Not advancing to the kitchen line after your return of serve is a big mistake.
To advance in Pickleball to the 3.5+ level you need to consistently hit a good serve return and advance to the kitchen line to join your partner and take control of the point.
Don’t Freeze – Hit and Go!
The illustration below shows a pickleball player returning the serve and not advancing. The opponent drives the ball back at the serve returner and the offensive players advance and take control of the point.
1 – You Froze and failed to advance
The serve is deep, and Player D doesn’t move forward after returning it, mentally conceding because they believe they’re too far back to advance.
Even though they may have hit a solid, deep return and have enough time to move forward, their lack of confidence keeps them from pushing toward the kitchen. They mistakenly think they have a better chance by staying back rather than advancing to take control of the net.
2 – Your Opponents Now Have the Advantage
Your opponent sees this and takes advantage by driving the third shot deep at your feet. The offensive opponents then advance to the net, gaining control of both the kitchen line and the point.
This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in pickleball.
Your primary focus after returning the serve should be reaching the kitchen line.
Remember, move forward into your shot as you hit it to build momentum toward the net. This subtle forward movement ensures that you’re advancing while making the return.
Also remember, your opponent cannot hit the ball until it bounces, so keep this in mind as you prepare to return the serve. A helpful mental cue might be: “Hit it and go.”
Staying Back is the Exception
As discussed in the previous post, reaching the kitchen line isn’t always possible, especially if your opponent delivers a deep serve and you return it short.
In these situations—particularly against more experienced opponents—they will likely drive the ball at you as you advance, hoping to force an error.
When this happens, because you’re so deep on the court and your opponent is about to drive the ball, hold your position and prepare to respond to their shot.
Staying back should be the exception, only when you hit a return that doesn’t give you enough time to move forward. Focus on returning the serve with a deep, lofted shot.
Then sprint quickly to the kitchen line before your opponent hits their third shot, so you can join your partner and take control of the net and the point.
Summary
Always advance to the kitchen line quickly after the serve return. Don’t watch your serve return, just hit it and go. Unless it is a bad, short return, you should have no problem getting to the kitchen line and maintaining control of the point.