Ace Your Padel Serve- a Newbie’s Guide
A service ace can make or break a padel match. We want you to have your best foot forward from “love” to match point. Here’s all you need to know to master the art of serving.
First, let’s break it down play by play. What exactly happens in a good padel serve?
- Stand with both feet behind the service line, between the the central line of service and the sidewall.
- Bounce the ball on the ground within the service box.
- Be careful not to touch the service line with your feet, nor the imaginary central line.
- Make sure, the height of the ball being served must be at or below the waist level at the moment of hitting it, and the player must have at least one foot in contact with the ground.
- Serve diagonally to the other side of the court.
One way to smash a point as early as possible is to practice your aim. Both players from the other side can receive the service, so aiming is crucial. Check out this short video to improve your padel service aim.
Be careful of the following technicalities. Newbies and elite athletes alike are not immune to this slippery slope:
| Point | Not valid |
| Serving with foot movements that don’t affect serving position | Walking, running, jumping, or any large unnecessary movements while serving |
| The opposing team allows the served ball to bounce twice in their court. The server team gets the point. | The ball hits teammate or opposite players directly |
| Points made before the invalid serving side position is corrected. | Serving while the server is not ready can be redone in a LET |
| Lob serve | Changing the serving order |
Now that we have the play and technicalities down, let’s dive deeper into the common mistakes you should avoid at the crucial start of the game.
- This one’s a no-brainer but pressure and nerves can make anyone miss this easy step. This is when the server simply misses when attempting to hit the ball.
- Any ball bouncing outside the opponent’s service box will be counted as not valid.
- When serving, and after bouncing off the service box, the ball touches the metallic fence.
- Do not return a serve with a volley. Make sure when you’re receiving the serve, the ball must bounce once before returning to the other team.
- If the ball hits one of the receiving players or their equipment before it bounces for the first time, it will be a fault for the receiving team, resulting in a point for the serving team.
The basics of a net serve
On what grounds is the serve considered a net serve and whose point is it? We break it down to you in this easy guide.
If the ball touches the net when serving, a second serve is allowed if:
- If the ball touches the net or the supporting posts and lands in the receiver’s service box, as long as it does not touch the metallic fence before the second bounce.
- After touching the net or posts (if these are within the game area), the ball hits any player or article carried or worn.
If the “net” occurs when serving for the second time, the server will be allowed to repeat only a second serve.
A Let is called by the referee when something in the court goes wrong during the serve.
All padel players should be familiar with the rules of let during serving. Don’t miss your chance to call one when something awry happens in the court.
Let points during serve are those that the referee allows being repeated. It happens if:
- In general, any interruption to the match is because of unexpected situations unconnected to the players.
- The ball splits during the game.
- Any element not part of the game enters the court.
Remember to let the referees know when you think a situation is called “let,” or the referee will not count the point. Once a “let” is reached, then the referee will deliberate if it’s valid or not. If not, a fault will be called for the player claiming the “let.”
Great serve technique is the key to acing padel matches from the get-go.
Athletes know that the serve technique is very important. It determines the footing of the game and the pace of the plays. Click on these links to learn more:
A study conducted by Ramón-Llin and colleagues determined that the way to prevent the serving pair from winning the rally was best achieved by good depth on lobs, regardless of the direction, and pace on low shots, predominantly aimed toward the server. They analyzed time, speed, and distance parameters related to the outcome of the return of serve (ROS) in padel.
Click on the link to read more: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6546820/
