The return of serve is the second shot of every point. Under the two-bounce rule the serving team must let your return bounce before they hit it, so a deep return gives you time to move up to the kitchen (non-volley zone) line while they stay back. The job is simple: a controlled, deep return, then follow it in and arrive balanced. From the side the app reads your return stroke, your forward transition and your split step; it does not track the ball, so depth and placement are on you.
Set up
Start a few feet behind the baseline. Against a strong, deep server, stand one to two feet farther back; against a short or soft serve, stand closer.
room in front of you to step into the ball.
Get low, knees bent, paddle in the middle so you can hit a forehand or a backhand.
loaded legs, not standing tall.
Split step as the server contacts the ball: a small hop that lands with your feet about shoulder-width apart, ready to move either way.
a light bounce that lands you balanced.
Return deep
Let the serve bounce before you hit it. Hitting the serve out of the air is a fault against you.
patient: bounce, then hit.
If a deep serve pushes you back, turn and move rather than backpedal. Pivot sideways and step back so you are not stumbling backward.
turning to chase, not stumbling backward.
Turn sideways and keep the backswing short. Picture a hula hoop around your waist and keep the paddle inside it; the serve brings most of the pace, so you redirect it.
compact and in control, not a big wind-up.
Step into the ball and swing low to high, pushing your weight toward your target on forehand or backhand.
your weight moving forward through contact.
Aim deep, with a big target and margin over the net. Deep to the middle is a safe default; a higher arc makes depth easier. Stay away from the lines.
a confident ball that lands near their baseline.
Follow the ball in
Finish the swing first, then move. Hitting while running forward causes mishits, and a mishit return puts you on defense.
hit, then go.
Follow your return toward the kitchen line and take up a volleying position alongside your partner. The servers must let your return bounce, and that bounce is the time you use to move up.
moving forward right behind your return.
Split-step and set
Split step again as your opponent hits the third shot, see where it is going, then keep moving up. Expect to split step more than once on the way in.
stop, read, move.
Stop behind the kitchen line, not in it. You can't volley while touching the non-volley zone, and if your momentum after a volley carries you into it, that is also a fault.
just behind the line, balanced and paddle up.
Feel it
A low, ready start, a split step as the server hits, a short controlled swing that steps into the ball, and a deep return with margin. Then you finish the shot, move forward, split step when they hit, and arrive balanced behind the kitchen line. Controlled matters more than hard. If a deep ball goes behind you, turn and move rather than backpedal: falls cause most pickleball injuries treated in emergency departments. The app reads your stroke, forward transition and split step; ball depth and placement are the game part.
Fix-its
- Your return lands short A short return lets the servers move up. Aim deep to the middle with a higher arc and more net clearance, and judge yourself by depth, not speed.
- You stand up and take a big swing Stay low with bent knees and keep the backswing inside the hula hoop around your waist. Use the serve's pace.
- You hit while running forward Split step, set your feet, hit, then move. The deep return buys the time you need.
- You stay back at the baseline Follow your return in to the kitchen line beside your partner while the servers wait for the bounce.
- You sprint in and arrive off-balance, or run into the kitchen Split step each time your opponent hits, and stop behind the line so you can volley legally.
Drill
- Deep return reps: a partner serves, you return crosscourt with a forehand or backhand, they catch it. Swap roles every 5 returns.
- Deep-return game: put markers about 3 feet inside the server's baseline. Returns must land crosscourt and deeper than the markers or the server wins the point. First to 10, switch every 5 points.
- Target cone: a cone near the server's baseline and sideline; hit returns down the line until you land within a foot of it, then move it to the middle and the crosscourt corner. Practice from both sides.
- Return and approach: return deep, take a few steps forward, split step as your partner hits, and stop behind the kitchen line. Walk it first, then build speed.
- Film from the side to check a low start, a short backswing, a split step, and a controlled stop behind the line.
Sources
- USA Pickleball — 2026 Official Rulebook (Rules 10.A, 10.A.1–10.A.2, 11.A, 11.A.1–11.A.2)
- USA Pickleball — How to Play Pickleball
- Pickleball Global — Drill Seven: The Return of Serve, coaching material (2021)
- Pickleball.com — Mastering the Return of Serve With Catherine Parenteau (Radnothy, 2025)
- The Dink — Three Ways to Improve Your Pickleball Return of Serve (Roddy, 2024)
- Weiss, Dougherty & DiMaggio — Non-fatal senior pickleball and tennis-related injuries treated in US emergency departments, 2010–2019, Injury Epidemiology (2021)
- Loyola Medicine (Garbis, MD) — Your Guide to Pickleball Safety for Every Age and Skill Level (2025)
Last checked 2026-10-26.