Coach Mary’s Tip of the Week
This week, we are circling back to serves. I had a student come up to me to say that she just heard from someone on the court that now you can contact the serve above your waist . . . Wrong! Only on the drop serve would you be able to contact above your waist.
I explain to my students that you need more than one serve to keep your opponent off balance. Deep serves are always good. Here are a couple of hints:
· Weaponize your serve by following through after contact with your body. Jump into the follow through. Be sure to watch the attached videos.
· Deep topspin lob serves drive your opponent crazy! They must wait, they must generate the power, and they must move back to accommodate the kick from topspin. You can do this with a traditional or a drop serve.
· Backhand slice serves are a great weapon! This should be executed with a drop serve to avoid service faults. Move further back behind the baseline. Be sure to align your feet to your target area on the diagonal. Lay your paddle back, get low, and follow through, with your off arm moving back as your paddle arm connects. This serve will stay low, will spin low and will be difficult to return.
· Open stance serve helps you incorporate your hips and shoulders and is easier on your shoulder, arm, body. Be sure to watch the videos. I use this serve regularly. You can use both a traditional and drop serve for this one.
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
The videos also show cut, banana or slice serves, but those are for another day. Bottom line: use a topspin drive serve in the wind. Use a lob serve against bangers or opponents with good slice. Use a backhand serve to create slice that stays low, creating weak returns.
If you cannot access the videos on the Desert Sun website, go to YouTube, and search lob serves, Callie Smith, Serve Rule changes, Open versus Closed serve stances, backhand serves.
Upcoming
The next indoor round robin is June 22 in the air conditioning at Palm Desert Civic Center Park Gym. Sign up on the Desert Recreation District website, look at June, and find the tourney. Sign up for the tourney, then for each event you would like to play. Entry is $20 to register, $10 for each event. You could play four events for $40!!! You do not need a partner for singles. Skinny singles or rotating partners! If you need a partner for doubles, I can find you one.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Pickleball: How your serve can keep your opponent off balance
Reporting by Mary Barsaleau / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
