I don't have much problem with the backhand clear under most circumstances, but my girlfriend, who's plays division 3 badminton, does not seem to be able to improve her clear. I have tried to make her mimic my setup and execution, which has been okayed by a coach, but this has not really helped.

Does anyone have any technique/training tips for her to develop this shot, as it is just too easy to force her into playing a backhand shot(which is weak) and then finish off the return. She wants to move up into division 2 next season, and I think she will be offered a spot if she get get rid of this weakness.

Thanks in advance for any help offered.

Mark

Practice with a heavier racquet.

not sure if this works well with a female. my coach had me do tricep curls. tricep is the muscles at the back of your upper arm. on a back hand, half the power comes from that muscle and the other half comes from the wrist. to strengthen that muscle, get a dumbbell, say 15lbs, bring it over the head and rest it behind your back. the elbows should be pointing upwards, then raise the weight till the arms are completely straight and pointing upwards.

and as May said, the other one is to use a heavy racket, and train the wrist that way.

the overhead backhand is one of the most difficult stroke. a lot of patience is needed to develop it.

My girlfriend had the same problem. A coach at our club who used to coach in mainland China said that she needed to increase muscle strength in the back of her forearm to produce a snappy whipping action.

He had her start and finish every practice session with 10 minutes of playing backhand clears with a small head cover on. At first, she could barely get the shuttle to reach the net, but after about a month, she was using the whole of her body to generate power in her backhand, and when she took the headcover off her racket, she could really pound the shuttle on her backhand.

A couple of points, when she took off the headcover, it affected her timing quite a bit, so she needed to adjust and swing at the shuttle later because she was snapping her wrist so much faster.

Plus, if your girlfriend has an expensive racquet, it might be better to use a cheaper racquet for the practice because playing with a headcover on is not very good for the shaft.

Good luck.

I find backhand better when using racquet with

smaller grip,and always sure to have racquet and body

behind shuttle during execution.Mabe it is also footwork and

position.

Really??? It was just an offhand remark.