We don’t hit that many groundstrokes on a pickleball court. But one time we always hit a groundstroke is on the return of serve. If your return of serve is not as effective as you would like, let me ask you to ask yourself three questions.
Loopy Return – Pickleball Groundstrokes
I see quite a few players hit high, loopy groundstrokes. That may be an effective return of serve strategy for a player with limited mobility. If the ball is hit deep, a player can walk to the non-volley zone before the serving team can even touch it. But if this result is unintentional or short, or you just want to learn to hit a better groundstroke, ask yourself three questions.
#1. Where Are You Standing?
Where are you standing to return serve? I often see a player stand a little too close to the baseline. By taking a couple of steps back, the player is able to move forward…which is the ideal direction to be moving when you hit the shot. You want to enable your weight to move into the shot. If you are too close to the line, you will be forced to retreat and often your weight is moving away from the direction you wish to ball to move.
#2. Where Is Your Backswing?
The light pickleball and shortened court do not require a full tennis type backswing. In fact, the ideal pickleball backswing will only move as far as your back hip. Often I will ask a student to really focus on paddle tracking from off my opponent’s paddle and to the bounce which shortens their backswing and leads us to our third question.
#3. Where Are You Contacting The Ball?
Are you making contact with the ball shortly after it bounces, at its apex or as it descends? Ideally, I would like you to take the ball sooner…i.e. shortly after it bounces. You see the ball loses pace as it ascends and descends after bouncing. By taking the ball early, you are getting more pace from the ball. It is also a lower point of contact, meaning the ball just needs a little guidance to be returned deep over the net. Instead of overswinging, simply open the paddle face so you are ready to catch the ball in front of you and step into the ball, moving forward behind your shot.
Proper Groundstroke Technique
So if you want to improve your groundstroke, focus on these three things:
- Give yourself room to step forward
- Shorten your backstroke
- Take the ball sooner
If you haven’t already viewed it, watch my groundstroke video below:
