The Best Ways to Return a Serve in Pickleball

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Steve Dawson

We’re working on return of serve technique. The most important part of the return of serve is that you’re moving through the ball, running as you hit it, so you can get to the kitchen line more efficiently.  

If you are slicing your return of serve, that just makes it slightly more difficult for a third shot. Coming all the way up to the kitchen is exactly what you’re supposed to do. A deeper serve should never push you backwards. You may take it on a short hop, but you should not move backwards. You’re never going to get to the kitchen line if you’re backing up. 

The last technical part of the return of serve you don’t want to get caught doing is looking to see if your return is good and running up. Remember when you’re returning a serve in pickleball, if the serve is a little short, always move through it; running to the kitchen line as you return serve. And, if your opponent serves deep, make sure they don’t push you backwards off the baseline. 

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