Many beginners who have just started playing badminton singles are often stumped by the backhand net serve—they always feel awkward holding the racket and can’t find the direction of their force. The served ball either flies too high and goes out of bounds, or lands too close and gets directly smothered by the opponent. Actually, this movement can be completely broken down into several simple steps, and even total beginners can master it quickly even if it’s their first time trying.
1. Master the Standard Preparation Posture¶
Good preparation is the first step to a good serve, which has 3 small details:
1. Stance: For right-handed players, place your left foot forward and right foot back, with your feet shoulder-width apart. Shift your weight onto your back foot (right foot), turn your body slightly sideways to the net, and stand about 10 centimeters behind the singles service line, close to the center line of the court to avoid serving wide. If you are left-handed, just reverse the front and back positions of your left and right feet.
2. Grip: Use the backhand grip—turn your hand from the forehand grip so that the wide side of the racket handle faces your palm, and gently press your thumb against the wide side. Keep your other fingers naturally curled around the racket handle, keep your wrist relaxed throughout, and don’t grip the handle tightly like you’re clenching a fist.
3. Ball Toss Preparation: Hold the shuttlecock with your non-racket hand (left hand for right-handed players). Pinch the base of the shuttlecock feathers with your thumb and index finger, hold the cork facing downward, and naturally lift it to the front-left of your body, at about waist height, 30 centimeters away from your body.
2. Correct Details of the Ball Toss¶
The ball toss is the key to an accurate serve. Beginners often fall into two traps: either tossing the shuttlecock too high above the racket frame, or tossing it too far away from the body, making it impossible to hit the shuttle. The correct ball toss should be: gently push forward with your non-racket hand so that the shuttlecock lands exactly in front of the racket face of your racket hand, at a height between the knee and waist. This way, you can hit the cork of the shuttlecock perfectly when swinging.
3. Core Swing and Force Skills¶
This part is the soul of the backhand net serve. Remember don’t use your big arm for force, only use the gentle elasticity of your wrist and fingers. Break it down into 3 practice steps:
1. First, let your racket hand hang naturally on your left side, and slightly tuck your wrist inward (so the back of your hand faces your body).
2. Shift your weight from your back foot to your front foot, and at the same time slowly lift your racket hand, stopping at the hitting point—the hitting point is in the front-left of your body, at knee to waist height, not too far forward or too far back.
3. The key force movement: quickly “flick” your wrist forward, and at the same time gently twist the racket handle with your fingers, like gently brushing the cork with the racket face to send the shuttlecock over.
Don’t swing your big arm at all during the whole movement—only your wrist and fingers should move. The force should be short and gentle, so that the served shuttlecock will pass over the net close to the net and land exactly in the opponent’s net area (between the opponent’s front service line and the net).
4. Follow-Through After Hitting the Shuttle¶
Many beginners freeze in place after hitting the shuttle, but a complete movement also includes a follow-through: after hitting the shuttle, the racket frame will naturally swing to your right side along the direction of the force, then relax your arm顺势 and return to the preparation posture. This small detail will make your movement smoother and prevent arm soreness caused by stiffness.
5. 3 Most Common Mistakes for Beginners¶
- Gripping the racket too tightly: Clenching the racket handle tightly will make your wrist unable to flick flexibly, directly leading to stiff force. The shuttlecock will either fail to be served properly or have an uncontrollable landing point.
- Swinging with your big arm: Many players think “I can’t hit the shuttle without swinging my arm”, which results in the served shuttlecock flying all the way across the court and becoming a mistake shot.
- Incorrect racket face angle: If the racket face is completely flat facing the shuttle, the ball will fly far away directly. You should tilt the racket face at about 45 degrees and gently brush the cork, so that the shuttlecock will drop close to the net.
6. Quick Practice Tips¶
- Practice empty swings first: Don’t use a shuttlecock, repeatedly practice the wrist flicking movement to get familiar with the feeling of the force, just practice for 5 minutes every day.
- Practice against a wall: Stand about 3 meters away from the wall, serve so that the shuttlecock sticks to the wall and lands in the net area, and slowly adjust your landing point.
- Find a partner to practice: Ask a friend to stand in front of the net on the opposite side, serve the shuttle to them, and gradually adjust the power and landing point of your serve.
Total beginners don’t need to rush for a perfect landing point. First, get the basic movement framework right. Stick to practicing for 3 to 5 days and you will master the basic movements skillfully, then you can slowly adjust the accuracy of your serve.
