The Pickleball Chainsaw Serve: Love It or Hate It?
One hot topic in the last few years that has made a lot of commotion in the pickleball community is the chainsaw serve that Zane Navratil has been using. He has a few variations, but both impart extra spin on the ball. Few topics have been as fiercely debated as this serve, and the debate made its way to the rules committee at the USAPA.
What is the Chainsaw Serve?
The chainsaw serve is one of the deadliest one-handed serves ever seen on a pickleball court. It is a volley serve where, upon release of the ball, a finger spin is added by a player’s hand before being hit off the paddle's face. The one-handed spin serve has been around for years, but the chainsaw is a particularly powerful serve that is difficult to return.
Here’s a video showing the chainsaw serve in action:
Why People Believed the Chainsaw Serve Should Be Banned
It’s not returnable by many players, including beginners.
Not everyone can perform a pickleball spin serve.
The spin should be imparted solely from the stroke of the paddle.
It defeats the purpose of serving underhand.
Too many aces ruin the game.
It detracts from the simple nature of the game, which should be to promote rallies.
Why Some Players Were Against the Ban of the Chainsaw Serve
The point of playing competitively is to win.
There are rankings to help players play evenly – not limit them based on rules.
Fun has different meanings for different people - long rallies are fun for some, and others have fun winning.
Pickleball has a large (and growing) player base, so if you are beaten by a server, banger, or dinker - you can learn to compete or find another opponent.
The chainsaw serve is a new skill that can be learned through practice.
A change specifically for the chainsaw serve will set a precedent to ban other new skills and techniques in the pickleball rules as the sport evolves.
Zane Navratil’s Chainsaw Serve Statistics
Zane compiled statistics on the serve to help support its legality, and here are some of the highlights:
Zane’s serve initially caused a spike in missed service returns (aces) during matches.
As more players become familiar with the serve, the percentage of missed returns is diminishing.
Zane’s serve is more notorious, but Morgan Evan’s spin service is more effective.
Since March of 2021 until the serve was banned:
13% (1 in 8) of Zane’s serves have been unreturnable
20% (1 in 5) of Morgan’s serves have been unreturnable
Zane’s final summary and thoughts on the chainsaw serve are:
”Let the game grow. Pickleball is a forever evolving game. Innovations like the Erne are some of the most fun aspects of the game.”
Is the Chainsaw Serve Legal?
No - the chainsaw serve has been declared illegal in the pickleball rulebook by USA Pickleball as of 2023. Despite the popularity of the serve from some players, others argued it went against the spirit of the serve rules, interfered with amateur play, and new rules were needed to outlaw the spin serve.
Final Thoughts
The pickleball serve is a single shot, like the overhead, dink, drive, or lob. If new pickleball players develop a great shot, my opinion is to either emulate it or learn to defend it through practice. If you want the game of pickleball to continue to grow, then the pickleball community should keep playing pickleball, coming up with clever new ways to play, practice, and enjoy the game.
What do you think? Should the chainsaw serve be reintroduced as a legal serve?
