How to serve in pickleball

Easier than it looks

The serve scares new players, but it is the easiest shot to learn. You are not trying to ace anyone. You just need to get it in.

The rules of a legal serve

• Hit it underhand. Your hand moves low to high.
• Make contact below your waist.
• Keep both feet behind the back line until you hit.
• Send it diagonally, to the box across from you.
• It must land past the kitchen line.

Step by step

Stand behind the baseline. Hold the ball in one hand, paddle in the other. Drop the ball or toss it a few inches, then swing up and through it. Follow through toward your target. That is the whole motion. Slow and smooth beats fast and wild.

Where to aim

Aim deep, toward the back of the box, and toward the middle. Deep serves push the other team back. The middle gives you room for error, away from the side lines. Do not aim for corners yet. Just get it deep and in.

Common faults

Watch for these: stepping on the line, hitting the ball above your waist, swinging overhand like tennis, or landing the serve in the kitchen. If your serve keeps going long, take a little pace off. If it keeps going into the net, swing more upward.

Spend ten minutes just serving before a session. Boring, yes. But a serve you trust takes a huge amount of stress out of the game.