how do you perform drop shots ?

1. You don't need to swing the racket at all to perform a net shot. However, slicing across the shuttle in any direction will cause it to spin. This produces a tumbling net shot that is much harder to return. It is also much more difficult to execute.

2. For a fast drop shot, you should hit the shuttle at roughly the same point as you would for a smash. That is, above and slighly in front of you.

 

the point of a fast drop is to immitate a smash and actually doing a dropshot.

if u smash when the shuttle is already low(not recommended), you should do the dropshot at the same height so that your opponents cannt predict if it's a smash or drop.

as for which direction to swing ur raquet to get a spinning dropshot, it depends on how u like it. swing outwards, the shuttle spins and flys with a curve to the left side and vice versa. takes lotsa practice

 

Right on smashingpower.

I always believe in one thing, that all your forehand shot should look the same but with different results. Same one step back, small leap, swing, hit, recovery, ready; but the shuttle could just fly high up to the back, or go like made down to the rubber or gently glide slowly over the net.

Most skilled players are like that, they swing and move like they're doing all three of it and most of their drops have no sound.

 

Question # 1.
No need to swing the racket, but do slicing the shuttle.
The shuttle will spin, where ever the direction you do slicing. Hard to return and take more time to excercise/train.
Usually I do slicing towords outside.

Question # 2.
Do the same movement whether you want to smash, clear or drop shot.
With this way, your opponent won't know what you gonna do.
Actually drop shot is a little bit different with smash and clear.
For smash and clear you don't change your racket's grip.
But for drop shot, you do change your racket's grip. Just before your racket touch the shuttle, your change your grip to panhandle grip and "push" the shuttle downwords.

 

Panhandle for drop shots??! Ohh... I don't know about that one. For me, drop-shot is just a very very slow smash. Hmm... maybe add another "very" to that last sentence. I think it helps not to be too conscious about "holding back" or controlling the shot... it might fall short of the net. Rather, I just cut power and let the momentum of the swing carry over upon contact with the birdie. Mentally aiming for a shot that's over the net but not too close to it.

All offensive shots should be taken as high and forward as possible. Some players could improve the angle by jumping higher, power from those shots will suffer with degree depending on player ability. Any shots taken beyond the shoulder is defensive (ie. clear/lift).

 

All your other advice is excellent, but I'm afraid this is completely wrong. Both slow drops and fast drops should be performed using a standard forehand grip. This is true for both forehand and backhand drops.

A panhandle grip has no purpose outside of the forecourt, where it is used to hit net kills. The only other situation in which a panhandle grip is useful is when you are taking an overhead backhand clear from well behind the body.

 

It sounds like your coach is advising a whip action in preference to a tap action. You can use either a tap or a whip action to hit a forehand fast drop. A backhand fast drop can only be hit with a tap action.

Fast drops are usually hit with a glancing blow, rather than with a flat racket face. This improves deception since you appear to be making a more powerful shot (probably a smash), but the angle of the racket face takes away most of the power.

 

First, I am not completely wrong.
Ofcouse you can use a whip or tap action to execute drop shot with forehand grip. I did use a forehand grip and wrist to whip/tap.
When One of the best Belgium's trainer told me to try this technique, I was extremely against him, but after I tried it, my dropshot became better and better.
Maybe it is also strange for you when you red what I said. But... try it !!!

Second, you are right mostly a panhandle grip is used to hit net kills.

Maybe I forget to tell. The preparation of the drop shot is :
Take step(s) back, leap, swing (all these first three steps still in forehand grip), change to panhandle grip, hit ("push", actually), step(s) to recovery and ready.

So, not completely panhandle grip. Use panhandle grip just for the "push".

 

Forgive me, but Belgium isn't exactly a major player in world badminton In fact I HAVE tried this technique and I find it is hopeless.

There will always be good players who use very unorthodox techniques, such as a panhandle grip on forehand overhead shots. It may be that they have a bad habit that their overall high level of skill can overcome, or it may be that this actually is the best way for them. People are different, and some elite-level players find their own quirky techniques work better for them.

However, as a coach, I consider the coaching of these techniques incorrect and irresponsible. There are very good reasons for this:

1. *Almost* every world-class player will use the techniques I describe, not the unorthodox ones. Like I said, there will be exceptions, but the best way to learn is to look at the overall trend of successful players, not at the statistical anomalies.

2. There is good theory behind the mechanics of these orthodox techniques. A panhandle grip inhibits the forehand throwing action, which is so fundamental to badminton that it cannot be ignored.

3. The aim of coaching is to teach techniques that will be successful for any player, not only for the occasional quirky player.

If I took a coaching assessment and taught your method, I would be failed by the Badminton Association of England for teaching incorrect techniques.

Summary: you're still wrong

 

Not really !

Yes, Belgium is not a big badminton country. But it doesn't mean that Belgium has no good trainers.

I agree with you that some of the players have a bad habits.
For me, so long these players can produce a very good performance and get a perfect result, they may go ahead with thier "unusually" habits.

As a coach, I always give much opportunities to my players to do what suitable for them, so long not a extreme one.

Some players can perform this technique better than the others. But there is also players who can't do it.
I give my players to choose which one they want to execute, the panhandle one or the general one.
For me... both of them are good.

 

haha...omg. you 2 coaches are going to start a major argument here.well, as not a coach , i can see where both of you are coming from as different people will have different methods of executing a shot. but i tend to agree with Gollum where dropshots should be performed using the forehand grip as the change to panhandle will give away your shot for those who can anticipate it and knows what to look for.

nontheless, i am not taking anything away from the panhandle drop. it could be that it is a valid way of perform a drop, as all of you are aware these badminton shots (whatever they are) are developed gradually by people and things have changed so much since the beginning of this game. who knows? we have still much to learn!

 

Heh, fair enough I'm probably being a bit closed-minded; just because I wouldn't teach it (and no qualified BAofE coach should teach it) doesn't mean it's wrong. My apologies

There are a number of standard (English) terms in badminton that have been introduced by the near-legendary Jake Downey to help keep coaching language consistent. Some of the most important ones are the terms "push, tap, whip". These refer to the three hitting actions.

A push is a soft hitting action - like a slow dropshot or a netshot. Generally the wrist is cocked back and remains cocked back throughout the shot.
A tap is a sharp, rebound hitting action. There is very little follow-through with a tap. All powerful backhand shots (clears, lobs, smashes, drives...) use a tap action.
A whip is a powerful, unrestrained hitting action. The forehand smash is an example of a whip action. Unlike the tap, the arm and body are allowed a full follow-through. Think about using a throwing action that feels like a whip for forehand smashes.

To make things a little confusing, there is also a SHOT called "the push"! This is played from midcourt to midcourt, on a low trajectory, with a push action. It is almost always played straight down the tramlines. It's like a soft drive.

 

Gollum,

I am very happy that I can dicuss with you.
You have made a very good explanation about Push, Tap and Whip.

I think all the technique we use is right according to the usage of it.
Player 1 can play better with "A" technique, but not for player 2.
Player 2 can play better with "B" technique, but not for player 1.

Maybe my explanation about changing the grip has suprised you. Because it looks very strange, right ?
Some of my players can't execute this, but some of them can execute it better than the forehand grip.

Anyway, we must give the best one for our players. Do you agree ?

 

I certainly would encourage players to learn by experimentation. Not only is it an effective way to discover the basics, but it allows them to develop techniques that suit their personal playing style. One important function of a coach is simply to let players do this, without interfering too much.

However, another important function of a coach is to guide and correct players so that they don't develop bad habits. Some techniques are simply ineffective and even dangerous to the player. For example, a coach should never suggest that a player tries hitting a backhand clear with a whip action. Not only would this lead to poor results, but it can also hyper-extend the shoulder and elbow joints, which may cause injury.

Different coaches will have different opinions on which techniques are okay to try, and which techniques should never be coached. I suppose the disagreement between us here is that I believe using a panhandle grip for forehand drops is in the latter category, rather than the "personal variation" category. In this country the coaches training program is fairly strict about the use of panhandle grips; I've been educated in that way so I tend to follow their advice.

Ultimately, as you say, the point of coaching is to help the players. If you find this technique helps your players, then it has value.

 

I wouldnt say that a tap is used for smashing and clearing. Have you ever done a smash or clear with little follow through?

Overhead strokes (smash, clear, drops) are generally done with a similar action at the end of moving across your body so the racket head will finish by your waist. If you jerk your arm to do a drop shot then the consistency of the shot is reduced, as the timimng of the shot is hard.

A smash uses the whip action, as your racket is effectivley the whip, and you are trying to crack it to produce big power.

This is no judgement on your qualifications as a coach, but I dont think much to the BA of E coaching qualification system, I dont think it is stringent enough, and people with little idea about the game can become qualified, this leads to a number of young children developing bad habits from a young age, simply because they were taught it was correct. To be a good coach you need to have good analytical skills, and a thorough knowledge of the game at the highest level. Some coaches I know who are qualified as level one coaches have not even heard of the all england, or even watched badminton other than at their club!

I repeat again, that was not a judgement on your skills, simply a off topic comment about the criteria for becoming a coach in England.

 

A tap is the only method of hitting a good backhand clear or smash. The mechanics of a backhand just don't allow an effective whipping action. And yes, I can do a full-court backhand clear with almost no follow through. Many players find this counterintuitive, but they soon change their minds when you give them a demonstration.

It's easy to think that a tap action involves only "wrist snap". This is not true: a tap action can be played with almost no preparatory movement (e.g. a deceptive shallow lift from the net in singles) or with a powerful swing (e.g. the backhand clear). But unlike a whip, the motion of a tap action stops when you contact the shuttle. I say again: a tap action uses almost no follow-through, and all powerful backhand shots use a tap action.

I have been very impressed with the quality of instruction given on BAofE coaching courses. I believe that if new coaches take heed of this instruction they will be effective coaches. But in practice many coaches may, after qualifying, decide that they no longer need to defer to the BAofE knowledge in order to coach. It is possible that this problem is a result of easy qualifications (the BAofE do, after all, WANT trainee coaches to pass), or it might be that there is insufficient ongoing assessment of new coaches.

BAofE coaches are required to maintain membership of the coaching register in order to receive insurance cover for their activities. As a benefit of register membership, coaches receive regularly updated information about current thinking in coaching and badminton techniques. It is a coach's responsibility to use this information (and other sources) to stay abreast of developments in badminton and coaching. Unfortunately, I suspect many people just throw it in the bin

 

Agree about the coaching.

I also misread that you were talking about the backhand with regards to the "tap" action. I thought you were talking about forehand overheads.

When you say wrist snap, you mean protonation right?

Apart from that pretty much sounds right to me. Hope Minzen can use it effectivley.