A Beginner’s Guide to Returning a Serve in Pickleball

On the return of serve, there are a couple of keys to remember. Since the other team has to let the ball bounce, the key is to try to get good depth and give yourself enough time to get to the non-volley zone.  

So what you’ll see a lot of professionals trying to do is either hit the ball cross-court or back in the middle where you’ve got the longest part of the court, or the easiest area in the middle, where if you’re off a few inches one way or the other with your serve, it doesn’t necessarily matter. Serving the ball to these areas also cuts down the angles the other team is going to have. The second part of that is trying to give yourself enough time to get to the non-volley zone and getting it deep is the best way to do so.