INSTRUCTION By Sonny Tannan
Start off Right — With an Effective Serve !
Every point that starts begins with a serve . The team that is serving has the unique opportunity to score a point ( in traditional scoring ). So , if you haven ’ t thought about it , the serve is just that important in the game of pickleball . Why exactly is it that important ? Think about this : While you might not always see a point won off an ace ( a serve in which the return team fails to keep the ball in play ), you may see the opportunity to score a point for your team disappear when you miss your serve ( hit into the net or out of bounds ).
So , the question you should ask is , “ Just how important is it to have an effective serve ?!”
Before we answer that question , let ’ s think about three common phrases that we have all probably heard on the pickleball court :
• “ Just get your serve in .”
• “ What happens when I get the service yips — what do I do ?!”
• “ I don ’ t think I hit deep enough , or with enough power or spin .”
Have you ever found yourself saying these things to yourself or others to you ? If you have , or other variations of them , it might be helpful to understand some of the basics of the foundation of the serve first .
Let ’ s even go a bit further by looking at what an effective serve might look like as you progress in skill level as well — which , as a recreational player , competitive player , coach , or even a first-time athlete , can differ from person to person . As my favorite military leaders used to say , “ Slow is smooth , smooth is fast .” So don ’ t rush the process and take your time to learn at your own speed .
Basics of the serve
According to USA Pickleball , the serve is an underhand motion ( or a low-to-high swing ) and can be made with either a forehand or backhand swing . You must make contact below your waist ( defined by the navel or belly button ), and the highest point of the paddle head must be below your wrist ( where the wrist joint bends ) when you strike the ball . In 2021 , a provisional rule was implemented to allow a “ drop serve ,” which means the server may drop the ball and hit it after the bounce . However , it may only be released from any height with no additional force ( i . e ., thrown , tossed , etc .) added to bounce the ball .
Remember that you must hit the ball while at least one foot is on the ground behind the baseline , and it must land crosscourt within play and past the Non-Volley Zone ( also referred to as the kitchen ).
Development skills of the serve
In a PPR ( Professional Pickleball Registry ) certification workshop , we typically cover four key development skills for the serve : hands , contact point , position , weight transfer . By linking these technical skills to your game , you start to build a foundation in your technique that ultimately can help you to develop improvement based on your own skill level :
1 . Hands – This can include the type of grip that you have when serving ( the most common ones being the continental , eastern with a finger and “ v ” or table tennis grip ).
2 . Contact point – Service motion should be a controlled swing from your shoulder ( not wrist flick or elbow ) that provides a hit-through of the ball along with a follow-through after contact .
3 . Position – Stay aligned ( commonly known as semiopen vs . closed ) in your stance , which will allow you to minimize over-rotation and keep a good point of contact in front of your body .
Collin and Ben Johns at the US Open .
PHOTO : BRUCE YEUNG ; IG : @ YEUNGPHOTOGRAPHY