Spin Serves
What you're working on
An advanced serving drill focused on developing two legal spin serves, sidespin and topspin , to keep opponents off balance on the return. While pickleball serving rules have evolved, spin can still be generated legally through paddle technique once the ball is tossed. Best suited to advanced players looking to add variety and difficulty to their serve. Note: you cannot spin the ball with your hand or off the paddle face before contact, but once the ball is tossed anything is fair game.
See how the drill works
Run the drill
Drill Set Up
One player, a paddle, and a bucket of balls. Practice from both the deuce and ad sides of the court.
How to run it
1. Begin with the sidespin serve, focus on the U-shape swing motion, coming under the ball, swinging up and across, curling the paddle from inside to outside.
2. Hit a sequence of sidespin serves, aiming towards the middle of the court to attack the returner's backhand.
3. Once comfortable, move to the topspin serve, start with the paddle face down, tip below the wrist, and drive aggressively upwards, brushing over the top of the ball through contact.
4. Rotate the elbow through the swing, using the whole body to accelerate into the shot.
5. Hit a sequence of topspin serves, focusing on height and forward spin.
6. Alternate between both serve types to build comfort and consistency with each.
Coaching Points
Sidespin
• Come under the ball and swing up across the court in a U-shape motion.
• Curl the paddle from inside to outside to hook the ball to the side.
• Aim towards the middle of the court, sidespin is hard to read and effective at attacking the backhand.
Topspin
• Start with the paddle face down, tip of the paddle below the wrist.
• Drive aggressively upwards and brush over the top of the ball at contact.
• Rotate the elbow through the swing and use the whole body to generate acceleration.
• Hit it high, topspin is most effective as an aggressive, high-trajectory serve.
General
• Spin is created by friction between the ball and the paddle, focus on clean contact and a deliberate swing path.
• These are advanced techniques, prioritise correct mechanics over pace or placement until the motion feels natural