Can You Smash a Serve in Badminton? Flick Serves and Attacking the Serve (Legal or Not)

The server can't smash the serve — a serve must be hit upward, underarm, with the whole shuttle below 1.15 m — but the receiver absolutely can attack (even smash) a serve that's too high or loose. And the flick serve is legal, as long as it still meets the height and contact rules.

Why doubles serves are hit so tight to the net

Watch good doubles and you'll notice the serve barely clears the tape and dies just past the short service line. That's not style — it's fear of the receiver. Because the receiver may attack anything, a serve that floats up even a few centimetres invites an instant downward smash from the front of the court, and you've lost the rally before it began. So the low serve is shaved as fine as the server dares, and the flick is kept in the back pocket to punish a receiver who creeps in too greedily. The whole serving duel is one long bluff between "too low to touch" and "flicked over your head."

Server's side: no smashing

A serve, by law, is struck upward and underarm below 1.15 m. There's no way to legally hit a flat, downward smash as the serve — that would break the height and underarm rules — and doing so is called a fault. So "can you smash your serve?" — no.

Flick serve: legal

A flick serve is a quick wrist flick that sends the shuttle fast and high to the back service line, disguised to look like a low serve. It's completely legal provided the contact is still underarm with the whole shuttle below 1.15 m at impact — the full height, contact, and positioning requirements are detailed in the complete guide to legal serve rules. It's a staple of doubles.

Receiver's side: attack away

Once the serve is struck, it's a live shuttle. If the server floats it too high or short, the receiver can pounce and smash it — that's exactly why low serves are hit so tight to the net and the service line. Attacking a weak serve is a core doubles skill, not a rule violation.

FAQ

• Q: Can you smash your own serve in badminton? No — the serve must be underarm and below 1.15 m, so a downward smash serve is illegal.
• Q: Can the receiver smash the serve? Yes — once served, the shuttle is in play and a high/loose serve can be attacked.
• Q: Is a flick serve legal? Yes — as long as it's still underarm with the whole shuttle below 1.15 m at contact.
• Q: Why do players serve so low then? To deny the receiver any chance to attack the serve.
• Q: Is a backhand serve allowed? Yes — backhand low serves are standard and legal under the same height rule.