My Secret To Hitting Devastating Returns In Pickleball: A Coach’s Guide

I am fierce in the mind, sharp in the body and fluid in my motions. Fully focused on striking the return with aggression so I can charge to the kitchen line to dominate the point. In order to execute devastating returns in the most efficient manner, I ensure my mentality is aggressive on the return. I don’t just think about trying to get the ball back into play but to attack and take more risk. We are at a big advantage if we can get to the kitchen line straight after our first return.The server still has to let your return bounce once before they can volley so be sure to be aggressive with your return and get it deep with a decent amount of pace to keep your opponent on the back foot.

Starting Position

Positioning yourself effectively is crucial for performing great returning shots. Before the opponent hits their serve, I like to stand a little further behind the baseline, about 1-2 meters. This allows me to take a couple of steps forward as the opponent is starting to serve. I usually start to move forward as they release the ball from their hand. These extra steps will allow me to transfer my weight forward prior to striking and help build momentum to speed up my transition to the kitchen line. It's better to be on your toes moving your weight into the return, instead of being static.

Split Step

One important step we must include in our setup for the return is the split step. A split step is basically a small hop that players do to increase the speed at which they change direction. For example, after I perform a split step, I create energy and elasticity in my legs as I hit the ground after hopping, this will allow for me to be more explosive as I move towards the incoming ball. I like to do my split step as I see the opponent swinging at the ball. So when it comes to the serve, timing of your split step is important. You have to watch your opponent’s movements carefully and stay on your toes. Having a focused mentality and finding a good starting position for your returns will help you time your split step effectively.

Striking Clean

After we have established a suitable starting position in our returns and are able to move to the ball with grace and speed, we must now strike it cleanly in order to get the maximum amount of power and control. I ensure that I practice my return shots religiously on every training session I do. I take turns with my pickleball buddy to purely practice serving and returning for at least 20 minutes. The return is often overlooked in practice by many players, who put a lot of focus on doing rallies and dinks. However, in a match scenario if you are not able to return your opponent’s serve well, it’s going to be tough to get into the rallies and win points.

Be sure to get plenty of practice and keep these key pointers in mind. Remember the importance of an aggressive mentality, positioning, split step and clean striking. I hope you found this article useful! Feel free to check out our other write-ups on pickleball techniques and strategy.