How to serve in pickleball?
Pickleball Serving Tips: A Beginner’s Guide to Mastering the Serve
To take your pickleball game to the next level, remember that it all revolves around learning how to make a good serve. When I started playing this sport, my coach insisted that I focus on my serve before anything else.
Serving is not just about starting a rally. A good serve puts your opponents wherever you desire and allows you to get a point. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, a powerful serve is a strategic move to win games.
In this guide, I’ll break down everything related to pickleball serve rules or how to serve in pickleball. We’ll also discuss the best pickleball serving tips, tactics for pickleball serve placements and so on. Let’s go!
How to Serve in Pickleball: Understanding the Basics
When it comes to pickleball serving tips and basics, it’s all in the technique—you don’t just connect with and hit the ball to make a serve. You must maintain a proper stance and pick a direction before contacting the ball.
Let’s break down the basics of pickleball serve for beginners:
- Always hit the ball with the paddle below waist level.
- When you touch the ball, the head of the paddle cannot be higher than the highest part of the wrist.
- Move your arm in an upward arc as you strike the ball.
Here are some other pickleball serve techniques to improve your game:
- Always put one foot behind the baseline.
- Once you strike the ball, your feet cannot touch the court, centerline or outside extensions.
- The serve must be diagonal.
- The ball must land diagonally on the opponent’s half.
- Each server can only serve once.
5 common serving mistakes while serving in pickleball:
As a beginner, you might want to pay attention to some mistakes during your serve. Here are 5 common mistakes made in pickleball serve rules, and how to fix them:
- Faulty Footwork and Body Positioning
Incorrect footwork is one of the most common mistakes made during pickleball serves. If your feet are too far apart or too close, chances are you will struggle to maintain balance during your serve. Pickleball foot fault may also prevent you from getting enough power during your serve.
Likewise, improper body positioning like awkward leaning–forward or backward can lead to inaccurate or weak serves.
How to Fix
To correct such pickleball foot fault, slightly angle your back foot and place your feet shoulder-width apart with your front foot facing the net. Keep your weight centered, bend your knees and maintain a straight and relaxed posture. The goal is to ensure that your shoulders remain square to the net and avoid this pickleball foot fault.
- Inconsistent Ball Toss
If your ball toss is inconsistent, it can affect the quality of your serves. If your ball toss is too high, too low, or constantly to one side, it makes accurate serving impossible.
How to Fix
In my case, all I did to improve my ball toss before a serve was to prioritize consistent and smooth motion. I learned to hold the ball with my fingertips and extend my tossing arm in front before releasing the ball gently. Once the ball is released, I aim for a height slightly above my paddle’s reach.
- Striking the Ball Too Hard or Too Soft
If you hit the ball too hard, chances are you will miss your serves and lose points. At the same time, if you hit the ball too softly, it is easily returned and that is to your disadvantage.
How to Fix
Find the right balance between deep and short serves. Remember, you derive strength from your whole body, not just your arms. Engage your core, transfer your weight from your back foot to your front foot and follow through with your paddle. Experiment with different levels of strength until you discover the right amount to use during your serves.
- Poor Paddle and Grip Technique
How you hold your paddle determines the effectiveness of your serves. As you know, poor paddle grip can make you lose control or make off-target serves.
How to Fix
To improve your paddle grip, hold it and wrap your fingers around the handle with your thumb resting along the back. Avoid gripping the paddle too tightly, else, it’ll limit how well you can move your wrist to hit the ball.
- Lack of Variety in Serves
Repeating the same serve makes you predictable, as your opponent can anticipate your serve. Repeating your serves makes it easier for them to defend against yours, making it hard to win any point.
How to Fix It
One solution is to keep your opponent guessing. Switch between a variety of serving techniques like deep, low or slice serves.
Pickleball serve techniques for beginners:
There are essentially two types of pickleball serve for beginners–volley and drop. Here’s how to incorporate them to win games.
The Drop Serve
Pickleball drop serve is an easier pickleball serve for beginners because it is more forgiving compared to other types of serves. To initiate this serve, drop the ball with your non-dominant hand, wait for the bounce, and strike it.
In a pickleball drop serve, you can hit the ball at any height and motion. The most essential requirement for a drop serve is to follow basic serving rules–everything else goes.
When making a drop serve, a major pickleball serving tip is to aim for the middle of the service box. This helps reduce your margin of error as a beginner. In addition, it limits your opponent’s angle and helps you build consistency over time.
The Volley Serve
The volley serve in pickleball might sound a bit tricky at first, but it is a straightforward technique. To initiate a volley serve pickleball, hit the ball on air without letting it bounce.
The volley serve might be a tricky pickleball serve for beginners, but once you get the hang of it, it is an effective serve technique. I remember my days as a beginner where I kept letting the ball drop for every serve. A friend then suggested the volley serve as a way of mixing things up so that the opponent could not predict my serve!
Pickleball Serving Tips for Consistency and Accuracy
The motive of a serve is to gain more points than your opponent. But you also want to able to serve effectively and consistently. Here’s how:
- Keep your shoulders free to avoid unnecessary tension.
- Flow smoothly from your pre-serve routine into your serve for better rhythm.
- Hold the paddle correctly for better control and precision.
- Warm up and stretch before playing.
- Practice deep pickleball serving drills to achieve depth and consistency.
- Do not rush the serve to ensure accuracy.
Conclusion
Mastering pickleball serving tips requires practice, patience, and love for the game. Whether you are a newbie or intend to refine your performance, remember that the right pickleball serve placement at the right time can make or break a game.
So, grab your paddle today, go to the net and start making those winning shots! Ready to take your pickleball serve game to the next level? Start practicing today, until you reach a level of consistency. But above all, make sure you have fun!
