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During the slow motion serves it seemed that the end of the paddle is not below the handle as required in the rules. I have a very similar serve and am accused of it being an illegal serve because people say my paddle is tilted incorrectly…interested in your comments 🙂
Most serves they have here are illegal, but I agree with below, this serve isn’t super unfair, so in time it may become legal, or poorly enforced, but in current state, 100% illegal
I tried gripping racket with index finger pointing up, and it seems to give so much more control, and don't even have to change grip for different shots. What do you think about using index finger? basically Eastern grip, slightly higher on a handle, with index finger pointing up to the blade head (even resting a bit on the head).
Definitely a bad habit. The ability to whip through shots comes from having the index finger and the thumb wrapped around the paddle while the rest of the fingers become very loose. During a forehand drive, you should be using the loop made from your index finger and thumb as a fulcrum, and whip through the ball, creating power and speed. With your index finger extended you can’t do that. And by choking up on the handle, you lose leverage, and you lose the space necessary to put your left hand on the handle for a two handed backhand.
Utilize the grip that fits you best for optimal control + power. Ultimately, you need a grip that makes your shot accurate regardless of how much power is produced. Some of the pros like Dekel Bar and Anna Leigh Waters do the index finger up the throat grip (single handed and two handed) and even if they lose ~10% of their power because of it, their accuracy is still great. I, myself, use that grip style and have been very successful with my 4.0-4.5 gameplay. I naturally have a strong arm, but with the Eastern Index grip, my drives, drops, dinks, volleys, and lobs have additional accuracy.
I'm sorry to inform you that your serve as illustrated is illegal. 4.A.7. The Volley Serve. The volley serve is made by striking the ball without bouncing the ball off the playing surface and can be made with either a forehand or backhand motion. A proper volley serve includes the following elements: 4.A.7.a. The server’s arm must be moving in an upward arc at the time the ball is struck with the paddle. (See Figure 4-3.) 4.A.7.b. The highest point of the paddle head must not be above the highest part of the wrist (where the wrist joint bends) when the paddle strikes the ball. (See Figures 4-1 and 4-2) This would not allow me to paste the illustration from the 2024 official rulebook. Specifically 4.2. It does appear that when you go to the top spin added section you do become legal.
I was hoping you might address the different paddles that can give you more speed on the serve. I've been demoing a lot of different paddles for power/control and see a huge difference in the force and distance I can get as opposed to the little $50 started paddle I've been playing with for 4 years.
Great video explaining the importance of hip rotation in generating arm speed. This is essential in any racquet/paddle/throwing sport. I will say, just technique wise some of these shots look borderline illegal (sidearm on a volley serve), maybe beneficial to go over the serve rule as well so people aren't hitting the ball high or at least can defend the motion when they get called out for hitting a strong serve.
word of warning, using the open stance serve for a few weeks really messed up my knee. rotating on the knee that stays still wore something out. was probably my technique but not something ill try anytime soon
I was watching my tennis guy Jack sock play and saw him with the open stance and how he was doing it, so naturally I tried emulating it, and it clicked.
Good vid, would have been great to emphasize that people be careful with accidentally side-arming it and hitting too high. I have to always keep that in check when I do the open stance serve, it's easy to slip into a swing that hits the ball above the belly button
When your serving it at the end your almost serving it at shin height is that ideal or do we want our feeds to be higher to have a better angle over the net?
What are your thoughts on dropping the ball first and hitting it at the apex of the bounce? I find it consistently stops in the right place (because my left arm is extended in the same place each time) You're one of the only 3 people I follow for Pickleball. Clear, succinct, and easy to follow. (Just need drilling to solidify - which isnt that easy!) lol
You can't get the maximum MPH with a bounce serve because the contact point on the ball is lower thus the angle will be lower and the power has to be less to keep the ball in.
I still get a lot of power on my serve with a drop serve. It gives me more time to rotate my shoulders and hips than a volley serve. I agree with the above reply about the contact point being lower and taking a little off, but for me, the extra time it gives me to rotate my shoulders and hips I get more power with a drop serve.
@@RC-tm8jo Anyone can easily hit the ball with enough power to hit it out on a drop serve. You won't get any more MPH with any sort of drop serve and be able to keep the ball in. The simply physics/geometry of the low contact point on the drop serve will always reduce the MPH compared to a higher contact point on the volley serve.
By rules it's not prohibited to slam a ball against the racket, so might be able to add some more speed and spin if you do that, OR at least do a high toss. Neither are prohibited by volley serve rules. At least it's not in the official rule books.
Getting power on the ball is not the goal. Anyone can get enough power on the ball to hit it out. The challenge is to increase the MPH while keeping it in.
@@gg80108you can only toss the ball up if you hit it before it touches the ground. A serve that touches the ground ( drop serve) must be dropped, a volley serve can be tossed in the air.
@@gg80108kento was correct. You can't toss the ball up on a bounce/drop serve. Needs to drop straight out of the hand, no upward or downward motion at the time of the drop.
@@TrashPanDuh9876it’s not one or the other, both rules must apply during serve. Yes he is below waist most of the time, but that paddle is definitely breaking the plane of his wrist, which is illegal
I think I understand why you are saying that they are showing illegal serves, but I didn't see the paddle above the wrist a single time the moment it came in contact with the ball. Even slowed down a couple of the serves to check