Overview

• Researchers from HKUST and Peking University combined three-dimensional CFD with aerodynamic tests to analyze the controversial serve.
• The simulations identified three motion phases—turnover, oscillation, stabilization—and showed that the direction of pre-spin governs the severity of wobble.
• Pre-spin applied against the shuttlecock’s natural rotation extends the oscillation phase, creating unpredictable flight that challenges returns.
• The technique surfaced at the Polish Open in 2023, and the Badminton World Federation made its interim restriction a permanent ban earlier in 2025.
• The team plans motion-capture work to translate the physics into coaching insights, building on shuttlecock traits like high drag, cork-first stability, and slight natural spin.