Pickleball Tip of Week #11

This weeks tip will be on serve and serve return placement.

As stated earlier, it is critical that the serve and serve return should be deep under most circumstances. However there are also other things to consider.

Generally I like to try and serve deep to my opponents backhand because their backhand is usually weaker. However i can think of two or three players that i actually try and serve to their forehand as they like to return the serve with their backhand. But playing to your opponents weakness is a future topic.

If you are playing against someone that loves to crush the serve return, you may want to occasionally serve the ball soft just past the NVZ. Now your opponent will be running forward and will want to hit the ball hard and will end up hitting the ball out long.

You also might want to develop a side spin serve where you serve the ball moving the paddle from right to left. This will make the ball bounce into the body of a right handed player and may cause them problems.

Serve Return............When my opponent is getting ready to serve, i am looking and deciding where would be the best place for me to hit the serve return. If one player is giving me more of their backhand to hit to , i may decide to hit it there. If they are not giving me any backhand to hit to, i may just hit to the weaker player.

 If one player is a tremendous poacher, i may decide to try and hit the serve return toward them , but a little closer to their partner. I would prefer their partner take the shot, but i want it close enough to the poacher that they are a little indecisisive and dont come to the net immediately to poach  because they are not sure their partner is going to take the shot. On righty/lefty partners, i may want to go right down the middle and hope that neither one or both go for the ball.

Lastly , as stated before, you USUALLY want to hit the third shot soft into the kitchen. However if for some reason , the serve returner does not follow their shot up to the net and decides to stay back, i usually will not try and hit the third shot soft. Rather i want to keep that player back and will try and hit the third shot deep to that player that decided to stay back on the serve return. I just have to be cognoscente that their partner who is already at the net, may try and come over and poach my deep shot to their partner.

jeff shank