Acceptance by administrators, coaches and players alike requires sport science research to be valid, repeatable and to meet the perceived needs of the specific sport. David Waddell certainly worked towards these goals in badminton. In this paper I will provide a three stage approach (flow from basic to applied research followed then by research dissemination) that has been shown to be successful in tennis and cricket. Basic research is essential to establish testing and data analysis protocols that are valid, repeatable and answer questions of interest. Applied research then needs to be of sufficient depth to make a difference to coaching philosophy. Applied findings must then be interpreted for coaches in a meaningful manner. In this paper I will focus on the tennis serve to show the depth of understanding required to 'make a difference'. Finally a brief discussion will be included on areas of current research, within the framework of this topic.
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