Basic skills for badminton you must train for!

Basic badminton skills are important for you to master badminton. If you’re a fresh player, you need to start learning the basics.

Once you have mastered the basics you will become a higher intermediate player and advanced player very quickly.

1. Gripping

Before stepping into the badminton court, you must know the correct way of holding a racket. If you are not gripping your racket correctly, you are not able to insert maximum power into your badminton strokes. Besides that, you will not be able to perform quality shots.

Basically there are 2 different ways of gripping your racket: Generally known as the forehand grip and backhand grip. Forehand grips are used for forehand strokes whereas backhand grips are for backhand strokes.

You must be able to switch quickly from a forehand grip to a backhand grip and vice-versa, when a game is in play.

2. Footwork

Badminton footwork is important for you to move faster around the badminton court.

Think of this as ‘traveling further with lesser steps’.

Do you think you’ll enjoy your game if you don’t get to hit any shuttles? Well, that’s why organized footwork allows you to move around the court efficiently to retrieve shots. It allows you to reach your opponents shots before it hits the ground.

3. Forehand Stroke

This is a forehand swing motion. If you can hit a good forehand stroke, you will be able to do a badminton clear, drop, and smash.

4. Badminton Clear

Clearing is the most defensive shot in badminton. Badminton clear is a shot where you hit the shuttle high up into the air and lands at the back of your opponent’s court (the baseline). This is defensive because when the shuttle lands around the baseline, your opponent will realize that there is nothing much that he can do to attack.

5. Badminton Drop

Apart from a good defensive shot, learn a semi defensive/offensive shot to win rallies.

A drop shot is done from the back of your court by hitting the shuttle to the front of your opponent’s court. A good badminton drop can be a good killer shot to win a rally. On the other hand, a drop shot can be considered defensive as well, because your opponent can’t do any offensive shots if you hit a good drop.

6. Underarm Strokes

When you get a low shot at the front area of the court, you need to perform an underarm stroke. Underarm strokes are important so that you can return your opponents’ low shots.

7. Backhand Stroke

What if your opponent hits the shuttle to your backhand area? You can choose to position yourself nicely so that you can return the shuttle with a forehand stroke. Alternatively, you can perform a backhand to save yourself. For backhand strokes, adopt the backhand grip.

8. Backhand drop

Many people are not able to perform good backhands. I think a common reason might be because many people cannot switch quickly from a forehand grip to a backhand grip.

Sometimes even when most people are already using a backhand grip, they still can’t perform strong backhands.

As a start, learn the backhand drop. This skill does not involve a lot of strength. If you can perform a correct backhand stroke, this shot should not be a problem at all with a little practice.

9. Backhand Clear

Most people find it difficult to execute this shot. Smart badminton players often love to attack their opponent’s backhand area.

Make sure you know how to perform a backhand stroke.

If your backhand stroke is weak, it does not necessarily mean that you lack strength. The correct backhand grip technique and a backhand swing motion is good enough to do the magic. If you fail to hit strong backhand clears, revise your swing motion. You might also want to consider your timing. Try taking the shuttle as high as possible.