week 3

Pull dink to ATP

Drag them off the court with a wide, dipping cross-court dink, then take the next ball around the outside of the post.

Video walkthrough

Coming soon

The on-court video for this drill is in production. The full step-by-step is below — and our in-depth guide goes deeper still.

The Erne, explained→

What it is

The ATP — around the post — is a ball hit outside the net post, at any height, and entirely legal. It isn’t a trick shot; it’s the reward for a dink pattern that dragged your opponent off the court.

When to use it

When your pull dink has taken them wide and their reply comes back at an angle that will carry the ball past the post. The set-up comes first: the wide, dipping cross-court dink is the shot that earns it.

When not to

Without the set-up, the ATP is just risk with better branding. If the angle isn’t clearly there, dink again — and never force one from a ball that stays inside the court.

How to do it

1Pull them wide with a dipping cross-court dink, then take the next ball around the outside of the post.
2Alternate: three genuine attempts, then three fakes where you dink to the middle behind them instead.
3Play to 11 where an Erne or ATP scores two and a fault attempting one costs two.

Coaching cues

The set-up dink has to drag them off the court. The ATP is only the reward.
Let the ball travel wide and drop — the later you take it, the more post you clear.
Hit around, not over. Height is irrelevant; the post is not the net.
Recover immediately — a missed ATP leaves your whole court open.

Common errors

Attempting it with no set-up. The pattern makes the shot; the shot alone is a gamble.
Taking it too early. Let the ball travel and drop — width and depth are what open the angle.
Lifting it over the net out of habit. Around the post means around.
Admiring it instead of recovering. Made or missed, the next ball is coming.

This is the Week 3 drill from the RacketRise Pickleball Advanced Plan. Go deeper with the erne, explained, or see all drill guides.