Of course this is a recreational player. Standing in that position to receive serve, he'd have to be a recreational player.
what do you define as high level player? Because I have effectively used a drive serve against ex HK squad players (them only a few years after leaving HK squad). I watch very carefully when to use it. I look at the position of the player, his racquet position, grip and make a calculation on the probability of gaining an advantage with playing the shot. If little or no advantage, I don't use it. I need to say a drive serve does not necessarily have to go downwards after crossing the net. Neither do I think playing a drive serve a few times is a lost opportunity for practising a low serve. In the scope of things, I go to the courts every couple of weeks and already practice a few hundred low serves. I do this more frequently if preparing for a competition. The percentage of my drive serves compared to low serves is tiny. Two or three drive serves during a game is not going to change that percentage.
Eh, I don't believe this. Those ex HK squad players should be able to easily beat the top ranked WD players, and top WD players don't even come close to touching that serve.
I think a drive serve is a perfectly acceptable variation to have in ones arsenal. sometimes at high level its important to have variation serving, ie not always serving into same place, pace of serve trajectory etc... sometimes serving deeper. Sometimes high level players have a tendency to really toe the line and rush the service, a drive or flick serve introduced every now and then keeps them honest. And i think this is Cheung's point. International players can take serves right on top of the net... sometimes they move so quickly... a drive serve would make them think about rushing too quickly for the rest of the game and maybe slow them down a couple of inches at the front.... maybe doesnt sound like much... but would be a difference of them having the angle to kill a serve or have to brush it off and take some pace off... giving you a chance to return it.
I know the point you guys are making. If this were a chess forum, you guys would probably be warned for trolling, although this obviously isn't your intention. The more bad habits you learn, the lesser the peak of your play can be. The point of a drive serve is that it's simply too bad. Both chess and badminton: There's a difference between a opening is easily punished correctly against the top (the drive), and a very well prepared opening sideline which is objectively worse but may catch out the top (the flick). Getting away with a few people at a national level doesn't mean it's a good idea.
