Four Fundamental Types of Badminton Serve to Master and Control the Rally

The serve is the start of a Badminton rally and is the most valuable aspect of a game. It is a shot that has to be done correctly to win the points. One must have to take time to get ready for the shot, no excuse to get it wrong.

To begin the rally, one player has to serve it in an upward direction and stand inside a service court. This is the first shot that a player has complete control of it no matter how strong and fast an opponent is.

Types of Badminton Serves

Let’s understand basic Badminton serve techniques that can help you get a good start in the game.

High Serve:

The name itself suggests that it has a highly curved path that goes to the back service line of your opponent’s side. If it is hit correctly, it may end with a sharp vertical fall. It is not an easy return for your rival.

Take position near the centerline and set your non-racket leg forward and another foot should be back (one step) with an outward angle a little bit. Hold the shuttlecock by feathers, and pull a racket behind to get ready for a wide backswing. Next, just drop a shuttle and hit it to send it high to the back corner of the court.

To achieve a certain vertical length and distance, make sure the energy is transferred properly which can be achieved through a perfect swing. The energy transfers through your body rotation & shifting your body mass from the back to the right foot.

This serve is in demand in singles. When one executes properly to the target corner, the chance is lower for an opponent to return adequately.

Please Consider: if your opponent is good at executing return, you may lose the points. Before executing this serve, make sure you know your opponent's strong and weak points.

Low Serve (Short Serve):

The low serve is a serve that reaches a height barely about a few inches above the net and drops around the short service line. When it is executed properly, an opponent doesn’t have an opportunity to counterattack your serve efficiently, only return is an option for him.

When a master serves it perfectly, it will start dropping quickly towards the short service line, if an opponent takes some extra time to return, the chances are higher that he missed it and you will get time. A receiver can just lift it not smash it, it will benefit to serving man to convert it into a smash opportunity immediately.

This serve is good while playing in doubles as the receiving team has limited shot choices to return the serve. It works well against the tall & aggressive players.

In the modern Badminton game, this serve has been gaining popularity because some professional-level players can easily respond to high serve with their height and ability to jump higher to smash the shuttlecock.

Please Note: An unwritten rule of thumb:  Maintain your offensive position in the Badminton to ace.

Flick Serve:

Flick Serve is considered as an offensive serve that goes upward direction and lands near the far service line. The position of the server is similar to the Low Serve but it may surprise the opponent who anticipates the typical low serve. A server uses his wrist & thump power at the last movement to execute the flick serve.

Despite not getting the height as in a long server, it gains a certain height to sail quickly above the receiver’s reach. This works beautifully in the doubles game to surprise the receiver who thinks it is just a low serve.

The Flick Serve is a punishment to the receivers who are not that good at responding and moving in the backcourt. Today, players play smart and stand a few steps away from the short line to jump & covert the Flick Serve into a controlled smash to win some points. So, be prepared for such a smash quickly after the serve.

Drive Serve:

Known as flat serve, Drive Serve is a quick offensive serve that travels faster to the mid to far end line of an opponent’s court. This serve relies on how much power you deliver to the shuttlecock through the wrist and thumb. The racket angle plays an important role in differentiating between flick and drive serve.

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It’s a kind of high-risk, high-reward drive because of its ability to surprise receivers or get surprised as you may lose your offensive rhythm in the game. You try it when your opponent quickly identifies your short & flick serve.

If executed well, it may jam the motion of your opponent or mishit. A weak return can give the upper hand to the serving team to play aggressively to get quick points.

The Bottom Line:

You have all four basic drives in the Badminton game, now you just start practising on it and create some diversified shots to start rallies which will be in your control. A low Serve is a good start but adding some spice to the other three serves can help you outnumber your opponent in the game.

Keep practising and enjoy beating your opponents!