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!

[@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.

[@mcarlson4854]

Thank you , love your instructions. This was the best of all spin serves because you took your time explaining it without too many words which can make it boring! I love my spins but you showed every detail which really helped me improve them! Great camera angles too!

[@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!

[@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.

[@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 !

[@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.

[@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?

[@mikebeckerman5785]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@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).

[@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.

[@vinod8941]

Spin serve is good if you can bounce near the boundary, so that the ball reaches far from the opponent. Fast top spin serve to the opponent's body is also effective. Combine it with the low drop serve.

[@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!

[@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

[@Bee-of5xz]

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

[@jpk436233]

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

[@EnhancePickleball]

You and me both!

[@Leonardokite]

I didn't come from a real tennis background, but I played ping-pong a lot in my younger years. Spin was king! Pickleball is pretty much a bigger ping-pong paddle and a bigger ping-pong ball.

[@michaelpound5156]

I tend to agree. I have played doubles table tennis for 27 years, and started pickleball this year. This game is mid way between table tennis and tennis. The spins that I used in table tennis, I am now using in pickleball. Side spins are the easiest to perform. Top spin is more difficult to impart. I am not sure underspin is very possible given the weight of ball and the distance it has to travel. The underspin drop shot has to be a short distance shot. So easy to muck up.

[@crysflake]

@@michaelpound5156 Same, i have played table tennis for quite a while but never played pickleball cause there isn't many courts in my country and badly want to play it. But how are the padles and ball in pickleball ? Does it have enough grip to produce that spin effect so that when the opponent touches it, it will fly off or is it easier to counter it ?

[@michaelpound5156]

Side spin in pickleball is easy. The regular underspin in table tennis is only possible over a short shot. Top spin is doable, but more difficult with pickleball. A pickleball can fizz in the air, with its many holes sucking and blowing the air it traverses. The fizzing ball in pickleball is scary, and it takes more concentration to try to get a decent return hit. The fizzing pickleball moves around in the air, and takes more energy to return. Table tennis balls don't fizz. @@crysflake

[@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?

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@ralph.real.estate]

Great tips. The banana serve is a keeper 💪

[@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.

[@cbvoicenotes267]

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

[@KuidongLi]

For the Banana Server, what grip should we use? continental or eastern?

[@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

[@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.

[@Maverick-kf7is]

Congrats on the launch of your own paddle!

[@EnhancePickleball]

Appreciate it!!

[@Matthew2900]

What is a good mic to use?

[@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.

[@sunsioux444]

Excellent!

[@RachidOH]

Liked this video but you are not saying anything about the grip(s) you are using for each type of serve. I am assuming you are not using the same grip for all three.

[@Joe-jz6mf]

What grip are you using?

[@normandtousignant1754]

clearly eastern grip

[@HeyFriends314]

Slow-mo shots would help to see the serves.

[@varunkabra2486]

Thanks

[@EnhancePickleball]

thank you!

[@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

[@analoghack4117]

Players started snapping their fingers to pop the ball up with a lot of spin before making contact with the ball on their serve, it became too unruly to even get games going and because pickleball is not a sport that revolves around serves, they banned any serve involving any force on the ball that’s not from the paddle when making contact on the serve. Zane Navritil had one of the nastiest spin serves and you can still find videos on that which will show you just how difficult it could be to return the ORIGINAL spin serves.

[@beryljohnson9597]

Is it possible to display replay in slow motion ?

[@sbinsdca]

You can change the playback speed in KZbin

[@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

[@brandonwilliams7186]

Hey there kenadi

[@janinemurdock2043]

I started practicing the screwball even before I saw this video, and almost killed a senior citizen with it 😭 I mean not really, but I tried it in a rec game and it landed shallow and jumped waaay to the left. Dude went for it way harder than I expected and ended up doing a face first splat/ roll on the court. Was like Yeah, no, not serving like that against the older crowd anymore, I'm going to end up breaking someone's hip... 😂

[@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 😂

[@LucaVespa99]

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

[@massey3129]

All the opposite of what you instruct on this video for lefty servers. My screwball serve wins me many points. Especially being a lefty.

[@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.

[@carylwalters-stewart8227]

Kenadi

[@memyselfandi3242]

Why would you show the spin that landed on the same side of the center line as the server was? It wasn't any good!

[@Jerry_Gormley]

He is hitting down on the ball at 5:20.. illegal

[@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 😂