To all coaches, I was told that beginning classes does not coacg backhand strokes? Is it a question of "different school of thought" or universal practice? Thanks.
No one is that good they never hit a backhand even the most famous contortionist Mia Audina. So its very much a different school of thought. Relying on a backhand is a different matter though.
Yes it is quite common for the first levels to concentrate on forehand shots first. For example here in Australia, the first coaching licence is the Junior licence, where they don't deal with backhand techniques. The old coaching course was the level one which had some instructions on backhand techniques.
That's correct, the backhand stroke typically is not taught during beginners class because one must have the proper grip, footwork, and forehand strokes in place. During the beginner's lessons, coaches are trying to break the habbit of poor gripping style and to get away from playing backyard badminton! During drills, you will notice, students will comeplete the first few hits with the proper grip and then suddenly...it's back to backyard badminton. You have to keep on reminding them to check their grip! Same with open rally time to practise what they learn, students are too concerned with getting the bird back across the net rather than the proper grip & technique. To introduce the backhand grip is OK as a comparison to the forehand grip, but to teach the backhand stroke is for the next set of lessons. Cheers!
In particular, the technique required for hitting powerful backhand shots such as the overhead clear is far too difficult for a beginner's class.
I disagree, the technique is very simple, its just that it isnt the most important thing to learn as a beginner. They should focus on correct stroke (forehand), basic footwork and placement. Advance techniques such as advanced footwork, complex strokes, backhand should be dealt with once these have been mastered.
Hmm. So you don't think it's difficult, but you call it an advanced technique? Maybe we are working with different definitions of "beginner" here - it is a notoriously vague term - but if I tried to teach an overhead backhand clear to a group of beginners, they would have a great deal of trouble hitting the shuttle at all. In contrast, most beginners can hit a poor forehand clear after a few tries (albeit with dodgy technique). We must always remember what it is like to be the person who is learning for the first time. "Difficult" means different things, depending on how experienced and skilled you are! Anyway, if we coach for results - that is, helping the players to achieve their goals and enjoy the game - the overhead backhand is a low priority to teach. I happen to think that it is also harder to learn than any other "basic" shot.
Advanced does not mean difficult. It merley means it is introduced at an advanced stage in the players coaching. And of course you would never teach an over head backhand, because if the shuttle was overhead, then you could play round the head.
