Coach Dillers Pickleball Tim Bits

Coach Diller’s Tips This Week.

Vinessa is showing her prowess on the courts this week with her tips on serving. As Vinessa says, "I blossomed into this game."

Serving

How do you decide on who services first? The official rules state it is a flip of the coin for sanctioned tournaments. The team that wins the toss has choice of serve or side. Indoors, I would recomment the winning team take the serve. You can only win points if you are serving, so go for it. If you are outdoors, the whole scenario changes. Wind is a factor and the winning team may wish to choice side because of that or the glare of the sun in your eyes.

1. The server should always announce the score. Again, the sever should call out the score. According to the rules, the player receiving the serve can refuse to accept the serve and just let the ball go if the score is not called or the wrong score is called. The server must reserve and announce the correct score loud and clear. I suggest we all start doing this to get every one in the habit. The official rules also state that if the receiver returns the serve they have accepted that the score is correct as announced.

2. The server and only the server should call the score.

3. The correct sequence of calling the score is your score, opponents’ score, and server number. The sequence is now stated in the rules. When starting a game, the serving team only gets one fault on service. The proper way of calling the score is 0 0 2. The server number is 2 because of the one fault rule on the first side to serve. Often clubs use 0 0 start and this has become acceptable but not a rule.

4. The server should check to make sure everyone is ready before calling the score. After calling the score the server has 10 seconds to serve. This is a tournament rule and flexible in recreational play. The key is that everyone is ready and no one is at an unfair disadvantage.

5. If the receiver is not ready to receive the serve or their partner is not in position, they should indicate so in one of the following ways. Holding up the paddle hand straight in the air, holding up the non paddle hand in the same way or turning their back completely to the server. The receiver may do this because of a distraction, ball on court, movement behind the server, partner not in position or they need time to adjust a piece of equipment. It is not sportsman like to use this as a stalling tactic.

6. Although this very technical and can be flexible in recreational play, if the server serves from the wrong court it is loss of serve. And if the receiver receives from the wrong court it is a point for the serving team. This must be caught before the next point is played and the serving team switches sides to indicate the point has been earned. Do overs are not allowed in tournament play unless there is a distraction or wrong score is called.

7. Receiving teams should start calling illegal serves. The serve is illegal if contact with the ball is made above the waist or the server breaks his or her wrist and the paddle face is above the hand. The server must be called or bad habits are formed and they may not know they are even doing this. This habit comes from table tennis and badminton where there is no rule. Players want to put spin and junk on the serve. Diller’s question is, “why are you trying to do this?” There are few ace serves in Pickleball. Good players will adapt and be all over it. Just get it in. You can’t score a point if you don’t serve it in. Junk and spin servers, count the number of serves you miss the next game you play. What if you got all serves in? Would you have had a higher chance of winning more points? The best players just serve it in and get ready for the return. Play the percentages and aim for the middle of the service court so you have the most area to miss.

8. When receiving a serve, the receiver should be behind the baseline. If the ball hits you it is a point for the server.

9. The server can step into the court after making contact with the ball. A foot can actually break the plane of the backline before contact but not step down.

10. The non receiving player can stand anywhere on his/her side of the court including in the service court. However, if you are hit or catch the ball in the air it is a point for the serving team. This is a rule that I think should be changed.

11. The server's partner can stand any where on the court as well. I have seen situations where both partners on the serving team, stood side-by-side on the same side. This is legal and is done on occasion with a left handed player so they get two forehands down the middle. I do not recommend this practice and wonder why the rules allow it.

12. The non receiving player, in Diller’s opinion, should be at the NV line and turned sideways to watch where the ball lands for his/her partner. The receiver needs to keep their eye on the ball, so their partner is watching for the out call.

When is the last time you practiced serving? Never? Coach Mo suggests that you will start winning games just by getting your serve in. Coach Diller agrees.

Good Pickling, eh.