In the rapid world of badminton, exactitude to the rules is supreme. A well-performed serve can set the tone for an entire game. However, with this crucial aspect comes the need for rigorous adherence to service rules.
So the importance of hand signals became irrefutable. In this article, I tried to enclose five common service faults and hand signals to quickly point out along with an overview of service rules, the noteworthiness of hand signals, practical examples of service faults, and many more.
Let’s step into the court and figure out the shades of service faults.
Overview of Badminton Service Rules
The rules relating to the service in 5 Types of Service Faults in Badminton hold a special significance, as they directly influence the start of every rally. Below, I summarize the main badminton service rules:
- The server must stand within the boundaries of the service court.
- The server and receiver need to cohere to the correct service order.
- The servers must land the shuttlecock correctly in the opponent service court for a proper start to the rally
- The server’s racket head must be below the server’s waist during the entire performance of the serve.
- The feet of the server must remain stationary during the serve.
Significance of Hand Signals
Hand signals are an immediate and clear source of communication. They also serve as a universal language. In addition, By relying on hand signals, interruptions to the flow of the game are decreased. 5 Types of Service Faults in Badminton help to convey decisions related to service faults. I mentioned a few of them.
Service Fault 1: High Service
The Badminton World Federation has mentioned rules for the serve:
9.1.6 the whole shuttle shall be below the server’s waist at the instant of being hit by the server’s racket. The waist shall be considered to be an imaginary line around the body, level with the lowest part of the server’s bottom rib.
When the shuttlecock is struck above the waist of the server while he is performing the serve. It is considered a high service fault. It is the fault as according to the badminton regulations, the racket head must be below the server’s waist.
Hand Signal
The hand signal for a high service fault is a quick raising of the hand toward the chest level.
Consequences
Making high serving fault, the server loses a point. This penalty shows the importance of correct serving.
Service Fault 2: Low Service
This fault is straight opposite to the high service fault. I mean, when the server hits the shuttlecock and the shuttlecock is below the waist of the server. It is counted as a low service fault.
Hand Signal
The hand signal for a low service fault involves a rapid lowering of the hand, towards the lower abdomen.
Consequences
The serving side loses the point due to committing a low service fault.
Service Fault 3: Server’s Foot Position
When the server is not standing within the boundaries of the service court as he is executing the serve, it is called the server’s foot position fault. It is necessary to be in contact with the ground of the server’s feet as well.
Hand Signal
For the hand signal pointing at the server’s foot position fault, the umpire points toward the ground within the service court. He indicates the area where the feet of the server should have been positioned.
Consequences
Perpetrating a server’s foot position fault results in the loss of the point for the serving side. It strengthens the discipline and precision that defines the sport of badminton.
Service Fault 4: Shuttlecock Placement
During performing the serve, if the server fails to position the shuttlecock correctly within the service court, its result is a shuttlecock placement fault.
Hand Signal
The empire simply gestures towards the area where the shuttlecock should have been landed.
Consequences
The serve side loses the point if the server delivers the shuttlecock incorrectly in the opponent’s service court.
Service Fault 5: Racket Head Above Waist
During the high and low service faults, the whole discussion was about the shuttlecock, while the racket should remain below the waist of the server. But what if the server raises the racket head above his waist? That is the racket head above the waist fault.
Hand Signal
The umpire raises his hand and signals the violation of the rule. He emphasizes the point at which the server must keep the racket head.
Consequences
Its result is a loss of the point for the serving side.
Practical Examples
For a better understanding, let’s explore some practical examples.
- High Service Fault: In the eagerness to gain an advantage, the server raises the racket too high during the serve. So he strikes the shuttle above his waist.
- Low Service Fault: The server tries to achieve praise route and strikes the shuttlecock below the waist level.
- Server’s Foot Position Fault: The server, not paying attention to foot positioning, steps outside the service court boundary during the serve.
- Shuttlecock Placement Fault: The server, in a rush to start the rally, fails to properly position the shuttlecock within the service court.
- Racket Head Above Waist Fault: the server aims for a powerful serve. So he raises the rocket head above his waist level during the serving motion.
Double Hit
In the ongoing rally, if a player hits the shuttlecock twice on the same side of the court, that is considered a double hit. It happens when the shuttle bounces back. The double hit is considered to be a foul. The player lost the point.
Contact Fault
The racket is the only thing your shuttlecock can touch during the play. If that comes in contact with your shoes, shirt, shine, or net that will be considered a s contact fault, and the player will lose a point.
Conclusion
Knowing the service faults may be the key to winning the game. Sometimes we are trying to keep rallying well, and we try our best not to touch the shuttlecock to the ground, but faults snatch the scores and we face failure. So keep the focus not to make any fault. Learn hand signals for faults. Whether you play or watch the match, learning hand signals will make the game a bit easier for you.
Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Badminton Court Size in Feet
