What do you do just after you've served?

[gwhite]

Stay in and racket up? Come back? Sides or front-and-back?

[rachyuk]

Hi Graham,

I say it depends on what type of serve you've just delivered and where your partner is standing!!!

Typically, I've always served short & followed in (with racket up) to cover net returns or blocking returns.

High serves, I drop back to 'my' side and flick serves I tend to hover round the front on 'my' side to get the hopeful weak return or misplaced shot!

I'm talking ladies here...Mixed would be a different story - I'd typically serve low unless the serve was received aggressively, in which case I'd flick serve and cover the cross return.

I didn't realise I knew this lot until I thought it through!

Good thread!

[Geof]

Graham, It depends how good your service is. If you have done a good low service and have retained the attack you would normally remain in the net region until you lose the offensive.If you lose the offensive or serve high you would normally take a sides formation.

[Stuart]

Although it is normal and safer to return to the diagonal after a flick serve, I find it quite effective when you find you have deceived your opponent on a good flick serve to take the straight. It means you can cut out the straight smash quickly and get onto the attack. But I don't recommend it unless you have tried it first in practice with your partner!

[sholden]

I tend to duck and shut my eyes!

[rachyuk]

Steph,

Liar!!!! ;0)

Rachel

[pkho]

It depends on your type of serve. As suggested by the others. If you serve low, then you are expected to stay up front to cover any return drops. If you serve high, then you need to fall back to your side and your partner step forward to his side to cover a possible smash or short drop or clear.

In singles, if you serve low, then you need to be prepared for a short return as well a high lift to the back corner. Most singles players will tend to serve high to the back court and be ready to receive the return.

[Banksy]

Graham - Low Serve? Can you do those? I seem to remember them coming a foot off the top of the net when we used to play! ;)

[gwhite]

[gwhite]

Yeah thanks for that Banksy! This is why I've just converted to backhand as of last week when Trevor (Darlington) had spanked away one too many of my 'low' serves from the forehand.

I've put a few posts up about serving to try and help me on my way to getting a good solid backhand serve at last. No response from Trevor yet though!

[rachyuk]

A little bird told me Trevor was getting married this week, so he may be a bit pre-occupied!!!

RE: Backhand serving - I can see how you can brush the shuttle into a very tight serve and have your racket ready in the flollow-through, but I still think the forehand serve is easier to adapt or change. You've got all that room for starters...instead of being squashed up in front facing the net...I won't be changing that's for sure!

Also, I like to see what my partner is doing in my peripheral vision and most of the time, with a backhand server, I have to lean around them to view the point at which they make contact in the serve.

[mcripp]

Rachel, in my opinion the backhand service for ladies in mixed doubles is by far the better service providing you have a well disguised flick. In most cases it has the effect of pushing the man back fractionally from the low service line taking slight pressure off of your serve.

[rachyuk]

I can see your point Mike.

Having never had any formal training on service, I've never thought about that side of things until recently!

When we next meet, can you show me a legal backhand serve and how a typical forehand server can adapt?

[gwhite]

Whoops! Forgot about the 'little' matter of Trevor getting hitched. I suppose we'll forgive him a little time away from badders.

Anyway, back on topic - I've been practicing the backhand serve on and off for a few years and have converted to using it during the past week. I have found that it is a far superior serve if it goes right. I have to concentrate a lot harder on the backhand serve, but just so long as I do so I get a pretty decent low serve out of it and a well disguised flick too. I'm definately going to stick with it this time.

[Banksy]

One of the best things I've found about the backhand serve and a reason that I've used it since I was very young is that because the shuttle is white, if you wear similar coloured clothing (traditional) it tends to disguise the shot even further.

[chris0011]

Hi - if you have served short, the racquet should be held, in my opinion, ABOVE tape level ready to intercept/kill either (a) a net return or (b) a slow moving push.

If you have flicked serve and the receiver looks as if they cannot smash, it has been my experience that THEY CAN'T SMASH - therefore, I would advocate moving to a central position to hit downwards. Conversely, if the flick is poor, move away from the shuttle to gain time to return it

Good Luck!!

[Michael Banks]

Do most people now serve backhand or is the traditional forehand still favorite?