The Skills in Badminton: I. Badminton Gripping Techniques
The Skills in Badminton: I. Badminton Gripping Techniques
• Forehand Grip - The forehand grip is mainly used for forehand overhead
shots. It’s an easy grip to learn, and also provides a useful reference point for
learning the other grips.
Mechanics:
• The grip is used to hit shots that are
on the backhand side of your body.
• Hold the racket as you would on a
forehand grip.
• Turn the racket anti-clockwise so that
the
V shape moves leftwards.
• Place your thumb against the back
bevel of the handle for greater
leverage and power.
• The racket handle shall also rest
loosely in your fingers.
Can try shortening your grip and place it nearer to the shaft to increase control
and accuracy
PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
Mechanics:
• Mostly used for forehands in front
of your body
• About a 90 degree turn from
a forehand grip
• The thumb should not go straight up the side of the handle (when hitting
a forehand.
• Thumb Grip - The thumb grip is like the backhand version of a panhandle
grip. It’s mainly used for backhands where the shuttle is in front of you. That
means it’s useful for many backhands in the midcourt or at the net, but not in
the rear court.
Mechanics:
• Mostly used for backhands in
front of your body
• About a 90 degree turn from
a forehand grip
• Thumb placed behind, on the
widest racket bevel
• Index finger should go lower, for
better leverage with the thumb.
Mechanics:
• Using a forehand grip, rotate the hand
slightly so the thumb is along and
parallel to the wide side of the handle.
• The thumb should be pressing
comfortably against one of the wider
surface of the racquet grip while the rest
of the hand holds the racquet as if you’re
shaking a person’s hand.
• Push your thumb forward for backhand stokes.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
Mechanics:
• Mostly used in between shots, to
help you change grip quickly
• Like a forehand grip, but turned
slightly towards backhand
• Consider holding the racket slightly
more out in the finger tips than usual
• Bevel Grip - The bevel grip is mainly used for backhands in the rear court,
such as clears or drop shots.
Mechanics:
BEVEL GRIP
• Mostly used for hitting backhands in
the rearcourt
• Same angle as the neutral grip, but
with the thumb placed along the
diagonal bevel.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
II. Serving
Lots of information about the backhand low and flick serves, mainly from a doubles
perspective. Also some advice about other serves. There are four main types of serve
in badminton: low, high, flick, and drive.
• The different types of serve, and comparing their trajectories
• How often these serves are used in singles or doubles
• Options for serve angles: straight, wide, or at the receiver
LOW SERVE
Use this badminton serve if you want your opponent to lift the shuttle. It is
commonly used during doubles, but you can use it during singles too if your
opponent’s attack is too strong. You can use either forehand or backhand to play this
serve.
FOREHAND
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
Mechanics:
• Stand two to three feet behind the short service line.
• Relax your body and bent your knees slightly.
• Lead with your non-racket leg and place your racket leg behind.
• Hold your shuttle by the feathers and bring it closer to meet the racket instead
of dropping it in front.
• Contact the shuttle at a higher point but still below your waist line.
Push the shuttle with the racket face and try to make the shuttle skim the tape of
the net. If you normally use high serve during singles, mix the low serve in
occasionally. You might be able to catch your opponent off-guard if you can execute
it well
Mechanics:
• What makes a good low serve
• Tactical benefits of serving straight to the T area
• Basic technique
• Stand in comfortable and balanced position with your non-racket hand in front.
• Lead with your racket leg and place your non-racket leg behind your feet
positioning towards your opponent.
• Carry out a short back swing then bring the racket forward.
• Hold the shuttle on the tip of the feathers in front of your waist level.
• Push the shuttle with the racket face and try to make the shuttle skim the tape
of the net.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
• You can try to shorten the grip for a better control of the racket.
Flick Serve
• This series on the backhand flick serve takes you through the technique, how
to fix common problems, and how to practise the serve.
• Use this badminton serve when you are under pressure from a rushing
opponent. It is rather useful tool during doubles. However, you might be left
exposed if your opponent anticipated it. So, use it sparingly and keep your
opponent guessing.
• You can use either your forehand or backhand to perform this serve. Give the
impression that you are going to push the shuttle as in the low serve, but
instead use your wrist to flick the shuttle over. Wrist action is the key to
executing this serve well.
High Serve
• The high serve sends the shuttle very high, so that it falls almost straight down
and lands at the back of the service court. The purpose of this serve is to limit
your opponent’s ability to play an attacking shot
• Use this badminton serve during singles play to move your opponent as far
back in court as possible, thus opening up his court. Be more cautious if you
use this serve during doubles.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
• Opponents with strong attacking abilities will work this serve to your
disadvantage.
Mechanics:
• played with a forehand underarm action.
• Stand two to three feet behind the short service line.
• Relax your body and bent your knees slightly.
• Lead with your non-racket leg and place your racket leg behind.
• Bring your racket back to almost your shoulder level then swing it forward
following the rhythm of the stroke.
• Hold the shuttle by the feathers and let it drop slightly in front of you.
• Hit it with the flat face of your racket and follow through until your racket
reaches the non-racket side of your head.
1. High Single Serve
2. High Doubles Serve
Drive Serve
• The drive serve sends the shuttle fast and flat to the back of the service court.
The receiver has little time to react, so you are looking for surprise and a weak
response.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
Mechanics:
• What you’re trying to achieve: a surprise serve, and a weak response
• Basic technique
• Don’t break the service rules!
• Played with forehand underarm action.
• Stand in a comfortable and balanced position, a bit further from the service
line.
• Lead with your non-racket leg and place your racket leg behind.
• Place your racket a bit below the waist level and bring it back parallel to it.
• Swing the racket forward following through. Hold the shuttle by the feathers
and let it drop slightly sideways to your body.
• Hit the shuttle and let it pass the net at a flatter angle.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
A. Base Point - The foundation of your footwork and where it all began.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
Waiting position and Split step - The 2nd principles and the key to a fast
reaction
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
Footwork is subjective, what works for taller players might not work for the shorter
and what works for shorter players might won’t work for taller players.
Before we start getting into the details, it is important to clarify which positions we
will talk about. We will discuss the different options for the six main points of the
court. These are the four corners and the two sides, as below:
3. Forehand side
4. Backhand side
Now that all the points are listed it is time to talk about the different types of footwork
a. Running Steps
b. Chase Steps
RUNNING STEPS -
The running step is the most basic that’s been taught to the beginner because
of its natural movement of running. In order to do this the player starts in the 1.
ready position / waiting position, 2. Step the dominant foot to the direction of the
shuttle, 3. Then step the supporting foot, 4. Lastly, step the dominant foot and reach
the shuttle.
To go backward after getting the shuttle the player should 1. Step the dominant foot
backward to the position of basepoint, 2. Step the supporting foot backward, 3. Step
the dominant foot, 4. Waiting position.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
Chase Steps -
The chasse steps are slightly different and somehow feel a bit less natural to
a beginner. That is why sometimes they are taught later on. In order to move with
chasse steps, 1. you need to move both feet at the same time to the direction of the
shuttle, while bringing them closer in the air during the movement. 2. In your landing,
you will land with your non-racket leg back and your racket leg in front, 3. Reach the
shuttlecock. They need to be fairly apart, but with this type of movement, you will
not achieve the same extension that you do with the running steps.
To go backward the same movements shall be applied but the motion is backward.
The step - leg jumps are used in certain situations, for example when wanting
to finish a point with a kill on the net. With this you could close your distance with
shuttle much easily. Although it is faster, it consumes a lot of stamina than chase
steps, and running steps. To do this the player must 1. Face the direction of the
shuttle, 2. Jump to the direction of shuttle, 3. Reach and hit the shuttle.
To go back the player must do the same thing by jumping back to the base point.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
A. Clear Shots
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• Follow through with your racket and shift your weight from your rear foot to your
front foot.
• Move back to your base position.
When doing an overhead clear you can use backhand and forehand as long as the
racket is in top of your head and create a parabolic motion to the shuttle.
c. Underarm Clear
The underarm clear is usually played
from the front court area to your
opponent’s back court. Whether to play it
high and deep of a flatter, cross court
clear will depend on the situation at that
time and your opponent’s positioning on
court.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
B. Drop Shot
The main objective of the drop shot is to force your opponent out of his position or
the variate the pace of the game.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
C. Drive
D. Smash Shot
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
When the shuttle comes in from a high angle, it will allow you enough time to arch
and get in position to strike. At the highest point of contact, with a flick of the wrist
aim the shuttle downwards in a steep gradient.
You ideally want to aim for spots furthest from your opponent, but another tactic is
to aim it towards his upper torso, making it hard for him to defend.
• Hit the shuttlecock when it is at the highest point, this creates a steep angle
for your smash.
• Take a deep breath and exhale as you swing your racket forward. Remember
to follow through and complete the swing to give your smash more power.
Note: It is always important to disguise your shots so it will not become too easy for
your opponent to predict. For example, your offensive shots should look like either a
drive or a drop shot but the very last second you smash. This will make it hard for
your opponent to react.
Jump Smash
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
This is a more powerful version of the badminton smash. It is also one of the hardest
badminton shots to perform.
In order to minimise your risks and ensure your smash works towards your
advantage, you should:
• Get behind the shuttle as early as possible so that you are able to hit the
shuttle when it is still high up. This allows you to smash the shuttle at a steep
angle.
• Maintain extremely good body balance before you smash.
• Make sure that your opponent is off-guard. This means that your opponent is
not ready to retrieve the smash.
If you do not satisfy the conditions above, hit the drop shot instead and wait for
another chance.
You’ll be taking unnecessary risks if you fire a smash without satisfying the conditions
above.
Without you knowing, you may be giving your opponent the chance to counter your
smash!
E. Net Shot
Net shots are any shots performed near the net it is used to create opportunities and
dominate the front of the court.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
Mechanics:
• Adopt the forehand grip for
forehand shots or the backhand grip
for backhand shots.
• Must keep the racket up in front
of your body.
• Lunge forward aggressively with
your racket leg.
• Extend the racket arm and keep
the racket high to ensure the shuttle is
hit as early as possible.
• The racket face shall be parallel to the floor and let the shuttle bounce off the
racket face.
• Your lunge movement and the parallel racket face will cause the shuttle to
tumble over the net.
• You can try to move the racket head slightly outwards to increase the tumbling
effect.
• Push back to your base position using both legs while ensuring your racket is
still up in front of your body.
2. Net Kill
Net kill is played when your opponent has
played a loose shot over the net,
providing an opening to strike the shuttle
down from the net area.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
3. Net Lift
Net Lift is actually an underarm
clear played from around the net
area. Use this shot when you want to
move your opponent to the back
court or create more time for
yourself. It can be played straight
down the line or cross court. Hitting
it higher or flatter will depend on your
opponent’s positioning.
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PED003: Individual and Dual Sports
A good way to deceive your opponent is to move forward and play a shot like the
net shot. Just before striking the shuttle, unlock your wrist and send the shuttle to
your opponent’s back court. Your
opponent will have a hard time if you
can disguise it well.
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