Birdies Squad

The serve: what makes it legal

Positions, feet, height under 1.15 m, no spin and continuous racket movement, in plain words.

Published · Rules and umpiring

Level : Beginner

Why the serve has strict rules

The serve starts every rally, and it is the only stroke where one player decides alone when to start. Without limits, a server could hit from high up or with a trick that the receiver cannot read. The laws therefore fix how the serve is made.

The conditions, one by one

All of the following come from Law 9.1 of the BWF Laws of Badminton, edition in force 26 April 2025.

  1. Direction. The shuttle goes upwards from the racket, passes over the net and lands in the receiver's service court, on or within its lines.
  2. Positions. Server and receiver stand in diagonally opposite service courts, without touching the lines of those courts.
  3. Feet. Some part of both feet of the server and the receiver stays in contact with the floor, not moving, from the start of the serve until it is delivered.
  4. No spin. The server releases the shuttle without adding spin, and the racket first hits the base of the shuttle.
  5. Height. The whole shuttle is below 1.15 m from the floor at the instant it is hit.
  6. Movement. The racket keeps moving forward from the start of the serve until the shuttle is hit.
  7. No miss. If the server tries to serve and misses the shuttle, it is a fault.

When does the serve start?

Once both players are ready, the first forward movement of the server's racket head is the start of the serve. Delaying after the backward movement of the racket head is counted as undue delay. The server must not serve before the receiver is ready, but a receiver who tries to return the serve is considered ready.

Mistakes to avoid

Doubles

In doubles, the partners may stand anywhere in their own half, as long as they do not block the view of the opposing server or receiver (Law 9.5).

General practice advice: play within your limits and stop if something hurts.

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