A quick THANK YOU to all those who purchased the new DUDE and PINK WIDOW recreational paddles for Christmas. The feedback has been fantasic.   Our first 3K carbon fiber paddle turned out to be a great success thanks to you.  
A great high performance carbon paddle for under $80.   Enjoy 'em!

TODAY'S TOPIC:  When it comes to the serve rules in pickleball, there are some key things to know. 

Of course, everyone knows that when you use a volley serve, you have to make contact with the ball below your waist, and at the point of contact your arm has to be on an upward arc.  And yes, the top edge of your paddle cannot be above the top of your wrist.  
Everyone know these things, right?

But the piece of the serving puzzle that many people do not know or understand is in your feet.  Yes, just as important as what you can and can't do with your hands, you have rules about your feet.  And they are equally important to know and you can impress your friends because many players do not know them.

For instance, I hear people asking all the time..."am I allowed to step across the baseline as I serve?" And I hear a lot of people yell "FAULT" on this one, but that is wrong.  You can step across the baseline while you are serving, as long as you make contact with the ball before your foot actually touches the court on or inside the baseline.  So your foot can be above the court inside the baseline.  Just make sure you hit the ball before that foot touches down. 

Actually there are three very clear rules that govern what you can and cannot do with your feet while serving.  And all three are applied at the very second you make contact with the served ball.
 

At the moment the ball is served(struck):
4.A.4.a. At least one foot must be on the playing
surface behind the baseline.
4.A.4.b. Neither of the server’s feet may touch the
court on or inside the baseline.
4.A.4.c. Neither of the server’s feet may touch the
playing surface outside the imaginary
extension of the sideline or the imaginary extension of the centerline.

So to summarize and clarify even more....
You can start your serve while standing anywhere.  Many people misunderstand that point and thus mis-quote the serve rules. All three of the foot related rules only apply at the moment of contact.  

So you can run around all you want prior to making contact on your serve. Start anywhere and take a running start if you want.  Just make sure you adhere to all three of the foot rules when you make contact with the ball.

So let's play!