How do you start right in a badminton game? By serving right. How do you serve right? There is no one-line answer for that! The serve sets the flow for the rally. A good serve can give you an upper hand to begin with. Let us look at the different kinds of badminton serves and how to go about hitting them –
The Long Serve
It is a good service to start with for beginners as it gives them time to get ready for the next shot. Here, you hold the shuttle in the playing hand such that it is perpendicular to the ground. Use a forearm grip, swing the racket from front to back to front and hit the shuttle high while shifting your weight from the non-racket foot to the racket leg. The shuttle should travel so that it will fall at the deep, rear end of the court. The aim is to make the opponent return the shuttle from the farthest point in the court so that the return will be weak and you can take advantage of it. The long serve is typically used in the singles game.
Do remember that this service is not easy to disguise. The opponent will expect the shuttle to land at the back of the court on the basis of your position and forehand grip.
The Short Serve
The short serve can be hit either with the backhand or forehand. You use an underarm action to hit it. As a beginner, you must learn the basic underarm backhand serve. Point both feet forward with the racket leg a little ahead as compared to the other leg. Hold your racket in your forearm, such that the racket is in front of you. The head of the racket should be below your waist. Hold it with a loose backhand grip. Hold the shuttle by the feathers with the non-racket hand in front of the racket’s face. The shuttle’s feathers must face the top part of the net. Take your racket slightly behind to generate momentum just enough to hit the shuttle with the flick of the wrist. Avoid too much arm movement or body movement. The aim of the short serve is to hit the shuttle just over the net for it to fall just over the front line of his service court. This serve is used to force the opponent into lifting the shuttle.
You should be careful to not hit the shuttle too high as then the opponent can smash it or kill the rally at the net. Check this video for a practical demonstration.
The Drive Serve
The drive serve is an attacking serve. It is usually done by the forehand. You drop the shuttle a little on the side of your body and hit the shuttle with an underarm action from just below the waist level. Hit the shuttle forcefully so that the shuttle travels with a lot of speed just above the net towards the opponent’s body. The aim is to limit the time the opponent gets to return. As the shuttle is travelling speedily, the opponent can be caught unawares and might make a mistake.
Do note, that the opponent can return the shuttle forcefully or smash it straight back at you. He can take advantage of the momentum in the shuttle.
The Flick Serve
The flick serve also sends the shuttle high and towards the back court, but the height and distance is lesser as compared to a long serve. To do a flick serve, hold the shuttle in the non-racket hand such that the feathers face the top of the net. Hold your racket in your forearm with a backhand grip. Just before you serve, bring the shuttle forward so that the angle of hitting the shuttle is different from the short serve. With the power of your thumb, and some momentum of the wrist, hit the shuttle high to the back of the court. It should be high enough that the opponent cannot reach the shuttle straightaway. It is a good serve to use in the singles and doubles games. If the shuttle travels far back in the court, you can be prepared to attack. It aims to keep the opponent guessing if the service is going to be a short serve or a flick serve. Click here to get some visual guidance.
Tips To Serve Better
> Practice! You can get better only with practice. Learn the right technique and practice the different kinds of serves on the court to be consistent on court.
> While playing a game, ensure that you mix up your serves. Do not use only the long serve or only the backhand short serve. Try out the different serves and surprise the opponent.
> As beginners, when we are serving, we tend to look only at the shuttle. Remember to look at the opponent. You get an inkling of his strategy and also gives the impression that you are geared up to play tough. For example, if you see the opponent coming forward to kill your service, you can do a flick serve. He will be forced to change his movement.
