A new improved robust variable structure controller is presented to provide an accurately prescribed tracking performance for brushless direct drive (BLDD) servo motors (SM) under uncertainties and load variations. A special integral sliding surface suggested for removing the reaching phase problems can define its ideal sliding mode and virtual ideal sliding trajectory from an initial position of SM. The tracking error caused by the nonzero value of the sliding surface is derived. A corresponding continuous control input with the disturbance observer is suggested to track a predetermined virtual ideal sliding trajectory within a prescribed value under all the uncertainties and load variations. The usefulness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated through the comparative simulations for a BLDD SM under load variations. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd.