Ben Johns Just Changed His Pickleball Serve — Maybe You Should Too

After nine years of the same service motion, Ben Johns just made a simple but powerful change to his pickleball serve, and it might be exactly what your game needs too.

The pro didn't overhaul his entire technique or add complicated mechanics. Instead, says Zane Navratil, he switched from a stationary serve to stepping into the serve, a shift that transforms how much power you can generate and turns your serve into an actual weapon.

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Why Ben Johns Changed His Serve Now

For nearly a decade, Ben Johns relied on the same service motion. It worked fine, but the serve was never really a weapon in his arsenal. Then something shifted at last week's men's singles final when Chris Haworth hit him with what the video describes as an "absolute nuke" of a serve.

That moment lit a fire, says Zane.

Ben showed up to this week's tournament with a completely new service motion, proving that even the best players in the world are willing to adapt when they see a gap in their game.

The Simple Change That Makes All the Difference

Here's what makes this so interesting: Ben didn't add complexity. He actually simplified things by changing one fundamental element.

• Stationary serve: Most of your power comes from your arm alone.
• Stepping into the serve: You can use your body weight and momentum to generate way more power.

When you serve from a standstill, you're limited to arm strength. Your lower body and core are basically sitting idle. But when you step into the serve, you're engaging your whole body, which means more force behind the ball and a serve that actually threatens your opponent.

Why This Matters for Your Game

If Ben Johns is making this change at this point in his illustrious career, it's worth paying attention. He's one of the sport's elite players, and he wouldn't overhaul his serve unless it genuinely improved his game.

The beauty of stepping into your serve is that it's not a complicated fix. You don't need to rebuild your entire motion or spend months retraining muscle memory. It's a small adjustment with big results.

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The Bigger Picture

What's really cool about this moment is that it shows pickleball is still evolving at the highest levels. Even after years of playing the same way, top pros are finding new techniques that work better (we see you, Anna Leigh lob serve).

That means there's always room to improve your own game, no matter your skill level.

Whether you're a beginner or an intermediate player, the principle is the same: small, intentional changes can have a huge impact on your performance. Ben Johns just proved it.