How to Hit a Sidespin Serve in Pickleball

Some players use an open stance or semi-closed stance when serving. Regardless of your stance preference, it’s important to contact the pickleball in front of your body to maximize power and control.

To hit a sidespin serve, you’ll use a low to high stroke that slices under and across the side of the ball. This movement produces underspin and sidespin, causing the ball to travel up over the net as it curves to the side.

Depending on the amount of side spin you create, you may need to adjust your starting location when serving the ball. If you produce a good amount of sidespin, you might hit the ball wide and out of bounds. To remedy this, take into account the amount of curvature you produce with side spin, and adjust your court position accordingly. For a right-handed player, side spin curves the ball left-to-right. Therefore, right-handed players should serve from a position closer to the left side of their service area. This makes it more likely that the ball will land in bounds as the side spin curves the ball toward the right sideline.