Strategic Guide to Winning the Point in Pickleball: In pickleball, the serve is much more than just a way to start the point. It’s a strategic weapon that can help shape the rally, pressure your opponent, and even flip the early advantage in your favor. While many recreational players treat the serve as a formality, high-level competitors know it’s their first chance to influence the point’s outcome.
Due to the two-bounce rule, returners have a natural advantage. The rule forces the serving team to stay back and wait for the ball to bounce after the return before they can approach the net. Meanwhile, the returning team is free to take the non-volley zone (NVZ) early, setting up a defensive wall. But that doesn’t mean the serving team is helpless. A well-placed, intentional serve can shift momentum and open up valuable opportunities for a strong third shot and eventual net control.
Let’s explore the different types of serves top players use, how they impact the game, and how you can apply these techniques to raise your level of play.
Serving Is a Setup — Not Just a Start
At the professional level, players serve with intent. The goal is not merely to “get the ball in play,” but to create discomfort, force weak returns, and build a path to win the point. Understanding serve placement, angles, and depth is critical to using your serve as a tactical tool.
1. The Wide Serve: Stretch and Create Space
Objective: Force the returner off the court to expose open space.
Serving out wide pulls the returner away from the center, making it harder for them to recover quickly to the NVZ. This opens up angles for your third shot — especially if their partner at the net has to shift to cover the middle. If the net player covers the middle, the sideline is exposed. If they stay wide, the center becomes vulnerable.
This serve is especially effective from a wide position on the baseline, increasing your angle and forcing opponents into uncomfortable footwork. As pro player Bobbi Oshiro explains,
“The wide out serve is a tough target to hit so not many returners anticipate it. It puts the returner out of position for the next shot when trying to make it up to the kitchen and it gives me an easier third shot to their feet.”
2. Down-the-T Serve: Limit Options and Set Up Control
Objective: Keep the returner deep and restrict their angles.
By serving down the center line, you reduce your opponent’s ability to hit effective crosscourt returns. This forces them to return through the middle and sets you up to either drop into the open court or drive directly at them. It’s also a great setup if your partner is planning an aggressive move such as an Erne or poach.
Oshiro adds,
“On the left side of the court, I love hitting big down the T. It gets them moving and opens up their backhand side for my third shot drop.”
3. Body or Middle Serve: Jam the Returner
Objective: Take away space and time from your opponent.
Serving deep and into the body makes it harder for returners to get comfortable. They’re often forced into defensive positioning, resulting in weaker, shorter returns. This gives the server a chance to move forward and hit a more aggressive third shot.
Deep serves to the body, especially targeting the backhand, are a favorite among top players like Federico Staksrud, the current world number one.
“I hit a deep topspin serve to the backhand. It pushes players back and often results in a weak return.” – Federico Staksrud
Pro Tips on Serve Strategy
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Noe Khliff (DUPR 6.588): “Wide serves are my go-to. They open up the court so I can use angles more effectively on the third shot.”
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Madalina Grigoriu (DUPR 5.522): “Serve wide when teams are stacking and switching. It disrupts their timing and forces them into bad returns.”
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Bobbi Oshiro (DUPR 5.909): “From the right side, I love serving sharp out wide. From the left, I like going big down the T. Both can draw short returns and give you the edge early.”
News in Brief: Strategic Guide to Winning the Point in Pickleball
Serving is not just the beginning of the rally — it’s your first move in a chess match. Whether you’re playing casually or training for competitive tournaments, learning to serve with strategy can give you the upper hand. Focus on variety, depth, and intention. A well-placed serve can be the key to turning a defensive position into a winning point.
The more purposefully you serve, the more pressure you apply — and in pickleball, that pressure often leads to victory.
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