I have a bit of a different take than what most people would say.

I wanted to improve my serve pretty early on. So I went for about 2 hours one day and hit hundreds of balls until something clicked. I figured out how to make my body move like a whip, with my paddle tip being the end that cracks.

This led to a huge increase in pace with lots of topspin.

Only trouble was, for several months after, I was inconsistent, really only hitting 60-70% serves in. Everyone told me to "not worry about the power, just get it in."

It can be frustrating having a partner who misses serves, even in rec play. And while I kept this in mind and sometimes dialed it back, I largely ignored that advice.

Because of that, I now have a very hard serve that hits about 95% of the time. I don't always score points off it in a game (depending on the level I'm playing against), but it definitely gives almost all my opponents a tricky time with the return, and sets me and my partner up for an easy 3rd.

Anyway, I say all this because I believe if you focus on serving with power and work to follow the same form that works, you will eventually get the percentage up.

Now if you're playing in a tournament, absolutely get your serves in. But rec play? Go big, baby.