In pickleball, getting to the kitchen is the most important aspect of returning the serve. Your partner is already at the kitchen line, and you need to join them quickly. You have the advantage in Pickleball on defense and you don’t want to give this up.
To advance in Pickleball to the 3.5+ level you will always be focused on getting to the kitchen line after you return the serve, and you will get there most of the time before your opponent hits their third shot.
Player Movement – Getting to the Kitchen
The illustration below shows a pickleball serve return and the returner moving through the shot and advancing to the kitchen line.
When you hit the ball, let your body follow through naturally. That forward momentum will carry you toward the net, helping you close the gap quickly.
As mentioned in the previous post, use a split step to set yourself and then transfer your body weight forward to add power and get you moving towards the net.
As your return of serve floats through the air and your opponents wait for it to bounce before hitting their third shot, your goal should be to get to the kitchen line as fast as you can to join your partner.
You started the point with the advantage, and you don’t want to give this up.
In pickleball, staying back gives your opponent a big advantage, so getting to the kitchen is crucial. Once you get to the kitchen line, plant yourself and be ready to volley or block any third shot that comes your way.
Dealing with a Bad Serve Return
If your return shot is short, a good opponent will drive the ball at you before you reach the kitchen line. In this case, if it looks like your opponent is getting ready to drive it at you, and you know you can’t reach the line before they hit their shot, move forward cautiously.
If your opponent drives it at you and you haven’t reached the line, set yourself and lower into a defensive posture, preparing to block or return any shot hit at you.
Keep in mind that if you’re moving forward when you strike the ball your momentum could cause you to hit the ball too hard.
Your attempted shot may either fly out long or pop up, giving your opponent a chance to attack. Experienced players will anticipate this and look for a pop-up. Try to set yourself before hitting the response shot.
As you gain more experience and develop better court awareness, you’ll start to notice your opponent charging in with the clear intent to drive the ball when you hit a short serve return.
You’ll see their forward movement and big backswing, and that indicates their plan to hit a strong, aggressive shot.
If the ball is at or below net height when they hit it, their momentum, combined with a strong swing, often leads them to hitting the ball with too much power and too high.
If they don’t use a lot of topspin to control the shot, the ball is likely to sail out of bounds behind you. Early on, you may instinctively try to play these shots, but with time, you’ll learn to step aside or duck and let the ball go out of bounds.
Summary
In Pickleball, after the serve return, getting to the kitchen is a critical aspect of playing advanced pickleball. Always be ready on the serve return and be focused on hitting a good return and advancing quickly to the kitchen line to join your partner.
Video Showing Hitting the Return and Transferring Weight Forward
Video courtesy of “The Art of Pickleball”
Watch this Serve Return Video on Youtube.