To quickly improve your return of serve, avoid these common mistakes on the pickleball court:

1. Failing to Be Ready – Be in Tennis Ready!

2. Taking Your Eyes Off of the Pickleball – Watch the pickleball hit your opponent’s paddle.

3. Failing to Prepare Your Paddle – Before you move your feet, prepare your paddle. In other words, slightly rotate your upper body and pull your paddle back before you start to move your feet. In reality, your paddle preparation, body rotation, and movement of your feet will probably happen simultaneously. However, do not move your feet without preparing your paddle.

4. Taking Too Big of a Backswing – Take a short backswing. Too much of a backswing will cause erratic returns of serve, leading to unnecessary unforced errors.

5. Flicking the Wrist or Bending Your Elbow – On a pickleball return of serve, keep your wrist firm and stable. Avoid the temptation to flick your wrist or bend your elbow. Remember, the motion on a pickleball return of serve is pendulum swing from the shoulder.

6. Lacking Footwork – Move your feet and attack the serve.

Eliminate these common mistakes and your return of serve will rapidly improve.

Key Takeaways:

1. Start in Tennis Ready when preparing to receive the serve.

2. Keep your eyes on the pickleball.

3. Prepare your paddle before you start moving your feet.

4. Take short, compact backswings on your return of serve.

5. Keep your wrist firm and stable, and swing from the shoulder, on your return of serve.

6. Move your feet!