What Is a Nasty Nelson in Pickleball?

Quick Answer: A Nasty Nelson is a serve deliberately aimed at the receiver’s partner, the player standing at the kitchen line who is not returning serve. If the ball strikes them in the air before bouncing, it is a fault on the receiving team and the serving team wins the point. It is legal and widely disliked.

The shot is named after Timothy Nelson, a professional player known for pulling it off in tournament play. It has stuck around mostly as a piece of pickleball folklore.

Is the Nasty Nelson legal?

Yes. Unambiguously.

Under the rules, if a served ball hits the receiver’s partner in the air before it bounces, that is a fault on the receiving team, and the point goes to the serving team. Intent does not enter into it. Whether you meant to hit them or simply shanked a serve sideways, the outcome is the same.

That surprises players who assume hitting an opponent must be a penalty. In pickleball, the responsibility sits with the person standing in the flight path.

Why does the rule work that way?

Because the receiver’s partner has no business being in the way.

Only the designated receiver may return the serve. Their partner has no role in that shot, so the rules expect them to stand somewhere the ball is not going. If they choose to stand near the centerline at the kitchen, they have accepted the risk of a serve that runs down the line at them.

It follows the same logic as the rest of the sport. Get hit by any ball in play before it bounces and it is your fault, not the hitter’s.

Position is the whole story. The receiver’s partner normally stands at the kitchen line, 7 feet back from the net, and the ones who get hit are almost always the ones hugging the centerline.

What happens if the ball bounces first?

Then everything changes.

• Serve hits the receiver’s partner in the air. Fault on the receiving team. Point for the servers.
• Serve lands in the correct service court and then hits them. Still a fault on the receiving team, because the serve was good.
• Serve lands out and then hits them. Fault on the server. The serve was already out when it bounced.
• Serve hits the receiver themselves before bouncing. Same as the partner. Fault on the receiving team.

The distinction that matters is whether the ball bounced, and if it did, where. A ball that has already landed out cannot be redeemed by hitting somebody.

Does it actually work?

Rarely, and it costs you when it fails.

To hit a Nasty Nelson you have to serve at a small target standing well off your natural line, which means aiming away from the deep corner where good serves belong. Miss, and you have either served into the net, served out, or handed the receiver a short easy ball in the middle of the court. The odds are poor.

Against alert opponents it is close to useless, because the receiver’s partner simply stands wider or watches the server’s shoulders. It works best against players who are not paying attention, which is also the group least likely to enjoy it.

Should you try it?

In rec play, no. That is not a rule, it is a social observation.

The shot is legal, and nobody can overrule it. But open play runs on goodwill, and deliberately drilling a stranger with a serve is a fast way to become the person nobody wants to rotate in with. Our guide to open play etiquette covers the wider set of unwritten rules.

The Nasty Nelson almost never lands in recreational play. The server apologized immediately, the point stood, and nobody tried it again that morning.

What should you do if you are the target?

Move, and stop giving them the option.

If you are the receiver’s partner, stand at the kitchen line but toward your own sideline rather than hugging the centerline. Watch the server rather than your partner. If a serve does come at you, turn your shoulder and let it pass. Dodging is legal. Getting hit is not.

How does the point get scored?

Like any other fault by the receiving team.

Under traditional side out scoring, the serving team scores a point and the same server continues from the other side. Under rally scoring formats, the point counts the same way. Our explainers on how scoring works and what a side out is cover both systems.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Nasty Nelson in pickleball? A serve aimed at the receiver’s partner. If it hits them before bouncing, the serving team wins the point.

Is the Nasty Nelson against the rules? No. It is legal, and it is a fault on the receiving team whether the contact was intentional or not.

Who is it named after? Professional player Timothy Nelson, who became associated with the shot in tournament play.

What if the serve was going out? If the ball bounces out first and then hits a player, it is the server’s fault. If it hits them in the air, the receiving team is at fault regardless.

Can I dodge the serve? Yes. Moving out of the way is completely legal, and it is the correct response.

Does it work at higher levels? Almost never. Advanced players position wider and watch the server, so the target is not there.

Will people be annoyed? Frequently. Legal and welcome are different things, particularly in open play.

Know the rule so you are not confused when it happens. Then serve deep instead. To find a coach who can sharpen your serve, browse our pickleball coaches directory.

Written by the Pickler Junction Team.