I'd like to ask the coaches and advanced players out there, where should a fast drop land to be considered proper technique? I execute my drop shot by contacting it relatively high and in front of me, but I slice around the outside of the bird with a lot of racquet speed. My drops are pretty fast, and they clear over the net quite low, but they usually do not land that close to the net line, usually around about the service line to 1 foot past the service line? One of my friends says that a good drop must fall short of the service line to be considered good, but I can't perform this unless I slow the drop down, losing the speed. Is it possible to execute, with enough practice, a fast drop that still lands short of the service line? How can this be done? BTW, I am 5'7" in height.
Drops come in different forms. I think the slice action you are doing is fine. Obviously, you may have to adapt against different players. Some players might be particularly good at returning your shot and against these players, it does not work so well. Where it may less useful is in doubles. In general, the opponents can reach the shuttle earlier and play net shots. This forces you to lift and then they can attack. You'll have to watch your opponents play and see if they can do this. Key thing is not to rely on this drop shot as your only drop shot. Learn to play other types of dropshots using the same preparation and movement.
Basically what Cheung said. A fast drop should be landing about 1 foot from the service line or around the service line, but a big part, imo, of badminton is being able to change the pace of the game. If all you do is do fast drops then your opponent might get used to do so doing slow drops is equally important.
The short answer: don't listen to your friend. Your fast drops are better against advanced players, although his slow drops are better against beginners. A drop shot is a compromise between two desirable factors: 1. Falling close to the net 2. Speed A slower drop will fall closer to the net. A faster drop will fall further away from the net. The advantage of a slow drop is this: once it passes below the net tape, it is very difficult to attack. The problem with a slow drop is that fast opponents can reach it before it passes below the net tape. They can then kill the shuttle, or play a very tight net reply. If they are really good, they can play a tight tumbling net reply, which is almost impossible to return. Remember: the tighter the drop shot, the tighter the net reply! A fast drop will pass the net before your opponents can reach the shuttle. They will not, however, need to move as far as for a slow drop, because the shuttle will come deeper into the court. So it's a compromise. If you play the slow drop, you are hoping that your opponents will be slow to the shuttle and therefore will be forced to lift it high. If they are late, then they will not be able to attack. If you play the fast drop, you recognise that your opponents can move forward quickly. And so you concede to them some attacking options -- flat drives and pushes to the midcourt -- but deprive them of their more deadly responses, the kill and tumble net shot. You can't get the best of both worlds. If your drops are fast, they will land around the front service line. By slicing your drops, however, you can make them travel a little bit faster without going any deeper into the court! Following a heavy slice, the shuttle will decelerate as it travels through the air. It starts off spinning, which creates air resistance and slows it down. This can be used for all drop shots: fast or slow, cross or straight. It is particularly effective, however, for the crosscourt fast drop shots used in singles.
