Pickleball Serving Rules: A Complete, Easy-to-Understand Explanation

Serving is an important first step in every Pickleball match. To have a fair and exciting match, understanding the Pickleball serving rules is essential. Join us at Pickleplay to explore the detailed serving rules so you can confidently demonstrate your skills on the court. Pickleball Serving Rules: Full, Easy-to-Understand Explanation

3 Basic Pickleball Serving Rules

Here are three basic rules of serving in this sport:

Underhand serve

In pickleball, you serve the ball underhand, unlike tennis, which uses an overhand serve. According to the official rules, when serving, you must hit the ball below your navel. Specifically:

1. Your arm should move upward when making contact with the ball (you can use your dominant or non-dominant hand to serve).
2. The head of the racket should be lower than your wrist at the moment of serve.

After hitting the ball, you can freely continue moving the racket as you wish.

Foot position

When serving in pickleball, your foot position is very important. At the moment the racket makes contact with the ball, at least one of your feet must be on the ground behind the baseline. This means you cannot jump when serving – at least one foot must remain in contact with the ground.

You may not let your feet touch the court inside the boundary lines, or cross the imaginary lines extending from the baseline and the center line. After serving, you may move your feet freely on the court, including crossing the boundary lines.

Cross Court Serve

When serving in pickleball, you must ensure that the ball goes over the net and lands in the service area diagonally to your position. This area is bounded by the end lines, sidelines, and the boundary line of the no-volley area (also known as the “kitchen”).

Note that when serving, the ball must not fall into the no-volley area or its boundary line, otherwise it will be considered a fault. However, the ball can touch any other boundary line that is still legal, such as the end line or the center line.

Be careful not to break the rules when serving! For example, if you hit the ball higher than your belly button or use the head of your racket higher than your wrist, it is an illegal serve. If you make a mistake while serving, you will lose your turn and the right to serve.

There are two ways to serve in pickleball.

1. Volley Serve : To perform this serve, you need to throw or drop the ball and then hit the ball with your racket without letting it bounce on the court. This is the traditional method of serving in pickleball.
2. Drop serve : This method allows you to drop the ball to the ground before hitting it. The drop serve was originally designed for players with disabilities, but is now available to everyone.

Both ways are valid and you can choose whichever method suits you best! There are two ways to serve in pickleball.

When do you get served?

In pickleball, you cannot serve until the score is clearly called. This means you must wait until all three numbers (in doubles) or both numbers (in singles) are called. If you serve before the score is called, you commit a foul.

Once the score is called, you have 10 seconds to serve. This time does not depend on whether the receiving team is ready or not, but they need to be in position before the score is called.

If the serving team realizes they are out of position and changes position after the score has been called, the umpire will give the receiving team additional time to adjust. The score will then be called again, and the server will have 10 more seconds to serve.

If you do not follow these rules, such as serving before the score is called or not serving within 10 seconds, you will be fouled and lose the turn to serve. In pickleball, you do not serve the ball until the score is clearly called.

Common serve errors

Fouls in pickleball are violations of the rules that result in play being stopped and the offending team or player losing the game. Here are some common fouls that can occur when serving:

1. Foot fault : Occurs when at least one foot of the server does not touch the ground behind the baseline, or a foot touches the end line or the area within it, or a foot touches the area beyond the sideline or the center line.
2. Serving from the wrong area : The server must stand in the designated area to serve. Otherwise, it is a fault.
3. Wrong Server : If a person other than the correct server on the serving team serves, this is also a fault.
4. Illegal serve : If the server fails to serve the ball correctly according to the rules, it will be considered a fault.
5. Serve Out of Legal Area : If the ball falls outside the legal boundary lines (including the end lines, sidelines and centre lines), it is a fault. The ball must not fall into the No-Volley Area or on its boundary line.
6. Serve before score is called : The server may not make contact with the ball before the entire score is clearly called.
7. Touching a fixed object : If the ball touches any other object (except the net) before hitting the ground, it will be counted as a fault.
8. Ball touches server : If the ball touches the server or their partner, it is a fault.
9. Requesting a timeout after serving : Once the server has touched the ball, they may not call a timeout or ask the umpire to confirm the score.

If any of these errors are committed, the serving team loses its turn to serve.

Pickleball Receiving Error

In pickleball, errors can occur when the receiving team attempts to return the serve. When the receiving team commits an error, the serving team scores a point. Here are some common errors that the receiving team may make:

1. Wrong Player : If a person other than the correct player on the receiving team hits the ball, it is considered a foul. This often occurs when team members are not clearly distinguished.
2. Touching the ball before it bounces : If a player on the receiving team (or their partner) intentionally or unintentionally touches the ball before it hits the ground, this is a fault. For example, if the server intentionally serves so that the ball hits an opposing player near the net, or if the ball flies and hits a player out of bounds before bouncing, this is also a fault.
3. Requesting a Time Out After Serving : After the server has touched the ball, the receiver (or their partner) may not call a time out or ask the umpire to confirm the score. If they do so, it is a fault.

When any of these errors occur, the serving team gets a point.

Conclusion

Pickleball rules are simple but contain many interesting things. Understanding the rules will help you discover more advanced tactics and skills. We will continue to bring you useful articles about Pickleball Rules at PicklePlay.vn