If you have mastered your driving and lob serves, then you may be ready to add another advanced serve to your skill set. An inside out serve is an effective serve that generates horizontal spin on the pickleball. This spin will cause the pickleball to hook or curve—similar to your inside out drive. An inside out serve will travel crosscourt from left to right for a right, and from right to left for a lefty. As a result, the inside out serve will probably be most effective for a right-handed player serving from the odd/left-handed side of the court, and for a left-handed player serving from the even/right-handed side of the court.

To hit an inside out serve:

1. Toss the pickleball out in front of your body and slightly to your paddle side (to the right for a right-handed player, and to the left for a left-handed player);

2. Take a shorter backswing to avoid unintentionally hitting your serve out of bounds;

3. Break your wrist slightly backward so that your paddle head drops toward the ground and your paddle face is slightly open;

4. Move your paddle across the backside of the pickleball as if your paddle was trying to sand the backside of the pickleball in a horizontal fashion (i.e. from right to left for a righty or from left to right for a lefty);

5. Finish your serve by finishing your paddle swing up and through the pickleball. You should finish your paddle swing with a flat paddle up toward the sky, as if you were a waiter or waitress carrying drinks.

After you finish your inside out serve, you can do whatever you want with your paddle, but it may be best to quickly revert to Tennis Ready and prepare for your opponents’ return of serve. Be careful not to overplay this shot. Remember that it is important to be as consistent as possible on your serves, so that you do not lose any opportunities to score points on the pickleball court.


Key Takeaways:

1. If you have mastered the driving and lob serves, try the inside out serve, which will generate some horizontal spin on the pickleball.

2. To hit an inside out serve:

a. Toss the pickleball out in front of your body and slightly to your paddle side;

b. Take a short backswing;

c. Break your wrist to drop your paddle head with an open paddle face;

d. Brush the backside of the pickleball with your paddle; and

e. Finish up and through the pickleball with a flat paddle.