Relish

Serves (1st Shot)

Your first goal is simple: start the rally legally and put the ball in the correct service court. Give yourself plenty of room over the net.

A legal serve that lands in is a successful serve. Power comes later.

Builds your control

  1. 1

    Set up behind the baseline

    Serve from the correct side and aim diagonally across the net. At contact, keep at least one foot on the ground behind the baseline; neither foot may touch the court or go beyond the imaginary extensions of the sideline or centerline.

  2. 2

    Start with a drop serve

    Release the ball from a natural height without pushing it down or tossing it up. Let it bounce, then strike it. Do not add spin with your hand. A drop serve is one legal option; the volley-serve swing restrictions do not apply to it.

  3. 3

    Aim for a generous target

    The ball must clear the kitchen and its line, then land in the diagonal service court. Aim comfortably inside the boundaries rather than at a corner.

If you choose a volley serve

Strike the ball before it bounces. At contact, your arm must move upward, the contact must be below your waist, and the paddle head must not be above the highest part of your wrist. Do not add spin on release. Learn the legal motion before adding pace.

Reset after the hit

On the serving team, stay back to receive the return after its required bounce. The fifth lesson will make this positioning easier to picture.

A few things you might wonder

Is a serve that touches the net automatically a fault?

No. If it still clears the kitchen and lands in the correct service court, play continues.

What about the lines?

A serve touching the kitchen line is out. The other boundary lines of the correct service court count as in.