Hi there. New to this forum, have registered because I have a query which is driving me mad! I am a recreational player, not particularly good standard. I used to play with a couple of university level players, who were pretty decent. One of them had a very strange technique for a backhand clear. I'll try and describe as best I can... - Right handed player standing on the right on the court. - Shuttle is hit by opponent to the player deep in the backhand corner (i.e. the left of the court from geoff's point of view). So he has a difficult backhand to hit. - Player takes a couple of steps to the left - half turn (180 deg) clockwise and in one fluid movement, hits the shuttle above shoulder level with his backhand, clearing it high. - Shuttle goes about a mile in the air and drops down steeply to opposite corner. has anyone seen this technique before and can anyone post a video link? Reason being: - it was very impressive - seemed that the player generated a lot of power (extra rotation) via the half turn the player is question was 6'6'', so must have been hitting the shuttle at about 9' off the ground help appreciated!
Half turn clockwise as in his whole body turns 180 deg clockwise? Heh I never really seen that before... but to be able to clear, it must've been powerful..
Sounds a little odd to me. Unless I'm misunderstanding the senario, if he can make a 180 degree turn, then he should have had plenty of time to play around the head (ie taken it on his forehand). He can obviously hit it well enough, but I think it would be fair to put this shot in the "unorthodox" bracket. It's also not something more experienced players would normally do. Are you sure he's not just showing off? Wayne Young
Danish wipe! Ah, the memories... In every badminton book I've ever read, the Danish wipe comes with the caveat "not to be advocated". I am very familiar with the technique you describe, as at least half a dozen of our lads use it for BH clears and drives. Timed right, our 5 foot 6 players can go from baseline to baseline. I think the trick is hips before hands, similar to a baseball swing. If you've little or no snap power on the BH side it can really boost your range. (On the subject of unusual techniques, my friend Rob uses what I call an "upside down forehand" in place of a backhand. That is, his palm faces the net on his "backhand" shots, so he can't really be said to have a backhand at all. I'll say this, though: he's got the most powerful BH drive at our club by MILES. Anybody else seen this?)
I'm not sure if this is what you're referring to, but my coach sometimes teaches a technique he calls the "ladies doubles backhand clear" Basically a clear hit from near shoulder level using a large amount of body rotation.
first time i heard of the phrase Swedish swish or Danish swipe. i wonder how it got that name. and to add to the discussion. the disadvantage of such a technique is that you will momentarily (probably an eternity when it comes to high level badminton) lose sight of what is going on in the court. on top of that, the full rotation is slower than a half rotation for the normal backhand.
i'm pretty sure this shot is only for showing off/fun only like kwun said, it'll mean that he has to take his eyes off the opponent...
The Danish swipe's not usually done with a 180 degree rotation, though. I must admit, when I'm mucking around, I try to return smashes on my backhand side by rotating 180 degrees clockwise. Usually doesn't work, but good for a laugh Wayne Young
The Danish Wipe or Swedish Swish was pioneered by petite Scandanavian girls way way back. It is or was a stroke usefully employed by players who have not yet acquired an overhead backhand clear. It is, however, only a temporary substitute as it is tiring, offers no possibility of an attacking variant such as a smash, and gives the defender an extra, blessed split second in which to recover. For this stroke maximum arm action, as well as wrist, is needed to get vital length.
My friend uses this stroke; it's pretty much a large arm swing at shoulder level which whacks the bird to the other side of the court. The only other possible stroke which is similar to this is a straight drop, so it's not as good as a normal backhand clear, but if you really need the length this stroke will work well.
The Danish Wipe is a variant of the lofted drive. It is played from near the base line, when the shuttle has been allowed to be dropped below tape-height. The elbow has to be dropped and the wrist rolled to the left in order to bring the racquet, angled upwards, up and under the shuttle. The follow-through finishes with the racquet above and in front of the striker's head.
Yah I do this swipe without the 180 turn, always wanted to know what its called! There isn't a need to turn 180, as long as your arm and body is rotated, its similar to a tennis backhand passing shot My normal backhand is decent, but not reliable, its maybe 3/4 court most of the time, this danish method I can clear it to the opposite corner, but yes, it is tiring.
Thanks for your feedback lads - amusing to see this was a technique used by petite scandinavian birds when the guy in question was a 6 foot 6 monster! Actually I do recall one of the girls from University team showing me this technique as well.
If I actually remember to use the right grip, and to fully turn around, I can do baseline to baseline clears pretty easily. However, most of the time I forget, so I just keep doing either bad clears, or drops...
In Hong Kong the Danish Wipe stroke is rarely seen or played. Only players of more than 45+ years old know about this stroke. I believe it was quite commonly used in England in the 60s-70s.
If you have old videos, maybe find matches of Lene Koppen from Denmark. Also I think the English Ladies Doubles, Nora Perry / Jane Webster also employed this technique. Normally backhand will make the player lose sight with the opponent and the reason why the Chinese players prefer to use the over-head technique instead - or called around-the-head here.
