Pickleball return of serve: the two-bounce rule, a deep return and controlled advance to the kitchen line – with milestones and protection against falls.
The return is the reply to the serve: you let the ball bounce, hit it deep into the opponent's court and then move up to the kitchen line. This is exactly what the two-bounce rule demands: serve and return must each bounce once before the ball may be played out of the air [1].
The honest answer on what makes a good return: it is rarely spectacular. Among professional women in singles, 63.7% of points ended in unforced errors [2]. So you win first by keeping the ball in play. A deep, safe return takes pace away from the server – and gives you time to move forward.
The second number to know: in a survey of 92 recreational players, 42% reported at least one fall while playing. Lunging and moving backward were cited most [3]. That is why a path forward is part of the technique.
Stand around the baseline, feet shoulder-width, knees slightly bent, paddle in front of the body. In the middle of the half you are ready for both sides.
This is the only rule the return really requires. If you play the ball before the bounce, it is a fault against you [1]. Even if the serve touches your body before it lands, it is a fault [1].
Play the ball into the back half of the opponent's court. The middle is safer because the net is lowest there [1]. The net hangs at 34 inches in the centre and 36 inches at the sides – about 86 and 91 centimetres.
After the shot take two to three controlled steps toward the kitchen line. When the opponent hits the ball, stay in ready position. A sprint at the wrong moment knocks you off balance.
8 of 10 returns in court, most of them deep. That is a practice target. Only then is it worth adding pace or slice.
A slice return (face slightly open, swing from high to low) is a later variant. It brings spin, but also more sources of error. At this stage stay with the simple version until it holds in competitive situations.
Have a partner feed you twenty serves. Play each return deep to the middle and then take two steps forward. Count how many returns land behind the kitchen. This is an experience-based routine that also grooves the path forward.
Feel free to play the return down the middle. That leaves the server hardly any angle and forces a choice of side. This is a common coaching recommendation without a study behind it. Try it: if you struggle with the return, the middle is often the safest target. A second trick: decide on the target before the server releases the ball. Then you do not have to think at the moment of contact.
Yes. Under the two-bounce rule the serve and the return must each bounce once before a player may hit the ball out of the air. Playing the serve earlier is a fault [1].
Deep and, if possible, down the middle. That pushes the server back and takes away angles. This is a standard training recommendation; what is documented is mainly that unforced errors decide many points [2].
Not at a sprint. Take two to three steps forward and stop before the opponent hits. Backward and lunging moves are the most common fall causes [3].
No. The return must bounce first [1]. Only afterward may you play balls out of the air – outside the kitchen.
Usually around the baseline in the middle of your half, but that is a coaching recommendation without a study behind it. What matters is that you have time to let the ball bounce and then go forward rather than backpedal.
Learning the Pickleball Dink: Soft, Low and Error-Free at the Net