What do people call a soft push from the forecourt above the net that drops to the opposing team's forecourt? A friend told me it's also called drop shot in tennis, but I call everything that begins and ends around the net a net shot, regardless of the contact position related to the height of the net. My view is supported by this page: http://www.badmintonbible.com/articles/net-shots/types.php Some may call it a net drop, a term avoided by this page: http://www.badmintonbible.com/articles/drop-shots/
I call it a net drop, personally. It doesn't matter how high you take it unless you're hitting it downwards hard, in which case it is a kill.
I heard a few variants: soft block at the net net drop shot setting I guess it depends on how you make the shot and your intent of making the shot. My coach calls it a drop shot if the actions are similar to a drop shot action at the back court, a soft block at the net if you return the shot in a soft manner, a net if you do it like you are netting it. Setting is more for game play, but setting may have different meanings for different players.
If you take it above net height, and it lands close to the net, I would call it a block. In some cases it is also called a "stun", but it depends on whether you pretended to hit it hard and then hit it softly (a stun) or just took it early and played it soft (a block). A stun has the element of deception to it. If you take it above net height, and it lands in the mid court, it is a push. If you take it at or below net height, and it lands around the service line (not too close to the net) then it would be called a "neutral" net shot - one that is a net shot, but not played aggressively (which would land tighter to the net). Hope that helps.