#1 Reason Your Serves Float High in Pickleball
Preston’s Playbook pins floating serves on the non-dominant hand: holding the ball high and away means the paddle meets the underside and scoops skyward. Fix: hold the ball as low as possible and in line with the lead leg. Treat that hand like a golf tee that never moves — paddle goes back, hand stays, contact finds the back of the ball and pushes forward. The common chain is extending the toss hand forward/up as the paddle comes through, lengthening the path into underside contact.
Key takeaways
- High/away toss hand → underside contact → float
- Hold low, lined with lead leg
- Non-dominant hand = immobile golf tee
- Contact the back of the ball; push forward
Action items
- 20 serves with “tee never moves” verbal cue
- Film toss hand — flag any upward drift before contact
- Mark a low hold height on thigh with tape as a feel target
- Track float % before/after in a box of 30 serves
- If floats return, check whether toss hand is chasing the paddle forward