If you have mastered your driving and lob return of serves, you may be ready to take it up a notch and try two advanced return of serves: (1) the slice or chip return of serve; and (2) the inside out return of serve. These return of serves will make your opponents’ third shot even more difficult, as both of these return of serves will generate some extra spin on the pickleball.

Try a slice or chip return of serve if you and your partner need a bit more time to get to the Non-Volley Zone or Kitchen Line after your return of serve. A slice or chip return of serve will generate backspin on the pickleball, which will cause the pickleball to be slower than your basic return of serve, tend to cause the pickleball to lift or rise a little in the air, and could cause the pickleball to skip upon contact with the court surface and otherwise create difficulties for your opponents in trying to hit your shot. To hit a slice or chip return of serve:

1. Make up your mind immediately that you will hit this shot and prepare your body, paddle, and feet;

2. Take a short backswing with your paddle up by your ear, with a slightly open paddle face; and

3. Swing your paddle—with an open paddle face—down and forward through the pickleball. It is important to hit forward through the pickleball so that you avoid hitting the pickleball into the net.

To hit a driving slice or chip return of serve—in other words, a slice or chip return of serve with a bit more pace—finish your paddle swing more forward and through your target.

To hit a higher slice or chip return of serve—in other words, a slice or chip return of serve that is a bit slower and floats higher into the air—finish your paddle swing higher. However, be careful not to finish too high and cause the pickleball to sail out of bounds. If you have trouble with the pickleball sailing, try to finish more forward and through your target and take a little pace off of your paddle swing.

Another advanced return of serve is the inside out return of serve, which is an effective shot if you get jammed on your opponents’ serve. As a reminder, do your best to run around the pickleball and hit a forehand return of serve, or position yourself to hit a backhand return of serve. However, if you are still jammed, try an inside out return of serve, which will help you hit the pickleball back toward the middle of the court and put some horizontal spin on the pickleball, making for a more difficult third shot for your opponents.

To hit an inside out return of serve:

1. Take a shorter backswing;

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

3. Shift your weight to the outside of the pickleball court (to note, as a right-handed player, you will probably hit an inside out return of serve as a forehand on the odd/left-hand side of the pickleball court, and as a backhand on the even/right-hand side of the pickleball court; as a left-handed player, you will probably hit an inside out return of serve as a forehand on the even/right-hand side of the pickleball court, and as a backhand on the odd/left-hand side of the pickleball court);

4. Move your paddle across the backside of the pickleball as if you were trying to sand the backside of the pickleball in a horizontal fashion with your paddle; and

5. Finish your return of 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.

If you find that your inside out return of serve sails too much in the air, try finishing your shot more forward through your target, rather than up toward the sky.

Key Takeaways:

1. If you have mastered the driving and lob return of serves, try the slice or chip return of serve and the inside out return of serve, which will generate some spin on the pickleball and make for a more difficult third shot for your opponents.

2. Try a slice or chip return of serve when you and your partner need a bit more time to get to the Non-Volley Zone or Kitchen Line. To hit a slice or chip return of serve:

a. Quickly prepare your body, paddle, and feet;

b. Take a short backswing with your paddle up by your ear, with a slightly open paddle face;

c. Swing your paddle down and forward through the pickleball and your target.

3. Try an inside out return of serve when you are jammed by your opponents’ serve. To hit an inside out return of serve:

a. Take a short backswing;

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

c. Shift your weight to the outside of the pickleball court;

d. Brush the backside of the pickleball with your paddle in a horizontal fashion; and

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