Badminton is not all about hitting the shuttlecock back and forth over a net. It is a complex sport that requires a variety of skills and techniques.
If you’ve played badminton ever, you would know that it is a physically demanding sport. Even if you’re extremely fit, you will struggle if you don’t know the techniques in the sport.
If you’re a beginner in this sport, you must learn some of the basic techniques in badminton to compete well against your opponents. In this article, we will go through the most fundamental techniques of badminton that a player should learn.
Let’s dive right in.
Gripping Technique
The first and foremost thing that you need to learn in badminton is the gripping technique. A grip is a term used to refer to the way of holding a racket in badminton. How should you hold a badminton racket? Well, this is a really important question that you must answer.
There are different types of gripping techniques in badminton. For simplicity, let me introduce you to two fundamental grips: the forehand grip and the backhand grip.
The forehand grip is very similar to a friendly handshake. Just imagine that the grip of the racket is a hand that approaches you to shake your hand. Now hold the racket as if you’re handshaking, not tight, but in a relaxed way.
The backhand grip is similar to doing a thumbs up. A backhand grip uses the thumb on the flat end of the racket to generate power to the shots.
Also, it is important to learn how to switch between the forehand and backhand grips quickly so that you play both kinds of shots interchangeably and fastly.
If you want to learn about the gripping techniques in badminton, I suggest you check out this article. It will help you learn how to hold a racket properly and use the different grips in badminton.
Basic Footwork
Learning proper footwork is really important in badminton, both for singles and doubles. The right footwork in badminton is something that will help you to cover the whole court in an efficient way.
The technique is really simple, but you need some practice to make it muscle memory. The footwork in badminton singles has the center of the court (base position) as the focal point.
The ideal movement begins from the base position and ends at this position for a single shot. This cycle is repeated for each shot.
In general, we can classify the footwork movements into 6 based on the positions, i.e., movements to the four corners and two sideways movements.
Let’s say if you want to move to the right side of the forecourt, you’ll start the movement from the base position. Before each movement, you need to make a quick split step to get ready for the movement.
Then, you need to take a step with the non-racket foot towards the shuttle and lunge with the racket foot. Once you hit the shot, take a couple of steps backward and come back to the base position.
Similarly, you can move to the different corners of the court. If you need a visual demonstration, check out the following video and learn how to do these movements correctly.
If you need further information regarding basic footwork in badminton, check out this article.
Serves In Badminton
Once you’re good with the gripping and footwork, it’s time to focus on making your serves better. There are different types of serves in badminton, such as low serve, high serve, flick serve, etc.
In badminton doubles, most professional players often use the short serve since it is the least dangerous serve. The opponent can’t hit any attacking shots with the short serve if it is executed correctly.
Players also use the other serves to mix it up and not to make the serves predictable. In badminton singles, you’ll see more players using the high serve towards the baseline, especially in women’s singles.
Every rally starts with the service, and it is really important to play it correctly. If you’re doing the low serve, hit the shot just over the net so that it will land just beyond the short service line.
Don’t hit this shot in the air as it will be easy for the receiver to kill the rally with an attacking shot. The highest point in the trajectory of this shot should be just above the net.
If you’re hitting a high serve, try to hit it to the backside corner. Don’t overuse this serve against a good attacking player. You can use this service along with the low serve to add variety to your serves.
You can hit the different types of serves using either forehand or backhand. Most professional players use the backhand low serve as their go-to option.
If you want to learn in-depth about the various kinds of serves in badminton, check out this article. It will walk you through the different types of serves in badminton with pictures.
Receiving Serves
Just like serves, the service returns are also quite important in badminton. If you’re receiving a serve from your opponent, how would you return it in the best possible way? Well, there are many ways.
First of all, it depends on the type of service the opponent is playing. If it is a high serve, you have the option to attack immediately. You can either hit a powerful smash, a drop shot, or a clear shot.
If the opponent is hitting a low serve, you can either play a net shot or a lift. The goal of the return should be to control the rally or not give any advantage to your opponent.
Do not pre-meditate any shots and start moving your body in a direction. Focus on the opponent and the shuttlecock and try to judge the type of serve as quickly as possible. If you move faster, you’ll get more time to play the shot.
There are various ways to return serves to put your opponent under pressure. If you want to learn how to return a serve properly, check out this article, and implement the mentioned tips.
Basic Shots In Badminton
Now, let’s come to all the various shots in badminton. There are several different types of shots in badminton that you can master and add to your arsenal.
I suggest you not try all these shots at once. Try to learn one shot at a time and practice it several times to make it perfect. Once you’re good with that shot, pick up the next one, and practice it.
Some of the most important shots in badminton are smash, clear, drop shot, lob, drive, net shots, etc. These can be categorized into attacking and defensive shots.
The most important attacking shot in badminton is the smash, which is the most favorite shot for all badminton fans. The smash shot itself has a lot of varieties.
The drop shot is another attacking shot that you can use in badminton. This shot is more about accuracy and placement rather than power. If you want to master this shot, this article will help you.
Apart from these two shots, there are several other shots in badminton that you can use. It is difficult to learn all these shots at once. Learn them one by one and practice these shots as much as possible. Over time, you’ll definitely improve your game.
Final Thoughts
We’ve covered a big chunk of the fundamental techniques in badminton. However, this is not the end of badminton techniques. Badminton is a complex game with a lot of techniques and skills. We just scratched the surface of this beautiful sport.
You’ll learn more technical things as you play more. Try to play badminton with people who are more skillful than you. That will help you learn faster and improve your overall game. The more you play and practice, the better player you’ll become.
If you want to explore other technical and non-technical aspects of badminton, check out the rest of the articles on this website. We’ve created a lot of pieces of content to help you become a better player.
I hope this article was helpful to you. If so, do share it so that others can also find it.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy badminton!
