Obvious question I know, but I'm trying to find some specifics and maybe I'm not looking in the right place but can't seem to find an answer in any of the rules that I've come across. I'll start with a specific query - playing this evening against a guy who seems to serve in some way against his hand (he was holding the shuttle more like a table-tennis player tends to hold the ball) and after impact the shuttle is sent spinning quite severely over the net. I'd describe it as using the racket to roll the shuttle (albeit at high speed) up his hand to create the spin. Hope this makes sense. So starter for ten, is this legal? If you don't get what I mean from the above I'll post some pics tomorrow and attempt to demonstrate. It takes me on to my next query, which is more general - what can/can't you do with the shuttle on serve. Can you throw it up, sideways, spin it.. etc. Personally I hold and hit fairly standard, but I see some weird and wonderful variations of this and I'm not convinced they are all strictly legal. Thoughts? Mark
You can not throw it up/side-ways or spin the shuttle when you serve. It must be a vertical drop. The serve would be a fault if the player strikes the feathers upon the serve to create the spin on the serve.
You actually can throw the bird up...just you can't strike it unless it's under your waist. You might as well just drop it.
hahah...... true. no point throwing it up if you have to wait for it to drop before hitting it anyway. but do I know some people who hold the shuttle pointed down, but still throw it up slightly before serving. they say gives them better timimg
There's a discussion in this forum that talks about hitting the feather of the shuttle during service, which makes the flight inconsistent, thus, giving a hard time for the receiver. I can't find that thread. Anyways, from the little that I know, it's legal as long as the impact is below the waist and the racket hits the cork first, not the feather. I'm not sure if I'm picturing your description right, but what I'm thinking is that the server slices the shuttle to make it spin. Am I correct?
I'd say it wasn't just a case of them slicing the base of the shuttle, more sliding the shuttle up the hand, which effectively uses the friction of the shuttle against the hand to create the spin. Will post pics when back from work this evening.
Quite puzzled. If you're describing the serve matches how players do it in table tennis, then I'm assuming that the shuttle is thrown upwards, then pushed by the racket with the impact above the waist. If I'm right, well ... that's illegal. I'll wait for the video.
yeah I think to show would be the easiest way. but I didn't mean to throw the shuttle like they often do with the ball in table tennis, more how they tend to hold the ball with the hand (cradle it if you like). The player then plays a 'standard' backhand serve, but when the shuttle is struck it's still being subject to the friction of the hand - which isn't removed. It's this friction (as the feathers move over the fingers) that creates the spin, not the cutting of the strings against the base. but pics will follow a little later.
if he blocks the actual serve with his hand, that's illegal. any blocking of the serve by a body part/partner is illegal as the reciever must have clear sight of the serve.
Oh. I think I'm slightly getting the picture. But the thing that bothers me is how could there be friction? Why? Does he rub his fingers at the feather?
Do you mean start the shuttle to spin with you fingers first and hit with the racket afterwards as it still spins??? Anyway, for a backhand serve, the direction that you point the feathers the shuttle will go.
Mikael - that's probably the closest way to describe it, but probably more hit it at the same time as starting to spin it (somehow) with your fingers. It seems it's impossible to take pictures of me demonstrating (dagnammit only having 2 arms :crying. Maybe I'm getting into too much detail, it's more the general question of whether you can do anything other than simply hold or drop the shuttle. The guy I played again definitely did something with the shuttle using his hand/fingers as he hit it - and the result was a really weird type of spin. Ultimately I don't believe he gained an advantage as he put most of them into the net/wide, but wanted to check. Cheers Mark
Well, if it's a vertical drop, then it's not illegal ... I think. Besides, if that kind of serve almost doesn't work, there's nothing to worry about.
