This week on Pickleball Channel we are responding to viewers’ desires to see more footage that can be studied. So today we have a short video showing an extended look of the power serve. Our friend Alex Hamner demonstrates her amazing power serve…but in a way you may not have seen before. We are providing all the action and including slow motion shots too! Now you will be able to see more than you have in the past. Remember, this is just one example. Every player is different and you need to use what works for you.
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Thank you for this video and the others that you have been creating. I especially liked last week’s video “Three Serves and Why You Need Them. My FAVORITE serve is the power serve. Keep the videos coming.
Lovely green screen! Did you test this out? Nothing came through but the music.
Second try it worked?????????? thanks!
Enjoy your input on the basic information to improve ones game.
Thanks for the encouragement Brian. We are happy to be making valuable content for folks. Thanks for watching and sharing the channel with others.
I thought the motion of the server could not carry you on to the court.
Hi Jerry. Just in case you had not seen them. There are a few comments below from folks about the rules and what your feet can and can’t do on a serve.
I use a backhand serve with side spin…primarily because I can get it in with greater consistency. It is most effective when serving into a strong head wind or cross wind. I like the fact that I am in the minority with this serve because it sometimes gives me an advantage in the beginning of matches.
Could you also post slow motion using a backhand serve?
Hi John, in case you didn’t see it, there is a backhand serve video here. http://pickleballc.wpengine.com/2015/01/unique-backhand-serve-with-slow-motion-byron-freso
Thanks for watching and sharing with others, and Keep On Playing!
There has been some discussion about stepping over the base line after hitting the ball. I have been on the receiving end of criticism for doing that but I respond that a fairly recent rule change (maybe clarification) does allow it.
Hi Ken, thanks for watching and sharing. We talked with the rules chair and there has been no recent rule change. In addition, the rules currently do allow you to have your momentum carry you over the baseline. The serve is not the same as the no-volley line. Only at the start of the serve must both feet be behind the line. At the time the ball is struck, at least one foot must be on the ground behind the baseline. This means if one foot is in the air moving forward over the baseline, that’s still ok. And… basically after the hitting the ball your feet can pretty much go anywhere. 🙂 Hope that helps a little. Thanks again for wathching and sharing with others.
Hi, loved the video on serves. Having a tough time differentiating the legal serves from the illegal ones. It’s tough to tell some of the time while at play. Can you please produce a video on illegal serves ? Thanks
Loved the slow motion video of the Power Serve. More effective seeing in action Can you redo the “Three Serves and Why You Need Them” in slow motion? We can catch the details and focus on them better in this speed.
Hi Martha. Thanks for watching and glad you enjoy the videos and find them helpful. Yes we will eventually share more footage on each of the 3 serves in the prior Pickleball 411 episode This video is the Power Serve. The other 2 will be coming in following weeks. Thanks again for your support.
Great Video. You guys really improve my game. I hope the folks commenting about stepping over the line will pickup a rules book and read it. There is absolutely noting wrong with stepping over or on the base line AFTER contacting the ball. I think maybe this is getting confused with the momentum carrying you into the No Volley Zone rule.
The rules are clear on the serve. They speak to “when the ball is struck”.
4.D. Service Foot Fault. During the serve, when the ball is
struck, the server’s feet shall not:
4.D.1. Touch the area outside the imaginary extension
of the sideline.
4.D.2. Touch the area outside the imaginary extension
of the centerline.
4.D.3. Touch the court, including the baseline.
I, like Doug Nichols, have a backhand serve. Sometimes I serve either a side spin or topspin. I also enjoy a good head or side wind. This allows me to do a soft slice which makes the ball move away from the receiver.
I thought the serve had to be underhand. How does that work with a backhand serve
?
When I started playing I could not get the underhand serve in the court – someone suggested a backhand serve and it worked well. Bend your knees and lean into it with your head down and its a wonderful serve. Sort of like the lefty serves most righties hate.
Great video. I’ve started to use that serve and so this video, especially the slo-mo part, let’s me see how she gets it flat over the net. Great job and keep up the good work. These kinds of videos raise the level of credibility of pickleball as a real sport with nuances and strategy, etc. Thanks!
I serve very much like the person in the video. Works well for me. I have wondered about backhand serves and most of the people I have seen use it appear to be using illegal technique: racket face above wrist level at point of contact).
I agree with the comments about the improper form when using a backhand serve. I have not seen many people serve this way, but the one person who used it at a tournament was always contacting the ball above his waist. I think a video on legal backhand serves would be great. Thanks for all the videos Pickleball 411!
Hi Nick – here is a video showing a legal backhand serve. Yes many folks don’t come upward and contact too high, but here is a legal one. Hope this helps. http://pickleballc.wpengine.com/2015/01/unique-backhand-serve-with-slow-motion-byron-freso/
I use a underhand serve striking the ball at the top of the paddle (farthest from the handle). My paddle has extra weight at that point. I find it keeps the ball low and powerful. especially effective on windy courts. P.S. Thanks for the video. Keep them coming.
This is a great serve, but from what I can tell, it’s dangerously close to a side serve, which would be called in a heartbeat here in The Villages, FL.
Hi Jane
This serve looks fine, ball is stuck below the belly button and paddle is well below the top of the wrist.
Don’t understand why you would suggest that it is a problem.
Cool
I was encouraged to serve more from the corner to improve the margin of error. Wonder if Alex moves from the middle to the corner depending on her type of serve
Hi Ron! Actually, I hit every type of serve (hard, slow, high, short,angle, whatever) from the same spot with the same apparent motion in the attempt to make my serve harder to read by my opponent. Hopefully this works and I’m not just fooling myself! 🙂
I power serve and try to nail the corners and backhand line with an occasional lob. However, I miss a lot of serves in so doing.
I just tried for my 4.0 a second time in nine months. They told me I need a vary my serve…mix it up… I’ve never heard this before I’ve always heard get it in the service area and get it deep. Any comments
Getting a serve in consistently is a must at 3.5. At the higher levels, an easy serve will inevitably result in a deep or spinny or otherwise difficult return. Hitting your serve so that it is difficult to return gives you an advantage. If you discover a weak backhand, exploit that. Often you can force your opponent to move off the court as they avoid their backhand which opens up the center. Even the strongest player has difficulty with a serve at the body. A serve with spin that looks like it goes to their forehand but curves toward the body will often result in a weak return. “Just get your serve in” is not enough.
The worse move a server can make is to step into the court after the serve (as is shown in the power serve demonstrated here). It makes her defenseless on a deep return and it causes her partner to stay behind the baseline too long to cover while a deep return of serve passes her down the middle. She should be in a position to defend that deep return without having to step backwards hampering both her and her partner to get to the kitline quickly.
Power serve for me