Different Types of Serves in Badminton

Before knowing how to serve and the different types of serves in Badminton, it is important to know where to stand when you are serving. While serving, you should stand towards the center line, as close as possible.

If you stand directly behind the short service line, as close as possible, then the receiver has less time to react to your serve (because it crosses the net sooner). But this also lets the shuttlecock to be rising to the highest point on the opponent’s side, which makes it easier to attack.

Else, you can stand one small step back from the service line. This will help the trajectory of the shuttlecock to not take a full curve and makes the shuttlecock travel downwards when it passes onto the other side. But because you are standing farther from the net, the receiver has more time to react.

Basically serves are divided into two types, they are

1)      Backhand serves

2)      Forehand serves

Backhand serves are further categorized into three types. They are

1)  Backhand low serve

2)  Backhand flick serve

3)  Backhand drive serve

Backhand Low Serve:

Hold the racket out in front of you, pointing at a downwards angle. Make sure you leave plenty of space between your badminton racket and your body.

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Holding the shuttlecock in your other hand, place it onto the racket strings.

The hitting action is not a power move but a gentle push. Swing the racket backwards and gently push it forward. Right before hitting the shuttlecock, let go off it to gently touch the racket for you to give a swing hit.

The speed is not high and is consistent in this serve.

Backhand Flick Serve:

You can’t make the Backhand flick look because the whole point of a flick serve is a surprise. If your opponent anticipates the serve, then he will gain an excellent opportunity to attack.

Image Courtesy: Team Scenario

Basically, your opponent should think you are playing a low serve until the moment you hit it.

You have to keep the racket facing straight forwards all the time, or you can turn it out to your left parallel to your body by pronating your forearm

By pronating your forearm, it’s easier to get power.

Backhand Drive Serve:

The type of serve only enables short distance to travel. If you try to hit it hard, then it will simply go out at the back (if left by the receiver).

Here, control is more important here than power. You got to use a sharp, short swing with a rebound action: stop the racket head after impact (don’t allow it to follow through). A grip tightening alone that will provide you with a plenty of power to reach the back of the service box.

Forehand serves are further divided into three types. They are:

Forehand low serve

Forehand flick and drive serves

Forehand drive serve

Forehand low serve:

Stand parallel sideways to the net with left foot in front and pointing towards the front side. Right foot should be far back and should be comfortably turned on the sides depending on the requirement. Your weight should be mostly on your back foot.

Image Courtesy: Australian Olympic Committee

You should hold your badminton racket with a relaxed and short grip for a better control.

Hold the shuttlecock with all your fingers gently rounded around it. The moment of the racket comes first, while the shuttlecock comes into the path of the racket.

The hitting acting takes place while the body weight is being gently transferred to your back foot on the left foot in the front.

This is meant to be a flat serve and not a high serve, so the racket movement should be mainly forwards, not upwards.

Forehand flick and drive serve technique:

This serve is an amalgamation of flick of the wrist and arm.

Just like the backhand flick serve, it’s important not to give your opponent any clues about your intentions. This particular serve should be similar to a low serve until just before you hit the shuttlecock. In this serve, the racket hits the shuttlecock from below your waist. So it almost looks like a low serve to the opponent.

The trick of hitting is to keep it short, gentle and quick. You got to flick the wrist and pronate the arm and tighten the grip of the racket right before you hit.

Forehand high serve:

This is the serve that has a much larger swing than the other serves. In this serve, your hand holding the racket goes beyond your body line and swings front from below the level of your knees to hit the shuttlecock.

In this high serve, arm goes in full hand rotation from both the pronated and supinated swings.