In badminton, each rally begins with a serve. Players must then hit the shuttlecock back and forth over the net without letting it touch the ground. In its official rulebook, called the Laws of the Game, the Badminton World Federation provides specific rules regarding the serving order, the serving motion and the server position.
Step 1
Toss a coin before the start of the match. If you win the coin toss, you can decide whether you want to serve or receive first, or you can decide which side of the court to play on first. Whichever choice you make, your opponent gets to make the other.
Step 2
Stand in the right service court behind the short service line for the first serve. You should always serve from the right service court if you have no points or an even number of points in a game, and from the left service court when you have an odd number of points. Neither part of either foot can touch the boundary lines of the service court during your serve.
Step 3
Hold the racket in your dominant hand and the shuttlecock in your other hand. Wait until your opponent indicates that she is ready to play before serving. To serve, hit the base of the shuttlecock below your waist. The serve must travel over the net and toward the service court diagonally opposite the one you served from.
Step 4
Count the serve as a fault if your serve gets caught on top of the net or in the net on your opponent’s side of the court. The serve also counts as a fault if it passes under or through the net or lands out of bounds.
Step 5
Replay the serve if your opponent’s return gets caught on top of the net or in the net on your side of the court.
Step 6
Record a point for yourself if you win a rally on your serve, then continue serving from alternate sides of the court. If you lose a point on your serve, your opponent gets a point and the right to serve. A fault serve results in a lost point.
Step 7
Serve first again in the second game if you won the first game. Receive first in the second game if you lost the third game. If the match proceeds to a third game, the player who won the second game gets to serve first.
Tips and Warnings
- To win a game in badminton, you must win 21 points with a two-point lead over your opponent. To win the match, you must win two games.
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