where do you look when you serve?

[derrickn]

I believe the question shouldn't be so much where you are looking when you serve, but what to look for when you are serving. Also my response is based on doubles service/return.

Look to see where the receiver is standing. Is he standing too close to one side? Is he standing so he is biased to hit with his forehand? Is his stance positioned for him to quickly move forward or backwards? Is his racquet positioned to quickly return your serve with his backhand or with his forehand?

All these (and much more) should be assessed before you serve. Even with national level players (players who are willing to play National tournaments) in Canada, it is very easy to see, just by assessing their ready position, which shot they are most likely wanting to hit. By practicing your serve to be quick, flat, and accurate, you can make your opponent hit a shot that 1) they do not want to hit, and 2) you are expecting.

[Rob3rt]

First I look at the shuttle and my racket to get ready to serve. After that I look at the opponent, then after serving at the shuttle obviously...

[Pakito]

If its a serious match I hold the gaze for 10-15 seconds then proceed to serve, otherwise i just look at the shuttle.

Seriously Caarl, 15 seconds will get you a penalty if someone is sitting on that high chair.

[Pakito]

LOL, it's of no importance when you have consistently calculated serves like it came out from the factory ISO prepared and churned out like Christinna Pedersen's serves and not like Taiwan's Chen Wen Hsing's. I personally don't think there are players whose binocular eyes who can even really tell where your eye balls are staring unless you are really turning your whole head to a particular direction which would be too fake or not normal. You can do it once or twice, but you can't fool everybody all the time rite? I would say generally they look at their own postures, check their execution technique, and then look in front or whatever. Neither are there players who just immediately serve without even checking their own position or body posture or preparation.

I may not be a good doubles player. (Like I'm always told, thanks to my defensive playstyle), but when it comes to serving... I think I might very well be one of the best. (In my region, not world standard)

Serving is easily my strongest "weapon" in doubles. I'm not afraid of people charging my serves... Or should I say, I'm not very successful with feeling pressured during serves, not anymore.

It all started with my brother telling me that I need to serve well enough to not be afraid of getting charge, even if my opponents are obviously dead set on charging it. So, I banned myself from ever flick serving. (It's been 6 years, I haven't lifted my own ban *I do flick if I'm playing with much weaker players, only to play around*)

For several months, I practice my short serves... ALOT. Constantly trying to find a perfect form for myself, my own mindset, my own technique. After I find my own form, my pre-serve rituals, and my focus point... I keep practicing it...

I remember serving for roughly 2 and a half hours straight(Boxes of shuttles, easily over 700 serves *modest estimation*),

pick up shuttle,

pre-serve ritual,

focus,

serve the shuttle,

complain about the height in my head, (*If I can see the space between the shuttle and net cord, it's a failure, if I can't, then it's bad because the tail didn't touch the net cord... There are no perfect serve)

complain about the where the shuttle land, (*If it didn't touch the service line, it's a failure, if it did, then I complain about the arc of the serve, it didn't go down steep enough to trick my opponent into thinking it's a "short". There are no perfect serves)

pick up another shuttle,

Repeat;

When I stopped, I got very light headed and almost puked.

Nowadays
Getting my opponent to watch the shuttle until it drop very low before they decide to hit it, or press it down the net occur frequently, especially the former. (Getting more than 2 aces are normal when playing with members of other clubs.)

I stopped practicing serving that obsessive now, however, I have done enough for my body to remember the form.

I get bad slicing days, I get bad dropping days, I get bad defense day, heck, I have bad clearing days... But... I don't get bad serving days at all.


What I'm trying to say is....

I believe, everyone have their own serves that they may find comfortable, and with enough practice, it doesn't really matter where you look.(As long as your form make sense, such as... Not standing 3 feet away from the net... Or... serving below your waist)

[uglydewey]

I look depending on what would mess up the opponent.