There's a moment in competitive pickleball when a player realizes they've found something the rulebook didn't explicitly forbid .
That's exactly what happened when The Dink's Thomas Shields hit the court with USA Pickleball Referee Ron Ponder to poke and prod some of the sport's biggest loopholes.
What they uncovered wasn't some shady trick or unsportsmanlike conduct; it was a perfectly legal move that had been hiding in plain sight, at least until 2026 (OK fine it's a little bit shady).
💡
Love pickleball? Then you'll love our email newsletter . We send the latest news, tips, and highlights for free each week.
The loophole in question?
A server can legally cross the plane of the net immediately after striking a serve, as long as they so so after the ball has left their paddle.
That means the server can hit a high, sky lob serve, sprint past the net, and hang out on the opponent's side of the court wherever they please while the ball was still in flight. Legally.
Why would they do this, you ask? No more questions out of you. Just watch.
The Rule That Wasn't Really a Rule Pickleball rules are written with the assumption that players will follow the spirit of the game, not just the letter of the law.
But as any competitive sport knows, there's always someone willing to test those boundaries (Exhibit A: Zane Navratil's "Chainsaw Serve" ).
The serve is already one of the most regulated shots in pickleball, with strict requirements about where you stand, how high you ... FULL ARTICLE FOUND ON: https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/the-lob-serve-loophole-pickleballs-new-psychological-warfare/
