After years of playing badminton (doubles) I find that the backhand is the most difficult stroke to master. Most players have a weak backhand that is why in doubles the target of attack is the backhand side of the court. This weakness is also noticable because the backcourt player always positions himself more to the backhand side so that he can do an overhead return rather than using the backhand. How do you execute a stroke with your back to the net and hitting the shuttle with your arm moving backwards rather than forwards? I find that the masters of the backhand are not the Chinese, Indonesians, Koreans but the Danes! I wonder what's their secret.
i think most people's backhand are weak and that most people find it hard to learn in general for a few factors: 1. it uses some uncommon muscles. specifically the triceps and forearm muscles for lifting the hand (wrist). these are muscles that are not very commonly used and as a result, weak. 2. 95% of overhead strokes can be done with forehands, people spend way way more of their time learning and training their overhead forehands, as a result, the muslces and techniques for backhands is much poorly developeed, thus their backhand are relatively weak when compared to their forehand. the above two factors makes backhand the ignored child of badminton strokes, while everybody love to have a strong backhand, they don't spend enough time and attention to learn their backhand. the best backhand players i have seen are Xiong GuoBao, whom i think can utilize his backhand as comfortably than his forehand, and Poul Erik Hoyer Larsen, who has an amazingly relaxed but powerful backhand clear, even crosscourt baseline->baseline looks completely effortless, quite amazing.
HaWWw Backhand is hard but what do you guys think of Overhead shots? Especially to old people. Thats a bit evil but, the club I play is full of good old people. I always play on their backhand side and they keep doing overhead in order to avoid to be defensive and to a backhand. That must hurt and hard to do!!
you mean "around the head". sure, there is an alternative to backhand, and that's the around the head. this is another reason why ppl don't practice the backhand, there is an alternative and thus why bother learning the more difficult stroke?...
This might seem funny to you guys, but I take pride in my backhand stroke... When I was really young, I had a weak backhand, and people would pick on me for it, as I would always go for the around the head shots. It took me about a year's worth of hard training on my backhand to learn to be able to clear from baseline to baseline, and to the opposite baseline corner from my backhand corner baseline. Sheesh that was a mouthful. But anyhow... it takes practice, and good technique to develop the muscles to be able to do perform such a shot... I think a few years back someone asked about how to perform a backhand stroke, so please do look it up. I love practicing all my shots, as it helps me improve my shot technique for game time In anyevent... I should stop blabbing and get to some more practicing. -Kelvin
Before the Indonesians came on the scene in the 1960s, backhand was a very important stroke. The master of them all was the late Wong Peng Soon, Singapore's (Wong came from Johore Bahru but settled in Singapore) sportsman of the century. His backhand was the stuff of legends. The earlier Indians, in particular a chap by the name of Nandu Nateka, and the Danes were quick to pick up this stroke. The Indonesians, with their first great player Rudy Neo (now Rudy Hartono), made nonsense of the beautiful backhand, a stroke that was revered in days of old. Rudy Hartono, even when he was a mere 17 year old kid, used to blast away his opponents, even those with with great backhand strokes, with his powerful over-the-head strokes. In today's ultra fast game, a good backhand is now more of a defensive stroke, a must have stroke, just in case, as almost all top level players now have very fast and powerful over-the-head strokes. However, it is another story with lower level players.
For backhands, are you sure you don't mean the upper back and shoulder muscles? Triceps are more important for smahes than for backhands, and is by no means uncommon (being the largest arm muscle afterall.) I agree that the wrist extensors are probably one of the least used muscle in the body.
IMHO, the backhand is hard to when the situation makes it so - for example if the shuttle has already flew past you or when you're caught with a tight drive. I still say the backhand is very important to know, because there will always be situations when you just cannot do an around-the-head shot such as when it already fell below head level, unless you're adventurous enough to do the underhand sweep which can be dangerous. But as mentioned, I agree that if you can reach the shuttle in time, it's best to use around the head instead, but the backhand should never be neglected totally.
Remember Ardy Wiranata? I never saw him ever using a backhand, yet he was a pretty good player and champion for his time.
I have always had a very strong backhand and it has always kept me out of a lot of troublesome situations where around the heads would have had me contorting into funny shapes and collapsing after back spasms. Since starting back the motion has "slimmed down" if you will and has become even more deceptive because of the virtually zero backswing and follow through!
Oops I should have said very little backswing and virtually zero follow through. Unless that is of course if I'm using my magic racaket that executes shots for me
SchrodingerCat Perhaps with practice one can use both hand and eliminate use of overhead backhand. But for defensive strokes i don't see how one survive without backhand strokes.
The overhead backhand is a difficult shot to learn, all the more so because poor advice is often given. I quote at length from my BAofE coaching manual, which is the most authoritative source I can access: Phew! Their grammar is dodgy, but the content is good. Note the red part that I highlighted: the racket is NOT held in a backhand grip for this stroke.
To be honest, the backhand can be a bad habit. I know alot of people who play the shuttle when it is at full height. If you are playing the shuttle there, why not move for a round the head shot? I feel the backhand should be taken as a last resort...whether it is beside you (too low for a round the head) or behind you. Once you have mastered the backhand, have it there as an emergency, a round the head shot is alot better.
I think that both are really important. Doing a round the head shot is not always the best choice, mostly if you take the bird near your head. Your speed will be directed to the exterior of the court and you will probably be late on the next shot. With a backhand, you are almost already stopped so getting back to center does not take a long time. Also, energy wise, a backhand is much more economic.
At high levels of play a round-the-head shot is indeed more effective and is used in doubles play to the near-total exclusion of the backhand. However, for less athletic players the backhand may be a good substitute. It is also used at the highest levels of singles play; there is no doubt that a backhand clear is an essential shot for singles players.
Interestingly the baofe manual says the elbow should be pointing at the shuttle throughout preparation, I would suggest the elbow should be kept low and close to the body, only moving out immediatley prior to the hit, with the arm never quite straight at impact. How old is this manual?
Good point there, dlp. Personally, I favour your method of preparing the elbow (elbow down, racket head pointing up). The manual is dated January 2001.
For backhand clears, the reason the elbow is raised pointing at the shuttle and the racquet head dropped down in front of the left thigh (for right-handers) is to gain leverage for the backswing. If you point the racquet head at the shuttle, you get no leverage and no backswing, unless you bring down the racquet head again and raise your elbow.
