Low serve or Flick serve?

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by Pureskillz76, Apr 24, 2009.

  1. Pureskillz76

    Pureskillz76 Regular Member

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    I was use to using the low serve but then my coach told me to use the flick serve. Can anybody tell me which would be better and why? Thanks
     
  2. Smash _Drop

    Smash _Drop Regular Member

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    I am assuming that you are playing doubles? The flick serve is only used in an attempt to catch your opponent out by the element of surprise. If you flick serve all the time your opponent will simply read it and smash the shuttle straight back for a sure winner every time. Work on your low serve keeping it as close to the net/tape as possible whilst it's passing over and it should start to ideally drop downwards after passing the tape. The idea is that you do not let your opponent attack your service. Oh and get a new coach :)
     
  3. RacketlonCanada

    RacketlonCanada Regular Member

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    wow, bad advice from smash drop

    depends on what you're playing, low serves are the best in international level, but if your coach wants you flick serve more often then it means you have a good defense and counter attack
     
  4. Genesis

    Genesis Regular Member

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    I'm sure your coach didn't mean to say only use flick serve over the short serve, but to start incorporating a flick serve into your arsenal to be able to keep your opponent guessing. If all you could do is low serve, the opponent would catch on and stand right at the service line and have a pretty good chance to kill your serves.
     
  5. Pureskillz76

    Pureskillz76 Regular Member

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    well, he told me to ALWAYS use the flick serve first so my opponent won't know whether i'll serve it high or low so yeah, i guess it is used to catch opponents off guard and no, i dont play singles. But assuming i was right, should i continue to play flick serves after the first point or should i switch to low serve after. I've mastered the low serve but haven't mastered the flick serve yet.
     
  6. RacketlonCanada

    RacketlonCanada Regular Member

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    OH, in doubles you should always flick serve, but adjust the height accordingly to your opponents player

    Oh and tell your coach to watch badminton, 80% short serve, 20% high (flick) serve is a good ratio.

    Only flick serve 100% of the time if your opponents have 0 smash
     
  7. azn32boi

    azn32boi Regular Member

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    You shouldn't "flick" serve all the time. Flick serve is mainly used for a deep serve. Doubles is usually a short serve, unless you can read your opponents body language and you're sure a deep serve will work. The flick serve should be fast enough so that your opponent won't even have enough time to realize it's a deep serve. If you try to flick serve a short serve, you're going to end up losing a lot of control.
     
  8. weeyeh

    weeyeh Regular Member

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    Good advice, then, not always.

    A flick serve as the first service should cause your opponent to be more wary about your future serves. This also indicates to them that you will not hesitate to flick so do not rush. The impact is similar to players who will always rush into the first serve to destablise the opponent's serves.

    It is risky business though if you do this in all games and your opponent notices it. If your first flick gets slammed down, it builds your opponent's confidence and will adversely affect yours.

    The rule is to keep your opponents guessing. Doubles is already a very fast game. You do not have to help your opponent speed it up by realising their anticipation so mix it up!!
     
    #8 weeyeh, Apr 24, 2009
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2009
  9. WhiteRice94

    WhiteRice94 Regular Member

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    RacketLonCanada you are completely and utterlessly clueless. Smash Drop explained it perfectly, and couldn't even understand the point of your post. Sorry
     
  10. RacketlonCanada

    RacketlonCanada Regular Member

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    whiterice, please respect members here: I told smashdrop that it's a bad advice to tell pureskillz to drop his coach.

    If you can't understand the point of my posts, ask for clarifications if it's too complicated for you, just like you did in your other post asking why you're not able to male your shots don't even have the snap sound effect (probably because you're not whipping enough).

    Everything that's been said here is mainly true Pureskillz hope this can help your game.
     
  11. krisss

    krisss Regular Member

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    I hope no offense to my comment coming. But I think that you should not tell the person to flick all the time.

    As smash drop said - a readable flick serve is basically like a half court smash for your opponent.Flicking is used to catch your opponent out of guard - at lower ages if people are standing right at the doubles lines then flick them (most of them can't reach their :D). The idea for a flick serve is to catch the opponent out of guard thus resulting in a bad shot or no shot.But the key to a good flick serve is depth and deception - it must look like a short serve until the last second !

    I hoep this help :D
     
  12. Smash _Drop

    Smash _Drop Regular Member

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    RacketlonCanada i agree with whiterice and feel your statement was a little bit extreme; my statement with regards to the coach was just a joke regardless of what advice he is giving.

    However I stand by my statement and believe 100% that you should have a very tight low serve which you mix up maybe 20% of the time with a flick. But it all depends on your level. In Bradford we have a league with 6 divisions, I play to good 2nd division standard and the 1st division is of a very high standard with a lot of county players, whom I also play with regularly. I have seen the standard of badminton being played at all levels, from beginners to international; I have received some good coaching and worked with the senior coach in bradford, that’s why I can say what I said with confidence.;)
     
  13. WhiteRice94

    WhiteRice94 Regular Member

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    Oh, and I suppose telling someone they had given bad advice respectful?
     
  14. WhiteRice94

    WhiteRice94 Regular Member

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    This is exactly my point. So your saying, we should always flick serve in doubles, BUT, at the same time we should short serve 80%, and high serve 20%? Oh and while your at it, you should also flick serve 100% if your opponents have 0 smash! Is it just me, or does this make no sense at all?
     
    #14 WhiteRice94, Apr 25, 2009
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2009
  15. Winex West Can

    Winex West Can Regular Member

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    Pureskillz76,
    Like all serves, the idea is not to give your opponent any idea of what you are going to do. If you always do the same serve, your opponents will recognize that and be ready to pounce on it once your racket hit the shuttle. The idea is to keep the receiver guessing as to what serve will be coming. Mixing up your serve is always a good idea and there are reasons why you would want to serve high (flick or otherwise) depending on the level that you are playing. If the receiver is a weak smasher and your and your partner can easily defend against his/her smash, why not play to your opponents' weaknesses.

    I am not sure what your coach has told you but if you consistently do the same thing over and over again, your opponents will take advantage of that. Badminton like most sports varies and are never the same game. The whole idea is to adapt and take advantage of your opponent weaknesses and minimize your own.

    The other idea of serving low as close as possible to the net ideally having the shuttle coming down after passing the net is a very good one but it won't help if you do that all the time and don't have the right speed. If your serve is accurate but slow, your opponent probably could reach the net to intercept the shuttle before it crosses over.

    The ability to do different serves (low, flick, high) or different strokes are so that you have a number of options to play keeping your opponents guessing and back on their heels.

    Main advice is to listen to the coach and ask. I think it is crucial that players understand why certain advice were given or instructions given. If someone tell you that you should do this or that, ask why so that you understand the context and also understand how you can apply that knowledge to future situations.

    I hope this help. I can't tell you what's right or wrong not having seen you play or how your coach coaches but take it upon yourself to ask. There are no stupid questions in life, it is just how we take it and internalizes the answers. Good luck.
     
  16. Smash _Drop

    Smash _Drop Regular Member

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    Good advice here...the point about speed of the low serve is valid, that it needs to be of a sufficiant speed in order to give your opponent as little time as possible to interecpet the shuttle early. What i feel is also key when serving is the style in which you serve, you can serve in ways which will make it harder for your opponents to read your serve, i find a quick service action can mean your opponent will have less time to react to your serve but this can mean your accuracy can suffer...a little off the topic here but valid none the less ;)
     
  17. Pureskillz76

    Pureskillz76 Regular Member

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    Thanks a bunch for the advice guys. I'll definitely try to mix my serves up now that u've explained why it shouold be done. Again, thanks a lot.
     
  18. bradmyster

    bradmyster Regular Member

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    watch a match with strong players and see how many flick serve they use.
    The main goal of doubles is to keep you and your partner on the attack to add as much pressure as possible.

    If you flick serve the shuttle goes up giving your opponent the opportunity to attack. Which goes against the doubles goal.
    As mentioned before the ratio of 80% short - 20% flick works well.

    Because the 20% may equate to only say 2 or 3 flick serves per set (may be more or less) more than that and your opponent will come to expect it lol.

    The other thing is for people to do a flick serve there is a slight change in body gesture as they drop and flick through the shuttle. Any decent player can read their opponents so its easy to pick up on and anticipate it.

    So id recommend short serves with 2 or 3 flicks thrown in every now and then.
     
  19. Athelete1234

    Athelete1234 Regular Member

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    You should watch out for who is good to flick against, and who you shouldn't flick against; my low serve can prevent a kill against my friend, but flicking up is just asking to get killed, cause he has the hardest smash on the team.
     
  20. RacketlonCanada

    RacketlonCanada Regular Member

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    Glad to see somebody who really understands what I'm talking about. ;)

    80% short, 20% flick, never serve long because it only gives attack. Only reason why you should change this ratio is because the receiver has a bad smash.
     

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