Team Alpha presents.....

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Fundamental Skills in Badminton

The Grip

Forehand Grip. This is sometimes called a pistol grip for it permit the palm to be parallel to the face of the racket. Grip the handle lightly in the palm with the little finger just above the leather base of the forefinger ( as if pulling a trigger) slightly separated from the other s. Put the thumb on the left side of the handle, with the V formed by the thumb and the forefinger on top of the handle and slightly to the rear. Grasp the handle near the end so that the proper wrist and forearm action will not be hindered during the stroke.

Backhand Grip. This is similar to the forehand grip except that the thumb is place up to the upper left corner. Extend the racket in front of the body. Turn the top edge of the racket frame over slightly to the right; place the thumb along and parallel to the wide side of the handle. This grip is good for the reaching the long distance flight of

the shuttle with increased power and accuracy.

Note The palm should not grip the racket. The finger grip and have

control over it. Thus, finger should be spread slightly. The wrist should be flexible during the backhand stroke and the arm should not be stiff.

WRIST ACTION

The wrist is hyper extended (flexed backward) at the beginning of any stroke., forehand or backhand. Before hitting, the racket head is whipped through, By the time the racket and the bird contact, there should be a straight line formed by the shoulder through the elbow and wrist to the end of the racket. To compliment the stroking action, the forearm is rotated in the direction of the stroke.

Footwork When moving in the court, it is best to start

with short steps and end with long steps. When making a shot, the body should be at right angles of the net. When executing the forehand shot, the left foot should be nearer the net than the right foot. Reverse this position for the backhand shot. To move to the rear court, the player should pivot and shuffle sideward. If the time is insufficient, the player should “back pedal” in a style similar to that of a drop-back quarterback passer.

ServiceThe server stands with the left foot in front of the

right; body facing the net and left shoulder pointing in the direction to which the shuttle is to travel.

Hold the shuttle with the thumb and forefingers gripping the feathers on one side, at arms-length distance. Hold shuttle between waist and shoulder height and drop several inches before impact.

Swing the racket back in an arc; with the wrist cocked and the body shifted to the rear foot.

As the racket swings forward, drop the shuttle on it, shift the body weight to the forward foot.

Receiving the serveAssume a court position that will enable you to

return any type of serve. Plan ahead where the shot should be utilized for returning the shuttle in the opponent’s court.

Hold the racket upward near the body in a forehead position; racket head about head level.

The type of stroke to be used to return the shuttle is determined by the type of serve made.

Strokes

Forehand Strokes

The left foot points at the direction where the shuttle is hit; body weight shifted to the rear foot during the preparatory swing

Backhand Strokes

Place the right foot in the direction of the net, the racket is held with a backhand grip. Transfer weight to the forward foot as the racket is cocked to the rear. The racket head trails the movement of the arm until just before the rackets contacts the shuttle.

Overhead Stroke

This is similar to the forehand stroke except that the racket is swung back and down behind the shoulder. As the racket swings forward, it makes an arc over the head and the shuttle is stroked with wrist and forearm action.

The Court

The Net 2 feet, 6 inches in depth, stretched firmly

from post to post; the top of the net should be 5 feet in height from the floor at the center.

Shots Common to Badminton Play

Smash. The smash shot is aimed at the mid-court, along one side of the side lines or directly toward an opponent’s playing arm side between waist and shoulder height. The smash is a complete arm action forcefully stroking the shuttle at a comfortable height and at a sufficient reach of the player. The bird is stroke downward as well as forward slightly when in front of the right shoulder. The stroke skilled player can attempt a smash from the back court and expect to with the rally.

Drop Shot. The drop shot is used to change the pace of the game. It can be defensive or an offensive shot. It is a shot that drops immediately after the crossing the net. The shuttle does not travel more than a few feet beyond the net. This is an excellent shot if the opponent is in his back court.

Net Shot. If the drop shot is play closed to the net. The shuttle is stroked lightly with a guided lifting motion, then the looping shuttle flight results. The shot is controlled exclusively by wrist and forearm action.

Drive. It is an attacking shot second to the smash shot. It is a fast, low, flat shot driven forcefully with a forehand or a backhand stroke.

Common Errors in Badminton

Choking the racket. The little finger should be at the very end of the racket.

Locking the wrist. Wrist action and forearm rotation should be an integral part of the stroking action.

Having the serve killed. Check the height at which the shuttle is serve and at which it is being struck.

Holding the shuttle incorrectly. The shuttle should be held with the thumb and fingers around the feathers for a drop serve. For a held serve, it should be held with the tips of the thumb and forefinger.

Serving out-of-bounds. Check to see that server’s left shoulder and left foot is pointed the proper direction.

Hitting into the net. Check to see that the body is not bent to much; the shuttle is not held or struck at too low a height ; the shuttle is not too close to the body.

Hitting to the opponent. Practice deliberately to aim at a different part of the opponent’ court on every return.

Not maintaining the body position. Check to always have the basic stance; crouch position with the weight forward on the balls of the feet.

Standing still after stroking. Check to have the player return to the position toward the center of the court after every shot.

Pushing a shot. While still novice, employ a full backswing and wrist action on must shots.

Poor wrist action. Check the grip to see that free wrist action and forearm rotation are permitted.

Hitting wood shots. During the learning stages, the player should watch until the racket contacts to shuttle. Use the peripheral vision to see where you would want to direct the shuttle in the opponent court’s.

Clear shot resulting in s setup. Get full power to make a clear shot by snapping the wrist, rotating the forearm, and aiming for the back boundary line.

Hitting smash into the net. Make sure you are not too far from the shuttle. Make the contact at the proper time and hit the shuttle with fully extended arm.