BASIC SKILLS USED IN PLAYING BADMINTON

Playing Badminton requires you to learn the basic skills. These skills are vital
from the start or else you will develop bad habits or bad basics. Learning the basics
and playing badminton correctly will result in a more fun and enjoyable game.

A. GRIP

Learning how to hold the racket is essential in playing badminton. Correct

gripping will allow you to have a strong shot and control of the shuttle.

Kinds of Gripping

Below are the different kinds of gripping a badminton racket; the most common is
the forehand and backhand grip. Still, you may use another kind of gripping that you
find comfortable such as panhandle, thumb, or partial panhandle among others.

Forehand grip

 The forehand grip is mainly used for

forehand overhead shots. It’s an easy
grip to learn and also provides a useful
reference point for learning the other
grips.

Backhand grip
 Often, we need a less extreme version
of a thumb grip. I call it a backhand grip
because that’s the most common
name. You could also call it
a partial or moderate thumb grip

Panhandle grip

 The panhandle grip is mainly used for

forehand shots in front of your body.
That means it’s useful for many
forehands in the midcourt or at the net,
but not in the rear court.
Thumb grip

 The thumb grip is like the backhand

version of a panhandle grip. It’s mainly
used for backhands where the shuttle
is in front of you. That means it’s useful
for many backhands in the midcourt or
at the net, but not in the rear court.

Partial panhandle grip

 a grip that is somewhere between the

forehand and panhandle is called
a partial panhandle grip. You could
also call it a moderate
panhandle, as opposed to
a full or extreme panhandle.

Neutral grip

 The neutral grip is mainly used in

between shots, as it helps you change
quickly to other grips. It can also be
used for hitting certain shots.

B. BASIC STROKES

A stroke refers to a swing motion of your racket arm. It is not a badminton shot.
However, you’ll need to perform these strokes to hit certain shots.
Strokes are an important foundation of playing badminton. Progress is not
guaranteed without proper knowledge of badminton strokes. The power of any
badminton shot comes from how well you perform your strokes.
A beginner should first learn how to perform the correct strokes. The basic
strokes are the following:

1. Overhead forehand stroke

  The most common type of stroke we see, the first to learn.

2. Overhead backhand stroke

 Peoples’ main weakness

3. Underarm forehand stroke

 A low shot on the forehand side

4. Underarm backhand stroke

 A low shot on the backhand side

C. SERVE

A badminton rally starts with the serve and learning the correct techniques to
deliver good serves will give you an edge over your opponent right from the start
of the rally.

Four Types of Service

These are the four main types of services in badminton and most can be executed
with either your forehand or backhand.

Forehand Serve Backhand Serve

(Right handed player-Left foot leading) (Right handed player-Right foot leading)

Low serve
  Is almost a gentle tap over the net with the shuttle, to fly just over the net, yet
falling just over the front line of the opponent’s service court. It must not be too high
or predictable; otherwise, it would be easy for your opponent to do an outright smash
or net kill.

High serve
 Is a powerful strike upwards with the shuttle, that aims to travel a great distance
upwards and fall deep at the rear end of the court.
 Is a strong serve and popularly used by beginners.

Flick serves
 Is also played upwards but at a much lesser altitude.
 It is most common for players to use their backhand to execute the flick serve
and the trajectory is lower as this grip has less power.

Drive Serve
 An attacking serve that is used by top badminton players. The idea is to hit the
shuttle directly at the opponent, limiting their return options and catching them off
guard, winning you easy points.
 It's a good change of pace but it is also risky as if your opponent is prepared, he
could just smash the shuttlecock back at you.

D. FOOTWORK

Good footwork enables a player to reach the shuttle in the fastest and shortest
time possible but more gracefully and effortlessly. Mastery of proper footwork will
benefit you as a player, as it:
1. conserves strength by reducing unnecessary steps
2. provides sufficient reaction time for the next incoming shot; and
3. Increase your speed.

Three Points to Follow to Improve Badminton Footwork.

1. Position on the court - always return to base after hitting the shuttle. By doing so,
you will have sufficient time to react to the next oncoming shuttle.

2. Maintain stable posture and balance- by placing more of your body weight on your
stronger leg and making it your anchoring foot to the ground. Keep the other foot nimble
so that you can stretch and reach the shuttle wherever it goes. You will find it easy to
return to a neutral position without losing your balance and expending too much energy
by doing so.

3. Be light and nimble and learn how to jump- Being light and nimble on your feet
can increase your speed; adding bounce to your footwork will enable you to respond
faster to an oncoming shuttle, particularly the high shots. Jumps are especially useful
for smashes as this will give you a good angle for attack and in retrieving high shots.

 Hence, without proper footwork, powerful and skillful badminton strokes

and smashes will be useless.

Other tips for proper footwork

 Always remember the base (starting point).
 Move only 2-3 steps backward.
 Shuffle only 1 step sideward.
 Move only 2-3 steps front.

E. STANCE

Stance refers to the “ready position” of your body while receiving a certain
type of stroke. Knowing the correct badminton stance can make your movement
smoother, and quicker, and thus, reduce the danger of getting injured.

Different Stances in Playing Badminton

A player should consider the following stance in playing

Badminton, these include: Attacking stance, Defensive stance, and
Net stance

Attacking Stance
It is used to get into position before playing an overhead forehand stroke. To
stand in the attacking stance turn your body facing the side-lines with the racket leg
behind and both legs shoulder-width apart. Now raise both racket and non-racket arms
to generate the power to attack the shuttle on its downward trajectory.

Defensive Stance
To defend the opponent’s smash, you need to be prepared with the defensive
stance. Face the body to the net and place your racket in front at waist height, slightly
pointing forward. You can keep the non-racket arm as comfortable while ensuring a
better balance.

Net Stance
This stance is to be ready for the opponent’s return after playing a net shot. To
play this shot, place your foot on the racket side forward while keeping a non-racket foot
at the back. Place the racket in front of the body, slightly above waist height while
raising the non-racket arm. Shift the body weight slightly forward to be ready to pounce
forward.