How to improve on drop shots?

[Justheretoplay]

Hey all! Just wondering how I could improve on my drop shots and get them closer to the net. All the videos I have looked at so far only show the technique on how to do the shot, but none on how I could get the shuttlecock closer to the net. Could you guys give me some tips on how I could improve my drop shots so that they land closer to the net instead of landing near the service line? Cheers

[pcll99]

Take the shuttle as high as possible

Correct wrist action

[Justheretoplay]

Can you expand on correcting wrist action? I thought the technique for drop shots shares the same stroke as a clear except you contact the shuttle further in front and with less power.

[visor]

i would say try starting with a normal smash swing, but then suddenly decelerate and "push" the shuttle at contact and follow thru

this provides an added level of deception, so that your opponent finds it difficult to distinguish between your smash action and your drop action

once you get the hang of the action, gradually gauge how much push and follow thru you need to get it just over the tape

additionally, sometimes you want a fast drop with pace (esp if your opponent is hogging the net) so all you need is to add a tapping action to it in order to throw off your opponent

[Justheretoplay]

I'll try that the next day I get to play and see how it turns out. Thanks for the advice

[BaggedCat]

for steep drop try hitting forwards more than downwards. hit it with little power so that it starts to slow and drop while still on your own side. It should cross the net at the same point as a fast drop but when it does it will be travelling almost downwards rather than diagonally downwards. slicing also makes it drop more vertically. its a bit like a very weak attacking clear.

[pcll99]

Can you expand on correcting wrist action? I thought the technique for drop shots shares the same stroke as a clear except you contact the shuttle further in front and with less power.

here...

[gundamzaku]

i was told that when you are about to his a drop shot and trying to be deceptive, at the moment of impact squeeze the handle, this way your swing will slow down for the drop shot. i often use it. took a while to learn and get use to but when it's executed properly, it's great. because i'm left handed, i also add a slice toward the left, which forces the shuttle to spin left, then midway thru the flight of the shuttle, it will slow down in order to spin right again, which helps with the pace of the shuttle.

i believe a shuttle will fly with a "correct" clockwise rotation if you're behind the shuttle looking at it while it's flying away from you. adding spin to the shuttle will change the pace of the shuttle.

[Gollum]

i was told that when you are about to his a drop shot and trying to be deceptive, at the moment of impact squeeze the handle, this way your swing will slow down for the drop shot.

That is an interesting comment. It's never something I've used in coaching, but now that I think about it, I have found that useful as a player. Thanks!

This also neatly demonstrates that tightening the grip (as used for power) is very different from squeezing the grip, but now I'm getting ahead of myself...

[visor]

^ ^ I think that squeezing the grip helps to lock out the wrist to suddenly cut down power, then along with an exaggerated shoulder and arm movement to impart remaining momentum onto the bird,
one can fool the opponent even more.

[Gollum]

^ ^ I think that squeezing the grip helps to lock out the wrist to suddenly cut down power, then along with an exaggerated shoulder and arm movement to impart remaining momentum onto the bird, one can fool the opponent even more.

Yes, I think that describes it perfectly. And now I want to see how this works as a coaching cue!

[phili]

i was told that when you are about to his a drop shot and trying to be deceptive, at the moment of impact squeeze the handle, this way your swing will slow down for the drop shot. i often use it. took a while to learn and get use to but when it's executed properly, it's great. because i'm left handed, i also add a slice toward the left, which forces the shuttle to spin left, then midway thru the flight of the shuttle, it will slow down in order to spin right again, which helps with the pace of the shuttle.

i believe a shuttle will fly with a "correct" clockwise rotation if you're behind the shuttle looking at it while it's flying away from you. adding spin to the shuttle will change the pace of the shuttle.

Thanks for that advice. This made my drop shots even harder to read and I scored several direct points with it today.

[jiuren]

Can you expand on correcting wrist action? I thought the technique for drop shots shares the same stroke as a clear except you contact the shuttle further in front and with less power.

No, which videos have you checked? There are tons of wrong videos on youtube.
The right way to do drop shot is to slice the shuttlecock.
Suppose you are right handed player, slicing from left to right is normal dropshot. Slicing from right to left is so called horizontal slicing dropshot.
You need keep your preparation and swing as identical as possible to high clear and smash but use less power. When your racket touch the shuttlecock, slice it.

You can check Zhao Jianhua's video instrcutions on youtube. His motion is the most deceptive and beautiful one in my opinion. I also like Lee chongwei's, but he wouldn't give any video instructions in the near future

[jiuren]

I would not follow Lee Zae bok's instructions on clear, drop, or smash. His videos on footwork and drive are great. But dropshot, smash and clear are kind of wrong. It's hard to find any international player play that way.

[pBmMalaysia]

Watching video especially on the technique of hitting can be quite difficult

and if you got it wrong, the outcome could be disastrous

suggest you get a qualified coach to do the demonstration

and watch carefully.

Also, drop shot especially with the deceptive style is the hardest skill to master.

its like a backcourt clear but the bird is not going to the baseline

or like a smash/drive but the bird just land softly an inch over the net!

It requires regular practice especially for doubles player.

[twelvester]

hit the shuttle as high as possible. and right swinging is important, make sure your hard is straight when swing