Badminton Drills 1

Doing some simple Badminton Drills will have a great bearing in you becoming a better player. Just by playing games alone will not be enough. Spend some time and effort in your Badminton Training. You’ll become a better Badminton Player.

Here are some Badminton Drills that you can practice on to improve your game.

Shadow Badminton

This is to practice the correct movement and technique without actually hitting a shuttle. Get a partner to help direct you to the areas of the court, making sure that you cover the backcourt, midcourt, and the frontcourt with both your forehand and backhand.

Commit fully during this practice as you would in any competition. Imagine that you are playing against a world class player. It will definitely improve your movement on court and fitness.

Wall Rally Drill

Take an old shuttle and hit it against the wall. Hit the shuttle with your forehand and backhand, straight or diagonal. It can be used for practicing almost every stroke. It is a good way to improve footwork, strengthen the arm and wrist muscles used in badminton.

The wall should be at least 20 feet high to accommodate clears. The practice will be more effective if you can show the height of the net with a chalk line or a string, 5 feet above the ground.

As the shuttle rebounds so fast from the wall, your wrist will naturally come into play. You will learn how to switch grips at an instance as well. You will be amazed on your improved reflexes the next time you step on court.

Hitting a shuttle against a wall is an effective practice at all levels of plays.

Badminton Net Play 2

Net Kill

Net kill is a shot played when your opponent has played a loose shot over the net, providing an opening to strike the shuttle down from the net area.

The basic preparation and movement for the net kill is the same as the net shot. The only difference is that you need to hold the racket head high enough to take the shuttle above the net level. The key is to be quick to the net.

As this shot is played with a tap action near the net, there is a risk of you hitting the net. So make sure when you play this shot, use your wrist with little or no racket arm movement. Once you make contact with the shuttle, let your racket rebound back to ensure no follow through.

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.

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.

Here are some pointers for the Net Lift / Underarm Clear.

* Adopt the forehand grip for forehand net lift or the backhand grip for backhand net lift.
* Extend and put your racket up when you go for the shot.
* The point of impact shall be well out in front of you and as high as possible with your racket leg leading in a lunge position.
* Swing your racket upwards as the shuttle drops in the hitting area.
* Unlock your wrist as you contact the shuttle, producing a whip action.
* Follow through with your racket in the direction of the shuttle’s trajectory.
* Push with both legs and move back to your base position.

Ref:http://www.badminton-information.com/badminton_net_play.html

Badminton Net Play 1

Badminton Net Play is an important area that requires more finesse than power. A flick of a wrist could send your opponent scrambling back.

A sudden change in angle of the racket face could send your opponent falling desperately to the ground.

For me, winning a point from these types of badminton shots are more satisfying than a point won from smashing. The feeling of being able to play delicate shots and deceive your opponent is really pleasing. It is like winning a battle effortlessly.

There are 3 types of net play.

Net Shots

These shots are played from around the net area back to your opponent’s net area. It can be played both on the forehand and backhand sides. The objective is to force your opponent to hit a weak lift or hit shots that could not clear the net. These shots can be played straight or cross court.

Execute the net shot well and you will have a tumbling shuttle falling into your opponent’s court. It is a difficult shot to return by any standards.

Here are some pointers for playing a net shot.

* 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.

There are times when you could only reach the shuttle when it has fallen close to the ground and near the net. A successful net shot from this difficult situation is called a Hairpin Net Shot. It is so named because the flight path of the shuttle resembles an inverted hairpin.

The techniques for hitting the hairpin net shot are about the same as a normal net shot. But because it is hit near to the ground, you need to slice or lift your racket a bit. Although it is a rather difficult shot to play, you will learn it with practice.

Strings

Badminton strings are thin, with high performing strings in the range of about 0.65 to 0.73 millimetres thickness. Thicker strings are more durable, but many players prefer the feel of thinner strings. String tension is normally in the range of 18 to 36 lbf (80 to 130 newtons). Recreational players generally string at lower tensions than professionals, typically between 18 and 25 lbf. Professionals string between about 25 and 36 lbf.

It is often argued that high string tensions improve control, whereas low string tensions increase power.[10] The arguments for this generally rely on crude mechanical reasoning, such as claiming that a lower tension stringbed is more bouncy and therefore provides more power. An alternative view suggests that the optimum tension for power depends on the player:[11] the faster and more accurately he can swing his racket, the higher the tension for maximum power. Neither view has been subjected to a rigorous mechanical analysis, nor is there clear evidence in favour of one or the other. The most effective way for ajavascript:void(0)
Publish player to find a good string tension is to experiment. Playing at high string tensions can cause injury, depending on the player's ability: few amateur players can safely play above 30 lbf, and for most players even 25 lbf is too high.

Ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badminton#Strings

Rackets

Badminton rackets are light, with top quality rackets weighing between about 70 and 100 grams (without strings). [8][9] They are composed of carbon fibre composite (graphite reinforced plastic), which may be augmented by a variety of materials. Carbon fibre has an excellent strength to weight ratio, is stiff, and gives excellent kinetic energy transfer. Before the adoption of carbon fibre composite, rackets were made of light metals such as aluminium. Earlier still, rackets were made of wood. Cheap rackets are still often made of metal, but wooden rackets are no longer manufactured for the ordinary market, due to their excessive weight and cost.

There is a wide variety of racket designs, although the racket size and shape are limited by the Laws. Different rackets have playing characteristics that appeal to different players. The traditional oval head shape is still available, but an isometric head shape is increasingly common in new rackets.

Badminton Clears 2

Around the Head Clear

This is actually a forehand overhead badminton clear played at the non-racket side of your body. Try to use it whenever play permits as a forehand stroke is always better and more accurate than a backhand.

The techniques for hitting these badminton clears are about the same as the forehand overhead clears with only some minor adjustments.

Here are some pointers for playing a forehand around the head clear.

* Stand squarely to the net.
* Bend your upper body sideways to your non-racket side as your arms come through.
* Shift your weight to your non-racket leg.
* Bend your elbow and bring the racket behind your head.
* As you swing forward, your forearm will brush the top of your head before straightening.
* Transfer your body weight rapidly as your non-racket leg pushes your body back to your base position.

An important thing to note here is that whether you are playing a badminton clear, a drop shot or a smash, your wrist plays a key part in creating deception.

The basic preparations for these badminton shots are the same, only the angle of the racket face, the speed of the racket head and the point of impact is different. Keep your opponent guessing.

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 or a flatter, cross court clear will depend on the situation at that time and your opponent’s positioning on court.

In any case, try to reach the shuttle as early as possible so that you can have various shot options. Your wrist action is the crucial element in creating a deception for your shots.

Here are some pointers for the underarm clear.

* Adopt the forehand grip for a forehand underarm clear or the backhand grip for a backhand underarm clear.

* Extend and put your racket up when you go for the shot.
* The point of impact shall be well out in front of you and as high as possible with your racket leg leading in a lunge position.
* Swing your racket upwards as the shuttle drops in the hitting area.
* Unlock your wrist as you contact the shuttle, producing a whip action.
* Follow through with your racket in the direction of the shuttle’s trajectory.
* Push with both legs and move back to your base position.

Practice hard on your Badminton Clears and your game will benefit tremendously...

Ref:http://www.badminton-information.com/badminton_clears.html

Badminton Clears

Badminton Clears are the most common and important of all badminton strokes that can be played overhead or underarm. These shots can be played both on the forehand and backhand sides.

Overhead Clear>

Use the clear to move your opponent to the backcourt. It will create space in the frontcourt for you to exploit.

It will also give you more time to go back to your base. The optimum hitting zone is located somewhere above the central area of your racket.

You can play two types of Badminton Clears, Attacking Clear and Defensive Clear.

Attacking clear has a trajectory that runs almost parallel to the ground. The shuttle travels flat and fast towards your opponents back court. These badminton shots allow less time to your opponent to get behind the shuttle, potentially causing weak returns. The shuttle is hit square with your racket face.

Defensive Clear has a high and deep trajectory. These badminton shots give you more time to return to your base and prepare for the next shot. The shuttle is hit with your racket face leaning slightly backwards.

Forehand Overhead Clear

The forehand overhead badminton clear is similar to the action of throwing a ball. If you can throw a ball well, you shouldn’t have problem playing this stroke. You can always practice throwing with a shuttle first before stepping on to the court.

Here are some pointers for playing a forehand overhead clear.

* Adopt the forehand grip.
* Turn your body and stand sideways to the net with your non-racket shoulder facing the net.
* Shift your weight on to your rear foot.
* Bend your elbow and lock your wrist preparing to swing forward.
* Raise your non-racket hand and point at the shuttle to improve timing and balance.
* Contact the shuttle as high as possible and in front of your body using a strong throwing action as if you are going to throw your racket high and forward through the air.
* Straighten your elbow as you hit the shuttle.
* Let your wrist unlock with a whip action as you hit the shuttle.
* Follow through with your racket and shift your weight from your rear foot to your front foot.
* Move back to your base position.