Basics of Serves in Pickleball

​A social game that attracts competitors of all ages, pickleball features rallies that begin with diagonal serves over a net, just like in tennis. With two players on a team, the team that makes the first serve gets only a single serve. Thereafter, each team gets two serve opportunities. Pickleball differs from doubles tennis in that each individual has one chance to serve, instead of the same player handling all serves throughout the entire game. Also different from tennis, only one serve attempt is allowed. The exception is when the ball hits the net and lands in the proper service court (a let in tennis).

All serves must be made with feet beyond the outside line and underhanded. The ball is either dropped by the non hitting hand and hit mid-air (before it hits the ground) or hit after bouncing on the court, as a drop serve.

The pickleball court is divided into four sections. Unlike tennis, the court also has a kitchen, or a 14-square-foot space intersected by the net. This is a no-volley zone, and players cannot hit the ball while standing in the kitchen. With the serve, the ball must also pass beyond the kitchen line (though it can hit any line beyond that around the service court and be considered in bounds).

With serving, the key is consistency, with successful servers aiming for depth, or placing the ball in the back four feet of the court. This makes it likely that the return player will have a weak or ineffective shot back. As with tennis, a serve that lacks depth sets the opponent up for close-range power off the paddle.

Robert Palley

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