I seem to be having problems with my short serve in double's game, my serve goes high, so the opponents find it fairly easy to attack. I do the usual under arm serve, by the way. I've seen some player slighly slicing the shuttle when the serve, to make the shuttle unstable, but not sure if that also keeps it low. As you all know good serve is very important in doubles, so feel a bit frustrated that my serve is letting my game down a bit.
b/h serve, no slice is simplest and most repeatable. Get rid of f/h serve tbh. When you say 'unstable', it sounds like you are referring to the S-serve, which is now outlawed. If not, slicing the shuttle will add stability, not detract from it.
Slicing during serve can cause the shuttle to be "unstable" and landed later and closer to the net. The receiving player often mis-judged the shuttle and react too soon or pause and reassess the shuttle. S-serve (Sidek-service) is diffrent. The shuttle flight is "unpredictable". The shuttle is held inverted during the backhand serve. S-serve contacts the feather and the base of the shuttle simultaneously.
doesn't make sense. How can it land 'later' and 'closer to the net'? 'later' implies more time in the air implies more distance (assuming it was low over the net).
It is a 'low' serve, not a 'short' serve (which is out). Pedantic point I know, but it is more important to be tight to the tape than tight to the opponent's service line. Back hand serve is struck closer to the net & is typically a shorter swing. Both are better for getting your low serve tight than the forehand. The modern trend is to strike the shuttle like a top-spin shot in tennis. The racket shaft is just off horizontal. The racket head is moving forwards and slightly upwards. The face is angled approximately square to the tape. If performed correctly, the cork travels up and over the feathers, causing the stable trajectory to originate several inches higher than the strike point. Obviously, the higher the shuttle flies from, the shallower the angle over the tape & the harder it is to attack.
I've personally only seen the "top spin" serve used by some european players, notably by the Danes but can't say I've seen many use it. Boe is probably the obvious one. Most pro doubles players, particularly the Asian players tend to use more of a flat or slight "back-spin" push serve. Interesting read on how the top spin affects the trajectory of the shuttle, but I honestly haven't seen it being used that much, in my view the flat or slight backspin push is most popular. There are also some players who turn the shuttle just before it impacts the string bed just to mix up the way the shuttle flies and keep the receiver guessing.
Look at Cai Yun and he sometimes slices under the shuttle, I was trying a few tonight out of curiosity, and found that you naturally raise your racquet head to get it better- bit risky in tournaments for foul calls. However the effect you tend to get is that the slice serve initially seems to be a deep forecourt serve( as in close to the receiver) but slows down alot quicker, which changes up the pace and can create weak replies to stop the opponent getting in a rhythm. Other than that I found it pops up a little more if hit to the line, they also fall shorter than normal serves. In order to prevent them going short you have to hit them a bit harder than the unsliced (sounds obvious but needs stating) for them to go on the line.
You wouldn't play the same serve all the time, otherwise it would be too predictable! lol You'd want to mix it up. Watch that game again but this time at his serve at 19:28.
Where did I say anyone would play the same serve all the time? Oh yes, no where. But that doesn't mean you cannot use the same technique without also using variety! (lol)
And where did I say you did say that? Fact is, what you did say was "Boe doesn't 'top spin'", but was proved wrong quite simply.
Gents, let's keep the respect in these posts. Rereading my original post (#6), I have over-stated the degree of top-spin. The technique that most county juniors have been taught is more subtle, but they are striking upwards as well as through the shuttle. I would say both of Boe's serves during the 20th minute of the youTube clip are hit with a slight top. My personal opinion is that a near-horizontal shaft at impact with a slight 'top-slice' gives the best combination of consistency and tightness to tape/service line. Beyond that, it's down to practice, mental toughness & good variation (i.e. occasional flicks and serves to the center of the receiver's box).