Backhand serve

I'd forgotten about Sogaard.!

OK somepoints about f/hand vs b/hand serve in doubles.

There is a definate advantage for using b/hand serve.

The shuttle can be held closer to the net when preparing to serve:
1) This gives the opponent less time to rush the net on service return
2) Less reaction time for the opponent to react to a flick (if they stand close to the service line)

Furthermore:
3) After f/hand serve, you immediately have to move your feet square on to cover shots to your b/hand. No such problem with b/hand serve.
4) After b/hand serve, very easy to to follow through upwards and your racquet is already up threatening net returns. Not so natural after f/hand serves
5) After b/hand serve, much easier to do quick shuffle to the net for net kills/taking net shots early. More awkward on a f/hand serve when the feet are in the reverse position.
6) Some people might say, after b/hand serve shuttlecock travels to receiver with the white shirt of the server in the background. This can put off the receiver. (I have my doubts on this one)
7) I suspect the serve you mention about twisting the forearm for a drive serve using forearm might actually be a fault. (racquet face above level of wrist). Very easily and unknowingly done. B/hand serve is more clearcut about fault serve
8) Both are equally versatile and precise IF practiced enough.


BUT b/hand serve is harder to master than f/hand. For people at lower levels of play, they will prefer f/hand serve because better quality. Why is it better quality? Because they probably used it in every game they've played. Those people never tried b/handserve so just by pure number of times they perform the serve, f/hand always wins out.

Moving up the levels of play, some people have a 'better' side f/hand or b/hand so they prefer this way.

So the most important thing is that the serve has to be of good quality. If f/hand and b/hand serve are of equal quality, then I would pick b/hand because of the reasons above.

Definately, I think many of your opponents are inexperienced if they have such problems with your f/hand serve.

Some side notes:
Razif Sidek of M'sia had a lot of problems with f/hand serve. Opponents recognised this and would pound it. He would then resort to flick serve. Eventually he switched to b/hand in the latter part of his career.
Even Park Joo Bong had f/hand serve. But even he changed round to b/hand serving sometimes (his serve not so good as his partner).
 
Originally posted by dlp
The only recent top player in doubles I can recall, to employ a forehand serve was Soogard and his serve broke down often in the tightest matches, I feel he could have won more titles with a better (backhand?) serve.

Any other top players serving forehand, is it a weakness?
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I haven't seen Michael Søgaard use the forehand serve for years. That must have been a long time ago?
 
Originally posted by gerry


All I can say is that your opponants must have a poor stance or are slow to react, I can honestly say than in all of my badminton life, I've never had to reply with a backhand shot whilst receiving serve. Even when someone has tried to serve from the tramlines on the right hand court to my deep backhand side, I just adjust my stance and play an around the head smash, they usually only try it once.
I'm 48 now and still would never have to reply with a backhand shot no matter how deep, flat or fast the serve was !!!
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what about if the serve is aiming to ur lower body? smash? no way, man...

I agree with ur 1st sentence. It's true there's no pro in my club. However, I don't really think u can do a "around head smash" on my serve, since my serve is kinda low, say, below ur shoulder's height, and close to ur body. I can't really think anyone can do "around head smash" for this kinda serve.

Also, i am not using this serve 100% all the time, since of course, ppl will figure out someway (surely not around head smash) to against me. I have other serves as well, and I always mix using everything to get ppl in trouble.
 
Originally posted by andymcg
I always thought that the advantage of a backhand serve is that the movement is a shorter one than a forehand serve and therefore its easier to repeat again and again. There is less that can go wrong with a short movement.
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I would think that it's harder since the movement is so short, being off by a little bit would mean a large percentage change in the force applied to the bird.
 
it totally puzzles me why some double players use forehand serve fulltime. I only use FH serve for only one particular angle or just to throw the opponent off mentally.
 
Originally posted by bigredlemon


I wonder how many people are only doing backhand serves because they are emulated the pros, rather than because it's actually better to them.
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We're not emulating the pros. Rather, it's a better and logical serve to use in doubles. Read what cheung wrote.
I too feel that there's a tendency to foul serve when using the short forehand serve in doubles.

It's good to use in Singles nowadays but your court coverage (footwork) must be good. Rem that as the shuttle takes a shorter time to travel to the other side, you'll also have less time to react to the next shot. Not so if you're using the forehand serve in Singles. It's better to use in Singles as usually, your opponent will have the tendency to lift the shuttle.... giving you the chance to attack. A forehand serve is more defensive shot.
 
Originally posted by LazyBuddy


what about if the serve is aiming to ur lower body? smash? no way, man...
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I'm sorry Lazybuddy but there's no way that legally you could drive serve to my lower body, unless you are over 8' tall !!

The net is 5' high, and you are hitting the shuttle on an upward trajectory (if you are serving legally) so on a drive serve it isn't going to be below my head height even if I stood upright.
 
Originally posted by gerry


The net is 5' high, and you are hitting the shuttle on an upward trajectory (if you are serving legally) so on a drive serve it isn't going to be below my head height even if I stood upright.
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I can understand what u mean. It's right that if the opponent stands right behind the line, i can't use this serve very effectively. Since like u said, I can't server as low as I want to.

However, consider the fact that sometimes, ppl do have several steps behind the line to receive serve. Why this? While, as I metioned before, I have more than 1 type of serve, therefore, sometimes, I can trick them (yeah yeah, they are not a pro as u do...) by various strategies. Therefore, when they are kinda keep the same distance away from the line, this serve (maybe it's not call a drive serve, my friend, kinda hard to describe by wording) will work much better.

Anyway, my point is, this serve is #1 legal, #2 very effective under situation (I am confident in a game, I can get this kinda situation more than once), #3, maybe agaist a pro like u, I will be dead, but good enough for now...
 
Originally posted by bigredlemon


I would think that it's harder since the movement is so short, being off by a little bit would mean a large percentage change in the force applied to the bird.
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Sorry, that doesn't apply.

But what does apply is that the shorter movement is easier to control, therefore the percentages of making a good serve increases.
 
Originally posted by LazyBuddy

However, consider the fact that sometimes, ppl do have several steps behind the line to receive serve. Why this? While, as I metioned before, I have more than 1 type of serve, therefore, sometimes, I can trick them (yeah yeah, they are not a pro as u do...) by various strategies.
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why do they stand several feet behind the line.
Ans : a) too afraid of being caught out by flick serve
b) not reacting fast enough after the serve is made which may be due to:
i) lack of training
ii) not enough leg strength for this situation
iii) hand speed not short, quick movement (
iv) lack of experience and skill in adapting to different angle of serve
v) lack of concentration
 
Originally posted by Cheung


why do they stand several feet behind the line.
Ans : a) too afraid of being caught out by flick serve
b) not reacting fast enough after the serve is made which may be due to:
i) lack of training
ii) not enough leg strength for this situation
iii) hand speed not short, quick movement (
iv) lack of experience and skill in adapting to different angle of serve
v) lack of concentration
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I agree. Maybe different reason apply to different person.

Like I mentioned before, this serve can only apply several times in a match under particular situation. When aginst good player, it's not going to be very effective.
 
Many people feel the backhand style for the low serve gives them better control. I think that's an individual thing. I see only three advantages of using the backhand for the low serve, and one of them isn't significant anymore most of the time...

1. Since the backhand serve is hit out in front of the body of the server, the server can deliver the serve from right up at the front service line, so the shuttle will travel the minimum distance, giving the receiver the minimum time to react. This would be awkward--but not impossible--to do with the forehand serve.

2. The serve is easier to deliver with a minimal amount of arm movement, making it more difficult for the receiver to anticipate.

3. This isn't so much of a factor anymore, but originally there was an advantage to serving backhand style because players wore white, and the receiver would have a harder time seeing the shuttle when it was served from the white clothing background.

Initially, the backhand serve was used only in doubles and by the lady in mixed. Later, I began seeing it increasingly used by men in mixed. Now I see it used a lot in singles because of the increased use of the low serve. If you favor the traditional high, deep serve, forehand is still the logical way to go.
 
For low serving / flick serving the backhand serve is generally the best, Thats it !

The backhand serve was used more prevalently in singles recently especially when playing to 7 points because the game has become faster and more players are opting for low serve.

If you take a group of beginners most will serve forehand.
As you move up in standard to higher leagues or county play you will see almost no forehand doubles serve, especially in mens. Simply because the backhand is better. All other considerations aside the abilty to skim the shuttle over the net under pressure is paramount and is most easily achieved by the backhand serve.
 
Played mostly singles growing up and I've been doing forehand service for most of those years until recently, when I try to work on a backhand service. I totally agree with cheung and others regarding the benefits of a backhand serve but since around 80% of the people at my club use backhand serves, I would sometime just mix it up w/ both backhand and forehand just to give opponents different looks on the service.

However, just to clarify up some rules, in backhand serve, the same rule of serving below your waste also applies as well right? The reason I brought this up is because I've noticed some people at the club, around 50%, either backhand serve at chest height or slightly above the waist. Not sure if they simply don't know the rules or just chose to disregard it.
 
Very true - I played a match against a player at the weekend who struck the shuttle with his entire racket well above his waist, but would not change it or agree it was a fault.

He might as well have smashed it at us and the the shuttle would have had the same trajectory :D
 
Originally posted by andymcg
Very true - I played a match against a player at the weekend who struck the shuttle with his entire racket well above his waist, but would not change it or agree it was a fault.

He might as well have smashed it at us and the the shuttle would have had the same trajectory :D
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Completely agrees. Backhand serve has many advantages over forehand serve when done correctly and even more so when done INCORRECTLY since you can flick right at someone's throat like bigredlemon has mentioned before in another thread.
 
Careful if you call fault

Just remember nobody has defined where the waist actually is!!!!

It is NOT where your belt goes (for men).
 
Re: Careful if you call fault

Originally posted by Cheung
Just remember nobody has defined where the waist actually is!!!!

It is NOT where your belt goes (for men).
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usually it's defined by where the lowest part of ur rib cages are
 
Re: Re: Careful if you call fault

Originally posted by JChen99


usually it's defined by where the lowest part of ur rib cages are
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doesn't Urkel wear his pants that high?? :D Ahhhh nevermind... american TV joke no one understands....

anyways I think i'll see who actually follows this rule tonite
 
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