BADMINTON TERMINOLOGIES:

Backcourt
The back third of the badminton court.
Bird/Birdie
Another name for the shuttlecock.
Carry
An illegal stroke occurring when the shuttle comes to a stop on the racquet and is "carried," leading to a sling-like sequence.
Center position
Also known as the base position, the central area of the court where ideally a singles player wants to return after each shot.
Clear
A shot hit deep in the back of the opponent's court.
Cross-court
A shot hit diagonally over the net, from one side to the other.
Double hit
Hitting the shuttle twice (a fault).
Drop shot
A soft shot played with touch, so the shuttle falls close to the net on the opponent's side.
Drive
A powerful shot placed just over the top of the net.
Fault
A violation or infraction of the rules.
Flick
A quick movement of the wrist and forearm that changes a soft shot into a harder one; mostly used when serving or close to the net.
Forecourt
The front third of the court, between the net and the short-service line.
Kill
A hard, downward shot that is not returnable by the opponent.
Let
A call by the umpire to restart a point. This occurs when the server serves before the receiver is ready, the shuttle disintegrates during play, an accidental distraction
occurs, etc.
Mid-court
The middle third of the court.
Push shot
A soft shot executed by "pushing" the shuttle with small wrist movement.
Rally
An exchange of shots following the serve.

Shuttlecock
The object used in badminton, also called a birdie or shuttle. It is made of a cork with sixteen goose feathers glued to its rounded base.

Smash
A hard, powerful overhead shot sending the shuttlecock downward to the opponent's side.

Basic Badminton Shots

 Clear shot. Trajectory: high, towards the back court. Played from: Back court. ...
 Drop shotTrajectory: Looping close to the net. ...
 Drive shot Trajectory: Flat, towards the body. ...
 Smash. Trajectory: Close to the net. ...
 Net Lift shotTrajectory: high, towards the back court. ...
 Net Kill shot Trajectory: Flat and downwards.

Air Shot
Playing an air shot refers to a stroke where the player attempts to make a
return pass, but completely misses the shuttle.
Similar to the 'air-ball' in basketball rules, the miss occurs most often when the
player takes their eyes off the shot at that key moment before impact.

Angle of Attack
The badminton definition of the phrase 'angle of attack' refers to the trajectory
of a shuttle after it leaves the racket.

The technique creates a steep angle of attack for the return pass so the
downward stroke becomes sharp and fast. It is a key tactic used in attacking
shots, such as drop shots and smashes and usually draws the opponent close
to the net.

Angle of Return
Different ranges of possible returns from a given position on the court form
various angles of return for the shuttle.

Around-the-head Shot
You should accept this as one of the advanced shots in badminton. A player would
reach to the backhand side from around the head to make a forehand strike on
the shuttle.

Attacking Clear
The term describes a positive, and somewhat aggressive, stroke. The aim is to
hit the shot deep into the challenger's court area.

Backhand Stroke
Badminton backhand strokes are usually delicate shots played in front of the
body and quite close to the net. For a right-handed player, the stroke used in
returning the bird from the left side of the body is a backhand stroke in
badminton.

Backhand Grip
There are several terms used to describe the grip on the racket in the
terminologies of badminton. One of the most common is the backhand grip.
This type of grip on the racket provides a player with an option to strike the
shuttle with a backhand stroke.
Block Return
The badminton term of 'block return' describes a shot dropping steeply from a
block shot around the net. It usually has very little follow-through because it's
played with a swift flick of the wrist.

Brush
The brush is a power-generated point-winning shot played at speed, generally
from high above the net.

Cross-court Shot
A cross-court shot is one that crosses the center line and usually travels along
the length of the net (e.g. from one net corner over the net to the other
corner).

Dab
The definition of a dab shot in badminton is a crisp downward stroke using
minimal backswing, but with excessive follow-through played in the forecourt
zone.

You need good body position, with a flexible arm and wrist, to play the shot.
Execution of the stroke uses fast action in the fingers but limited finger
movement.

Defence
Playing defencively generally means hitting shots upwards and lofty. Defencive
play has similarities to the shots played when executing serves in badminton.

Defencive Clear
The defencive clear shot is played high and deep in an attempt to gain more
time or to slow down the pace of a rally.

Double Hit
The double hit is a shot contacting the receiver's racket twice, either by one
player or by both players. A double hit by two players is always a fault.
The rules surrounding a double hit by a single player are more nuanced. If two
strokes are used then the double hit is a fault. If a single stroke is used, then
historically a fault was called. But, the shot tends to be a legal stroke in the
modern game.

Drive (serve)
Driving the shuttle fast and low, almost horizontal in flight over the net, is
called a drive. The drive serve is played as flat as possible (clearing the net)
and hit hard to fall at the back of the service court.

Feint
A feint is also called a balk. It is any deceptive move that fools or dummies an
opponent disconcertingly before or during the serve.

Flick
Surprising your opponent by using a flick describes a quick wrist-and-forearm
rotation technique. The flick deceptively changes an apparent soft shot into a
much faster, and often a winning, passing shot.

Flick Serve
A flick serve is an advanced service shot taken from the backhand position and
arched over the opponent toward the long-service line. This shot requires a
developed forearm and wrist to generate the power and quickness to catch the
receiver off guard.

Hairpin Net Shot

As the name may suggest, a hairpin net shot resembles the shape of a hairpin.
It is made from below and very close to the net. The hairpin shot would send
the shuttle rising sharply near to the net and then drops abruptly downwards
on the other side.

Half-court Shot
A half-court shot is mostly effective in the doubles game. The shot is hit low
towards the midcourt area.
High Clear
The high clear is a variation of a normal clear shot that arches high toward the
opponent's baseline. This shot is intended to allow a team or player to reset
defensively (or to disrupt the opponent's timing).

High-lift
The high-lift is also called the high clear. The phrase refers to a defensive shot
hit high and extremely deep into the challenger's back court area.

Jump Smash
The badminton jump smash is accepted as the most powerful shot in the game
and performed in mid-air. Players use the jump smash instead of the normal
smash because of its steeper angle and higher level of power.

Kill
The kill is a fast, downward shot that cannot easily be returned to your court
and usually ends a rally.

Lift
A lift is a variation of a clear shot produced by an underhand stroke. The pass,
arched high into the air, allows time for better defensive positioning.

Net Drop
A net drop is a basic badminton net shot where a player simultaneously
receives a drop shot and then returns one back.

Net Fault
Net fault is one of the common terminologies in badminton. It occurs if any
player touches the net with the body, the racket, or any of their apparel during
play.

Net Return
A net return shot is one that creeps over the net and drops abruptly to the
ground on the other side.
Offence (attack)
Playing offensive shots are those generally hit downward and the team on the
offense is the one hitting downward.

On-guard Stance
The badminton phrase refers to the alert position being taken by a player in
readiness of the bird being hit by the opponent.

Open Face Racket

Open face racket is one of the common terminologies used in badminton and it
refers to the way a racket faces upwards.

Overhand Shot
The overhand shot is taken with a downward arm and wrist motion.

Overhead Shots
Playing the racket into the shuttle above a player's head is better known as an
overhead shot.

Overhead Smash
The overhead smash is an aggressive powerful shot played steeply downwards
usually from high in the air.

Pace
The pace of a game simply refers to the speed of a shot or rally.

Poaching
Poaching in court games generally refers to the action of taking shots which
would normally be returned by your partner, such as in doubles badminton rules.

It is often done either through over-enthusiasm, greed, or lack of confidence in

your partner's ability.
Pop-up
A pop-up shot is one played slowly with a high lift to the forecourt zone.

Position of Readiness
The position of readiness is usually towards the middle of the court. It means
that each player is prepared to play the next shot quickly or respond with a
return pass.

Push Shot
The push shot is a gently played shot created by pushing the shuttlecock with
a little extra wrist motion than normal.

Receiver (receiving side)

The receiver is the player who receives the shuttlecock put into play by the
server. So, receivers will return the opening stroke made by the server, both in
singles and doubles games.

Round-the-head Shot
A round-the-head shot is a funny badminton phrase referring to an overhead
shot played with a forehand swing, but on the backhand side.

Rush a Serve
Rushing a serve describes very quick movement forward when receiving a low
serve. The aim of which is to move to the net fast enough to attack the serve.

Server
The server starts the rally by hitting the shuttlecock over the net to the court
area of their opponent. The server and the receiver stand diagonally opposite
each other as the shuttlecock is served into play.

Service (right to serve)

The service is the initial stroke which starts play when the receiver is stationary
and begins a rally. So, the badminton serve is taken from the left-hand side of
the court for odd points (e.g. 1, 3, 5,) and the right-hand side for even points.
The non-server is allowed to stand anywhere on their side of the net during a
doubles game. The server must strike the base of the shuttle first, contacting it
below the server's waist as a continuous motion.

Service Court
The service court is the area into which you must deliver the shuttle during the
service. In fact, the zone is different for singles than in doubles games.

Shot
'CLEAR, DRIVE, DROP, SMASH' are four shot terms related to badminton.
Learn these 4 shot techniques and discover why and when beginners should
use these top offensive and defensive strokes.

As a rule, all shots played in badminton are termed as offensive or defensive

strokes and we explain the methodology behind four of the most popular.

Shoulder-high Shots
When the racket hits the shuttle above the player’s shoulder and usually to the
side it is called a shoulder-high shot.

Slice
A slice is one of the common terminologies used in badminton. It refers to the
curved flight of the shuttle created by striking it with an angled face of the
racket during contact.

Smash (kill shot)

A smash is an overhead kill shot, hit so hard that it forces the shuttle to drop
sharply downwards into the opponent's court. The smash or kill shot is a
decisive power move and seen as an aggressive tactic during play.

Stab
The stab is a shot intended to drop the shuttle steeply and tight to the net on
the side of your opponent.

Stance
A stance is the position of your body and feet while you are waiting for the opponent to hit or
return the shuttlecock.
Tumble Drop Shot
A tumble drop shot is a variation of a normal drop shot that causes the shuttle
to flip, end over end.

Wood Shot
When the shuttle hits the frame of the racket legally (instead of the strings) it
is called a wood shot.