Pickleball Centerline Serve: Techniques to Master it

By: Brandon Fritze

I have been using various Pickleball serves since I started playing it. Among these serves, a practical and helpful is the Pickleball centerline serve.

That is why I have brought you this article to let you know the centerline serve in detail and how you can play it while staying within the boundaries of official Pickleball rules.

You can also learn some tips from professional pickleball players to play the centerline serve even more successfully. So, without further ado, let us jump right into the details.

Pickleball Centerline Serve

What is Centerline Serve in Pickleball?

A centerline serve in Pickleball is when you hit a serve from your centerline to or near the opponent’s centerline.

It is really a powerful serve when you can make an experienced person move away from their position. They will struggle hard to return this powerful serve.

In short, this serve lands the ball deep and down in your opponent’s court on the centerline.

But it must be within the boundaries. Otherwise, you will be out of the game.

How to Play a Pickleball Centerline Serve?

You can try playing a Pickleball centerline serve by following these easiest-to-follow steps:

  • First, stand at the usual serving position of Pickleball.
  • Then bend a bit and take your left leg a bit in front.
  • In the centerline serve, you have to stand near the centerline. But remember not to step over it because it will be considered an illegal serve.
  • Now comes the serving part. It is similar to the regular serving in Pickleball. After achieving a correct court position, you need to bounce the ball and hit it with an underhand motion and in an upward arc.
  • Try to hit the ball below your waist level and keep the paddle head below your wrist.
  • You should hit this centerline serve so that it lands deeply into your opponent’s centerline.

Experienced Tips for a Centerline Serve

I use some tips to play this serve at the centerline effectively. So, I researched for some more tips and then included them collectively here for your help.

Keeping it in mind, this is how you can master centerline serve:

If you are new to Pickleball and playing with someone more experienced than you, you may be caught up playing this serve at the centerline.

The reason is that you will be standing at the centerline, and they already know it.

So, they may use their returning techniques successfully against your centerline serve.

As a result, you will end up with no scores.

That is why you should assess your opponent’s experience level and play this serve only if your partner is less experienced than you or if they are of the same experience level.

  • Always stand at least a foot or two away from the centerline. Otherwise, your opponent can know what serve you are planning to hit.

Final Thoughts on Pickleball Centerline Serve

Centerline serves in Pickleball is really easy to learn and execute. But like other serves, you should keep an eye on the official Pickleball rules to do the basics legally.

Currently, this serve is entirely legal in Pickleball, and you can hit it whenever you want.

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