The serve is the only shot in badminton you fully control, yet most players treat it as a formality. At club level, a sharp serve wins free points every single game; a lazy one hands your opponent the attack before the rally begins. Here are the four serves worth knowing, what each is for, and the coaching cues that fix the most common faults.
1. The high serve
A deep, looping serve to the opponent's back tramlines. It buys you time, pushes a slower or weaker backcourt player to the back, and is standard in singles — especially against opponents who struggle with overheads from the rear court.
Cues: stand side-on, release the shuttle from roughly waist height, and swing through with a relaxed arm — the height comes from the swing, not from throwing the toss up. Aim to land the shuttle within a metre of the back line.
2. The low serve
The doubles default: a soft push that skims the net tape and lands just past the front service line, forcing a lift or a tight net reply. The goal is to make the receiver hit upward.
Cues: shorter, compact swing; the "push" comes from the hand, not the arm. Vary the target — wide to the T-junction, tight down the middle — so your opponent cannot lean on one routine. If your serves keep getting killed at the net, they are flying too high: slow the swing down and lower the contact point.
3. The flick serve
A disguised serve that looks identical to your low serve preparation, then accelerates deep to the back court. It punishes receivers who stand close and cheat forward. In doubles, one well-timed flick per game keeps the receiver honest and makes your low serves far more effective.
Cues: identical setup and rhythm as the low serve — the disguise lives in the shoulders, not the wrist flick alone. Play it sparingly: once or twice a game is enough to change behaviour.
4. The drive serve
A flat, fast serve hit at the receiver's body or hip, common in higher-level doubles. It rushes the return and forces a weak block. Use it against opponents who stand very deep or hold a lazy racket preparation.
Cues: contact the shuttle early and slightly to the side, weight already moving forward. Beware the rules: contact must still be below the waist, and a flat serve into a receiver standing close can get you pegged — mix it, don't spam it.
Serve tactics by situation
- Singles: high serve to the backhand rear court as your bread and butter; mix in low serves when opponents creep back.
- Doubles: low serve as the default, flick every so often, drive serve against deep receivers.
- Nervous moments (game point): serve your highest-percentage option, not your newest one. Game point is not the time for experiments.
Equipment notes
Serve accuracy is a string-tension story more than players expect: a bed strung too tight for your level shrinks the sweet spot and makes short serves harder to control. If your short serves keep sailing long or into the net, read our string gauge and tension guide before blaming your wrist. And if you are rethinking your whole setup, start with our beginner racket guide, then browse the rackets collection — all rackets can be strung to your preferred tension before dispatch from our Australian warehouses.