Hi, I am little confused now that I have seen multiple videos of taufik,lin dan and chong wei. It seems like taufik and and lin dan switches to the upper grip position when executing the backhand serve but chong wei keeps it on the lower grip position. I could be wrong..... but I know in mens doubles that it is without doubt that the correct technique is to use the upper grip position for serves, but what about men singles? If you asked me, it would make more sense to serve with the lower grip position due to the fact that the natural grip position for men singles is the lower grip position. Besides that, backhand serves in men singles are executed closed to the mid court position as opposed to mens doubles(closest possible to the serve line) and the extra extension helps when retrieving net shots. Let me know what you guys think! Thanks.
i dont think it matters too much as long as the person serving is comfortable and consistent with their serve with whichever grip they use. Regarding the pros as soon as they serve they will quickly be able to adjust thier grip as soon as they have served.
Agree completely with minty31. There is no real advantage to serving with either short or long grip in singles. Having a long grip will mean less changes when having to retrieve a shot at net, sides or rearcourt, but a short grip MAY help the production of racket head speed and hence serving power for flick serves, or help quick response to a fast return of serve like a drive of shallow lift. If your opponent played a drive return at your body, you would like a short grip for the best options on your choice of shot. Thus, both have advantages and disadvantages, but as minty31 said, you have so much time after serving to then adjust your grip before the next shot, it really is irrelevant what you start with!
i find gripping higher on the racket (shorter effective racket length) give better feel but less leverage when i need to do a flick serve. i tend to do that when the shuttle is still fresh and fast to prevent my flick from going long. when the shuttle slows down, i hold lower down the handle.
