Giving pickleball a serve

 After playing for years of playing pickleball I am under the impression that there is much confusion and misunderstanding about the serving rule.

 

After reading the official rules I have noted:

 

Before you serve you must call out the score. If the server does not call out the score it is a fault.

After calling out the score you have ten seconds before your paddle hits the ball. You can call the score while throwing up the ball provided you finish talking before your paddle hits the ball.

When you serve your feet must be behind the line. No touching the line. You can have one foot in the air and above the court.

You can hit a serve with spin. The spin cannot come from your hand. It must come from the paddle.

If you serve underhand with the paddle head below your wrist the serve will almost always be legal.

A drop serve lives up to its name. The ball must be dropped.

The serve must clear the kitchen and the kitchen line. The serve is in play if it hits any other service court line.

 

 

 

 

Summary of the official pickleball rules.  

The entire score must be called before the ball is served. By the server or their partner.

The serve is a fault if the server’s paddle has made contact with the pickleball for the serve prior to the entire score being called.

Once the score has been called, the server is allowed 10 seconds to serve the ball.

The serve is initiated with at least one foot behind the baseline; neither foot may contact the baseline or court until after the ball is struck.

At least one foot must be on the playing surface behind the baseline.

Neither of the server’s feet may touch the court on or inside the baseline.

Neither of the server’s feet may touch the playing surface outside the imaginary extension of the sideline or centreline.

The serve shall be made with only one hand releasing the ball. While some natural rotation of the ball is expected during any release of the ball from the hand, the server shall not impart manipulation or spin on the ball with any part of the body immediately

The serve must be made underhand.

Paddle contact with the ball must be below the server’s waist (navel level).

The server’s arm must be moving in an upward arc at the time the ball is struck with the paddle.

The highest point of the paddle head must not be above the highest part of the wrist (where the wrist joint bends) when the paddle strikes the ball.

The server must serve to the correct service court (the court diagonally opposite the server). The serve may clear or touch the net and must clear the NVZ and the NVZ lines. The serve may land on any other service court line.

 

The Volley Serve. 

The volley serve is made by striking the ball without bouncing the ball off the playing surface and can be made with either a forehand or backhand motion.

The Drop Serve.

Pickleball drop serve, you must drop or release the pickleball from any natural height, either by using your hand or letting the pickleball roll off of your paddle, and then hit the pickleball with your paddle after the pickleball bounces on the court. 

The ball shall not be propelled (thrown) downward or tossed or hit upward with the paddle.

Any player may use their paddle to perform the drop serve. A player who has the use of only one hand may also use their paddle to release the ball to perform the volley serve.

The drop serve may bounce multiple times before making contact.

You may pick up the pickleball and re-drop the pickleball if you do not like the drop as many times as you’d like (as long as you still hit your serve within 10 seconds after the score has been called).