Badminton rules

Badminton service rules

The height rule, your feet, your swing and where to stand, with the cases that catch players out.

Checked against the BWF Laws of Badminton, Version 5.0, in force since 26 April 2025, Law 9Last checked Read the official rulebook ↗
The rule in one line

Hit the whole shuttle below 1.15 m in one forward swing, both feet down, so it flies up over the net into the diagonal court.

What a legal service looks like

1.15 m (3 ft 9 in) Net 1.524 m Both feet down, still Whole shuttle below the line at contact Flies upwards, over the net, diagonally
Side view, to scale. Everything shown must hold from the first forward swing until the racket hits the shuttle.

Legal or fault: the service cases

Each rule holds from your first forward swing until the racket hits the shuttle. Law 9.2, 9.3

1.15 m
ALLOWEDShuttle below 1.15 m when hitThe whole shuttle, feathers included. Law 9.1.6
1.15 m
FAULTShuttle above 1.15 m when hitEven partly above is a fault. Law 9.1.6
FAULTLift or slide a foot before the hitPart of both feet stays down and still. Law 9.1.4
FAULTStand on a line of the service courtServer and receiver both stay off the lines. Law 9.1.3
ALLOWEDBoth feet inside your service courtAnywhere inside it, off the lines. Law 9.1.3
FAULTStop the swing, then go againOnce the forward swing starts, it keeps going. Law 9.1.7
FAULTSpin the shuttle as you let it goRelease it without adding spin. Law 9.1.5
FAULTHit the feathers firstThe racket must first hit the base. Law 9.1.5
FAULTSwing and missA miss counts as a fault, not a retry. Law 9.1.8
ALLOWEDService lands on a lineThe lines belong to the service court. Law 9.1
FAULTService stuck on top of the netA fault on the service, a let later in the rally. Law 13.2.1
R
FAULTReceiver’s partner hits the serviceOnly the receiver may return it. Law 13.2.3

Common mistakes

  • “The shuttle has to be below your waist.”Under the Laws it is a fixed 1.15 m for everyone. The waist test is an alternative law, used only where arranged. Law 9.1.6
  • “A service stuck on the net tape is a let.”On the service it is a fault. It is only a let once the service has been returned. Law 13.2.1, 14.2.3
  • “Your partner has to stand behind you.”Partners may stand anywhere in their own court, if they don’t block anyone’s view. Law 9.5
  • “You serve from the right at the start of each turn.”The court follows the server’s score: right when even, left when odd. Law 10.1, 11.1.1, 11.1.2
Scoring itA service fault loses the rally: give the point to the receiving side, who serve next.
Score a match

Related rules

Service courts in singles and doubles → Faults → Lets → All badminton rules →

Rules are written by 1SCOR in our own words and checked against the official rulebook. They are not the rulebook: for anything official, read the rulebook itself.