Want to know how to serve in Pickleball?

Here are some of the different rules at play when serving in Pickleball.

The first serve is always from the right hand side of the court. This is the same whether you are playing singles or doubles.
You must always serve underarm and hit the ball with an upward swing of your arm and before it passes your naval area.
The ball can be held still or “thrown” in the air when it is hit for the serve.
Your shot needs to land on the opposite side of the court in the service area of your opponent.
The ball must bounce once before your opponent can return the service
The ball must bounce once again on your side before you can hit it back.
When the point is won, the server changes sides for each serve, for example, right side then left side then right side and so on. This is for singles and doubles.
The receiving team does not change sides.
A point is won only by the server. If the point is lost, service goes to your opponent.
If the ball hits the net, like a “Let” in tennis and bounces in the Kitchen area – it is out.
However, if the ball hits the net but continues into the service area of your opponent – then this point is still in play.
Both feet must be behind the line when serving.

Wondering about the serving techniques and strategies in pickleball and how to master them? Well, we have got some ideas to share with you here.

How to Serve in Pickleball?

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Here are a few quick tips when it comes to serving in pickleball.

Your arm has to move in an upward movemnet with a forehand or backhand motion, whatever is a comfortable serving action for you.
Also, the wrist action is important. Make sure the highest point of the paddle is placed below the higher point of your wrist for a comfortable swing.

Does the Foot Placement Matter during Serving?

Yes. Both feet need to be placed behind the baseline and one needs to be in contact with the ground.

Once the serve is made, your foot can make contact with any part of the baseline.

How to Improve your Pickleball Serving?

Now that you have a basic understanding of the pickleball serve, we can move ahead to the few tips that can make you improve your serve.

Learning serving strategies can help you in the long run, enabling you to play the game in a winning style!

Following are some factors you need to know when it comes to pickleball serving:

Your aim with the ball should be precise and avoid the kitchen zone
Make sure you aim your ball towards your opponent’s opposite side of the court for a successful serve and hit back
Your major strength should be focused around the shoulder for a straight shot
Focus on serving the ball properly instead of focusing on speed

Tips to Ensure the Perfect Pickleball Serve

Now that you have a few tricks up your sleeve, we are going to share some more suggestions and tips that you can implement to perfect your Pickleball serve in no time at all.

Focus and concentrate

Since the serve plays such a crucial role in Pickleball, you can’t afford to mess things up. The moment you lose your serve is the moment you hand over the point to your opponent.

So, before every serve, focus and concentrate on your opponent, your posture and position on the ground and then hit the ball across the court to your opponent.

Use your shoulder

Another important factor worth considering is to use your shoulder for the serve.

To ensure that your ball moves across the court to your opponent, you need to hit it with enough power. You want to aim in a way that the ball moves right across the court to your opponent.

Once you master your skills, it does become a lot easier for you to increase your chances of winning.

Practice the serve

Yes, as you have heard your mom say many times before, “Practice makes perfect.”

So, when it comes to winning your game, you need to practice your serve. Mastering the serve is where all the skill lies.

Find a wall and practice your serve as often as you can. Get your service right and you’re halfway to winning the point.

Focus on the equipment

Another important factor worth considering is your paddle. For the most part, if the paddle isn’t of the best quality, you will be having a hard time mastering the serve.

Investing in the best quality you can afford will help with your serve. You will find that you will have more control of ball placement.

Look for paddles that are made with good-quality materials like graphite and with a propylene center for comfort.

You will find reviews on several different Pickleball paddles by clicking here.

Master the types of serve

Next, you need to focus on the different kinds of services.

There are a few different types that you can try. Instead of focusing on just one, you need to master them all so you can use them to your advantage during the actual game.

Some of the important types of serves include:

Underhand serve
Serve below waist
Soft angle serve
High soft serve
Power serves

Conclusion

Knowing how to serve in pickleball is where all the points lie, LITERALLY. So, if you want to win a game against your opponent, you need to learn every service trick. Good luck!