How to SPIN your Serve in Pickleball (LEGALLY)

[@EnhancePickleball]

*Thanks for watching!* If you enjoyed the video, please remember to *like, comment, and subscribe!* It really helps our channel grow! Good luck on the courts this weekend!

[@maheshsankaran7981]

Great video. The explanations were very clear and the different camera angles were very helpful. I am a beginner and have watched many of your videos. You have a real knack for explaining pickleball technique simply and clearly, and for making very good instructional videos. Thank you.

[@EnhancePickleball]

Awesome, thank you!

[@marvindennis3664]

You are always good at explaining how and why. Thanks. Great to hear you have started your own paddle line, too.

[@EnhancePickleball]

Thanks for watching!

[@waynekurtz660]

Banana serve is my natural serve when serving from a drop serve. I find unless its windy its easier to hit this hard with a combo of top and side spin for a deep serve that runs when it bounces.

[@alanpranke3299]

Note that your wrist has an angle that allows the paddle tip to 'drag' back. Combine this with a little looseness at the wrist, early in the swing, can result in more topspin. Great video !

[@mikebeckerman5785]

Good information. I like to occasionally throw in a backspin serve just to mix things up a bit.

[@DannyBPlays]

I feel like these are more gimmicky than useful because better players can return them no problem. Like you said, in rec play they can dominate but if someone wants to get better but wins 11-1 mostly from their serves, they didn't get any better because rallies never happened. This could easily win you in a 3.0 tournament though, when you do whatever it takes to win

[@Rodrigkn]

He says this at the 7:40 mark.

[@jamess7264]

I think he said “recreational” in the introduction

[@andyperrigo5000]

Sometimes the spin you hit gets returned with an odd-looking/acting return that can fool your partner.

[@sbinsdca]

Disagree. The goal isn't to ace your opponent. It's too receive a weak, shallow return. Also mix up your serve.

[@LuvMyCardiKids]

If you’re just in a rec play game why would you use a spin serve? My goal in rec play is to play. If your opponent doesn’t return the ball the game never gets underway. I can see someone using it in a tournament but a lot of tournaments are making it against tournament rules so I don’t see these as being all that useful.

[@leofontana3877]

Really great serve information. I especially liked the bit about how to put more topspin on the serve. I also think the legs come into platy. You have to explode out of the legs which turns the hips. The hips twist the shoulders, the shoulders whip the arm, the arm moves the wrist on the windshield wiper.

[@JohnUrbanic-m3q]

This is pickleball, chief. Take a chill. "Explode out of the legs". LOL.

[@robyngoldman-grunseich2912]

Thanks for this, your videos are always so helpful. Spins on serves is what im currently working on, going to have your video handy while i practice.

[@EnhancePickleball]

Awesome, thank you!

[@brianlane9534]

I was told a few weeks ago that my serve is illegal because I "tossed" the ball. I did not. But it got me to look up the rules - new rules. From how the rule is written, more than half the people I see serving are breaking the rule. So... What's the deal? Can you show, based on the latest rules, what is considered a good serve vs. an illegal serve? Thanks ... I was not 'tossing' the ball I was moving my hand out of the way. Then I watched how B Johns served. He obviously has practiced a lot. But it's a perfect release. What is the best technique to 'toss' the ball without actually tossing it?

[@vanadyan1674]

I also use the banana serve swing on a lot of ATP's that people don't expect me to be able to bend around the post, when I get it just right i can get a ball deep in the kitchen around from inside the post to bend around it and back in to just land in the back corner.

[@jpk436233]

Yes, looking forward to receiving your new paddle to work in conjunction with your instruction and tips

[@EnhancePickleball]

You and me both!

[@WhitePillMan]

Never thought about banana serve. I actually use a banana forehand ATP. I'll have to try this thanks.

[@martinperrin5100]

I do a backhand screwball (so serving from the right hand court, it will spin out wide). I'm still perfecting it, but when I get it right it's very effective. I also tend to do a bounce serve which keeps the serve very low, and more difficult to return. I did one of your screwballs the other day and it really kicked out wide, very satisfying!

[@teeqz_raiderfn]

Backhand screwball weird+ is probably illegal because everyone that I see use it it's above the bellybutton and none of them drop it

[@martinperrin5100]

It's not illegal, it's a backhand version of the forehand one. Most people people probably can't do it, but I have a table tennis background. Besides, if I drop the ball it can't be illegal.

[@frank88ster]

I use this right to left sidewinder from right court (rhanded) to opposite left front NVZ side. It's my 'tomahawk' and effective throws opponents 'off balance rushing to reach the outer drop,..setting to attack middle or out wide right side ( if partner rushes to cover middle hole).

[@cbvoicenotes267]

Thanks guys for the vid! SOO helpful as always!!!🤙

[@dobehart]

Appreciate the explainations, easy to understand, been wanting to learn spin serves! Would b helpful if you could slow-mo the video😊 do I will practice

[@ralph.real.estate]

Great tips. The banana serve is a keeper 💪

[@nunyabidness3075]

The defense for this is to watch your opponent’s paddle, then follow the ball all the way to your paddle. Once I learned that, I found out you can add spin and send it back! So fun. Gotta love pickleball.

[@Bee-of5xz]

Hi Connor! I’m not consistent with my serves and I cannot follow through. Any idea how to improve?

[@frank88ster]

True, higher rank players can handle any spin but it's still something to 'annoy them'. If it takes players 'out of position's to disrupt their 'stacking strategy ', why not?? And maybe only ONE of the two opposite can handle spin, so it's still a good option as an arsenal of attack.

[@HeyFriends314]

Slow-mo shots would help to see the serves.

[@Maverick-kf7is]

Congrats on the launch of your own paddle!

[@EnhancePickleball]

Appreciate it!!

[@nood1ez]

I never played tennis but i played ping pong before but i used a penhold. Played pickleball for the first time yesterday and it feels similar.

[@alanharris3277]

Trying to boost topspin by adding the "windshield wiper" effect, how do you ensure that the paddle is not getting above the wrist at contact, which I believe would make the serve illegal?

[@valpro99]

My opponents at the club level are constantly complaining that I'm hitting the ball above my waist and thus an illegal serve when I try to mimic your top spin server. I don't think that I am as I've videoed myself through over 100 serves. I just end up reverting to the drop serve to shut them up.

[@sbinsdca]

Just change your release to a drop serve.

[@whaattheef2169]

Cool video, question. Can you bounce the ball of the ground for your serve?

[@baseballgenius3]

Yes. I’m surprised they didn’t mention it, because I find it makes it much easier to hit the ball with spin. When you bounce the ball on the serve, you are no longer required to hit up through contact or keep your wrist above the ball at contact. All of those rules go out the window, so you can hit down on it, across it, whatever is comfortable to generate a lot of spin. I use the drop serve exclusively because it gives me a lot more options for how to serve and avoids complaints about serves being illegal. I highly recommend it. I’m a 5.0 player, so reasonably strong.

[@singerz_1128]

u can drop it but cant throw it down i learned that recently

[@baseballgenius3]

@@singerz_1128 yes. But you can drop from as high as you like. So stand like the Statue of Liberty, drop the ball from up above your head, and it will bounce to a reasonable height for serving.

[@cemeterybowling6]

Is a forehand slap serve legal? I’ve seen it a bit and I thought the serve had to be underhand, but this is a flat motion (think a slap forehand in tennis). Cranking the wrist back (instead of the whole arm) 90 degrees with a vertical motion to contact the ball

[@varunkabra2486]

Thanks

[@EnhancePickleball]

thank you!

[@sunsioux444]

Excellent!

[@Matthew2900]

What is a good mic to use?

[@frank88ster]

Even against seasoned ranks, rushing forward to try for any forhand attack ( from a lower ball) is a hard to achieve without stable footwork.

[@baseballgenius3]

Why do videos like this never address the drop serve? Because you don’t have to worry about all the swinging up, keeping the wrist above the paddle, etc., you can really crank up the spin. For example you can hit a really aggressive slice serve that curves a LOT and bounces very low, making it much harder to return with pace and topspin. Plus it eliminates the “illegal serve” complaints that happen a lot with any serve other than basic topspin. I’ve hit people in the knees with my slice serve because of all the movement and weird bounce, even 4.0+ players. 5.0 players can return it, but realistically they can return basically anything, and the slice is a very effective change of pace, occasionally drawing a return error. Seems like a no brainer to teach to newer players

[@mikeCavalle]

once again -- on the volly serve -- are there restrictions on how high the ball can be tossed -- please ignore PPA.

[@Joe-jz6mf]

What grip are you using?

[@normandtousignant1754]

clearly eastern grip

[@beryljohnson9597]

Is it possible to display replay in slow motion ?

[@sbinsdca]

You can change the playback speed in KZbin

[@brucelevy]

I thought spin serves were not legal. What's the rule on this?

[@paulcole3847]

You cannot ADD any spin to the ball. You MAY use the paddle to make the ball spin.🎉🎉

[@nathanielneal6205]

Can’t spin the ball with your hand

[@shargogo8876]

I can't tell the difference between the first type and third type serves

[@LazyWay-m1w]

Now go get that gopher on the golf course.

[@TheYeti]

do more advanced content

[@judemercer8246]

The one serve in the intro was out 😂

[@aznballaboi4life]

So can someone explain the slicing serve rule a bit. Im genuinely confused. I was told cutting/slicing the ball serving is Illegal. But this video debunks that almost entirely. I have 2 month PB experience and played tennis prior, i played a random singles and was yelled at for slice serving saying its illegal. Idk what to believe 😢

[@vanadyan1674]

There are no rules about slicing your serve. You cannot spin the ball with your hand, you must make contact with the ball below the level of your belly button and must be underhanded (the ball must be below your wrist at the point of contact). That's it. Any spin you can impart on the ball following those guidelines is perfectly legal.

[@JimboC1957]

@@vanadyan1674The paddle must also be moving up at the point of contact, which can be an issue on a slice serve.

[@jstutz36]

You are correct that an slice type serve is illegal. "The server’s arm must be moving in an upward arc at the time the ball is struck with the paddle." That is one of the 3 limitations placed on a volley serve. The graphic in the video showing the path of the paddle in a “corkscrew” type serve clearly shows a downward arc. Therefore, that serve is illegal.

[@jonathansmith9946]

​​@@jstutz36In general I agree that a backspin or slice serve would not be legal. Because the motion to hit it would be high to low. However, look closely at his example serve at 6:04. He finishes up near his left shoulder which means he is hitting low to high. He has a bit of a back swing which travels downward but at the point of contact he is hitting up on it. The proof of it is in how the ball bounces when it lands: it kicks up and to the right. It is clearly side top spin. Side back spin would bounce lower and die quicker.

[@sbinsdca]

Use the drop release instead of volley

[@zeusinternationalinc708]

Jones Daniel Martin Betty Thompson Jennifer

[@LucaVespa99]

I am two minutes in this video… and every serve has been out 😅 so far

[@JensHolmboe]

Only putting spin on the ball before you hit it is banned. You can put spin on it with your paddle as he's showing in the video.

[@jstutz36]

The server’s arm must be moving in an upward arc at the time the ball is struck with the paddle. That is one of the 3 limitations placed on a volley serve. The graphic in the video showing the path of the paddle in a “corkscrew” type serve clearly shows a downward arc. Therefore, that serve is illegal.

[@jonathansmith9946]

​@@jstutz36​​ Look closer at his example serve at 6:04. He finishes up near his left shoulder which means he is hitting low to high. He has a bit of a back swing which travels downward but at the point of contact he is hitting up on it. The proof of it is in how the ball bounces when it lands: it kicks up and to the right. It is clearly side top spin. Side back spin would bounce lower and die quicker.

[@emillsba]

I thought the spin on the serve was made against the rules now?

[@EnhancePickleball]

Only if you use your hand to apply the spin

[@MichelleH45]

Spin is not illegal. Only pre-spinning the ball with your hand is illegal.

[@sunsioux444]

@@MichelleH45 I’m surprised people don’t know this

[@jstutz36]

"The server’s arm must be moving in an upward arc at the time the ball is struck with the paddle." That is one of the 3 limitations placed on a volley serve. The type of spin that can be used, while not explicitly mentioned, is clearly implied and is a form of topspin since your paddle must be moving upwards when it strikes the pickleball. However the path of the paddle in a “corkscrew” type serve is clearly shown as a downward arc multiple times in the video. Therefore, that type of serve is illegal.

[@MichelleH45]

@@sunsioux444 - yeah, me too! It's amazing to me how many people don't actually read the rules. They just go by "but someone told me. . ."

[@vidinfoful]

The problem with "spin" serves is that they are very predictable. As soon as you see the "spin" server set himself up (the paddle position and his posture), you know exactly which direction the ball is going to go and at what speed. Also spin serves are SLOW. Little spins are not going to present any problem at all to a good player; it's not going to fool a player who can counter a spin. Let's see this guy do his spin serves in a real game against a good player. Just cut the crap and prove it that it can work in matches.

[@frankfurter7260]

“A player named Rafael Nadal.” Like anyone that plays any sport at all has never heard of Nadal.🙄

[@sunsioux444]

not everyone follows tennis, and he was probably being tongue in cheek when he said that

[@GarrettMorrisdrummer]

I haven’t..

[@frankfurter7260]

@@sunsioux444 it has more to do with being sentient and generally aware of the world around you than anything to do with following tennis or sports at all.

[@tomhorst7614]

I have! ✔️

[@sbinsdca]

I've heard of Nagal not Nadal 😂

[@pickleballsfoodie]

great tips, thanks much