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Crossminton-Handbuch

The serve

Technique · Beginner

Explanation

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The serve opens every rally. It's the only stroke you prepare in complete calm — no opponent puts you under pressure, the Speeder rests in your hand alone. That's exactly what makes it the ideal first stroke.

You hold the Speeder out in front of you and let it drop. As it falls, you bring the racket forward from below and hit it on the way down. The decisive point: at the moment of contact the whole Speeder is below your hitting hand. This one requirement shapes the entire motion — you hit from below, not from above. A serve above shoulder height is not a valid serve.

On top of that, two conditions make the serve legal: one foot stays on the floor throughout the motion, and you hit from the rear zone of your court. As long as you keep to both, your serve counts.

For your first attempts you may make it easier on yourself: drop the Speeder from hip height and hit it low, just before it reaches the floor. That way you get used to the timing of the drop. Once the timing sits, you raise the contact point — until it's where the rule demands it: below your hitting hand.

speeder drops at hip height
Serve, image 1: the Speeder drops
contact below the racket hand
Serve, image 2: contact point below the hitting hand

Exercise

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Read the drop, then hit

Goal

Find the moment when you cleanly hit the falling Speeder.

How to do it — Part 1

  1. Hold the Speeder out in front of you, about hip height.
  2. Let it drop and don't hit yet — just watch it fall.
  3. Repeat a few times until you get a feel for how fast and where it falls.

How to do it — Part 2

  1. Let the Speeder drop again.
  2. Bring the racket forward from below and hit it low, just before it reaches the floor.
  3. Don't worry about a target yet — all that counts is hitting it cleanly.

Self-check

Do you hit the Speeder consistently, or sometimes too early, sometimes too late? If the contact moment scatters, give the drop a little more attention before you hit.

Wrap-up

The serve succeeds through timing, not power. Once you hit the drop point reliably, aiming almost takes care of itself — you raise the contact point later, and you set yourself a target later.

Classification
Playing goals
Serve/return opening, Length and depth control
Prerequisites
The universal grip, The base position