pre-serve routine?

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by amenzza, Nov 19, 2007.

  1. amenzza

    amenzza Regular Member

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    I was working on my serve.... got bored switched on the telly.
    the golf channel was on and they were talking about a "pre shot routine" to improve consistency.
    immediately i went back up to my room and started my own pre shot routine:
    - collect shuttle
    - walk to line
    - check feet pos.
    - few shakes of the racket before placing it behind the shuttle
    - serve

    i noticed that while doing this in game i was honestly serving more consistently and found that i was very concentrated on my serve. it was like i was channelling all my concentration into this shot.

    anyone else do anything similar?
     
  2. UncleFester

    UncleFester Regular Member

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    Having played basketball for a few years I can tell you that it's very important with routines before shots. Take a penalty shot for example. Most professional players have their own routines of holding the ball, placing it in their hands in a special way ect.
    Same goes for the serve in badminton.

    Look at Jonas Rasmussen when he's serving. He has a very evident pre-shot routine.
     
  3. xXazn_romeoXx

    xXazn_romeoXx Regular Member

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    lolz they say athletes are very supersticious(sp), especially hockey players ;)...but i think for badminton it's definately the same...i put on my shoes, stretch, warm-up routine and serve routine the exact same...obviously i don't win everytime, but it's "tradtion" and i guess that's important =P...either that or it's just me lol
     
  4. t3tsubo

    t3tsubo Regular Member

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    i always driveserve when i have 19 points, whether i am ahead or behind.
    when i am consciously trying to serve well, i look into the feathers on the birdie so i can see the little yonex sticker and stare at it as i serve.

    for backhand serves, i intense muscle memory for getting in position and serving, i could do it blind and still have it less than an inch above the tape 9/10 times..
     
  5. michaelavich

    michaelavich Regular Member

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    I have been using a preserve routine the last couplemonths and it helped a lot. Basically I step up get my feet in position and slide my back foot back as if to get the dust of my shoe or make sure the flor is clean and reposition it. It probably looks like something a horse would do but it helps.
     
  6. KazeCloud

    KazeCloud Regular Member

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    I've played a player who did hand gestures before he served like he was a power ranger. It surprised me very much and I was like o_O!?!? HUH?

    He then lost to me but barely. =]
     
  7. macca

    macca Regular Member

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    yep same here,

    - Position my feet correctly at the T (im one of those wierd people that puts a different leg forward depending on the side im serving from)
    - Put racket in the correct place
    - Bring shuttle towards racket
    - Stare at the T on the other side of the court
    - Hit shuttle

    Continuity in where you are standing and how you hold your racket will help with the continuity in your shot
     
  8. skunklover

    skunklover Regular Member

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    i do it...........video tmr........lol
     
  9. yippo888

    yippo888 Regular Member

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    hahaha!!!roflmao!

    i know a guy who puts his front foot in front of the line before he recieves serve then sloooooooooooowly slides it back until its behind the line whilst im waiting for him to do that. by the time hes done iv bin like waiting for ages to serve and im lik ah ok ..... im sorry i need to reset!!and he has to do it all over agen hahaha!
     
  10. RichF

    RichF Regular Member

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    Technically, that sounds like a foul serve, if I've visualised correctly based on your description...you've already begun your forward movement and offered the racquet to the shuttle. You'd be better off putting the racquet in position first and then placing the shuttle in front of it afterwards.

    Routines are good though, as others have said you're aiming for consistency and having a routine helps achieve it, also if your preparation and movement looks the same on every serve it's more difficult for the opponent to spot when you're going to do something different e.g. flick.
     
  11. Canuck19_14

    Canuck19_14 Regular Member

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    He probably means swinging in the air not after he puts his racket in position ready for teh serve :confused:
     
  12. RichF

    RichF Regular Member

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    It's not the "few shakes of the racquet" that would make it a foul, it's the "placing it behind the shuttle". In other words he holds the shuttle in position, then brings the racquet head in behind it, stops, then serves, the motion of bringing the racquet head to a position behind the shuttle could be considered the start of the service action:

    9.1.7 the movement of the server’s racket must continue forwards after the start of the service (Law 9.4) until the service is delivered;

    9.4 Once the players have taken their positions, the first forward movement of the server’s racket head is the start of the service.
     
  13. DivingBirdie

    DivingBirdie Regular Member

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    i think most importantly one must make sure pre serve routines do not give your serve away ---as in timing of delay of serve, intention to short/flick serve. My habit is to position the tip of my shoe like 1cm away from the service line...which is the exact marking of a wooden tile. Apart from that my actions are intentionally unpredictable...

    Now actually, i kinda find that some pre-serve routines are also used by players who want to confuse their opponents when they think they can 'read' their routines. For example some people always do a few shakes of the racket , then after a certain delay time, serve. And when the opponent gets ambitious and tries to 'read' him, he launches a surprise serve before shaking his racket. Or sometimes, after a few shakes of the racket, he holds the service for a longer duration, making his opponent sort of lose his balance and cool.
    So it often appears to me that such pre-serve routines can be there to MISLEAD as well! Wonder if i'm making some paranoid over-analysis.:D

    unless the service judge hates him it's prolly not gonna be foul...what he's doing before 'placing the racket behind shuttle' shouldn't be considered the first forward movement, if i hadn't misinterpreted:rolleyes:
     
  14. CometRich

    CometRich Regular Member

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    I think a routine is ok, but for service you want to reduce the amount of aspects that can go wrong to aid consistancy. Ideally the serve should be as simple as possible and easy to create the same thing hundreds of times in a row. Personally it doesnt matter how predictable it is if you can do a consistant low serve which cant be attacked to the same place and a flick serve to keep the oposition guessing from time to time nothing else matters.
     
  15. RichF

    RichF Regular Member

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    (I think you misinterpreted)

    It is the action of placing the racquet behind the shuttle that might be the foul.
     
  16. extremenanopowe

    extremenanopowe Regular Member

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    Definitely a good routine to stick to. Not easy. It takes discipline. Aim at the 2 corners.
     
  17. venkatesh

    venkatesh Regular Member

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    i have an opponent in mixed doubles whose pre-serve routine takes a lot of time. she strokes the feathers one by one to straighten it up. it's really annoying, especially when i'm ready to anticipate her service. I think it's okay to have a routine, but it shouldn't take longer than one minute.
     
  18. extremenanopowe

    extremenanopowe Regular Member

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    annoyance is a strategy as long as you are not carded.... get it?
     
  19. westwood_13

    westwood_13 Regular Member

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    Routine is key and I guarantee you all the pros have one. Certainly all the national level players in Canada do.

    A big element of the routine is for focus, though. To clear to the last point from one's mind and prepare the body to re-exert.

    One thing that no one has mentioned in their routine, but that is very important, is breathing. That is key, especially when serving.
     
  20. venkatesh

    venkatesh Regular Member

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    yup. i definitely agree with this. that's why everytime she does this time-consuming routine, i pause and pretend to be doing something (like tying my shoes, checking my racket, etc.). that way, she'd be the one to wait for me, thus, annoy her also in return. :rolleyes:
     

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