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Are you struggling to improve your Pickleball serve? Whether you’re brand new to Pickleball or just looking to strengthen your skill — I’ve got you covered! Below, I’ll break down the principles & techniques to quickly start serving like a Pickleball pro. 

Plus, I’ll share a unique serve strategy I’ve been using in my pro-level matches.

How Do Serves Work? 

For starters, let’s talk about the Pickleball serve rules. 

Where To Serve:

In Pickleball, the server starts on the right side of the court and can only serve the ball diagonally across the net. 

If it lands in the kitchen area or on the line of the kitchen area, you’re at fault. Any line outside of the kitchen line (sideline, mid-line, or baseline) is okay!

Serving Order:

It’s also important to remember: In Pickleball, both players on the team have the chance to serve and score before the other team gets to serve, I like to call this, a “possession.”

**The only exception is the first-serving team of the game only gets to have one server serve and score points before it switches over to the other team after a lost rally. A rule put into place to minimize the advantage of the starting service team.

The 4 Main Principles to Remember:

Consistency

I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase before but consistency is key. 

Without it, your entire serve game flies out the window. So it’s important to spend time to make sure your serves are landing in the proper area as the top priority when improving.

Depth

I’d consider depth the second most important principle to improving your Pickleball serve. The deeper you’re able to hit the serve, the better.

A good rule of thumb is to shoot for the last 4 feet of the court in order to push back whoever is on the returning end. Because then, you gain an advantage when you come to hit your next shot. Also called, the 3rd shot. 

Placement

Being able to control where your opponent goes on the Pickleball court can be a game-changer if you know how to do it right. 

Maybe you notice your opponent has a really bad backhand and now, you’re able to turn their weaknesses against them in order to win the rally. 

Or maybe you see your opponent cheating toward the outside and you hit the ball middle to get them off balance just as the point is starting out.

Power

If you’re able to put more force & speed behind your serves, the more you can keep your opponent on their toes. When you hit a deep serve, you keep your opponent back near the baseline. 

When they’re back near the baseline, that means they’re not in the most advantageous position on the court, which is up in the kitchen. 

So after you nail the other three components, start working to add more power to your serve.

The Toss Serve vs. The Drop Serve:

Toss serve

You can hit the ball in mid-air without bouncing it. But remember, the serve has to be below your waist and the paddle must be below your wrist.

Like this:

In addition, you must have one foot on the ground at all times while serving. So there's no jump serving.

Drop serve (Common for beginners)

On this serve, you can bounce the ball on the ground before hitting. Keep in mind, you’re not allowed to throw or slam the ball, you can only drop the ball. 

Remember that rule about hitting the ball below your waist & wrist? Those rules don’t apply to a drop serve.

Side note: You can make both of these serves with a forehand or backhand.

OO, and yes, you can also drop the ball into the court before hitting the drop serve. You’re also able to fall into the court after you make contact with the ball. That’s okay :) 

Next Up, How Should You Stand Before Serving?

Your stance is super important when hitting a drop serve. It’s the foundation for doing all four things I described above. 

I recommend placing your non-dominant foot around a 45-degree angle, then setting your dominant foot parallel to the baseline to get more range of motion and the ability to use your hips to turn so you generate more power.

Remember, this is a good place to start. Your feet don’t have to be set exactly like mine are below. But if you watch a lot of Pickleball pros serve, you’ll notice a majority hit with a stance similar to this. 

**I know Tyson Mcguffin and Catherine Parenteau hit a more open stance. That’s fine as well. But in my opinion, that’s an advanced strategy some pro players choose to hit with! Not wrong. Just different. 

“But Kyle, how should I drop the ball then?”

Glad you asked, I recommend setting your arm out completely straight. Why? Because it’s the simplest way to drop the ball. It removes any inconsistency from one serve to the next and can be easily repeated.

Super Secret Serve Strategy…

Shhhh. This strategy I’m about to share with you is something I’ve personally been using recently in my Pickleball games to get myself in the zone and have complete focus before I serve.

And just to be clear, this strategy isn’t some kind of magic trick that’ll make your serves 100% accurate. But I’ve found my mental clarity and focus to go up significantly by doing this.

I started using: A Pre-Serve Routine. 

Here’s mine: 

I bounce the ball twice, take a deep breath, then let that shot loose. You’re more than welcome to adopt my routine. You can also build off of it or create your own. Don’t be afraid to test this out & see how it helps your serve!

Because at the end of the day, most of my misses on the Pickleball court come from a lack of focus or lazy mechanics. This helps me avoid that.

Now You’re Ready to Level Up Your Serve!

Mastering your serve is a crucial element to improving your game. It’s the one shot in Pickleball you have full control over. 

And now, you have the tools you need to know to improve your Pickleball serve. Whether you just want to get a leg up over your friends or have plans on playing Pickleball at higher levels. 

But no matter how many blogs you read or videos you watch, the fastest way to step up your Pickleball game is to get out on the court. 

OO, and If you want to improve as fast as you can, I shared the one Pickleball drill that levels up 6 different parts of your game. 

Click here if you’re interested in checking out that ultimate Pickleball drill.