Changing The Shuttle
Unfortunately shuttles do not last forever, so they need changing! Feather shuttles play better than plastic ones but do not last as long.
Close Line Calls
Sometimes when a shuttle lands close to the line, it can be hard to judge whether it is in or out. Take a look at these rallies played at normal pace and see what you think!
Moving your opponent on the diagonal
A common tactic to use in singles is to move your opponent the longest distance on the court which is along the diagonal.
The Stick Smash
This rally between Kenneth Jonasson and Jin Chen shows an excellent example of the effectiveness of the stick smash.
The Stick Smash Technique
The stick smash can be an effective overhead attacking shot in both singles and doubles. It is a steep shot, played at more pace than a drop shot but lacks the power of a full bodied smash.
Service Errors!
As badminton has now adopted a point per rally scoring system the consequences of a service error are more costly. If you make an error on the serve you are basically giving a point to your opposition
Net Interplay
This rally shows how quality net play can force a defensive shot from your opponent.
Short Serving In Singles
As singles has become a more attacking game players often short serve in order to try and avoid giving away the lift.
Know the rules - Over the net
In match play, did you know that you must strike the shuttle on your own side of the net?
What a Shot! - August
Look at this rally where Chen Jin demonstrates an awesome example of a cross-court net.
Doubles Routine: Smash accuracy
A basic practice to check smash accuracy is for a feeder to lift a shuttle and remain still for you to smash and see if you can hit the body.
Singles Routine: Smashing at the body
If you smash at the body in singles you should look for a follow up reply at the net. In this routine a feeder hits the shuttle three-quarter court for you to smash.
Doubles Tactics: Smashing down the middle
Smashing down the middle of the court is an effective tactic in doubles as it can create confusion for your opponents in deciding who should take the shuttle.
Where to smash in doubles
One area that is particularly difficult to defend from is the hip to shoulder region on the racket side of the body. Players can often get caught taking the shuttle late from a smash to this area.
Singles Tactic: Smashing at the body
Although a large percentage of smashes are hit close to the side tramlines in singles play, an often underused but effective tactic is to smash at the body.
Where to smash in Singles
In singles, one of the main tactics to use is to hit into space and force your opponent to move. A smash is often a winning shot or one that forces a weak reply from your opponent.
Net Flick Variation
n this rally, Kenneth Jonasson, at the far end, puts his opponent under pressure through good backhand net flick variation.
Defensive Lifts the Centre of the Court
Generally in singles, players hit to the corners of the court to keep the opponent under movement pressure and make them move longer distances.
Lunge Exercise with Shuttle
Once you are able to control your lunge in isolation then you can start to develop your technique under more pressure.
Lunge Exercise
A simple way of practicing your lunge technique and strengthen the muscles supporting the lunge is to perform it in isolation.
What is a Good Lunge
f you do not perform the lunge correctly then you are in danger of injuring yourself due to prolonged stress on the joints.
An Introduction to Lunging
One of the key elements to great movement in badminton is a good lunge! A solid lunge provides a balanced position for you to reach out to intercept the shuttle early.
Shuttle Speeds
Badminton shuttles can be bought in different speeds to suit the playing conditions or your ability.
Tipping A Shuttle
If you find that your shuttle is playing too fast or too slow you can tip its feathers to alter its speed, rather than discard the shuttle.
Testing the Speed of a Shuttle
When you are playing a badminton match, how do you know that you are playing with the correct speed of shuttle?
Stop Drop Routine
This routine is performed on half a court where your partner has to return shuttles to you in the rear-court for you to practice the effectiveness of your stop drop.
Back Strengthening and Stretching
When you perform sit up exercises, don't forget to do some back exercises as well. Back raises are a good exercise to work your back muscles.
Isometric Sit-ups
Isometric sit-ups are performed by holding a fixed position for a certain period of time. This gradually builds up stress on your core muscles as you work to maintain your body position.
Stop Drop Exercise
This basic stop drop exercise involves a partner playing individual lifts to the rear court area for you to play the stop drop in isolation.
Stop Drop Technique
To play the stop drop your body language needs to show that you intend to play a powerful attacking shot.
Net Flick/Net Shot Random Routine
You can practice the effectiveness of your net flick by having a partner return shuttles to you in the forecourt area whilst you manoeuvre them about the court
Net Flick/Net Shot Exercise
Once you have practiced the basic technique of the net flick, you can try and develop deception in the shot.
Sit-Up Exercises
Sit up exercises are a good way of improving your core stomach muscles.
Stop Drop Introduction
The stop drop is a deceptive overhead shot that you will see in both Singles and Doubles.
Forehand Net Flick Technique
The forehand net flick is played with a forehand grip where you open up the racket face and approach the net with a high wrist and palm facing upwards.
Net Flick Introduction
The net flick is a shot played from the forecourt to put your opponent under rearcourt pressure.
Basic Ladder Agility Exercises
When you begin to use an agility ladder start with 4 drills and once you master these then introduce new ones.
Agility Work Using A Ladder
There are other ways to improve your agility in addition to practising badminton movements in training.
Make Time To Warm Up
Badminton is an energetic and explosive game so before match play or training, you should always take time to warm up and prepare the body for the impending action.
Round the Head Crosscourt Drop Practice
For this exercise, the feeder hits individual shuttles high into your backhand rear-court area for you to practice the round the head cross court drop.
Punch Clear Technique
A simple way of practising your punch clear technique is for someone to feed you shuttles using a high serve.
Punch Clear Routine
To develop your punch clear technique and deception, you can practise the shot interspersed with other overhead strokes.
Punch Clear Practice
One way of practicing the effectiveness of your punch clear is through a one on one routine in half court.
Crouch Defence
In mixed doubles, you will sometimes see the woman using a crouch style of defence, as this can be an effective stance to counter attack the smash.
Punch Clear Introduction
The punch or delayed clear has a flatter trajectory than a normal clear, but should still land in the back tramlines.
Return & 3rd Shot Hand Fed Serve
A feeder stands in the low serve position and throws shuttles flat to the opposite forecourt to simulate a very difficult doubles low serve.
Serve Return & 3rd Shot Rally
This routine allows three players to concentrate on the serve, return and third shot which is a very important area in doubles play.
Squash Racket Drive Defence
In this practice the feeder hits continuously down from the net and the defender practices drive defence from the mid court using the squash racket.
Squash Racket Smash Attack
A squash racket can be used in practice to help develop power for overhead shots.
Squash Racket Defence Practice
A squash racket can be used to help develop forearm strength to be able to lift the shuttle to the rearcourt and for drive defence shots.
Hitting Against Wall Intro
Hitting against the wall is a good way of practicing because you do not need a partner or opponent.
Cross-Court Net Shot Routines
You can practice cross-court net shots through a continuous rally by playing net shots to each other.
Cross-Court Net Shot Technique
To play a cross court net shot you should try and approach the net as though you are going to play a straight net shot and just before impact get your racket outside the line of the shuttle.
Cross-Court Net Shot Intro
Cross-court net shots should be used as a variation to the straight net shot and are effective in turning your opponent and making them change direction.
Doubles Rearcourt Attack and Rotate Multifeed
This multi shuttle routine encourages rotation when the rear court attacker is wide and develops forecourt precision shots on the move.
Doubles Rearcourt Attack and Rotate Routine
When the rear court player in doubles is attacking from a wide position they can consider a follow up shot at the net and allow their partner to rotate behind them.
Forehand Cross-Court Drop Shot Routines
A simple way of practising the forehand slice cross-drop is a continuous rally with one feeder lifting to the forehand rear court area while you groove the shot.
Forehand Cross-Court Drop Shot Technique
The racket preparation for the drop should be the same as for a smash or clear so that the opponent does not know what shot to expect.
Forehand Cross-Court Drop Shot Intro
Sliced overhead drops are effective because they have an element of deception and bring the shuttle down steeply causing your opponent to cover the full forecourt area.
Drive Defence Routine
This routine is a 3 against 1 exercise, with 2 attackers in the rear court, 1 attacker in the forecourt and 1 worker defending half a court.
Block and Follow Routine
To get used to blocking and following in doubles, you can practice them using this routine.
Block and Follow (Doubles)
A good quality block will drop just over the net away from the net player forcing them to take the shuttle below net height.
Counter Attacking Shots in Doubles
Once you find yourself defending in doubles you should look for opportunities to get back onto the attack.
Off Court Training - Advanced Skipping
High knee skipping – this one will get the heart rate up. Try and skip alternate legs bringing your knees up high and try maintain a fast pace. Ideally aim over 100 reps per minute.
Off Court Training - Basic Skipping
Alternate feet skipping – this is the most common form of skipping where you transfer alternately from 1 foot to the other. As you develop your skills you should aim for over 100 skips per minute.
Off Court Training - Skipping
Skipping is a great form of off-court training for badminton, which top players include in their weekly programme.
Recovery From The Rearcourt
Movement recovery from the rearcourt is very much dependent on the shot played and balance on landing.
Round The Head Movement
In the backhand rearcourt area it is preferable to play round-the-head shots rather than backhand shots where possible.
Backhand Doubles Flick Serve
For the backhand flick serve, the shuttle needs to be struck in front of the body and preferably look the same build up as your normal backhand low serve.
Doubles Flick Serve Intro
In doubles you should avoid defending if possible, so if you want to play a flick serve you should consider why you would want to play it.
The Arc-Step
The arc step is seen in both singles and doubles and is a good movement to get your body in line with the shuttle and be able to transfer you body weight through the shot.
Forehand Singles High Serve Technique
To play a forehand singles high serve, ideally you should position your body in the midcourt area with your feet close to the central line.
Singles High Serve Intro
The aim of the singles high serve is to deliver the shuttle high and as deep as possible into the diagonally opposite service box.
Forehand Rear Court Step Out
One of the most common movements to the forehand rear court is the step out method.
Forehand Rear Court Jump Out
Badminton is an explosive game and at high level play you will see players jumping for shots in order to take the shuttle early to get in an attacking position and create greater shot options.
Receiving Low serve for the Man - Mixed Doubles
When the man receives a low serve in mixed doubles, where possible he should try and play a return that will allow him to be able to get back to cover rear court shots.
When the Shuttle is Lifted - Mixed Doubles
As a general rule, when the shuttle is lifted in mixed doubles, the woman should stand on the diagonal to cover the cross court smash.
Man Flick Serves the Man - Mixed Doubles
In mixed doubles when the man is flicked by the man the woman should move across the court to cover any cross court reply in the same way as she would if the shuttle is lifted during a rally.
When Woman is Flick Served - Mixed Doubles
When the woman is flick served in mixed doubles, she should look to play a shot that will enable her to get back into her traditional position in the forecourt area.
Recovery Following a Deep Lunge
When you are forced to make a deep lunge, you should use a recovery movement to help get back on balance and ready for the next shot.
Use of Non-Racket Leg To Cover Distance
It is important to try and use your non-racket leg to help you cover the longer distances, particularly on movement to the forecourt.
Movement to the Backhand Forecourt
Movement from the centre of the court to the backhand forecourt is the split step then movement of the non racket leg followed by a lunge with the racket leg.
Movement to the Forehand Forecourt
The basic movement pattern for the forehand forecourt is the split step then movement of the non racket leg followed by a lunge with the racket leg.
The Split Step
From the ready position, to generate momentum and push off quickly you will see players use a split step or widening of the base to generate movement.
The Ready Position
The ready position in badminton is a relatively relaxed stance with legs about shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent.
What A Rally! - June
An amazing rally encompassing great attack and great defence.
Tendonitis
Tendonitis is a common sports injury that often occurs from overuse. Tendonitis can cause deep, nagging pain that is caused by inflammation of tendons.
How Long to Leave Ice on An Injury
While exposure to cold can ease pain and swelling, ice packs can also stop blood flow if left on the skin too long, researchers say.
When To Use Defensive Formation (Doubles)
A defensive shot is generally one that is travelling in an upward direction as it crosses the net or a shot that gives your opponent the opportunity to attack.
When To Use Attacking Formation (Doubles)
If you or your partner plays an attacking shot in doubles, you should try and maintain or adopt attacking positional play.
When Your Partner is Flick Served
When your partner is flick served, you should look to move to the forecourt to cover any replies from an attacking return.
Communicating With Your Partner
Good communication is essential in doubles play. You should use the time between rallies to confirm tactics and encourage your partner where necessary.
Mixed Stance When The Man Is Serving
The woman should stand in front of the man when he is serving in mixed doubles to make it easier for her to get into the forecourt area.
Which side do you defend?
The person who lifts the shuttle should defend the side they have hit the shuttle from.
Mixed Doubles Positioning
In mixed doubles the most effective attacking formation is the man in the rearcourt and woman in the forecourt.
Doubles Rotation
As you develop your doubles play, you should learn to rotate and move round with your partner effectively to maximise your attacking opportunities and for good shot coverage
What A Rally! - May
An amazing rally encompassing great attack and great defence.
Mental Focus (Centering)
Centering during sports is critical to stay focused and avoid distractions. It helps an athlete stay in the moment and release past and future thoughts, worries and plans.
Don't Choke
How to psyche yourself up, calm yourself down and overcome performance anxiety
Defending and Attacking in One Rally
This ladies doubles rally is over a minute long and shows how attacking and defensive formations can change constantly in a rally.
Doubles Front and Back Attack
The attacking formation in level doubles is one player at the front of the court and one player in the rearcourt.
Side by Side Defence
Defensive positioning in level doubles is commonly referred to as side by side.
Doubles Positional Play Intro
In doubles you are playing as a team and are covering the court between you and your partner.
Sports Injury Warning Signs
There are some common tip-offs you should recognize as warning signs that you have an injury that needs your attention.
Warm Up Not Knock Up
Most people could probably prevent their minor injuries by warming up properly and this can start as early as the morning of the game.
How to Feed Your Muscles
In order to build lean muscle mass you need to combine an adequate calorie intake with a solid muscle strengthening program.
Is Your Mind On The Job?
How many times during a match have your urged yourself to concentrate? Perhaps your coach or doubles partner has said it to you.
Base for the Rear Court Player in Doubles
During the rally, after playing an attacking shot from the rear of the court, you need to recover towards the centre of the rear court between shots.
Base Position after Rearcourt Shots
If you play a clear during a rally, the flight time of the shuttle is long, so you should have time to recover towards the centre of the court in preparation for your opponents reply.
Base from Serve - Singles
The singles serve is a prime example of when a player should take up a central position on the court following their shot.
What is the Base? - Singles
The base is often interpreted as a central position on the court and you will hear coaches telling players to get back to base between shots.
Taxi - April
An unexpected shot leaves opponents standing!
Backhand Spinning Net Shots
A good spinning net shot creates difficulty for the opponent through making the shuttle drop close to the net.
Backhand Clear Routines
To practice backhand clear technique a simple routine is to have the player continuously backhand clearing and a feeder continuously forehand clearing.
Backhand Drop Shot Routines
A simple way of grooving the backhand drop technique is for a feeder to continuously lift the shuttle to the backhand rear court whilst the player hits backhand drop shots.
Children in Sport - Part 1
Though sport can be and is great for many children there has always been concern by some coaches and parents about the effects of competitive sport on growing children.
The Pursuit Of Perfection - Part 2
In part 1 I argued that the pursuit of perfection in Sport within a moral framework not only maximised the athlete's possibility of success.
Backhand Clear Technique
The aim of the backhand clear is to push your opponent into the rear court.
Backhand Drop Shot Technique
Backhand drop shots are usually used as a maintaining shot in a rally that brings your opponent into the forecourt.
Backhand Grip - Overhead Shots
For overhead backhands, as the shuttle is either level or past the body for this shot, you cannot us a ‘thumb’ grip, as this would close off the racket face.
Backhand Grip - Basics
For shots in front of the body on the backhand side, the thumb should be placed on the back of the racket handle as shown.
The Pursuit Of Perfection - Part 1
Generally speaking perfection is considered an ideal, recognised as the ultimate standard towards which we may strive.
Learning the Art of Deception
An interesting and attractive feature of badminton is the numerous opportunities that occur in play for deceiving the opponent.
Taxi - March
An unexpected shot leaves opponents standing!
Rules - Serving Below the Waist
In competitive play people often debate over foul serving involving the serve below the waist rule.
Grip Basics - Forehand
One of the fundamental parts of badminton is the use of the correct grip. Your grip will vary depending on your position on the court in relation to the shuttle and the shot to be played.
Doubles return of serve stance
As the aim in doubles is to try and attack the serve, it is important to take up a return of serve position that will maximise attacking opportunities.
Mental Toughness
Generally speaking perfection is considered an ideal, recognised as the ultimate standard towards which we may strive.
Winning Badminton Doubles
A complete account of all aspects of level and mixed doubles with advice on the roles of the players and how to become a better doubles team.
Teach Your Child Badminton
A problem solving approach to coaching through discovery learning. Very useful for parents, teachers and coaches who want to try a different approach.
Excelling at Badminton
A complete self help manual covering all aspects of badminton: planning a programme, how to practise and devise practices, racket skill, body skill, doubles and singles tactics, training and more.
Get Fit for Badminton
Many badminton players enjoy the social and recreational aspects of the game and play in order to keep fit.
Doubles Return Of Serve - Introduction
In doubles, when returning the serve, your aim should be to try and force a lift from the opposition so that you can get on the attack.
Where To Serve
The most common place to low serve is towards the T as it is the shortest distance to serve to.
Doubles Low Serve - Introduction
The first three shots of a rally in doubles play are very important as this often determines who will have the first chance to attack and possibly win the point.
Play Short Badminton
The book contains information and lessons on how to introduce and teach young children (7 - 11 years) to play badminton.
How to Coach Badminton
A useful little introductory book for coaches which includes advice on planning lessons, the work of the coach, basic skills, tactics and correcting faults.
Badminton Leaders Handbook
This very useful handbook was written to supplement the Badminton Association of England's Leaders Award course. Its purpose is to give information, advice and practical ideas on how to introduce
Badminton for Schools
Written especially for young players and teachers at the request of the English Schools Badminton Association.
New Service Rule 2
Another service rule change is regarding the angle of the racket head on impact.
New Service Rule 1
This season, there have been some changes to the serving rules. Previously, the server could ‘hold’ their position at the end of the backwards movement. This is no longer allowed.
Forhand Net Kill From Diagonal
If you want to play a forehand kill from a shuttle that has travelled diagonally, you need to be aware of the angle of your racket face on impact.
Basic Net Kill Technique
To kill a shuttle in the forecourt area you need to approach the net with your racket up, so that you can come from above the shuttle in order attack it.
Brush Net Kills
Brush net kills are used when you want to kill a shuttle that is tight to the net and avoid hitting the net with your racket in the process.
Doubles Net Play Technique
The shuttle can be kept flat and tight across the net by using a simple pushing action.
Doubles Net Routines
It is best to use simple hand feeds to start allowing the player to master the technique of the push and the chop net.
Doubles Net Play Introduction
The forecourt player in doubles should always be looking for ways to maintain the attack and should stand prepared with their racket up.
Dealing With Spin
Players can learn about dealing with spin simply by playing spinning net shots back and forth to each other.
Feeding Spinning Net
Once a player has mastered how to create spin from a simple feed they should progress to learn to play counter spin off a spinning net shot.
Feeding for Net Shots
To practice spinning net shots the shuttle should be thrown so that it drops quite close to the net.
Out to In Net Spin
Finger and wrist movement create the spin rather than arm movement. The aim should be to take the shuttle as early as possible with the arm stretched out.
In to Out Net Spin
To create a spinning net shot the racket face needs to make contact underneath the shuttle and move across the base of the cork.
Spinning the Net Shot
Spinning net shots are used to make it more difficult for you opponent to control their reply.
Intelligent Game - Part 2
It takes great mental strength to stand alone on the court and make decisions that might not have been agreed upon between player and coach.
Intelligent Game - Part 1
I very often make the joke about how simple the game of badminton is. Only two rules apply, being “get it over the net and keep it within the lines”.
Warm Up and Cool Down
Before all you club players swing back into action remember to warm up and cool down to reduce injuries.
Mid Court Drive - Exercises
This multi-feed exercise limits the amount of time a player has between each shot thus making them use a rebound action.
Mid Court Drive - Technique
The driving shot is a flat powerful shot played just above net height to create openings or exploit weaknesses in your opponents defence.
Forehand Lift Defence - Exercises
Three progressive exercises that you can incorporate in your practice sessions to improve you forehand defence.
Forehand Lift Defence - Technique
This clip focuses on three key areas of technique for the forehand lift to help you play the shot more consistently.
Forehand Lift Defence - Intro
The lift is used to either move your opponent around the back of the court or to give yourself time to re-position yourself ready for the next shot.
One Minute Rally Challenge
Gail Emms, Donna Kellogg, Anthony Clark and Kristian Roebuck take on the one minute rally challenge.
Do You Talk To Yourself?
Research suggests that to perform to our best we should switch off our thoughts completely and let our actions become automatic.
Don't Lose Your Rag!
Frustration can destroy concentration and undermine your confidence and deny both success and enjoyment.
Knee Care
How we can take care of those troublesome Knees.
Badminton and Sports Science
In order to develop fast movements around a badminton court the following areas need to be examined...
An Umpire's View - Receiving the Serve
Delay of service or receipt of service is a frequent topic of conversation. Many players believe that they can take as long as they like to get ready to serve.
An Umpire's View - Change of Rules
By now, everyone is surely aware that the International Badminton Federation has revised the Laws of Badminton.
String Tension and Performance
Choosing the right string tension is one of the most important equipment decisions a badminton player can make.
What A Rally!
An amazing rally encompassing great attack and great defence.
Combination Routine
This routine allows all three players to be working on different aspects within the same routine.
Defensive Routines
To gain confidence and to try to remember the key points for the defensive block, start practising using hand feed routines.
Racket Control
For backhand defence the thumb is placed on the back of the racket handle at a slight downward angle.
Backhand Block
Moving the racket to meet the shuttle will not only allow you to intercept it early but will give you options to play a variety of replies.
Defensive Stance
A good defensive stance with your legs slightly bent and upper body slightly leaning forwards allows your centre of gravity to remain low and balanced enabling you to move quickly.
Backhand Defence
Defence is an area that players really worry about and this can cause stress and anxiety that leads to a lot of errors.
Basic Smash Exercise
Individual racket feeds will give you time to concentrate on some of the technical elements to the smash that have been highlighted in other clips.
Smash and Look
It is important to move forward into the smash to cover your opponent's possible replies.
Using Targets
In your smash routines using targets can provide an immediate indication to how accurate your smashes are and what adjustments you need to make.
Variety When Smashing
Changing the pace, angle and direction of the smash can prevent your opponents becoming accustomed to one type of attack.
The Racket Arm
The focus in this clip is on the racket arm during the smash.
As the racket is drawn back the elbow is in a low V position. This allows the shoulder to be relaxed before the big hit.
Body Rotation
Here we are going to focus on the key element of using body rotation to hit the smash with more power.
Movement Timing
In preparation for the smash it is essential that your feet move first rather than the upper body.
Fuelling up whilst playing!
There are no magic foods that will replace hard work and good training, but if you follow these simple ideas you are well on the way to helping to achieve your best performance.
Gatorade and Sports Drinks
In 1965, the University of Florida Gators football team was experiencing severe fatigue caused by the heat of the Florida swamp and the intense physical strain of playing the sport.
