I usually do a short backhand serve but when someone attacks on every one of my serves, i get really uncomfortable. mostly because i dont really know how to react when they hit it directly at me and its quite fast. so i thought of some strategies to avoid losing the point on my serves. please tell me what you think 1. train my reflexes (do drives, hit against the wall, etc) 2. do flick serves randomly 3. mix up the timing on my serves 4. do forehand serves sometimes 5. duck and let my partner get it those are some ways i thought of initially...any more suggestions? (please let me know if there is already a thread like this... did some preliminary search and didnt find this kind of threads)
If your serves can be easily attacked, that means they are too high. Practice them until they're just over the tape. Aim straight at them. Throw in the occasional flick serve if you catch them jumping onto your short serves. Once your serves are perfect, there is nothing much for your opponent to attack, so then you have to anticipate soft returns to the net and to the side midcourt. Anything else would be your rear partner's.
Persist with low serves, if they are good serves even a top player won't be able to attack easily. Good = skimming the tape
Very good advice from "Visor" I also would repeat what he said. When attacked, many novices & intermediate think flick serve is the way to go. This is suicidel. A good attacker of low serve should be very good at dealing flicks as well. Compared to low serves, attacking flicks are easy and at less risk. Challege the aggressive attacker with low serve only. He is bound to make as many mistakes equal to the out right winners he may score. And no harm in sending one or two well disguised flicks and wide serves. But your main wepon would be tight low serves. The success with low serve lies in making it as soft and gentle it can be. May be lowering the serving position (waste) helps some times to get the bird to drop soon after passing net tape. Also vary your hold time by a couple of seconds. Make a gentle push with slight top spin so that it just skims the net and falls on the T.
Maybe, maybe not. On the one hand: yes, far too many players bottle out under the slightest pressure, and start playing flick serves instead. It's essential to learn how to play good low serves when you're under pressure from an aggressive receiver. On the other hand: no, many receivers are excellent at attacking low serves and useless at attacking flicks. This can be a form of bluffing. Test them to find out!
Further adding to Gollum's reply, when dealing with an aggressive receiver, not only does your short serve has to be perfect, but you can and should occasionally "on purpose" throw in a short serve that is purposely short of the service line. This will trip him up as it would impossible to attack those, and you'll cause him to make service return errors and to question himself whether the next short serve is out or not, causing him to slow down on attacking your serves. Mind games are an important part of the service and return game in badminton.
