There is a new trick in the town of Badminton and debates are flurrying all around regarding its legality. While some are in its favor some are not. The latest display of Spin serve came during the recently held Polish Open where Denmark’s Marcus Rindshoj served wicked spin serves to Singapore counterparts.
But it is not something new. It has been tried and tested before and the Spin serve also goes by the name of Twist shot. Malaysian and Indonesian Badminton players during the 1980’s used to try hitting something very similar but later on it was labelled Illegal as the racquet used to touch the feathers instead of the Cork.
What exactly is the Spin Serve?
If you are a spin bowler in Cricket then it might be easy for you. What Marcus Rindshoj displayed was that he would spin the shuttle cock before placing the racquet to push it away. First step is to trap the Cork between the middle finger and the thumb. By spinning the cork before hitting, it produces unthinkable spin which makes it difficult for the player in the receiving end to pick up.
Why is the Spin serve difficult to receive?
The way Rindshoj spins and strikes the shuttlecock, it creates massive spin and because of that, the pace gets slower. As a result, the receiver faces difficulty while placing their shots and judging the fall of the cock. If you are on the receiving end, then you only have 2 options – either go early to judge the drop or wait until the final second to get it right. But executing these 2 methods are extremely difficult and the advantage is always towards the serve taker.
Why is it iIllegal?
The Spin serve basically takes the pace off the shuttlecock and it reduces the intensity and pace of Badminton which is perhaps the USP of the entire sport. And it also goes without saying that Spin serve does require skills to execute but the pacey rallies between the players will slowly disappear.
How can the Spin serve be used legally?
The BWF have not yet adopted regulations that forbid the spin serve. After all, the spin serve is a skillful act that doesn’t rely on manipulating the shuttle. Tennis players like John Isner and Ivo Karlovic use their height to blast down serves from enormous heights, making them potentially unreturnable. The serve is an offensive element in the game. But in badminton, the serve isn’t frequently used as an offensive tool. The serve isn’t really a tool that shuttlers can use very much.
