Article from Learning Badminton

Badminton, like tennis, can boast a wide and exciting range of serves. Unlike tennis, it cannot indulge in the easy luxury of hitting downwards thunderbolts at a receiver over 24 meters away. The laws of badminton are particularly restrictive where the serve is concerned.

The High Serve
The aim of the high serve is to force your opponent back in court and to blunt his/her attack. To play the shot stand sideways on with your left shoulder and foot pointing into the diagonally opposite court. By way of preparation, hold the shuttle, between thumb and forefinger, with outstretched arm and shoulder height, so that if dropped it would fall a foot outside your leading foot, the left one. Sway backwards so that your weight is on the back foot. With arm bent and wrist cocked, the racket is held up almost vertically behind and to the right of your thigh. Choose your target area, then simply open thumb and forefinger to allow the shuttle to drop straight, sweeping the racket down to meet it, with the heel of the hand leading, the arm straightening, the body turning square to the net, and the knees bending slightly.

The Low Serve
The aim of the low serve is to strike the shuttle with the flattest possible trajectory. So that it starts to drop just before crossing and literally skimming the tape and therefore cannot be hit down. As with the high serve, stand sideways on, facing the receiver diagonally. So, with left foot and shoulder forward, stand tall, weight slightly on the back foot. Hold the shuttle's skirt at the top between forefinger and thumb with arm bent so that when released the shuttle will drop just to the right of your leading foot. With the right hand, hold the racket in the conventional rip. Ensure that your grip is relaxed - not too tight and not too loose. Place the racket, pointing downwards, just to thigh. No power is needed so a longer back swing is not required. Bend the arm as far as you comfortably can to bring he racket-head up vertically as high as possible. This will give you a flatter trajectory. And the wrist is firstly cocked back - and kept cocked back throughout the shot. Now, choose your target area and take your time.

The Flick Serve
If you always serve low your opponent will eventually anticipate it. So you just have a surprise up your sleeve so that he/she is never quite certain. That surprise is the 'flick'. Hopefully it will wrong-foot your opponent, forcing a weak, smashable return or score an outright glorious winner. It must be a surprise, a look-alike, if it is to survive. So it is played in every way exactly like the low service. But, a foot - no more- before impact, the wrist you kept so unfalteringly locked back to secure a flat trajectory in the low serve, is crisply uncooked. The shuttle rises - but only just high enough to escape the upraised racket and drops near the back doubles service line. The low service is played with the wrist cocked back throughout the flick with a flick of the wrist.

The Drive Serve
This is another variant of the low serve for sparing and surprise use. Its aim is to hit the shuttle fast, and as flat as the laws permit, into a gap or at a vulnerable target such as the face or a weak backhand in the right court. To be effective it must have speed and surprise. So once again it is played exactly like the low service until just a foot before impact when the right hand is suddenly speeded up. But to keep the trajectory flatfish, and so less vulnerable, the wrist just be kept cocked back as in the low serve.

The Angled Drive Serve
This is a variant of a variant... of the drive serve. To gain a still wider angle, be your serving base from near the center line to the doubles side-line. Place your feet carefully, so that you are not infringing the rules by standing on a line. The right foot is placed right up to it, the left, a little further forward away from it. Again, your left shoulder points to the diagonally opposite corner. The shuttle is however held as far out over the sideline as is consistent with remaining on balance. This gives you a still wider angle of attack. Once again, simply jab towards he backhand target areas - powerfully.

The Backhand Low Serve
Neither the high nor the very high serve are often played backhanded, so forget them. Do, however remember and practise the backhand low serve and flick to of course. They must always be considered together, for one without the other is of little use. The backhand low serve provides an admirable alternative to the forehand version. As with all backhand shots use the backhand grip, thumb behind the handle, and point the right foot forward - right up to the front service line. The left is little behind and to one side. Hold the shuttle, arm straight, at about 45 degrees just below the top of your hip, well in front of your stomach. With right arm well bent and wrist cocked, place the racket-head vertically, immediately behind the shuttle. Your elbow is high. It may see a little awkward but you'll soon get used to it. Now, relax and select your target area, as usual. Then draw the racket back as long or as short a distance as you like - right back to your body or a few inches. Without pause, your back swing becomes your forward swing, though 'push' is again a more accurate description. Simply extend the bent forearm, keeping the wrist cocked, to make contact with the shuttle in front of the body, just below hip height. Follow through quite gently for just a foot or so to dispatch the shuttle on its net-skiing way. Then, smartly, bend the arm upwards to bring the racket-head to tape level and move in to the net. There are four distinct advantages to this serve. 1) The shuttle is struck 0.5m in front of the front service line not 0.6 behind it,; a saving of nearly 1.2 in valuable meters. This gives your opponent some 20 percent less time to move in to attack. 2) White shuttle held directly in front of white sweater is ore difficult to spot quickly against, perhaps, a green or brown background. 3) The forward swing is very short. Errors are therefore reduced. 4) Even today, quite a number of players have not been on its receiving end before. Consequently, rather like a 'gooly' at cricket, it holds a certain daunting threat.

The Backhand Flick Serve
Strangely, this, unless you have a strong wrist, is the one snag with the backhand low serve if played with a weak wrist will make it impossible for it to achieve sufficient height to escape early interception - and annihilation. A longer back swing will help. And that, together with an average wrist, should just do the trick. Once again, for deception, the flick must be played exactly like the low serve. Remember, whatever back swing you have for one you just have for the other. Remember too, the added power needed, as from late wrist action not early, and easily detectable, faster or longer arm action. Follow through is minimal and recovery quick. It's called a flick service. That's just what it