Doubles service: variation of hitting action

I would like to share a discovery that I made in practice recently.

As some of you know, I have experimented with variations in technique for the doubles low serve (backhand). For my previous experiments, see the following threads:

http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=28806
http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21369

In this thread, I want to describe another variation that shows some promise. Once again, the idea is to use slice to improve the trajectory of the low serve.


The two different styles of backswing

With the backhand serve, there seem to be two main styles of backswing.

In the first style, the player's backswing involves moving the racket directly backwards from the wrist and elbow; there is no (or very little) rotation of the forearm. The racket strings will always be facing the shuttle. This is what I normally use.

In the second style, the player's backswing also involves rotation (supination) of the forearm. The racket strings will be rotated away from the shuttle so that they are pointing more to the left and upwards (assuming righthanders). Then on the forward swing they will rotate back (supinate) towards the shuttle. I notice that many international players use this type of backswing.

Using the first style, it is arguably easier to direct the shuttle straight (because the racket is not turning as you hit); using the second style, it is easier to hit a flick serve or sliced wide low serve to the left.


Using the second style of backswing to slice under the shuttle

Some international players slice underneath the shuttle for spin, by starting their swing with the strings facing downwards and rotating the racket to cut underneath the shuttle as they hit (strings facing upwards). Lee Jae Bok demonstrates this on his www.ibbs.tv video (low serve in doubles).

I found this hitting action awkward and difficult, and I can't understand how to play service variations from it.

Yet let's go back to the second common style of swing, described above. Notice that, once the backswing is complete, the racket strings are facing upwards, not straight forwards. From this position, we can easily slice under the shuttle simply by taking the racket straight forwards.

So on the backswing we rotate the racket, but on the forward swing we move it straight forwards instead, without much rotation. This is very close to what Kwun describes in one of his posts from the aforementioned threads: http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showpost.php?p=214608&postcount=10

This allows us to undercut the shuttle, making it spin very slightly, so that it will decelerate and fall shorter than normal. That allows us to make a tighter serve and still hit the short service line.

There is a second benefit to this method: it nullifies the problem of hitting the shuttle directly straight. With the second style of backswing, the forwards arm rotation introduces some sideways inaccuracy in the placement of the shuttle (at least, it does for me). So I find the first style of backswing better for placing the shuttle right by the service T. But with this variation, the second swing now has no forward rotation and therefore does not introduce any sideways inaccuracy.

I will continue to practice this variation, because:

• It seems to let me slice under my low serves with good consistency, so that I get a tighter shuttle path;
• It seems to make my flick serves somewhat easier;
• It makes my wide sliced low serve to the left much easier.

Maybe you could try it too

 

Another couple of points worth mentioning:

Since the racket is pointing to the left as well as upwards, you can add a little sideways slice too if you want. I have got the best results so far, however, by concentrating on the undercutting slice.

The slice is quite subtle; I think it's better to start with a small amount of slice and gradually increase it.

I practised again today, and found that, when I was hitting correctly, the serves would dip noticeably and also shake slightly in the air (wobble). Occasionally they behaved more strangely, tumbling and swerving slightly (and falling out!). This swerving was much less pronounced than with the S-serve, but it is a legal hit.

As ryenug says, however, there is a tendency for the serve to "pop up" if you mishit it.

 

Err.....pass. One of them, for sure

 

An update:

I tried this serve in my clubnight. At first it didn't work especially well -- it was slightly worse than my normal, simple serve; I hit several serves into the net.

In the latter half of the clubnight, however, it worked superbly well By the end of the night, my serve had become more consistent than usual. This never happened with the other slicing methods that I tried: they always made my serve less consistent.

About 1/3 of the serves were perfect, landing on or very near the T, travelling in a slight wobbling spiral path, and dipping noticeably as they passed the net. I got several aces off the serve (people were convinced it would fall short), and almost all the returns were lifts. This does not usually happen to me.

By the end of the clubnight, I had stopped playing any service variations at all. Every serve was a low serve to the T.

It sounds implausible, I know. I probably wouldn't believe it if some random forum member made this claim to me. I'd think he was exaggerating.

I just hope that I can keep doing this. And for anyone with a good existing backhand serve who is looking for that extra edge, I highly recommend this method. I hope it will work for you too

It took me about 4 hours practice to get this to work (although I have spent some dozens of hours practising doubles serve in general). I have noticed that, for me, it is crucial to play this serve in a relaxed, fluid way.

 

I don't know of any photos/links for this. I might eventually upload my own if there is sufficient interest (and assuming I continue to value this technique).

I will try to describe what I do as precisely as possible. Bear in mind that this is only what has worked for me, and I do not (yet!) have experience of coaching this technique.

Preparation

• Relaxed backhand thumb grip, held short;
• Racket and shuttle out in front of body at comfortable arm's reach;
• Racket strings facing neither upwards nor downwards. This is important;
• Shuttle held by a feather and pointed inwards so that it is perpendicular to the strings. This is important;
• Hand holding shuttle rests lightly on racket frame so that shuttle is slightly off centre. This is probably not important;
• Racket angle is more than 45 degrees below horizontal, but not completely vertical. I guess 60 degrees away from horizontal (30 degrees away from vertical). This is important. If the racket is closer to horizontal, I find the cutting action does not work;
• Standing right at the front corner of the T;
• Both feet side by side (neither foot forward). This is probably not important;
• Shuttle held so that it is just slightly below the waist (lowest rib).

Backswing

• Racket head rotated to point left, by forearm rotation combined with wrist extension. There is very little visible arm movement. This is essential;
• The leftwards-pointing angle is quite large. I guess that if you are standing in the right service court, the racket will be pointing roughly to the left edge of the net;
• Very slight movement of the racket towards the body by very small amount of elbow flexion (bending).

Forward swing and hitting

• Swing is more straight forwards rather than rotating back. This is essential;
• Elbow extends beyond the original relaxed preparation position;
• Slight ulnal deviation of wrist to assist undercutting movement;
• Forward swing must be relaxed and compact;
• Slicing is subtle. This is important. No big swing across or up, just a gentle undercutting push and a very slight rightwards drag;
• Shuttle is released from the fingers at the last moment, not dropped into the racket path. This is important.

 

A video (or selected stills from a video) might be even better. I'm hoping to get a video camera soon; maybe I can film my service.

I think you're right that your lack of consistency is mainly because you drop the shuttle too early. Try releasing it from the fingers (and make sure it is pointing inwards, horizonatally not vertically, when you hold it).

 

A further observation from practice:

Over the last couple of weeks, I seemed to lose and regain my touch for this serve: sometimes it would spin, and sometimes it wouldn't, and I could not work out why.

I now think I know the reason. There are two additional coaching points that allow me to make more consistent spin:

• Hold the shuttle at a horizontal angle, so that the feathers are pointing somewhat towards the left.
• Slice both across and underneath the shuttle, with the slice starting towards the right side of the racket strings (so there is more dragging of the strings across the shuttle).

With this type of slicing, the spin can also be heavier. Yet this also causes some problems to the server. The serve is more likely to fall short, and greater practice would be needed to gain consistency. Also, the new angle of the shuttle makes it travel somewhat left (this exacerbates the problem of falling short). Some correction must be made to the body angle and serving position to account for this leftwards deviation.