Singles tactics: choosing your serve and returning it
High, low and flick serves in singles: what each is for, where to aim, and how to answer them.
The idea
In singles, the serve is the first tactical choice of every rally. The BWF Level 1 Coaches' Manual (2nd edition, 2017, Module 8) describes three serves and how to answer them. It says men's and women's singles share the basics but that men's singles is generally more attacking, with fewer clears and many more low serves, while women's singles asks for a slightly more patient build-up. Treat these as tendencies, not rules.
The high serve
- Purpose: it pushes the opponent to the back, which limits the attack, and gives the server time to see the next shot. The manual says it is used mainly in women's singles and less at the top of men's singles, where it can be attacked more explosively.
- Where: usually towards the centre of the court, deep, so that the server covers the angles of return better.
- After serving: take a position slightly to the side you served to, to cover straight returns, which spend less time in the air than cross-court ones.
- Returning it: with a good-length serve, flatter attacking clears put the server under pressure; straight clears are easier to follow up than cross-court clears. If the serve is short, smashes (straight ones are easier to follow up) or dropshots can attack it.
The low serve
- Purpose: to force the opponent to lift the shuttle. The manual says low serves, especially backhand low serves, are used a great deal in men's singles, while forehand low serves are more of a variation in women's singles.
- Where: usually to the centre, to reduce the receiver's angles. As a variation, aim more at the receiver's body, which can disturb their favourite return.
- Returning it: take the shuttle early. The manual gives two options: a net shot that forces a lift you can attack (disguised as a lift, with spin, using the centre of the court to cover the angles), or a lift with a good margin for error, hidden as a net shot, with just enough height to be out of reach and aimed at the rearcourt corners.
The flick serve
- Purpose: a variation, in particular a surprise after a period of low serves, to catch the receiver off-balance. It is often directed wide to try to get a predictable straight return.
- Returning it: if you are off-balance and hitting downwards, aim for angle and accuracy and reduce the power, which gives you time to recover. A straight clear to a wide flick is possible but needs good depth. Be careful with cross-court replies: they are hard to follow up, especially when off-balance.
A drill to try
Play singles games where only low serves are allowed, with a marker halfway down the net, in the centre of the court. The returner must strike the shuttle above the marker, which encourages taking it early. Then add a bonus point for a rally won after a flick serve.
Mistakes to avoid
- Using only one serve: the receiver learns it.
- Serving high with no plan for where you stand afterwards.
- Returning a low serve late, when the shuttle is already low next to the net.
General practice advice: play within your limits and stop if something hurts.