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Doubles Service:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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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:
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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