Pickleball Serving Rules: A Professional Player’s Guide

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Pickleball Serving Rules: A Professional Player’s Guide

Every pickleball game starts with a serve. In the pickleball sport, people must obey some pickleball serving rules when serving. For instance, Drop and volley must use underhand serves, and the paddle has to contact the ball below waist level. Serve hits of serving should occur across the court inside the opponent’s team’s diagonal court box boundaries. Every turn only allows one service attempt, and if you conduct an illegal serve, you will lose your chance to serve again immediately. It’s so important to get to know all the pickleball serve rules, if we know everything about serving in pickleball, we could perform better in the pickleball sports game.

Pickleball Serve Rules 2023

So, what are the new pickleball serve rules for 2023? What is an official or illegal pickleball serve? What are the new pickleball serve rules when serving spin and return of pickleball? And what happens if the pickleball hits the net or hits the line of a server? Here is the perfect guide to pickleball serve rules 2023.

Official pickleball serving rules

One of the governing body of the USA pickleball sport is called International USA PICKLEBALL (The USA Pickleball Association), which formulates and interprets all the rules of pickleball. To get to know the official pickleball serving rules, let’s read the rule book written by USA PICKLEBALL. 

Legal pickleball serve

Many players are wondering what is a legal pickleball serve. What is a legal serve in pickleball? And, is a spin serve legal in pickleball? To answer these questions and figure out legal pickleball services and legal services in pickleball, firstly, let’s read the pickleball rule book of USA PICKLEBALL 2023. Section 4 of this rule book, it tells all the things about THE SERVE, SERVICE SEQUENCE, AND SCORING RULES. After reading all the rules and interpretations, you will understand what is pickleball legal serve.

What is illegal pickleball serves

There are legal pickleball serves, meanwhile there definitely are illegal pickleball serves. So, what is an illegal serve in pickleball? Is pickleball spin serve illegal? We will also define pickleball illegal serve according to the rule book of USA PICKLEBALL. For example, the server uses an illegal serve when performing the Volley Serve. 

Pickleball Spin Serve Rules

The spin serve is a skill that only a few players has mastered, and this skill gives them an advantage, because most players, particularly amateur players, cannot effectively hit or return a spin serve. In 2023, the server shall use only one hand to release the ball to perform the services. If the ball is visibly spun by the server during the release, the part(s) of the hand contacting the ball must be bare. 

But many people predicted that since January 1st, 2023, spin serve will be banned by USA PICKLEBALL and players will only be able to toss and strike the ball without adding any spin, even from the hand holding the ball. Let’s wait and see what will happen about pickleball spin serve rules.

Pickleball Return of Serve Rules

To know the pickleball return of service rules, pickleball serve return rules, and pickleball rules return of serve, let’s still read section 4 of the rule book of USA PICKLEBALL. In summary, the serve must bounce before the return of the serve in pickleball. A player should wait behind the baseline for the service in order to permit moving forward to hit the return of serve pickleball with momentum. The most used return stroke of serve is a forehand with a backswing and follow-through, meanwhile, step forward to meet the ball in front of the player’s body.

Rules for Serving Hitting the Line in Pickleball

According to the pickleball serving line rules and pickleball service line rules formulated by USA PICKLEBALL, if a serve hits the baseline, centerline, or sideline, it will be fine, because once the service has been successfully made by the server, the pickleball ball can land on any court line. But if it hits the kitchen line, it’s an exception. 

Pickleball serve hits the kitchen line

Your serve must land in the proper service court and must clear the kitchen line. If the pickleball serves on the kitchen line, or say the ball hits the kitchen or the kitchen line, it will be a fault.

3 Things to Pay Attention to When Serving

Some beginners may wonder what are the rules for serving in pickleball and what are the serving rules in pickleball. After we read the rules of pickleball serving, we know the serving in pickleball rules and serving pickleball rules according to the USA PICKLEBALL rule book. The following is a summary of 3 things to pay attention to when serving.

  • Underhand Serve – The Rule book of USA PICKLEBALL requires the service to be hit below the player’s navel (or belly button), at the point of contact.
  • Feet Placement – Firstly, at least one of your feet must maintain contact with the ground behind the baseline. Secondly, neither of the player’s feet can touch the court on/inside the baseline, or on/outside the imaginary extension lines of the applicable sideline or centerline.
  • Cross Court Serve – The serve must go over the net (although the pickleball ball may touch the net – no service lets in the sport of pickleball) and land in the service space that is cross-court from the server. 

Let’s serve in pickleball

Each player is only allowed one serving attempt. The rule on pickleball let serve 2023 has changed. A pickleball let-serve happens when the ball hits the net but still lands in the correct service court. If let serve in pickleball occurs, the service is considered to be a good one and the game continues. If the ball hits the net but does not land in the correct area of court service, it is a fault. Each player will keep on serving until he/she doesn’t win a point.

Pickleball Drop Serve Rules

The pickleball drop serve rule changed in 2021, in this way, players need to pay attention to pickleball drop serve rules in 2023. The most recent rules of pickleball drop serve 2023 and a new provisional rule of drop serve pickleball 2023 explain that a game allows the pickleball drop serve. According to the latest pickleball drop serve rules issued by USA PICKLEBALL, drop serve in pickleball is not a fault. New pickleball drop serve rules, drop serve pickleball rules, and drop serve rules in pickleball tell that the server can choose to drop the ball and hit it after the bounce. A drop-serve pickleball means the ball can be dropped from any height, but still, the server can’t throw, toss, or otherwise release the ball with any added force to bounce it.

What is pickleball bounce serve rules?

Since the rule of pickleball bounce serves 2021 has changed, some players still wonder if he/she can bounce the ball before he/she makes a pickleball bounce serve 2023. The answer is yes, bounce serve pickleball, bounce serve in pickleball, and pickleball bounce serve are allowed. According to pickleball bounce serve rules, a person can bounce the ball before serving. The number of times the ball can bounce before serving is not restricted.

Frequently Asked Questions about Pickleball Serving

Can you bounce the ball on a pickleball serve?

Yes, a player can bounce the ball before serving (drop serve). The number of times the ball can bounce before serving is not restricted.

What is a legal serve in pickleball?

To know more about a legal service, please focus on the rules introduced by USA PICKLEBALL, especially Section 4, which is about THE SERVE, SERVICE SEQUENCE, AND SCORING RULES. 

Is a spin serve legal in pickleball?

Yes, a player can make a spin serve in pickleball.

What are the rules for serving in pickleball?

Here are 3 most important rules for serving:

  • Underhand Serve – The Rule book of USA PICKLEBALL requires the service to be hit below the player’s navel (or belly button), at the point of contact.
  • Feet Placement – Firstly, at least one of your feet must maintain contact with the ground behind the baseline. Secondly, neither of the player’s feet can touch the court on/inside the baseline, or on/outside the imaginary extension lines of the applicable sideline or centerline.
  • Cross Court Serve – The serve must go over the net (although the pickleball ball may touch the net – no service lets in the sport of pickleball) and land in the service space that is cross court from the server.
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