3 Pickleball Serving Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Everyone who plays pickleball makes mistakes. However, those that win most consistently and play at the higher levels make the fewest mistakes per match. Serves are one of the most important areas you can work on if you want to get really good at pickleball. Making mistakes on serves can be very costly. 

This article discusses 3 pickleball serving mistakes and how you can fix them.

Serving Mistake #1 - Lack of / Incorrect Follow-Through

Adding power and spin to your serve can make it very deadly. But, when players lack a good follow-through, it’s difficult to get the power and spin that you need. 

Stopping your follow-through

The first mistake we see often is that players tend to stop their follow-through. Basically, right after making contact with the ball on the serve, they abruptly halt their arm instead of swinging all the way through the ball. 

The problem with this is that the power you’re generating with your backswing isn’t allowed to fully go into the ball when you stop your follow-through. Instead, players should swing all the way through the ball until the paddle ends around shoulder height.

Finishing above your head or out in front of your body

However, swinging through the ball doesn’t mean you can “finish” with your paddle just anywhere. This can create weird spins or mishits–basically inconsistencies in your serve. Instead, you should start your swing around your knee area and finish around your opposite shoulder or ear area. This swing arc allows a consistent strike and helps you put your maximum power into the serve.

A great way to get used to delivering your serve the same way every time is to pause at the top of your follow-through and hold your position. Take note of how your body feels and try to recreate that feeling each time. Of course, only do this during practice - not during a game.

One note on the follow-through and adding power to your serve. Your arm and grip pressure should remain relaxed and not rigid. Adding power is more about having a smooth, consistent motion. It’s not about swinging your arm out of its socket.

Serving Mistake #2 - Late / Bad Contact Point

Where you strike the ball matters. It matters where you strike it on the paddle, but also it matters in relation to your body position. Making contact with a ball that is behind you (closer to your body or even behind your waist or leg) leads to inconsistent and bad shots. When you strike the ball, you want the ball to be out in front of you. In fact, you want the ball to be out in front of your left toe (if you’re a right-handed swinger). 

To ensure this happens correctly during serving, you want to start with the ball out in front of you–not too far away from your body, but not too close either. When you drop or toss the ball before striking, try to keep it in that position on a straight line down. 

Of course, this takes time and practice. But, with just a few minutes of practice a day, you might be surprised at how quickly you get your timing down to perform this serve consistently.

Keep your eye on the ball throughout the serve and lean your body forward as you make contact with the ball. 

Serving Mistake #3 - Serving With Only Your Arm

The final mistake we want to discuss is players who serve only with their arms. Typically, you’ll find that their wrists are very stiff, and they’re only using their arm muscles for power. The problem with this arm-only movement is that it limits your power and ability to add spin to your serve. 

Wrist lag or Paddle lag

In all racquet sports, there is a concept called wrist (or paddle) lag. Essentially, this means that your paddle comes through the ball (when you make contact) after your body (your pelvis and hips). Some players tend to swing their paddle without using this lag and end up with inconsistencies and weaker serves. 

Think of a whip action. When you use a whip (or see someone use a whip), the tip of the whip comes through after the handle and the top do, and that’s how you get that crack sound. 

To get yourself into the habit of using wrist lag is to practice holding your paddle behind you (during your backstroke) and bending your wrist so that the face of the paddle is parallel with the ground. As you bring your hand through (ensure your grip is flexible and loose), you’ll follow through, keeping your wrist bent and out in front of the face of the paddle, then whip it once you reach the ball. 

After that contact, take the paddle all the way through and to your left shoulder. 

Contact should be out in front every time.

To practice this, you can do it without a ball in your home. You want to get the feeling of shifting your body forward, bringing your paddle through, keeping your wrist lag, and then exploding the paddle through the ball on its way to the top of your left (or opposite) shoulder. 

To learn more and see how to fix these mistakes, check out this video from Briones Pickleball. 

Also, stay up to date on all pickleball news, strategies, and gear suggestions at Pickleball University.