How to Serve in Pickleball: Serve Rules, Technique and Drills

The serve is the only shot in pickleball you fully control: nobody rushes you and the ball is in your hand. That's why giving away points on it makes no sense. Unlike tennis, the serve here isn't meant to win the point outright but to start it with an edge: a deep, reliable ball that keeps your opponent back. This guide covers the official rules, step-by-step technique, where to aim, common mistakes and drills to practice.

Volley serve rules

The most common serve is the volley serve: you release the ball and hit it before it bounces. The USA Pickleball rulebook requires three things in the motion:

• Upward motion: your arm must move in an upward arc at contact.
• Contact below the waist: the ball must be hit below your navel.
• Paddle head below the wrist: at contact, the highest part of the paddle head can't be above the highest part of your wrist.

And a few more about position and placement:

• Feet: at contact, at least one foot must be on the ground behind the baseline, and neither foot may touch the court or the baseline. You also can't be outside the imaginary extensions of the centerline and the sideline on your side.
• Crosscourt: the ball must land in the diagonal service court, between the kitchen line and the baseline.
• Clear the kitchen: a serve that lands in the kitchen or on the kitchen line is a fault. The centerline, sideline and baseline are all good.
• One attempt: there's no second serve. If you miss, the serve goes to your partner or the other team.
• Net: there have been no lets since 2021. If the ball clips the net and lands in the correct court, it's in play; if it lands out or in the kitchen, it's a fault.

You must call the score before serving, and you have 10 seconds after the call to hit. At the start of each service turn, you serve from the right side. If the order confuses you, review how pickleball scoring works.

The drop serve

The rules allow an alternative: drop the ball, let it bounce and then hit it. With a drop serve, the upward-arc, waist and wrist rules don't apply, so you can hit it however you like, even a high forehand. The ball must be dropped without any added force, though: you can't throw it down or toss it up to get a bigger bounce. The foot, crosscourt and kitchen rules still apply.

Rule	Volley serve	Drop serve
Ball bounces before contact	No	Yes, it's dropped and bounces on the court
Contact below the waist	Required	Doesn't apply
Upward arc	Required	Doesn't apply
Paddle head below the wrist	Required	Doesn't apply
Foot behind the baseline	Required	Required
Crosscourt, past the kitchen	Required	Required
Attempts	One	One

The drop serve is ideal for beginners, for tennis players who struggle to keep their motion low and for anyone who wants a more consistent serve.

Where to aim

The two-bounce rule forces the receiver to let the serve bounce and the serving team to let the return bounce. If you serve deep, your opponent returns from the back and takes longer to reach the kitchen. That's why your main goal is depth:

• Deep: aim for the back third of the service court, 3-5 ft (1-1.5 m) from the baseline. Better a little short than long.
• To the backhand: most recreational players return worse off the backhand. Watch for your opponent's weaker side.
• Down the middle: in doubles, a serve to the middle cuts down return angles and can cause hesitation.
• Wide, now and then: an angled serve toward the sideline pulls your opponent off the court, but it has less margin.

Types of serve

Deep serve

The basic serve and the one you should use almost all the time: high, long trajectory with plenty of net clearance. It doesn't need to be fast; depth is what causes trouble.

Power serve

A flatter, faster ball close to the baseline. It can force weak returns, but with one attempt the risk is high. Use it if you've mastered it, or as a surprise.

Short or soft serve

A ball that lands just past the kitchen. It can catch a receiver standing deep, but it lets your opponent move up easily. Use it rarely, as a change of pace.

Spin serve

You can create spin with the paddle by brushing the ball at contact: slice or sidespin. What's not allowed since 2023 is adding spin with your hand or fingers when you release the ball (the old "chainsaw" or pre-spin serve): it must be released without added rotation. Also remember that paddle faces can't have textures that create artificial spin.

Step-by-step technique

1. Stance: stand behind the baseline, slightly sideways, with the foot opposite your paddle hand forward and pointing at your target.
2. Grip: continental or slightly toward eastern, relaxed, about 4 out of 10 pressure.
3. Release: hold the ball in front of you at hip height, slightly forward, and drop it without tossing.
4. Swing: take the paddle back and low like a pendulum, then swing up smoothly from the shoulder.
5. Contact: hit out in front, below the waist, with a firm wrist and the paddle head below it.
6. Follow-through: finish with the paddle high toward your target, like rolling a bowling ball.
7. Recover: stay behind the baseline and wait for the return; the two-bounce rule means you can't move up yet.

Common faults

• Stepping on the baseline with either foot at contact.
• Hitting above the waist or with the paddle head above the wrist.
• Tossing the ball up or spinning it with your fingers.
• Serving to the wrong court or from the wrong side.
• Rushing the net right after the serve.
• Chasing power over consistency and missing serves.
• Not calling the score before serving.

The full rules, including serving faults, are in our pickleball rules guide. And if the return comes up short, remember you can't volley inside the kitchen: we explain it in the kitchen rule.

Drills to improve your serve

• Depth target: place a towel or cone in the last 3 ft of the service court and serve 20 balls from each side. Count how many land in the zone.
• Ten in a row: serve until you make 10 in a row. Miss one and you start over. It builds consistency under pressure.
• Backhand corner: alternate serves to the middle and to the backhand corner of an imaginary receiver.
• Serve and recover: serve and settle into a ready position behind the baseline, prepared for the third shot.

Recommended gear for this guide