This seems to be an overly restrictive rule making the game less pleasurable. In all conditions of a game being played to win, anyone will be as creative as possible in order to get an advantage. That is the nature of fun competition. If a player has an amazingly good serve it is in the nature of games to improve your return or develop a style of returning the serve which negates an advantage the server is trying to get. Please don't punish the players just because they have improved their skills in the game.

There is no difference between the volley serve and drop serve that would prevent a player from learning how to hit the ball as an offensive stroke. When it comes to striking the ball, athletic players will be able to figure out how to use it as a weapon. If the volley serve is becoming closer to a forehand, it is an illegal serve because of the height, of the ball when striking it, or the paddle is above the wrist, which a referee with reasonable eyesight can plainly see. Changing this to make the drop serve the only legal serve will not stop the most athletic players from figuring out how to use it to their advantage. As the game gets more and more popular, we will begin to see more and more athletic players that can just use more pace, spin and keep the ball inside the baseline. My serve is mostly flat with a little topspin, but my serve is very low to the ground and on the upstroke. The pace of play in the game is evolving as shots are getting more and more aggressive, and as players learn to hit lower seemingly non-attackable balls more offensively. In a nutshell, making the drop serve the only legal serve will not make the game more fair. As a racquetball player for years, making low contact from a dropped ball can be a very nasty serve.

I don't see where this will solve a problem. If the bounce brings the ball back to where the volley serve would be hit, what have you 'solved'?

This is a horrible idea. There are many many more recreational pickleball players than pros, and to change a rule to make officiating easier at the pro level to the detriment of all recreational players is, frankly, stupid.

I agree with the proposed rule change. I play recreational pickleball at many venues on the west coast. So many times I see players make obvious illegal serves, but I stopped saying anything because I got tired of arguing the issue. As for the drop serve I’ve seen players toss the ball slightly upward or push the ball down as they release it. I suggest clearly defining the drop as holding the ball steady and then release without motion.

Do not eliminate the volley serve. For those of us who use it and have nearly perfected it to fit our game it will have a great impact. Simply have referees and/or official and monitors enforce the existing rules and make players correct anything that is remotely questionable with their serve.

The drop serve cannot be counted upon for consistency in bounce height due to ball manufacturer and construction, court surface and wind speed.

The volley serve is much more consistent and not influenced by ball construction and court surface.

Changing to a drop serve only will literally change the game for a vast number of players! Keep the volley serve!!

volley serve should stay

I am opposed the the drop ball serve. Why change traditional players when they have been taught the traditional serve and not the drop ball serve. There are more traditional players than pro players. Changing the serve to a drop ball serve after you have been playing with the volley serve will take a long time and is unnecessary.

Terrible suggested Rule Change! The Underhand Volley Serve is of the essence of the Game. Likewise, as with other Official Calls, the Benefit of the Doubt goes to the Opponent. What does this mean? If the Serve is questionable, then call a Fault!

And, as the sport evolves, the Serve could easily evolve in to an overhead serve, please refer to the links below...
https://www.nmlpickleball.com/opinion/whats-the-deal-with-the-illegal-serves/
https://www.nmlpickleball.com/recaps/ppa-takeya-showcase-5-takeaways-the-wright-stuff/, (see number 3)
https://twitter.com/nmlpickleball/status/1593468572684386306?s=46&t=atzy6iOZlkSVXK4WIyPBag I saw this happen, real-time, and Jay Devilliers, was somewhat justified in his actions...
"This situation also pointed out the absurdity of the PPA’s rules, that an illegal serve is just a re-serve because, in reality, Jay could have just repeatedly served illegally infinitely. It should be noted the ref allowed a clearly illegal serve or two go uncalled, probably because they didn’t want to keep calling the awkward re-serve. Jay, unfortunately, was on full tilt, and he did not have many serve opportunities in the second game here, but it would have been fascinating to see this play out over a longer match. It is also a reminder, that given current rules, perhaps all PPA players should be pushing the limits with their serves more, because there is no actual penalty for an illegal serve."

Regarding Tyson McGuffin's and Lea Jansen's Serves... At times, both of their Serves are clearly Illegal, as they both do not hit the ball in a upward motion, and it appears that their serves are above the waist and that the paddle is above their wrists.

As the USA Pickleball rulebook states at Section 4.A.5
(a) The server’s arm must be moving in an upward arc at the time the ball is struck.
(b) The highest point of the paddle head must not be above the highest part of the waist (where the wrist joint bends) when it strikes the ball.
(c) Contact with the ball must not be made above the waist.

The Drop Serve (and the Overheas Server) are not where Pickleball needs to evolve...

I think this is a GREAT rule change and will level the playing field on serves.
Thank you!

I disagree with the proposed rule requiring the drop serve as the only valid serve type. Most pickleball players serve the ball out of their hand, and this would require a significant change for the vast majority of players. Most players serve the ball out of their hand in a legal manner. It does not make sense for the sport to penalize the vast majority to accommodate the very few who serve illegally on occasion.

A drop server automatically places shorter players at a distinct disadvantages due to the laws of physics(3rd), which shorter players cant control. Basically shorter players cant drop the ball at the same height as taller players and will result in a much lower bounce off the playing surface than a much taller player will have.

Very much in favor of this rule change, let's end all the rumors, insinuations about people not having legal serves, all that BS. Make it bounce serve only and then there is NO DOUBT.

Right now the most common comment when someone asks about a legal serve is to video and then freeze frame the video. It shouldn't require a freeze frame video to make a decision on whether a rule is broken.