As you advance in Pickleball, add spin to your return of serve to challenge your opponent and make their third shot more difficult.
Pickleball Serve Return with Spin
The illustration below shows a serve return with spin.
Having good paddle control and the ability to apply spin on your return can effectively disrupt your opponent’s third shot.
Your opponents need to let you serve return bounce.
Advanced players will be looking to set up for a third shot drop.
Adding spin to your serve return makes this third shot more challenging for them to execute.
Top Spin
If you’re skilled with topspin shots and can hit a reliable hard return, this will make your opponent’s third shot more challenging.
Use power on your top spin return to challenge your opponents. Just be careful not to focus so much on power that you hit your return into the net or out of bounds. Hit your top spin return deep to make the third shot challenging.
Another approach is to use your topspin and hit a deep shot with good loft. This slower and deep shot with top spin will bounce aggressively toward your opponent, making their third shot more difficult to execute.
When your opponent strikes the top spin shot it will move up naturally off their paddle. If the ball is moving fast and they haven’t adjusted for the spin, their shot will move up higher than they expect. If they are driving the third shot this may cause the shot to fly deep and out of bounds. On a third shot drop attempt, their shot may go deeper and higher than they expect setting you up for a put away of their third shot.
Back Spin
A cut shot that has back-spin is a great shot for the return of serve as well. The back spin shot will be flat and deceptive looking as it floats through the air.
When the back spin shot is hit by your opponent it will move down off the paddle when struck normally. If your opponent doesn’t hit up on it a bit, it will often move down and go into the net.
Side Spin
Side spin shots are also very effective on the return of serve.
A ball curving in with spin coming at your opponent causes them to concentrate more on their third shot and to hit it more firmly to negate the spin. The side spin will also force your opponent to adjust their position for the third shot as they see the ball moving from away from them.
If they hit the shot too softly, the ball may come off their paddle with your spin still on it and it may not go where they thought it would.
Summary of using Pickleball Serve Return Spin
Complicating your opponent’s third shot is always a good idea. Advanced players will use a variety of third shots and adding spin to your return makes their shot more challenging. When they hit a powerful 3rd shot drive this will mostly negate the effect of your spin, but the third shot drop isn’t hit with power so your spin will affect this shot.