To excel in pickleball, understanding the nuances of play is crucial. And one area in which nuance is important is the return of serve.
Although it's important to hone your return of serve skills, it's equally important to know what type of return to hit and where to hit it, depending on your opponent's skill set.
How to scout your opponent in pickleball
Just as with any sport, it's important to scout out your opponent's abilities. During warm-ups or other matches, take a few moments to study your opponent.
Take note of their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies. Do they run around the ball to hit a forehand shot? Does one opponent take up more of the court than another? Do they have a "tell" when they are going to hit a certain shot?
All of these questions can provide valuable information to help you and your partner form a strategy to expose your opponent's weak spots.
Crafting the return of serve
The return of serve is often the deciding point of whether a rally will be won or lost. To hit a successful return of serve, it's important to focus on positioning, timing, and selecting the right shot.
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Identify the weaker third ball player: If you're better at handling pace, return to the player who is more likely to drive the ball. Conversely, if your strength lies in returning drops, target the player who prefers that style.
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Decision-making based on opponents' skills: Choose to return to the most threatening player to delay their advancement and reduce their chance of poaching.
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Team dynamics and fourth-ball play: If playing doubles, consider your partner's attributes. For instance, a partner with greater height and reach should ideally receive the third ball to maximize the chances of a successful volley.
Where do you stand when returning a serve in pickleball?
How you are positioned pre-serve is important. What position is going to give you the best opportunity to hit a successful return?
For most players, a forehand affords the best opportunity to hit a preferred shot. In pickleball, most players can cover the whole service box, no matter where they start from. So, it's best to shade to the side of the service box that allows you to hit the shot you'd like.
Let's assume you're right-handed and you want to hit a forehand. You'll scoot as far to the left of the service box as you can, which will allow you to hit a forehand 95% of the time.
The only caveat here is that you must be ready to move your feet quickly if your opponent hits a perfect serve toward your body.
Where to return the serve
Once you are properly positioned to hit the return you want, you need to focus on the depth of the return.
To retain the advantage as the returner, you must keep your opponent back at the baseline. If you hit a short return, you allow your opponent to move toward the net with momentum.
To prevent this, practice a return that consistently hits the back third of the service box. The deeper the return, the better. The ideal return of serve forces your opponent to hit their third shot at or behind the baseline.
Hit your return of serve high
Another valuable technique is to return the serve with some level of altitude. Don't lob the return, but hit the ball with some arc to its flight.
In doing so, you give yourself time to get to the net. You don't want to be stuck deep in the transition zone when your opponents are about to strike the ball. If you get to the kitchen line, your opponents are forced to hit a much tougher third shot.
