How to Return Serve with a Purpose in Mind.

Paddle tennis is a returner’s game because of the dilemma the server has while only having one serve. Most servers resort to “just getting it in” and thus, the returner has the chance to attack. Too often though, we are also resorting to playing a defensive return rather than returning with a purpose and teamwork in mind.

The basics of returning are positioning and shot selection.  Position yourself with your stronger shot (forehand or backhand) ready to hit.  In tennis and pickleball, you normally stand in the middle of the possible serve angles, but in the paddle, because we have the safety of the screens, you should position yourself differently.  Favor your strength and don’t let the opponent hit your weakness.  Players who have a stronger backhand stand to their right, and players who have a stronger forehand should be to their left.  If the serve is not in your favorite strike zone, then you use the screen and lob or wait for the serve to fall into your strike zone for the drive.

Should you drive or lob the return?  Not missing is important, but the better players are certainly looking for an advantage and not just trying to get it in play.  In addition, the better teams return with their teammate in mind.  They use predictable patterns that occur when you start observing good paddle play.  For example, if I return with a lob down the line, the resulting overhead or push volley will likely go to my partner. This could be good because it could set up my partner who has a monster forehand, or it could be terrible because I am letting them pick on my weaker partner. If you want to be a bad teammate, just keep lobbing down the line and telling your partner to handle the screens better!!! It’s not always their fault!

Seeking Forehand Return of Serve

So, in this picture, these two great athletes are positioned further to their left than normal. This is because they want to hit a forehand return and a forehand for the second shot.

Seeking Backhand Return of Serve

This picture is slightly different because the returner is looking to hit a backhand. Notice how much further to their right they are starting.

Ad Side Seeking Forehands.

This is an ad court return for someone who wants to hit a forehand. This is a very common return stance in the ad side.

Ad-Court Combo Point Blitz

A good combo to look for is to blitz after a good return. If my partner hits a great low return cross-court to the feet of the rushing server, my partner can move in and hit a volley (blitzing) because the server is going to pop up the volley. This is a great way to put the serving team under tremendous pressure.

Duece Court Combo Blitz

A good combo to look for is to blitz after a good return. If my partner hits a great low return cross-court to the feet of the rushing server, my partner can move in and hit a volley (blitzing) because the server is going to pop up the volley. This is a great way to put the serving team under tremendous pressure.

Duece Court Lob Pattern

A decent lob down the line is a great play to set up your partner for a drive. The server’s partner will need to be very skilled to hit the ball away from the cross-court player who is waiting to pounce on a forehand through the middle. Another thing to consider here is that as a returner if you currently do this a lot, you probably won’t hit as many balls in the match because of the geometry of the court. This can be trouble for a partner who is not as skilled as you.

Ad-Court Lob Partern

A decent lob down the line is a great play to set up your partner for a drive. The server’s partner will need to be very skilled to hit the ball away from the cross-court player who is waiting to pounce on a forehand down the line. This mistake is often called “don’t feed the shark” because the server is not in a position to deal with the volley.

In conclusion, the return is a shot that can set up winning patterns and teamwork. Consider spending at least an equal amount of time working on your return-of-serve strategy and tactics as you do worrying about the one-serve issue when serving. A great return game makes serving much easier because you know how to win two games vs your one service game.