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| Doubles Service: |
| Using the backhand to serve short was pioneered
by Thai badminton players. These days, everyone uses
it. Holding your racket out in front of your stomach, with
your right leg forward, hold the shuttle just in front of the
racket and sweep through. You may find you achieve more
consistency with a forehand serve, so by all means use whatever you
feel comfortable with.
Just remember the rules of service when attempting the
backhand serve; it's easy to break them.
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| Yoo Y.S. of Korea
serves up. Hope he brings it down a bit, unless his waist is
around his armpits!! |
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Prime example of how
to execute the backhand serve, bravo |
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Koreas's Kim D.M.
has the delicate touch... |
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| Backhand
clearing: |
| Backhand clearing is probably the most difficult
shot in the game (next to the backhand smash). Many players
are unable to backhand-clear, relying on their speed to play
around-the-head or rush to the net. The difficulty is in
generating enough racket-head speed. Here's the technique (I
won't guarantee you'll be able to clear it after reading it,
though!):
First you need to position yourself
correctly. Stand with your back facing the net; this is
important as you need to gear up like a coiled spring, turning your
body around quickly to maximise energy transfer. When in
position, point your elbow in the air at the shuttle, and cock your
wrist. In the next step, timing is crucial. You have to
turn your body around till you face the net again, using the
forearm technique in reverse to send that shuttle flying.
When you make contact the shuttle should be above your right
shoulder.
Still can't get any distance? It's because
you really only have two sources of power to put into the shot -
your forearm/wrist, and your arm. Not to mention the fact
that you can't swing your arm back as quickly as you can
forward. It's a bit like when you first started out playing,
and weren't able to clear the shuttle from one end to the
other. By practicing,
and perhaps even doing a bit of weight training, you'll eventually
get it.
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| Net
shots: |
Mia Audina (Netherlands) plays a fast net
shot
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Net shots should be hit as early as possible, close
to the top of the net. Force yourself to play the net shot
early, by keeping your racket up around net height and bringing
your racket down to take the shot. A great many lazy
players come into the net with their racket around their ankles,
making contact later than they should. Playing it a split
second earlier will pressure your opponent into making a mistake
more often than not
There are in fact, two ways
to play net shots. You
can hit the shuttle with a low trajectory and slightly higher
horizontal speed, which gives your opponent less time but they
don't have to run quite as far. The other way is to give the
shuttle a higher trajectory, so it lands very close to the
net. This is harder to consistently execute, but makes it
very difficult for your opponent to return a good
shot.
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Smash
returning:
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When you've hit a poor half-court shot, and it
looks like you're about to get hammered, stand in the center of the
court, a little closer than halfway from the front, with legs
shoulder width apart and knees bent. Hold your racket at
waist height, at 10 o'clock. Now when the smash comes in,
pull your wrist back, and flick turn your forearm, as you return
with your backhand.
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First, apologies for the crap
drawing. The path of your wrist follows the loop
indicated. As you pull back, turn your forearm anti-clockwise
(right-handers). This is in preparation for the forward
movement, where you'll flick your forearm around. |
In some cases you will have to switch to a
forehand for the return. The range of your backhand is higher
than you probably think. You should use backhand to return
smashes from anywhere on the left to under your right
arm.
As a general rule, return to the back of the
court if you can manage, otherwise play safe and drop it
short. The last thing you want to do is return half-court and
give your opponent another chance to hammer you.
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Slicing:
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For those who don't know
what slicing is, it refers to hitting the shuttle with an angled
racket head such that the speed is taken off the shot. It's
not as hard as it might seem, it just involves a bit of
practice. Slicing is a great way to play fast and slow drops,
especially from a forehand cross-court overhead
position.
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Backhand
Smashing:
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Smashing with the backhand
is not really advisable. If the shuttle is up at half-court,
you might as well play around the head. Playing a backhand
will only increase your recovery time and reduce your
power.
If you absolutely
must learn it (probably for the purpose of showing off!),
read the backhand clearing
section, if you haven't already. If you can clear with your
backhand, smashing should be relatively easy to pick up. Jump
to get a steeper angle.
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Getting
around the court in singles:
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This tutorial expands slightly on the Intermediate
tutorial. I've mentioned large steps to the shuttle, and a
big stretch. Now instead of leaping back quickly to the
middle, take slower, smaller 'jogging' steps. This
saves you energy in case your opponent returns to the same
area. It does mean you have less margin for error, and should
avoid cross-court drops. A combination of both is obviously
the best method; you'll have to make your own
judgements.
The idea is to get to the
shuttle as early as possible. Fitness and speed drills
will help you achieve this. Anticipating your opponent's next move also helps. Sometimes you can work out when your opponent
is about to drop, because their arm action is different from their
clear.
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Getting
around the court in doubles:
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| There are a few basic rules for positioning in
doubles. If your side is serving, you begin playing front
& back (picture #3 below). If your side's serve is short,
you remain front & back; if it's up (served to the back) you
play sides. You could possibly make up a 'signal' with your
partner to indicate you're hitting it up, and get prepared for a
smash.
If your side is receiving the shuttle, and your
side returns short, get into a front & back formation. If
your side returns high, play sides. If the service is high
and your side returns a drop or smash, the other player must come
forward to cover the net. Thus, when receiving service, both
players should stand close to the front.
During general play, if you are playing front
& back, and your side smashes from the back, the net player
should come back a little to put away a weak return. If your
opponents return high to the backhand corner, usually the player at
the front will move back to take the shot (and the player at the
back moves to the front). This 'cycling' of play prevents one
player from getting too tired. Most importantly, call for the
shot - loud and clear. That way you'll avoid collisions and
misunderstandings.
If, during general play, you are playing sides
(probably returning smashes) and one of you returns it short, the
player who made the drop must cover the net. If you return it
high continue playing sides.
If the two sides get into a
clearing 'contest', there's no point in coming back and forth from
sides - front & back. As long as the clear is to the back
of the court you only need to move back a step or so (see the guy
on the left, picture #1 below).
It's quite intuitive; once you practice it should
be easy enough to pick up.
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| These boys are in
the front & back position, because they are attacking.
Should the shuttle be lifted, they will assume a side-by-side
position. |
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This is a good
example of doubles players on defence. Notice their low
position, knees bent, rackets ready. |
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Getting around the
court in mixed doubles:
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| In mixed doubles, the female plays at the front
and the male plays at the back. This is only true if the male
is stronger, of course (in which case the game will be played like
a doubles match). The rules for switching between front &
back and sides is the same as for doubles; the female should come
back to return smashes if the shuttle is hit up. However, she
should come back to the diagonally opposite side to where
the shuttle was lifted - this will make it easier for her to return
the opposing male's smash. The woman whose partner is
smashing should stand at the front, slightly back to put away weak
returns (see picture #2).
If the female is especially weak, the players
will probably wish to stay front & back for the whole
game.
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| Danes Jonas
Rasmussen and Rikke Olsen prepare to serve... |
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... and the Koreans
are ready to receive. |
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| Singles: |
| To prevent your opponent from guessing what
you're going to do, you need to use deception. Delay your
stroke until the last moment - the forearm technique should allow
you to do this. By lifting your elbow and waiting for the
shuttle, you can use your peripheral vision to watch your opponent
before snapping a clear or fast drop. Do the same when at the
net - hold your racket in front, feigning a drop. When your
opponent runs in, snap it over their head.
If you want to go a step further, study your
opponent before the match. Watch some of their other matches
and observe their weakness and strengths. Draw out a game
plan, and stick to it.
Sometimes you can gain a psychological victory
over your opponent, by frustrating them. Take advantage of
their lack of patience, break their spirit and the game will get a
lot easier.
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| Doubles: |
| Strictly speaking, a perfect game in doubles
would result in no lifting by your side Every shot you made
would either be a drop, smash, or sideline drive. You'd never
give your opponents anything. Of course in reality, your
placement probably won't be quite so perfect. However, you
should try to play the perfect game.
When receiving service, attack the low
serve. Aim at the back player's body, or towards the
sidelines at half-court. Do this for both doubles and mixed
doubles. This area is between both front and rear player, and
will cause confusion.
In mixed, if the woman is weak you should serve
it high to get the man at the front, or force her to return it
high.
If your opponents are playing sides (because
they've just hit it up), smash it between them. If one is
left-handed, it's a great cause for mixup. You could also try
dropping it dead centre at the net.
If you're playing people who don't know the
doubles technique, when they hit it up smash it down the sidelines
(wide court makes it hard to return) or straight down the
middle. Chances are they will still be playing front &
back. Hitting it down the middle may 'blind' the back player
(he can't see through his front player).
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| Smashing down the
sidelines or centre is an effective strategy |
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Keep your shots low
to retain the upper hand in attack |
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Behind the back:
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| This is done by playing what normally be a low
backhand shot, with your forehand. This is a pretty easy
shot, it just takes a bit of practice to work out where the shuttle
should be so you can make contact. It is actually useful in a
game, when you're defending smashes and expecting a
forehand.
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| Between the legs: |
| This is good if you're defending
smashes and expecting a forehand smash, but it comes down in front
of you. You should really only attempt it if you're tall
enough or you could end up with sore some legs. Be careful
not to misjudge the height of the smash too - the last thing you
want is a crippling injury that could end your badminton career
(ok, so I exaggerate slightly).
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| Backward shot: |
| To do this, run with your back to the net.
Chase the shuttle so it falls over your right shoulder
(right-handers). When it falls below knee-height swing,
back. Hopefully you'll get it over the net! Sometimes
useful if you're stuck at the net and your opponent hits a low
drive over your head.
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Try to use the
weight of your body to get more power in your backhands