How to hit ACES with the "Open Stance Serve"

[@antonriniti9653]

Ed to say you transformed my game would be an understatement. My serving was so bad (how bad was it) that people would let me get First Serve In anytime I was serving. Then that got so bad they would instead give my partner two serves just to keep the game moving. The weirdest thing is the rest of my game was solid (3.50 or so) Since I starting using your serving philosophy my serves are now a weapon. I normally get 2 aces in a game now as I can target their back hand with spin and speed. The open stance has been insane easy and between a Top Spin Serve and Your Cut Spin Serve I can target anyone's backhand with complete confidence. And yes, the other major training aids which you have recommended are the Top Spin Pro and the Titan. Both have been transformational for me. Thank you for making this game so much more fun

[@edjupickleball]

Let’s go!! That makes me so happy and stoked to hear that. Thank you for sharing that with me 🥹

[@fredmargolin1909]

It is true that the ball comes up only to your knees on a drop serve but if you bend your knees more, you will get more power. The power comes from hip rotation and extending your knees at ball contact, you will enhance both your power AND spin. I prefer the half open stance and it seems to make the slice serve break side to side very well both left and right (using a right hand serve).

[@F5Pumps]

Thank you for this! It’s your knees that generate power not your arm. You will get tennis elbow using only your upper body

[@lucid6067]

I can’t stand playing against an opponent with that half open stance because they are usually very good at ball placement and the slice.very good point like a coil.

[@bar1350]

I agree that you don't need a lot of body movement to create power. I recently played against someone who had the hardest serve (with topspin) I'd ever seen and he had minimal body movement. I had a very, very difficult time returning his serves. I think a big part of it is holding the paddle a little lower on the handle and having the right swing mechanics when striking the ball.

[@CarlosThomas]

I take the same approach, but I also push them back and then drop some short serves in as well. Very similar to a baseball pitcher with their location + change of speed. Great video.

[@larryhansen5705]

I love it . With your help my serve is now a weapon.

[@thisisntmyname2978]

Thanks for the “Open” stance tip, will try that out 👍

[@josephfong552]

Good explanation on why the open serve is deceptive

[@erindean3167]

I was very skeptical at first especially the way you are standing so I tried it and although i am not accurate enough yet the ball travels fast when I get a top spin. I plan to purchase the topspinner device to practice at home. I am really excited about the possibilities and strategy you use in serving. I am looking forward to perfect the top spin not just for serving but for basic returns. thanks very much.

[@JonBLodi]

Love all the control you've developed! Nice.

[@BlackHatFishing]

This is a great video and I don't find many pb videos that can be a game changer. This technique can be a game changer if you can master what Ed is showing here.

[@laurensnow8754]

Hey, Ed!! Great video. Fun seeing you down in PD/PS.

[@josephspear4069]

very well demonstrated. look forward to practicing this.

[@SDmountainbiker]

Keep up the great tutorial vids! Love your positive energy. I'm a beginner, only played 10 times (doubles once) and thanks to your instructional videos, I'm already holding my own against more advanced players.

[@edjupickleball]

That’s what it’s all about! Great job 💪🏼

[@SniperVIIUS]

Once again some great tips. Will watch the video again next time I'm at the court working on my serve.

[@MetalEsquire]

Great vid. If you haven't, the prior vids on this are must-watch. Closed serve might be one of the most underrated shots in PB- i use both serves (open/closed) now to change things up. Coming from tennis/baseball/golf, the open serve feels much more natural but after practice, I was shocked how fast the ball comes off the paddle in the closed stance. Serving closed I really focus on the deep core twist that whips the ball forward. I had to work on the toss as its much easier in closed stance to hit sidearm or toss at a bad angle.

[@andyapsay8220]

This is the video Im looking for. Was playing between closed and open stance. I like your concepts on open stance serves.

[@AnnMitt]

Appreciate your videos 🙌

[@yasim9435]

Thus is more relevant to your video about topspin. Could you please advise if tennis players who achieved high rating in PB use topspin rather than roll/push shot for the 3rd shot.

[@isiahtitus]

You would be surprised by how much power you can generate stepping forward with your non-dominant side and hitting the ball at the same time. It is similar to pitching.

[@edjupickleball]

My baseball friends all have amazing serves! I’ll have to give that a go.

[@MotlyUele]

Great video! Your videos on serving, especially the one with Jaume, helped my serve technique tremendously.

[@edjupickleball]

Glad it helped!

[@CreditBreakThroughSystem]

I think you can definitely get a bit more wide of a stance and bend your knees a bit more in your open stance. You can get a bit more power that way

[@edjupickleball]

I’ll try that!

[@linsu2854]

Love your vides and shorts. I'm learning so much from you. Can you create something that is about recovering from extended play, rec or competitive, in order to prevent injury and to recover quickly? Thanks.

[@edjupickleball]

Absolutely! I’m working on something for that!

[@RobG-mr4ky]

Helpful! Was curious to learn your opinion on this. Do you feel that a slice serve is more effective than a top spin serve? If you had to choice one, which would you prefer?

[@marcusy2362]

Oooh, I love this video. Can't wait to get out on the court to give it a try. Thanks, Ed!!!

[@NashNARDONE]

This is really great

[@AmayzinOne]

If I serve and it bounces two times in the opposing blue square, do I win the point?

[@edjupickleball]

Yup!

[@extraordinarymeatbun]

Wow this is amazing, im gonna tell my partner about this

[@elkoikan5993]

Man, I never get to do drills, every time I get a court people just want to play

[@samo81]

You’re the first person I’ve seen serve very similar to me, with more power though😂. I always seem to hit the ball long when I try to put that much power in, but the just standing there stance is what I use.

[@edjupickleball]

My guess would be topspin! If you’re hitting often hitting long when introducing more power, it’s likely that your extra power generation caused a decrease in your brushing action. My recommendation is go 60% power with 100% emphasis on the topspin. And as you get really comfortable with that topspin motion, gradually increase your power to 80-90%

[@samo81]

@@edjupickleball I do hit at about 50-60% and it has a ton of top spin with a Volair Mach 2. I just haven’t found the consistency I need to really push up the power and have it go where I want 😂 I blame my 6ft 245lbs frame. I think I’ll try videoing myself to see if I can find where it all goes wrong when I amp up the power.

[@SigLHMC]

Ed what grip are you using for your serve?

[@ryrysinger]

Love love love it. Great stuff here. Thank you Ed

[@edjupickleball]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@cchemmes-seeseeart3948]

You make me so smart. Nice video. Thanks. (p.s. your opponents may watch the 'tapes' before your matches; your secrets are posted publicly on youtube. LOL)

[@pickleballtopspinpro]

Great video Ed!

[@ElzDscribe]

If you drop the ball a little lower you'll get that extra foot towards the T.

[@Schnitzone]

Exactly what do the numbers (.700 etc...) represent?

[@vincecepeda247]

PB Ed, outstanding instructional video! I've been following your serving videos, and my PB games have improved tremendously! Thank you and keep up the good work! 😊

[@edjupickleball]

I’m glad to hear that! Keep it up yourself 🙌🏼

[@simonthompson4798]

But how often do you hit it out?

[@smkunder1]

I have been doing drop serve, wondering if you get more power with this style serve?

[@edjupickleball]

Drop serves are great! It makes the timing of the strike easier to coordinate which is where a lot of people get tangled up. The only disadvantage about the drop serve is that the ball’s apex after the bounce is only right above the knee. With a traditional volley serve, you can feed the ball right below your belly button, which allows you to hit harder.

[@SEANRMZ]

I been using this same idea everyday. I still need to work on my short left side down the line. Its not consistent

[@edjupickleball]

That one is really hard. I usually have step to the corner if I wanna find that sharp angle. But on the left side, I love the down the middle.

[@Jen.4523]

Ed. Starting noticing little chips in my paddle am I hitting the ball to hard ?

[@edjupickleball]

Chips naturally start occurring just from use over time. I don’t think hitting softer will prevent it entirely :-(

[@quy-le]

I have a closed stance serve and I don't see the advantage here. I can disguise my serve in any direction with my closed stance serve by just manipulating the paddle angle at impact

[@edjupickleball]

This is just my personal experience and perhaps I’m limited by my current skill level, but I’ve found it harder to be consistently accurate with my angle manipulation with the closed stance because there’s more movement involved. With the open stance + little back swing, it’s so much simpler and consistent for me.

[@erindean3167]

What a bummer! this product is from China. Which means I will not see it for at least 2-3 months at best. Maybe I can make something similar to it.

[@thepickleballkids7814]

Hey Ed. The rules do not use the navel as the high point line. The waist is the relevant point at which you cannot contact the ball above, so those who said some of those serves were too high (and illegal) were correct. (2024 USAP rule 4.A.7.c. Contact with the ball must not be made above the waist. (See Figures 4-1 and 4-3 illustrating the line at the waist [and below the navel]). I wish more people knew this and stopped using the very very outdated navel interpretation so this could be cleared up once and for all. With your audience, you are in a position to help educate. I hope you do🤞

[@edjupickleball]

This is dictionary definition of waist: Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages noun the part of the human body below the ribs and above the hips. the circumference of a person's waist. a narrowing of the trunk of the body above the hips. For me, my belly button is below my ribs and above my hips. I know people have all different anatomy. I believe there was even some controversy from pros that their “waist” is higher than others. I understand why there’s alot of controversy on this, but in my opinion, until the rules or wording is explicitly changed: “waist” is region and if the contact point is somewhere around that- I wouldn’t sweat it too much, especially if it’s rec.

[@thepickleballkids7814]

@@edjupickleball The rulebook gives two pretty clear illustrations of where the waist is so people dont have to go searching for a definition that can help them justify illegal serves. In the rulebook, its where the waist of the clothing is (or would be, for clothing that doesnt have a waistband), which will always be below the navel. So using navel as a guideline would be incorrect. I often hear people (even in tournaments) mistakenly thinking the rulebook uses the word "navel" because they hear about it on the internet or in videos like this one, so just trying to provide the easy fix of facts for those that want to be accurate and not get called for illegal serves

[@edjupickleball]

@@thepickleballkids7814 At the end of the day, it is the referee that will enforce the rulebook. I've consulted multiple referees on this and confirmed that my interpretation is correct. People can argue all day long about what the "waist" is, but IMO, for us commonfolk, I wouldn't want to be that person that polices people just trying to enjoy the game. Unless you are playing professionally, just follow the rules as close as you can.

[@thepickleballkids7814]

@@edjupickleball You are literally incorrect. You used the word navel, which does not exist in the rulebook. There is no interpretation necessary. I have confirmed this with multiple refs as well. Im just pointing out your mistake, so that all of the viewers arent misled, requiring more refs to have to deal with this common mistake. Once we stop mistakenly thinking about navel, and instead following the rule, this will no longer be an issue. It starts with education and awareness of the actual rule.

[@edjupickleball]

@@thepickleballkids7814 sir, the navel is the belly button. Below the belly button is the waist. You’re allowed to serve below the belly button (navel). I’m not really willing to die on this hill of who’s right or who’s wrong. I just don’t think it’s really worth it for people to get into arguments at parks or make other people feel bad about their serves. The rulebook says, contact below the waist. Can we just try our best to do that and move on? :-)

[@ohtani-g4j]

that was some serious...precision

[@zzq727]

Pro never try to hit as close to centerline as possible. The risk/reward is just not worth it. You always aim a foot or more from the line.

[@brians6287]

You're using all arm. And if you were hitting the ball below your waist you would see even less power and speed with that stance.

[@jamescowling2824]

First!

[@edjupickleball]

🤙

[@adamscott796]

There is no right or wrong answer to either open-stance or close-stance. If you play tennis, you have either platform serve or pivot serve. Top rank PB players like Ben Johns, Federico Stakruds, Quand Duong use close stance. I think only Tyson Mcguffin uses open stance but his serve is not as good as Ben, Federico, or Quang.

[@fratersol]

That's not below your waste bro.

[@tonym753]

You didn’t serve to the other side of the court

[@TomSimba]

You can not toss the ball up. Even a little bit.

[@robinrobine8100]

Gee, let’s count how many of the serves were illegal. You might Ace beginners a lot and some intermediates on occasion, but, that is all.