PICKLEBALL INSTRUCTION
PICKLEBALL 411
UR
O
Y
E
V
O
R
P
IM
HAND
R
E
D
N
U
E
TH GAME
E
V
R
SE
N
OFT RETUR
WITH THE S
CLARIFIED
BY RUSTY HOWES | WWW.PICKLEBALLCHANNEL.COM
BY RUSTY HOWES | WWW.PICKLEBALLCHANNEL.COM
Pickleball 411 is a highly successful show on
be satisfied in order for the underhand serve to be
Pickleball Channel that is dedicated to providing
legal. Once you read it through, make sure you watch
helpful information about the sport of pickleball.
the full-length video that gives you the visual tools
But we know it is sometimes nice to read something
you need to fully understand the underhand serve
you can turn back to when you’re not on the court.
including clear motion graphics of each element.
In this article, we’re going to clarify what makes
an underhand serve legal. You might think, “That’s
easy! Just hit it below the waist.” And you’d be mostly
right. But surprisingly we constantly get questions
from confused players about whether certain serves
are legal or not. As the game has developed over
the years, so have the rules. In fact, in February of
2013 the USAPA updated the rules to provide greater
clarity. As many of you know, there has been quite a
bit of lively discussion about this! We’re not going to
cover every aspect of the serve, so we encourage you
to read the rules for yourself which you can find on
the USAPA website. But in this article, we will lay out
#1 - THE UNDERHAND STROKE
The serve must be made with an underhand stroke. This is
pretty easy to understand. When serving, use an underhand
stroke. That means the paddle head must be moving in an
upward motion. That can even be as small as one degree
upward! As long as the paddle is moving upward, it satisfies the
requirement. Zero degrees or a downward motion is not a legal
serve.
a quick guideline of the three key elements that must
24
TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 724.942.0940 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM