3 Pickleball Serves You NEED to Master Now!

[@EnhancePickleball]

Comment questions you have for me! I'm responding to every single one👇

[@mikeslice1063]

Nice video. I love that you focused on just 3 serves but provided lots of demos/feedback to validate the spin on the ball. Excellent instruction.

[@christianosei366]

Jesus loves you

[@jillsdancer]

Love the windscreen practice drills. Great idea.

[@christianosei366]

Jesus loves you and is the only way to heaven

[@judythomson542]

So I'm already using all three of these serves, but your video really helped break them down to refine them for more consistency. I call the screwball serve my "ping pong" serve, although I am not a ping pong player. I learned the loop serve from a 5.0 tournament player 3 years ago in Mexico. At 67, I just got moved up in league to advanced, but have to play in 18+ because there is no 50+ yet at that level in my area. I need all the help I can get playing against those 20 somethings! Thank you Connor and Kenadi!

[@richardshaull5152]

My favorite video because I need to improve my serve

[@LindaStevens-b5y]

Love your videos!! I learn so much from them!!

[@ryderintexas]

Loved this video. I'm a rec player and I've seen all of these serves. The first one is a killer (the screwball) and is as hard to return as you say it is, especially with speed, which is how the guy serves them. I'd really like to give this guy a taste of his own medicine. Great tips for rec players like me. Keep them coming.

[@tgilsrud]

Easy to understand and good demonstrations to try and replicate

[@JimFagan-KWU]

Great video. Can’t wait to practice the screwball and work on hitting my topspin serve higher

[@jespb66]

This is awesome because I tried doing topspin serve but could never know if I did it successfully or not! I like how you show how the ball should bounce back for each different serve and I found another good way to practice with your ‘Dink Master’!!😄😉

[@EnhancePickleball]

Glad it was helpful!

[@karencoyne1750]

I really appreciate all the hard work you put into these videos. You’re a great teacher! You explain everything perfectly. Thank you!

[@EnhancePickleball]

You are so welcome!

[@randyvanheusden732]

I find the first two serves interesting, but I am new to pickleball and it was easy for me to see that I was winning most of my serves on the high loopy serves, as it forces you back and gives you less time to respond. Most of my serves went for winners. I think a power ball serve, is what most better players expect. When you throw them this high looper even for the better players they usually miss, because of timing and not bending their knees. Thank you for sharing your video.

[@lorianthony9649]

Just tried the drill (top spin) on the Dink Master...it took a few tries but got to 21 times in a row, first night trying it out.!

Hey Conner, to answer your questions first- 1. I (a 3.3-3.4 player) find the heavy topspin serve near the baseline the most difficult serve to return, especially at facilities without much room behind the baseline. Perhaps I need to learn how to short-hop those serves? 2. I haven't tried the "looper" serve yet, but I use the high lob serve some (like 8 feel over the net), and it is an effective "change-up" serve against 3.5 players and below. A comment on the screwball serve - I tried hitting a screwball serve a few times before (practicing serves by myself) and it took a while to get them consistently in the court. Then, about a week ago, I hit about 80 screwball serves on a fairly windy day (15mph crosswind). I only got about 70-75% in the court, but when serving with the crosswind I could move the ball 6 feet or more from bounce to the probable contact point behind the baseline. However, when I guy I knew showed up (a 3.8-3.9 player), he had no issues returning my screwball serve (granted, he was expecting them). So, I felt that it was a fairly risky serve for a fairly low return. Perhaps if I only used the screwball serve once or twice a game, it would be more effective (as you mentioned), but at a 3.3-3.4 level there are probably more important things I should be working on if I want to be competitive with my 4.0 friends, right? Lastly, a question - on the heavy top spin serve, should my paddle be more perpendicular to the ground or more parallel to the ground, or about 45 degrees (in between), or what do you think is best and would you hit your forehand drives any differently?

[@lucasservetti219]

Excelente , muy buena explicación. Lo voy a aplicar cuando tenga poco viento. Con mucho viento es peligroso subir tanto de la red. Mucha gracias

[@ronbroberg3022]

Love the loopy top spin serve.....

[@DavidAlison]

Great video! Excellent tips.

[@vincecepeda247]

Excellent video! I appreciate your suggestions on having and using different serves in your PB toolbox! Having a variety of serves will keep our opponents guessing! Thank you, instructional coach: Connor Hance and your sista Kenadi!

[@wenxiawendymaclay9065]

Great teaching video. Easy to understand but need a lot of practice.

[@CasualGamerPlays]

New to Pickleball but, watching your videos, along with others, will definitely help me and my girlfriend get better. Thanks!

[@EnhancePickleball]

Glad to help

[@lifesabeach8133]

I started playing 6 months ago, and my go to serve has always been the Looper. Not that I knew it was called that! This serve sometimes throws the receiver off, especially more advanced (just up to 3.75 in our groups). It's like they don't know what to do with the serve and you're right, sometimes it gets a bonus point when they flub the return. What I like about it is that typically it doesn't come back to our side with any speed and gives us more time to get into position after the 3rd shot.

[@janeta.3055]

Great tips, thank you

[@EnhancePickleball]

You bet!

[@torresm841]

Love the tips. Just need to correct "Topsin" in the video.

[@medavide1449]

Excellent teaching! Yearly appreciate your insights!

[@RobK-x3x]

Love your videos! I've learned a lot with all of them, and you explain things very clearly, however, most of your guidance is way more advanced than what I could hope to do e.g. these spin serves. However, I would at least like to look good on the court. Can you do a style/fashion tutorial? You always look well "put together". Seriously! I'm sure there are many more people out here that would also appreciate it.

[@missiing9280]

I’ve been watching your videos for weeks now and I am only just realizing you guys are playing at the place i usually play at 😅

[@cjupshaw]

Where us that?

[@jeffdavidson9459]

i've been hitting these serves for a while, too bad there's not anything as effective as a good kick serve in tennis. Anyhow, I've found a good serve at the rec level is to simply hit a high and deep topspin lob, for some reason, people overhit the return long, good for a free point or two every game. enjoy your videos, best,

[@DaeleaAldrich-t6r]

Great instruction!

[@dennissmith8183]

What a great video, I have been trying to learn the topspin serve, but I do like the screwball serve, I’m also going to practice that serve, Thank you for the video.

[@yoanbertrand7926]

Sometimes i use a super high kinda slow slice and the ball jump to my right. The change of pace get a lot of people to over force the ball and it end out of bound. Cant use that really often but its a fun trick play

[@jvwdad]

Thank you. However theinstructors at my club say that spinning the serve like this is a low percentage shot because the server often hits it out or into the net, and also that most decent players will not have difficulty returning it. As an example they said just watch the pros on KZbin and sure enough, they (including Ben Johns) usually just serve a topspin deep. I've watched quite a lot of tournament semis and finals and never seen the top players use this kind of serve. Often, good tennis players come to try out pickleball and use a lot of spin and while the shots look cool, at least 30% of the time they hit it out or into the net. Exept a drop shot with backspin which is often useful. What is you comment relative to this?

[@vdealerpdx]

There seems to be always one of you on here. Find something negative to say about every video. True pro’s will not have trouble with a spin ball. 3.0-4.0 player will have trouble when it’s mixed in with other serves. Maybe you should pay attention to the initial statement in the video?

[@robertthrailkill1368]

Very helpful advice with good explanation

[@GeorgeGott-t3x]

Thanks for sharing your skills and making the video shareable, I send a copy to some of my friends. 😊

[@LyndaBillars]

Great teacher! Thank you!

[@jarredturner437]

This was fabulous, thank you!

[@EnhancePickleball]

You're so welcome!

[@BXLxolo1]

This helped us a lot!! Thanks

[@TheWZINCLTD]

Serve demystified!!

[@Alanpunk3]

Loving the videos with the sister. Makes you put extra attention 👍🏽

[@christianosei366]

Jesus loves you and is the only way to heaven

[@johnkoepka3354]

Thanks for the video! I'm starting to use the screw ball serves with the exact same motion as you've demonstrated in this video, but have been commented by my opponents that the serve is illegal because I'm striking the ball with a downward striking motion instead of the upward striking motion. Can you comment on this? Thanks.

[@byronhammond9091]

I often get comments that my loopy serves are difficult and some players have actually left them thinking they are out but the spins sucks them down. I really need to develope the “snap” of the brush serve. I tend to play my consistent regular serve for a while and then throw in some unexpected ones for easy points.

[@byronhammond9091]

Thank you for the great videos!

[@KyPruesse]

Screwball is the hardest to return. But your right, like a good pitcher in baseball, you have to mix it up.

[@christianosei366]

Going to try and start using it

[@robertel-khoury6936]

I thank you very much for a beautiful video and a great explanation. Are you able to point? What is the best racket for this game?

[@EnhancePickleball]

Check out the SweetSpot Pro: enhancepickleball.com/products/sweetspot-pro

[@catinaraysrelaxingcorner7020]

Love the videos

[@JerryJoeSeltzer]

Great video. Super helpful and effective teaching.

[@larrylefebvre2237]

Great video. Can you make a similar one with the drop shot serve please. I find that I am older and not coordinated enough to hit the ball form the air. Thanks.

[@carolequesnel9783]

Great video and demos !!!!!

[@gooddude9211]

Nice video and thank you sir.

[@ThomasMurray_Content]

Great stuff. One question on the screwball: How do you ensure that you're hitting the ball with the paddle traveling low to high? Isn't that the rule?

[@DaleWarfel]

I am a newer pickleball player. The looper has been my "go to" serve (the higher and deeper the better) with occasional screwball and topspin serves. I am also a lefty so it throws off players that aren't used to the ball curving right to left.

[@pdillon1969]

I like it. Easy. Thanks!

[@PICKLEBALLBZ]

Great video Conner, best training videos out there. PICKLEBALLBZ

[@EnhancePickleball]

I appreciate that!

[@kec3043]

Do people ever say your screwball is illegal? I used to have a sidespin serve with the same swing mechanics as your screwball but infrequently some random person would say it was illegal because they thought the edge of the paddle was above my wrist when I made contact with the ball. After video analysis I was certain that it wasn't illegal but how can you prove that to random people you play with? I ended up adding a drop to the serve to stop people's (wrong) suspicion that my serve was illegal even though when I drop it the sidespin is not as effective.

[@CWK090]

My primary serve is a topspin with fast pace, landing near the baseline. If my opponent is not standing 3 feet back from the baseline, it is difficult to let it bounce and return, especially with their backhand. I vary the pace and depth to avoid being predictable. If I have a good point spread, and serving from the left court, a slow paced screwball, just past the kitchen and near the sideline is fun to watch. It is very difficult to return especially when I get my opponent to stand back from the baseline with my previous serve.. That serve is difficult for me to consistently execute successfully, especially when outdoors with any crosswind, which is why I wait for a good point spread. If I see my opponent slicing every return, an occasional topspin lob will make their return more difficult. With a sidespin lob, it is fun to watch the ball bouncing into the opponent's body or away from them so they are completely missing the ball. That only works with less experienced opponents who are not paying attention to the spin I put on the ball and not anticipating the bounce toward or away from them.

[@jimh.4027]

I don't find the screwball serve to be that effective to be honest. It works against beginners. None of the 3.5 to 4.5 players that I play with have any trouble with it. Heavy topspin with pace works well. Or a hard flat serve now and then. Also, any serve that bounces "higher than normal" (ie a loopy topspin serve) adds an extra element for the returner to deal with. One of your other videos on serving discussed using "wrist lag" with your serve which has made a huge difference with my serves (thank you).

[@christianosei366]

Jesus loves you

[@daveb-h4c]

At the 3.0 level where I play, using the Screwball Serve to almost make a right turn after bouncing and I don't see it curving, is something to really throw people off. That may be because where I saw it demonstrated, he spun it more on the bottom than the side

[@bennorton6231]

Great vid. Thank you! I’m a 3.25 and love the lob serve w a little extra toppy. Especially likely to lead to a meatball return when deep and to receivers backhand.

[@LinedanceArt]

Wondering if you have any different tips if a drop serve is used.

[@donreinholz8121]

I do the looper serve with both topspin and sidespin to the left. Works good as a changeup.

[@manliu888]

I won a lot of ace serves for screwball serve

[@woosaabee]

Does the type of paddle you use make a difference with the 3 serves you mention? If so what brand/type of paddle would you recommend. Thanks

[@tomrushing7703]

Conner uses the Enhance pickleball sweet spot pro which he sells from his company. Just bought one myself and it is a very nice paddle. Cost about 120 dollars shipped but has similar features as much more expensive paddles. Carbon fiber face for excellent topspin and a 5.5 inch handle. I started playing pickleball in September and on my 3rd paddle. Do your own research and buy the best paddle you can afford. For me the grip on the surface and the longer handle makes all the difference. Watch his video on placing 2 - 1 Oz weights on the lower sides of the paddle for more control and power. It is legal and pros do it so you should take advantage of it to help your game.

[@AlphaTennisinPittsburgh]

Pickleball is America's fastest-growing sport and we like it #Pickleball

[@freddotson6917]

Is follow thru important for the drop shot?

[@woosaabee]

Instead of the windscreen, will the drill work the same with the Dink Master board which i recently purchased? If so what angle would you recommend the board. Thanks. oops…just got the answer by finishing watching the entire video. Cheers

[@carolzanoff5628]

I’m assuming that one could do a topspin serve on a drop serve too, right? I just haven’t tried it.

[@GiaoluuPickleball]

2:15 tôi thích quả phát bóng này

[@DragonDadsDaughterDragonita]

At the contact point is what looks like downward stroke, after that then you are right.

[@frank88ster]

I only do 'any tricky serves' when I am ( ahead ) at least 3-5pts ahead and to opponents who I think cannot handle them. Your partners may not appreciate those 'fancy serves' when it is crucially close to game point.

[@jespb66]

Agree, one time my partner told me “just get your serve in”! 😮 but, still, I like to throw in tricky serve every once in a while… during rec-play. It won’t hurt.

[@robertw4196]

​@jespb66 as a volleyball coach, I always told my players to tune their parents out when they say "just get it in". We always served with a purpose.

[@floridajoe3181]

Great video !

[@EnhancePickleball]

Thanks for the visit

[@scottthompson6884]

Is your arm really moving in an upward arc when the paddle makes contact with the ball during the screwball serve? It looks more of a downward, or a sideways arc. Is this something to be concerned with in a tournament?

[@funnyfarmdad9997]

I was practicing the heavy topspin serve and a coach said my serves had a lot of spin but I was also connecting withe ball above my waist which makes it an illegal serve.

[@eddiemonyc]

Thank you - this video is a great help!

[@EnhancePickleball]

You're very welcome!

[@michaelmcdermott6339]

Question: How do score the point if the opposing player gets it into the kitchen but then bounces back over the net without any contact from the opposing player? So how does this get point get scored? It's happened a couple times playing rec ball and nobody knows what the rule is? Thanks

[@greenteahawaiiallnaturalch9148]

I use all 3 of those serves on a regular basis but always mix up my serve to keep my opponent on their toes.

[@judygodinez6288]

i noticed none of these serves start with dropping the ball before hitting the serve. Is this a beginner move I should stop using , and learn to serve without droping the ball in front of me

[@kathywolfe9020]

I play almost daily and watch the PPB tournaments on TV. During a PPB tournament the server, served the ball and it hit the top of the net, falling on his side of the court. The server was able to re- serve the ball again. The rules for both 2024 and 2025 call it a fault. Can you clarify it ???

[@JDChan]

I can't find the link to the Dink Master. I found it.

[@venkataghantasala9764]

Great tips to serv, can you help to recommend good Paddle to do good spin?

[@70yearoldman23]

Aren't sidespin serves illegal now? Also, shouldn't it be the vertical axis?

[@briantell130]

With the new rules doesn’t the paddle have to make contact with the ball on the upstroke. This would make your screwball illegal as it seems that you’re hitting down on the ball??

[@LuckyPandaX]

Can you do a video discussing why or why not do a back spin serve? Back spin serve is very common in table tennis.

[@sheeni503]

Thank you! My serves have been really inconsistent and flat but this gave me a lot of info on what I wasn't doing

[@EnhancePickleball]

Great to hear!

[@thoughtfulpragmatist]

Where are you guys based?

[@carolnelson6485]

Can you add slow motion to your vids?

[@ItsaMeGo]

Turns out my heavy topspin serve is actually a looper serve, looks like I have some things to work on!

[@mickfly8973]

Make a video about shoes

[@JBR7655]

I used the knuckleball spin like yours but someone called it on me, saying I wasn't hitting up, or that I was making contact above the waist :(

[@philhenke1533]

If my opponent uses the same serve all the time it's easier to return because I know what to expect. It's harder to return a type of serve you're not expecting, no matter which type of serve it is.

[@muzzybeat]

You have an Air Force commercial starting your video.

[@karencoyne1750]

I actually tried doing the “super thanks” (with a little donation) but I can’t remember my Apple password, and when I click “forgot password” I get an error message. It’s probably just on my end, but I thought I’d mention it.

[@MelissaSoria_]

Where's the location of this video?

[@Jim-c52]

I'm surprised that you created a new term to describe a serve which is just a well-known shot from tennis. Your screwball serve is just an inside-out forehand, a well-known shot from tennis. I just started playing pickleball a few months ago and from the start I could see that such a shot would work well as a serve in pickleball. I happen to perform this shot well in tennis, so right from the start I was using it, which blew away many of the beginner players I was playing. It still works quite well against many intermediate players. To answer some of the complaints of the legality of this serve, it is not true that the ball makes contact with the paddle when the paddle is moving in a downward direction. It is true that the motion is started with a downward movement of one's hand, but contact does not happen until one's hand has begun moving upwards. The only other issue is that one needs to make contact with the paddle at a point below one's waist. I don't see this as a problem as my hand travels quite low before I start moving it up to make contact with the ball. Most of my serves are hit this way. I only do something different when I feel my opponents are getting too used to it, which is quite noticeable if they start lining up further to their left (when serving on the deuce side). In that case I'll throw in a serve with no side spin. This serve is also very effective when one uses it on a ball hit low so it falls just beyond the no volley zone line. It can become almost nonreturnable. I was not aware of the other two serves you described and intend to start using them as well. Thanks for this helpful video.

[@AutoSight]

Its high time to increase the width of the Pickleball court from 20 feet to 22 feet.

[@dbon6038]

I have the most trouble with low fast serves. Im surprised this isnt in your arsenal.

[@scooter8187]

Great content but some slow mo would help here

[@DragonDadsDaughterDragonita]

It looks like you are hitting the ball downward at contact point, then it is not a legal serve, isn’t that right?

[@jimh.4027]

time stamp on downward hit?

[@DragonDadsDaughterDragonita]

@@jimh.4027 when you demonstrated the screwball serve, 0:52 it seems like your swing is a U shape. But I am just asking, I am probably wrong.

[@JohnKeeling]

I think he is taking the paddle from up to down and then moving it upwards thru the strike of the ball . the ball is obviously moving upwards aftere the strike @@DragonDadsDaughterDragonita

[@jonathantaylor5562]

Simple solution: Drop serve, instead of volley serve. Then you can do whatever you want with your paddle.

[@andifuture2825]

Your banana spin serve is doesn't have a lot of spin. With some training you can turn it into a weapon even against 5.0++

[@elvergalarga8285]

Is Kennedi single?

[@MrDeanmfitz]

Just her braincell

[@jinetduran6621]

Can Kenedy talk ?

[@LeMayJoseph]

You may have an easier time demonstrating spin by using a two-tone ball in your videos