by Jenny Foster
Pickleball players can master all kinds of shots in the game, but some may find themselves lacking in power when it comes to their serve. Obviously, a powerful serve is important in any pickleball match as it can influence the direction of the game or the point.
For a more powerful and consistent serve, pickleball players can apply several useful tips to their game:
- CHECK YOUR STANCE
Pickleball players should assume a proper stance whenever they serve. Basically, the serve will highly depend on a player’s position before hitting the ball.
In relation to the stance, pickleball players may prefer any of the closed, open, or semi-open stance. In open stance, both feet (as well as the player’s body) are facing the net. In closed stance, the player is standing sideways, with the shoulder pointing perpendicular to the net. Finally, in semi-open stance, one foot is in front of the player (45°, and the other is at the back and also slightly slanted. The distance between the two feet should be a bit wider than the shoulder width.
When serving, the knees should be bent a little because this would allow the player to add an extra push to the ball. On the other hand, if the knees are straight, then they are locked and cannot provide additional movement that can add power to the ball.
As they load power to their legs, pickleball players should pay extra attention their foot at the back (closed or semi-open) or the one at the same side of the swinging arm (open). This foot is the secret in boosting the body as it turns along with the swinging arm when serving the pickleball.
- LOOSE THE GRIP A LITTLE
Pickleball players should avoid holding their paddles very tightly when serving. A looser grip makes the arm muscles more relax, which enables a pickleball player to swing smoothly the paddle when serving. Another important thing when holding the paddle is that a pickleball player should already have loosen their grip before they proceed to serving the pickleball.
The loose grip on the paddle should be consistent, that is, the hand, arm, and shoulders should be relaxed as they move in a low-to-high position when hitting the ball. This loose combination of body parts generates power when serving the pickleball.
- REMEMBER THE LOW-TO-HIGH MOTION PRINCIPLE
As already mentioned above, serving in pickleball involves a low-to-high motion. In the entirety of this movement, each body part that is involved should be relaxed as the paddle is used to follow through the pickleball. On certain occasions, some pickleball players neglect completing the follow through. This means that their arms stops midway or before it reaches the opposite shoulder when serving the pickleball.
A complete follow-through of the pickleball should start from below the knee and end up at the shoulder opposite the swinging arm. Other body parts, such as the shoulders and the hips, should also be relaxed to allow the smooth turning of the body as the arm swings to hit the ball.