7 Steps to Power Serving in Pickleball
A powerful serve on the pickleball court can give you a significant advantage over your opponents, and in this article, we will discuss some tips and serve techniques that can help you add more power to your serve.
1. Use the Correct Stance
The stance you use when serving is critical to generating more power.
Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart behind the baseline.
Your dominant foot should be slightly behind your non-dominant foot. This positioning allows you to transfer your weight from your back foot to your front foot as you hit the ball, generating more power.
Bend your knees slightly, and center your body weight over your feet. By using this stance, you can generate more power in your serve.
2. Use Your Legs to Generate Power
Your legs are the foundation of your serve, and using them correctly can help you generate more power.
As you prepare to serve, bend your knees slightly.
As you hit the ball, straighten your legs to transfer your weight from your back foot to your front foot, generating more power.
This technique helps you add more speed and control to your serve.
3. Ball Strike & Release
There are two types of serves; the volley serve and the drop serve. The volley serve is made without bouncing the ball off the playing surface. The drop serve is made when the ball bounces first, and you strike the ball after.
Both service options require the server to contact the ball below the waist to be considered a legal serve. You can use either style for power serves, but many powerful servers use the volley serve to generate the most speed with the paddle head of the pickleball paddle.
4. Generating Spin
Your wrist is another essential component of a powerful serve. Use your wrist to generate a spin serve with speed behind it for an unstoppable serve.
Turn your wrist forward as you contact the ball to create more spin and speed. This technique allows you to add more power to your serve, making it more difficult for the receiving team to return.
With many paddles having either grit or fiber, it is easy to put either underspin or topspin on the serve just using the face of the paddle. This will cause the service to kick in or out once it lands in the service area, making it difficult for the receiver to reach the serve or hit it cleanly.
5. Experiment with Your Grip
Experimenting with different grips is another way to add more power to your serve. Try using a continental or eastern backhand grip, which allows you to generate more power and spin when hitting the ball. Commit these grips to muscle memory, as they will give you more power and control when serving.
6. Paddle Weight & Thickness
Using a heavier paddle is another way to add more power to your serve. A heavier paddle can help you generate more power in your serve by allowing you to swing harder with extra force in the follow-through, which creates more momentum.
You can also add lead tape to your paddle in strategic locations to increase stability or head speed, increasing the ball's velocity.
Thickness is another consideration, as it will also provide both power and control. Experiment with different paddles and weights to find the one that works best for you and your playing style.
Weight and Thickness go hand-in-hand for power players
7. Practice, Practice, Practice
The final and most crucial step in adding more power to your serve is practice. We’ve said this before in many articles related to player development and improvement.
Also, the serve is the one shot you can easily practice alone, so grab a bucket of balls, put some flat ground-level targets out on the court, and get serving.
What are Pickleball Serving Rules?
There are a lot of rule changes in pickleball, but the serving rules typically remain the same. If you need a refresher before getting out and practicing your power serves, keep these key serving rules in mind:
All pickleball serves must be underhand serves, hit with an upward arc. The highest part of the paddle must still be underneath the base of your wrist.
Both feet should be behind the baseline and not on the imaginary extension of the sideline when you begin your serve. One of your feet must be planted on the ground behind the baseline until the serving motion is complete.
The serve must be crosscourt and hit into the service court on the opponent’s side of the court diagonal from the pickleball player serving the ball.
The serve must go over the net but may not land in the NVZ or on the non-volley zone line or “kitchen line.” It may land on the centerline, the sidelines, or the baseline.
Remember, following the rulebook will help you avoid illegal serves and faults while helping you score points. As the serving team, be sure to call out your team’s score, the opposing team’s score, and the server number (first server or second server) if playing doubles before serving the ball.
Can You Serve Out of Order in Pickleball?
No - players have a dedicated order when serving the ball. Of course, in friendly backyard games, following the official USA pickleball rules are optional.
Can You Bounce the Ball When Serving in Pickleball?
You can bounce the ball once to hit a legal drop serve. However, most players who prefer power serving will hit volley serves.
How Do the Pros Serve in Pickleball?
Most professional pickleball players hit powerful volley serves with spin, though every player may have their own variation, and not every player has the same serving style.
