Badminton

Before you start training, the first step is to understand a bit about the sport and the equipment you will be using.

About the Game

A match consists of best of 3 games of 21 points with a cap of 30 points. In case tied at 20, the player to take a two point lead first is the winner. In case tied at 29, the player who wins the rally and reaches 30 first is the winner.

There are 5 formats to the game – men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.

Essential Equipment

The standard kit consists of a badminton racquet and shuttle cock. The racquets typically weigh between 70g to 95g with synthetic strings. The shuttle cocks are made of either plastic or duck/goose feathers.

The racquets are strung with guts and the area you hold is called the grip. The portion above the grip is referred to as the shaft. The sweet spot for hitting the shuttle is not the centre of the racquet head, but slightly above it.

You can only earn points in a rally if the shuttle is forced on to the opponent’s court and it lands on his side of the court or on his body. The other way you can score is by forcing your opponent to hit a negative, that is by hitting the shuttle outside the court or into the net.

The starting point for playing any stroke in badminton is holding the racquet correctly. You need a variety of grips that you can use depending on the shuttle position and situation during the game.

Long grips are useful for hitting rear court strokes, whereas short grips are mainly used in the forecourt area. There are four main types of grips in badminton.

The basic or V-grip is used when the shuttle is in level with the player on both forehand and backhand sides. Your thumb and index finger should create a V shape on the racquet handle.

Next is the thumb grip. This is used for backhand strokes in front of the body like net shot, backhand lifts, backhand serves, backhand drives, and backhand net kills.

There’s also a variant of the backhand grip known as the corner grip. This is useful when the shuttle is to the side of the player or a little behind the player.

The final one is the panhandle grip. This is used when the shuttle is behind the player on the backhand side, or for forehand net kills. To switch to it, rotate the racquet from the neutral grip. There should be a ‘V’ between thumb and index finger, and a gap between the index and middle finger. Your palm should be flat on the front of the racquet.

The grips are demonstrated in detail in the tutorial. Simply watch and imitate your coach to get your grip right.

A skilful serve can be a game-changer, often helping you win a point right off the bat. This tutorial takes you through the forehand high serve, step by step.

Forehand High Serve

This should be targeted at the diagonally opposite rear court area or service box on your opponent’s side of the court. This serve is particularly useful because it ensures your opponent is pushed back to the far end of the court.

Posture and Grip

Begin in a side stance with a basic grip. The right way of holding the racquet is easy if you picture it like a friendly handshake, with your thumb pressed against the wider surface of the racquet grip. Do not hold too tight as it can affect the flexibility of your wrist.

Position and Technique

Begin weight transfer from your back leg to the front and drop the shuttle to the side, in front of you. Bring the racquet downwards from an elevated position and use the momentum to swing it forward. Strike hard under the shuttle and complete the follow-through with the racquet, high and long, towards your opposite shoulder.

Perfecting Your Serve

Place a few shuttle tubes together, making a box and forming your target. The objective of the exercise is to make the shuttle fall inside it. Keep at it until it almost becomes like a reflex action, easy to execute on the go.

Watch the video now to see how it is done. Only practice can help you get the technique right.

The second serving technique – the forehand front serve is quite popular because it avoids having to face a powerful smash from your opponent. It restricts the opponent from attacking or going on the offensive because the shuttle drops really low.

The forehand front serve is targeted at the diagonally opposite front court area or service box in the opponent’s court, but at a low height. Ensure the shuttle starts dropping or dipping as soon as it crosses the net.

Posture, Position and Technique

Begin in a side stance with a basic grip. Start transferring your weight from the back leg to the front, and drop the shuttle to the side, in front of you. Bring the racquet downwards from an elevated position and swing it forward.

As you strike the shuttle, push it forward and bring the racquet back to ready stance. This strike and push technique is what makes the shuttle dip as it clears the net.

Perfecting Your Serve

Place a few shuttle tubes together, making a box and set your target. The objective is to make the shuttle fall inside it. You also need to place two shuttles on the net, sort of like markers. When you serve, ensure the shuttle passes in between these markers before dropping in the target area.

The tutorial is quite self-explanatory and will help you pick up this serving technique in no time. Watch and learn.

The forehand flick serve is like a low serve but in reality goes all the way back to the rear court area. It’s a surprise serve which tends to displace your opponent as he expects it to drop low in the front court area but instead finds it going to the rear.

It puts pressure on your opponent’s movement, thereby gaining you an immediate advantage. You need to play the forehand flick serve with enough height and length to prevent your opponent from intercepting it midcourt and smashing it back.

Posture, Position and Technique

Begin in a side stance with a basic grip. Start transferring your weight from the back leg to the front, and drop the shuttle to the side, in front of you. Bring the racquet downwards from an elevated position and swing it forward. As you strike the shuttle, push it hard, and follow-through the racquet, high and long, towards your opposite shoulder.

Perfecting Your Serve

Place a few shuttle tubes together, making a box and set your target. The objective is to make the shuttle fall inside it.

Watch the video now to learn how to execute this surprise tactic, while keeping your movement seamless and fluid.

In this video, we explore the backhand low serve. The shuttle crosses very close to the net cord and drops near the front line in the service box. This is a deceptive move with a minimal swing and can reduce the chances of your opponent attacking. Here the shuttle is connected at a higher point and closer to the net.

Posture and Grip

Your stance can be either left foot forward or right foot forward; just that you should be close to the ‘T’ in your court. Use a short thumb grip, that is hold the racquet higher up on the handle. It gives you more control over the stroke.

Position and Technique

Hold the shuttle by the feather with your free hand and place the shuttle on the racquet head. Execute a short backswing and push the shuttle, before bringing the racquet back to ready position. You should leverage your thumb to push forward in the direction of where you want the shuttle to land.

Perfecting Your Serve

Place a few shuttle tubes together, making a box and set your target. The objective is to make the shuttle fall inside it. You should also place two shuttles on the net. When you serve, the shuttle should pass between the two on the net and then drop in the target area.

Follow the step-by-step instructions and demonstration by your coach, practise the techniques and perfect your backhand low serve.

In this video, you will learn about the backhand flick serve. This would look like a typical low serve but instead of dropping in the service box, it goes to the rear court area, displacing the opponent’s movement and catching him off guard.

The advantage here is there’s minimal swing involved. So, the opponent would not be able to guess the serve you are doing.

While playing singles, the flick serve can go up to the back line, whereas for doubles, it must land within the inner doubles service line.

Posture and Grip

Your stance can be either left foot forward or right foot forward, but close to the ‘T’ in your court. Use the short thumb grip. It can be a little longer for the singles serve as compared to the serve in doubles.

Position and Technique

Hold the shuttle by the feather with your free hand and place the shuttle on the racquet head. Take a short backswing and push the shuttle, flicking it out of the hand before bringing the racquet back to ready position. This serve has a little more follow-through than the backhand low serve.

Perfecting Your Serve

Place a few shuttle tubes together, making a box and set your target. The objective is to make the shuttle fall inside it. You just need to keep at it until you improve your accuracy.

Watch the tutorial, practise the technique and improve your skills in badminton.

In this video, you’ll learn the backhand net shot, which is also known as the net keep. This is a front court stroke that is useful to draw your opponent towards the front net area, thereby opening up the rear court for scoring opportunities.

It is typically played in response to the drop. And it is played from the forecourt or front court region to the opposite side front court area. The main thing to keep in mind is that you need to ensure the shuttle crosses the net as close to the net cord as possible before dipping.

Grip and Technique

Use an easy and gentle thumb grip to touch the shuttle with the face of the racquet. Depending on how far it is from the net in the front court area, a slight push may be required. Bring the racquet back to ready stance to respond to the opponent’s play.

The important thing to note is to meet the shuttle at the shoulder level and play the stroke in such a way that the shuttle crosses the net and immediately dips down.

Perfecting Your Shot

You’ll need a sparring partner or coach to practise these exercises. The multi-shuttle hand feed involves a continuous feed of shuttles from the opposite court so you can respond with backhand net shots.

The next exercise involves a lift, drop and net shot routine that you can repeat to perfect the technique.

The third and final exercise is a 1v1 continuous net play with your sparring partner, where one tries out the backhand net shot and the other executes the forehand net shot. Ensure the shuttle does not go very high while crossing the net.

Go through the tutorial, understand the technique, practise it and hone your net shot skills in badminton.

The net shot can be executed with the forehand as well. This video demonstrates how to go about it. The forehand net shot draws your opponent towards the front net area, opening up the rear court.

It is typically played in response to a drop, and it is played from the forehand forecourt or front court region to the opposite side front court area. You need to ensure the shuttle crosses the net as close to the net cord as possible before dipping.

Grip and Technique

Use a light and gentle grip with the racquet held in front of the body. Touch the shuttle with the face of the racquet, and depending on how far it is from the net in the front court area, a slight push may be required.

Ensure you connect with the shuttle at the shoulder level so your line of sight is exactly at the point of contact of the racquet and shuttle.

Perfecting Your Shot

You’ll need a sparring partner or coach to practise with. The first exercise or multi-shuttle hand feed involves a continuous hand feed of shuttles from the opposite court so you can respond with backhand net shots.

The second exercise is a drop and keep (net shot) routine that you need to repeat to perfect your technique.

The final exercise is a 1v1 continuous net play, where one player practises the forehand net keep and the other player executes the backhand net keep.

Watch the tutorial, perfect your forehand net shot and advance in the game.

This video demonstrates a midcourt stroke which is typically played from the midcourt to the front court area on the opponent’s side. It’s a defensive shot known as block off the body. This is played in response to a body smash, and used to cut the speed of the smash and the rally.

There are two primary blocks you can employ – the straight block and the cross block.

Grip and Technique

Starting with a basic grip and racquet held in ready defensive position in front of the body, change to a thumb grip. Take a small backswing with bent elbow position and then swing forward with the elbow extended.

Hit the shuttle from below and push through. Complete the follow-through by rotating your arm outwards, and get back to the basic grip and ready stance.

Perfecting Your Shot

You’ll need a sparring partner or coach for this. The first exercise involves multi-shuttle hand feed from the opposite court. The shuttles should be thrown similar to how a smash would travel to the opponent’s court.

The second exercise involves your sparring partner doing half smashes which you practise blocking.

Once comfortable, move on to 1v1 continuous rally play on half court with a straight block, and then on to full court using the cross block.

The tutorial is self-explanatory. Familiarise yourself with the steps and practise to perfect your blocks.

Drives are strokes that are flat and usually played from midcourt to midcourt area. When your opponent smashes the shuttle, you have an opportunity to convert your defence into an attack with a drive shot.

The first of these is the backhand drive. The video demonstrates the stroke step by step, along with practice exercises for you to improve your technique.

Grip and Technique

The grip to be used depends on the relative position of the shuttle with respect to your body – basic grip if the shuttle is to one side of your body, and thumb grip if you’re hitting the shuttle in front of the body. Start with a backswing, and with elbow forward and bent, rotate your upper and lower arms inward.

Swing forward, straighten your elbow, rotate your arm outwards and hit the shuttle hard. Use the momentum of the shuttle to send it right back across the net.

Depending on whether the shuttle is closer to the side line or your body, you can choose to play the backhand drive by bringing the racquet foot across the body or not.

Perfecting Your Drive

The first exercise involves hitting a suspended shuttle with the backhand drive action. Keep at it until the movement feels natural and effortless.

Next, try hitting the shuttle continuously against a wall with the backhand drive action. The shuttle can come in any direction, which will improve your forearm and wrist strength, and your finger power.

For the final one, find a sparring partner to practise with – one player will smash the shuttle and the other will drive the shuttle in response. This is the best exercise to simulate a real match.

The drive is a popular shot as it effectively deals with an incoming smash. Watch the tutorial, practise and master the skill.

This video explores the forehand drive, a stroke that can help you return a smash by moving from a defensive position to an offensive position. While the technique is similar to the backhand drive, there are some key differences that you need to pay attention to.

Grip and Technique

Use a basic grip if the shuttle is to one side of your body. Adjust to a pan-handle grip if you’re hitting the shuttle in front of the body. Start with a backswing. Raise and bend your elbow, rotate the upper and lower arm outwards and bend your wrist.

For the forward swing, straighten your elbow while rotating your upper and lower arm inwards. Hit the shuttle, follow-through and get back to the ready position.

Perfecting Your Drive

The exercise for this involves a sparring partner with one player smashing the shuttle and the other returning with a forehand drive in a continuous 1 on 1 format. You can also practise a cross drive, where the shuttle moves diagonally from the forehand side of your court to the forehand side of your opponent’s court.

Watch the tutorial now, familiarise yourself with the sequence of steps and master the forehand drive.

Net lifts are front court strokes played from the forecourt to the rear court area. It is a versatile shot that can either be played as an offensive stroke or a defensive one, by varying the height of the lift.

If the opponent is in the forecourt area and you’re able to hit the shuttle as it drops just below the tape of the net, a quick attacking lift can be used with just enough height to beat the opponent.

However, if the shuttle has dropped well below the tape of the net and you’re hitting it just before it reaches the floor, then a high defensive lift is recommended.

Forehand Net Lift – Position and Technique

This can be broken down into three parts – backswing, forward swing and follow-through. Starting with a backswing, rotate your arm outwards with the wrist bent to reach the shuttle.

Continue with a forward swing by straightening the wrist, hitting the shuttle upwards and forward. Complete the stroke with a follow-through action that causes your arm to rotate inwards as it relaxes.

Perfecting Your Shot

The first exercise involves a multi-shuttle hand feed by your sparring partner or coach from the opposite side.

Next is a 1 on 1 rally with a sparring partner, involving a predictable routine. One player executes the net lift and the other player responds with a drop shot.

Watch the steps in executing a forehand net lift, learn the practice routines and take your badminton skills up a notch.

In this video, you’ll be introduced to the backhand net lift. This is a front court stroke played from the forecourt to the rear court area. It can either be played as an offensive stroke or a defensive one, by varying the height of the lift.

If you’re able to hit the shuttle as it drops just below the tape of the net, a quick attacking lift with lower height can be used. However, if the shuttle has dropped well below the tape of the net and you’re hitting it just before it reaches the floor, then a high defensive lift is recommended.

Grip and Technique

Use the thumb grip with relaxed reach, arm rotated inwards and elbow slightly bent. Keep your leg aligned in line with the incoming shuttle. Hit the shuttle upwards and forward, and follow-through with an outward arm rotation.

Perfecting Your Backhand Net Lift

The first exercise involves a multi-shuttle hand feed by your sparring partner or coach from the opposite side.

Next is a 1 on 1 rally with a sparring partner, involving a predictable routine. One player executes the net lift and the other player responds with a drop shot. The third exercise is also a predictable 1 on 1 rally. But here, the routine involves clear, drop shot, net shot, lift, and repeat.

This video demonstrates the net kill or net tap in badminton. This is a front court stroke where the shuttle is hit hard in a downward direction from the front net area to the opponent’s mid court area or on the opponent’s body. It can only be played if the shuttle is hit when it’s above the net cord or tape.

This stroke is used to either finish a rally to win a point, or to ensure a weak return from the opponent. The focus of this tutorial will be on the backhand net kill.

Technique

Adopt a thumb grip for this stroke. Raise the racquet with bent elbow and arm rotating inwards for the backswing, which will be a small backswing. For the forward swing, straighten the arm and hit the shuttle hard in a downward direction, with the arm moving outwards. Return to a ready offensive position immediately.

Practice

Get a sparring partner or coach to help you with a multi-shuttle hand feed from the opposite side. Focus on your grip, posture, position and technique as you play each shot. The next exercise is a 1 vs. 1 net play with a cross backhand tap.

Watch the tutorial now, practise and perfect your backhand net kill.

This video demonstrates the forehand net kill in badminton. The stroke is played from the forehand front court to the opponent’s mid court or body of the opponent. While it bears similarity to the backhand net kill, there are differences in the grip and direction of arm rotation.

Start by switching to a pan-handle grip to hold the racquet, as you won’t be able to generate sufficient power with a normal grip. Your elbow should be bent. Now anticipate the shuttle and rotate the arm outwards. Hit the shuttle hard, in a downward direction, by straightening the arm. Follow through with the arm rotating inwards to complete the stroke.

You should immediately return to a ready offensive position. Net kills can only be played if the shuttle is hit above the net cord or tape. So, time your stroke correctly before the shuttle starts to dip. This can also be played as a diagonal or cross tap.

To improve your forehand net kill, find a sparring partner or coach who can help with a multi-shuttle hand feed from the opposite side. Ensure you pounce on it with a slight jump so you can hit the shuttle downwards.

This is a useful shot to either finish a rally or to ensure a weak return from the opponent, as he would barely get time to react. Watch the tutorial now and advance your badminton skills.

In this video, you’ll be introduced to a new technique known as the clear or toss. It is used to get the shuttle as far away from the opponent as possible.

The clear is a rear court stroke which is played from your rear court to the opponent’s rear court, either straight or diagonally. It can be played as an attacking flat clear or a high defensive clear.

In the attacking clear, the shuttle quickly goes past and displaces the opponent, forcing a weak return. The high defensive clear slows down the rally, sending the opponent to the rear corners of the court.

Grip and Posture

This is played with a basic grip and side stance, with your front arm raised. Step back to shift the load to the rear leg, pushing your rear hip forward. The rear shoulder and elbow move upwards and forward. Now rotate the arm outwards and get ready to engage the shuttle.

Position and Technique

Begin a forward swing with your arm rotating inwards. Hit the shuttle hard at the highest point in front of the body. Your back leg crosses in front of the front leg and the follow-through action causes the arm to rotate inwards in a downward direction.

Perfecting Your Forehand Clear

The first exercise is the predictable 1 on 1 rally with forward recovery step. Once you’ve got a hang of the forehand clear through predictable rallies, try the 1 on 1 unpredictable clears. This is practised full court with no restrictions.

The tutorial demonstrates the forehand clear step by step. Watch now and hone your skills.

This video demonstrates a powerful shot which is a crowd favourite – the smash. The shuttle travels at speeds in excess of 400 km/hr before striking the opponent’s court, or even the opponent for that matter.

The smash can be played from either rear court or mid court to the opponent’s mid court area, along the sidelines or on the opponent’s body. This attacking stroke can win you a point or ensure a weak return from the opponent.

Grip and Posture

Begin by holding the racquet with a V-grip. Step back to switch the load to your rear leg with a sideways stance. Push upwards and forward aggressively with the rear leg.

Position and Technique

Jump in the air with your elbow facing upwards in a forward direction. Hit the shuttle hard at the highest point in front of the body and direct it downwards.

Follow-through and finish the arm rotation before you land. Keep your grip relaxed throughout the stroke, except at the point of impact with the shuttle.

Perfecting Your Smash

For the first exercise, you’ll need a sparring partner or coach to assist you. It involves a racquet feed with you smashing the shuttle each time as a return.

The next exercise focuses on improving your precision and accuracy by adding targets (using shuttle tubes) near the sidelines for you to aim at while smashing the shuttle.

Watch the tutorial now and learn how to effectively score points or put your opponent on the back foot with a well-timed smash.

In this video, you’ll get to see a masterful rear court stroke in badminton called the forehand drop shot. It is played from the rear court area to the front or forecourt area on the opponent’s side. It can be a straight or a cross drop.

You can choose to play a fast and long drop which lands just behind the front service line; or a slower, sharper and shorter drop which falls between the net and the front service line. It makes the opponent cover the entire length of the court.

Grip and Posture

Use a basic grip and side stance, with the front arm raised. Step back to switch the load to your rear leg. Push your rear hip forward. The rear shoulder and elbow move upwards and forward. Rotate the arm outwards and anticipate the shuttle.

Position and Technique

Now rotate the arm inwards for the forward swing. Rather than completing the swing in one fluid motion, slow the racquet head just before it hits the shuttle downwards.

Make sure you engage with the shuttle at the highest point in front of the body. Your back leg crosses in front of the front leg, and the follow-through action causes the arm to rotate inwards in a downward direction.

Perfecting Your Drop Shot

The first exercise is a racquet feed by a sparring partner or coach. Ensure you use the forehand drop shot to return their strokes.

The second exercise involves improving your precision and accuracy, by adding targets using shuttle tubes. Take aim to place the drops within these areas when you play the shot.

For the final exercise, practise a 1 on 1 predictable rally with a sparring partner. There are two routines or sequence of moves you can use for this: drop -> lift -> drop -> lift; or drop -> net shot -> lift -> drop shot.

This may not be the easiest shot to learn, but if you pay attention to the tutorial and practise the steps, you should pick it up in no time.

Learning to move across the court in a smooth manner is very important as it improves your game and helps you avoid any knee or ankle damage.

The most important part of your footwork is the split step. This is the small jump that you do in anticipation, just before the opponent hits the shuttle to your court.

A split step is done by slightly jumping and widening your base/stance – that is the gap between your feet. It can be side to side, racquet foot forward or non-racquet foot forward.

Racquet foot in front is preferred for strokes where the shuttle is coming on the forehand side in the front court area or the rear court area. The non-racquet foot in front split step is preferred when the shuttle is coming on the backhand side in the front court area or rear court area.

If the shuttle is coming towards the sides, then you need to do a side split to prepare for it.

The chasse step in badminton is a variation of the split step, where you jump towards the forehand side with the racquet foot leading and the non-racquet foot following.

It is important to keep your forward leg in line with the shuttle you’re hitting. Not following this can result in injuring your knee because of the momentum during the game. Another thing to keep in mind is to try and keep your racquet extended first before moving to reach the shuttle.

For the strokes which are going to be played behind, perform a directional foot step, followed by a scissor jump, before returning to the previous position.

Split steps are very useful to quickly reach the shuttle. Watch the tutorial now and improve your footwork in badminton.

This video introduces you to the technique behind receiving or returning a serve effectively. You should never be caught off-guard by the opponent’s serve. Position yourself in such a way that any serve can be played in front of the body and at the highest point before the shuttle starts to drop.

The receiving stance and position for singles and doubles is different as the rules of service are different for both. We will explore the singles high service return in this episode.

Singles High Service Return

Begin with your stance in the mid-court area with the non-racquet foot forward, and with a basic grip. Be quick on your feet when you receive the shuttle. This will allow you to get behind the shuttle faster and hit it at the highest point.

Perfecting Your Service Return

For the first exercise, start a 1 on 1 practice with multiple shuttles where your sparring partner tries out different serves, one shuttle at a time, and you practise returning the serves.

The next exercise is a multi-feed variant targeted at improving your accuracy with the service return. Place boxes or mark all corner areas near the net and rear court. Your service returns should fall in these boxes or the areas marked.

Go ahead and watch the tutorial now and perfect your singles high service return.

In this video, we explore a variant of the singles service return known as the singles low service return. Instead of waiting for the shuttle to come to you, you go towards the shuttle and engage it.

The advantage of connecting early with the shuttle is you get to choose from a variety of strokes for your return, including more offensive ones.

Stance, Position and Technique

Get into the stance in the mid-court area with the non-racquet foot forward and with a basic grip. Rather than waiting for the shuttle, go towards it. Avoid having the shuttle come close to your body and connect with it as early as possible.

A general rule of thumb with the singles low service return is to engage the shuttle at the net cord level or higher. Pick an offensive stroke for the return to build up an advantage over the opponent in the ensuing rally.

Perfecting Your Service Return

Start a 1 on 1 practice with multiple shuttles where your sparring partner tries out different serves, one shuttle at a time, and you practise returning the serves.

The next exercise is targeted at improving your accuracy with the service return. Place boxes or mark all corner areas near the net and rear court as well. Your service returns should fall in the boxes or within the areas marked.

Watch the tutorial carefully, learn the steps and hone your skills in badminton.

Since the service rules are a little different for singles and doubles, the way to go about receiving the serve is also slightly different. In this video, you’ll learn the doubles low service return and how to go about improving it.

Get into the ready stance near the front service line area with your non-racquet foot forward and with a basic grip. You have the flexibility to lead with either leg depending on convenience and stance. It’s up to you to decide whether to keep the non-racquet foot or the racquet foot forward.

You need to engage the shuttle before it starts dipping downwards. This gives you the chance to go on the offensive. If you delay the return or make contact with the shuttle too late, you’ll end up playing a defensive stroke.

There are two exercises to improve your doubles low service return. In the first, engage in a 2 on 1 practice with multiple shuttles. Basically, your sparring partners try out different serves, one shuttle at a time, and you practise returning the serves.

The next exercise will help you improve your accuracy. Place boxes or mark all corner areas near the net and rear court. Try to give a targeted service return. Ensure the shuttle falls in the boxes or within the areas marked.

The tutorial takes you through this service return, step by step. Watch, practise and learn.

The flick service is usually performed to surprise you. But you can ensure predictable results with your service return even while facing such an unpredictable serve.

There’s a cardinal rule in playing a doubles flick service return. Never allow the shuttle to get behind your head and body. Also, avoid turning your head up and backwards as you follow the trajectory of the shuttle.

Instead, keep the shuttle in sight, right ahead of you throughout. The typical response to a flick serve is an attacking stroke like a smash, drop, or half smash.

There are two exercises that can help you improve your doubles flick service return. In the first one, engage in a 2 on 1 practice with multiple shuttles. Your sparring partners try out different serves, one shuttle at a time, and you practise returning the serves.

The second exercise helps improve the accuracy of your return. Place boxes or mark all corner areas near the net and rear court. Your service returns should fall in the boxes or within the areas marked.

Watch the tutorial now, practise the technique and hone your badminton skills.

In this final video, we’ll explore flat parallel shots in badminton. These are effective in restricting the opponent from going into attack mode. They can give you a significant advantage, especially in doubles matches.

Posture and Technique

The thumb grip is preferred as 70% of the strokes that come on or around the body can be played with a backhand grip. Body stance should be slightly lowered with knees bent and legs slightly apart.

Hit the shuttle preferably at eye or shoulder level in order to keep the return flat. Tighten the grip before impact and hit the shuttle with minimal backswing of the racquet. A whip-like action is what works best here. Avoid follow-through of the racquet.

Practice Exercise

This involves 1 on 1 parallel strokes played either on half court or full court. Once you’re comfortable with that, move on to 2 on 1 play with parallel strokes on full court.

Watch the tutorial, pay attention to the steps and drills, and perfect your flat parallel shots. Keep watching all the 25 videos over and over again, to catch the minute details and hone your badminton skills.