tactics against short serves in singles

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by Armortec2010, Jun 12, 2009.

  1. Armortec2010

    Armortec2010 Regular Member

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    I personally find opponents' short serves put me in a significant disadvantage compared with long ones.

    Say, an opponent i can beat when he serves long would be able to beat me 21-(10-15ish) when he serves short.

    On the other hand, me serving short doesn't yield the same results.

    Hope I made myself clear, any suggestions?
     
  2. LT - RulZ

    LT - RulZ Regular Member

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    Do you stand too far back from the service line?

    What kind of shots are you playing of his short service? Nets, lifts, drives, or just errors? The fact that you can beat your opponents when they do long serve says that you either

    - stand too far back to produce a meaningful reply

    or

    - your returns are too predictable (i.e. only lift etc)
     
  3. coachgary

    coachgary Regular Member

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    You need to analyse which shots you return serve with to find out where you're going wrong. Its probably easier to get someone to note down the shots played in the rally and assess the losing shots.

    We would need more info to help more.

    I have the same situation with one of my friends. If I high serve 80% of the time then I get a more competitive game because he has some very deceptive dropshots and good smashes. If I low serve the majority of the time then I win easily. The difference is quite exceptional.

    The reason he loses is for two reasons in the main

    1) he likes to slice the shuttle alot, even pushes/drives down the line are sliced, 50% of the time they go out.

    2) His movement backwards is somewhat slow so he has less time for his deceptive overhead shots.
     
  4. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    I agree with Gary, many people have difficulty with short serves.

    It's very tempting to vary between one or two returns, instead of keeping it varied. However, the best advice would be not to try and hit a winner every time.(!).
    You can try and lift high to one or two back-corners, you could lift it a bit more flat, or more deceptive. You could try and rush it past him, or towards his body. Or just a simple short return straight/cross (with the choice for a fast drop, or a spinning shot)

    just keep varying it, until you see he's clearly struggling with one of them..
     
  5. Armortec2010

    Armortec2010 Regular Member

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    Thanks, I'll try that.
     
  6. Armortec2010

    Armortec2010 Regular Member

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    spot on, now that I reflect, thx for pointing that out.

    I lift mostly, with some flat pushes (often go long :eek:) and netshots. The thing that works well is a bit hesitation before hitting, or fake the direction of shots, but they only work when the opponent hasn't played with me much.

    I stand in the same place when the other player is serving forehand or backhand, mostly, i.e. too far back?
     
  7. Armortec2010

    Armortec2010 Regular Member

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    thx, true for me

    I smash/drop(which usually are quite effective) much less, and clear more in this kind of game because I cannot get behind the shuttle fast enough.
     
  8. William86_98

    William86_98 Regular Member

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    i think for me would depend on how much respect you give his backhand flick serve...if it's non-existent...i'd stand at least a step or two closer than i would if he was long serving......even one step closer to the net opens up a wide variety of shots that you can play.

    for me personally....i prefer the tight drop to the net/complemented by the hold push. however, when i do lift....i would lift high to the back middle...and mentally just see it as though i was serving to start the point. i mean..after all...if i had served high....shouldnt' be losing too many of the points either..right?..and i certainly do believe that the serve is the first attack.....so if i turn his serve into my serve...shouldn't be a disadvantage for me.
     
  9. chouchoo

    chouchoo Regular Member

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    good way of thinking about it will
     
  10. Armortec2010

    Armortec2010 Regular Member

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    I tried standing <1m from the service line and lean forward today, it definitely works!! Although it means I may need to clear a few long serves awkwardly, it helps me get more chances to attack and push the opponent in the first three shots into the ralley.

     
  11. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    I think that less than one metre from the short service line is a little too close. If your opponent has a good flick serve, it should cause you trouble.

    As an example, Niels Kristian Kaldau says that he stands about 1.2 metres back from the service line. If you're not a pro, then that's probably slightly too close.

    On the other hand, if you're opponent's flick serve is not causing you any trouble, then you're right to take advantage and stand really close. It's definitely good to be aggressive in standing forwards, providing you step back again if it starts costing you points.
     
  12. gamepurpose

    gamepurpose Regular Member

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    depend on if you're a strong player. As in strong player i meant how long can you last. If you can't last really long, then just take it slowly, don't try to take out on the first shot. Example, if you push the serve, and the opponent able to return it, that's gonna makes you FLY back to get the bird, that's going to take alot of energy from you. Single is all about stamina, and accuracy.
     

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