Backhand Slice

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by TedTheFarmer, Jun 24, 2009.

  1. TedTheFarmer

    TedTheFarmer Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2008
    Messages:
    118
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Lancs,Eng
    I've been trying this one out for quite some time now, but all I end up with is one awkwardly high cross court drop with no where near the angle that my forehand slice creates. Any tips on how to stop it from lifting and inevitable being killed time after time?
     
  2. gingerphil79

    gingerphil79 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2007
    Messages:
    594
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Sports massage therapist
    Location:
    Northern Ireland, UK
    So ur tryin to do a cross court tight drop shot then?

    It does take a bit of practice, i find its al about the wrist mate, mines goes quite flat landin rite in the corner, gud shot to use as variation cause ur opponent is always expectin the straight drop shot der or a crap backhand clear.

    Pratcie doin it slowly without a shuttle first al the actions, I find its al about a sharp twist of the wrist at the moment of impact, reali flings the shuttle flatish and towards the corner, quite deceptive to ;)
     
  3. Capnx

    Capnx Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2007
    Messages:
    263
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Canada
    i find it's not so much a "slice" like tennis but more of a wrist "hook" action. imagine doing a backhand drive/clear, but instead aim the racquet head at the cross court direction and flick the wrist at contact point.

    btw, the cross court drop works most effective against novice players, or used only on "new" opponents. if u play against regular people and they are fast, most likely they can anticipate the shot and move in because cross court drop is one of the slowest shots i think in badminton. takes a relatively longer time for the birdie to get to cross court, and if the opponent is there and ready, you're most likely out of position :)
     
  4. TedTheFarmer

    TedTheFarmer Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2008
    Messages:
    118
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Lancs,Eng
    Well actually I came accross it by accident, I had just been doing some slice drills and I guess my racquet just naturally angled that way when I went to play a backhand straight drop, it worked nicely then but I can't figure out what else I'm doing wrong.
    Oh and to Capnx, I rarely play competitive singles, I'm all about doubles lately. It's really to catch the front court player off guard when they're commited to their forehand side.
     
  5. jjlow

    jjlow Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2009
    Messages:
    46
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    singapore
    hi.for me its about the feeling of hitting the shot.maybe you can try to focus on hitting the shuttle forward.push your racket further foward when doing backhand so the shuttle will not be so high.after getting used to it you just need to control it.try variations and see what your comfortable with.everybody has diff backhand stroke nomatter how minute it is.i guess the reason why your backhand is high above the net is cos you want your backhand to cross the net and not land into the net but by doing that you were too careful so you keep hitting it too high.you can try hitting it harder so the shuttle moves faster and lands faster.this way,even if you hit it a bit too high over the net,the speed of the shuttle will still be fast enuf that when the opponent gets to the shuttle it is not high enuf for him to kill and you still can retrieve your next shot.last of all,be daring!just try any backhand shots.if too high,adjust and try to hit the shuttle with your racket facing slightly downwards and so on.how far you are from the net also determines how high you take the shuttle and how fast you have to hit.all the best for you!
     
  6. TedTheFarmer

    TedTheFarmer Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2008
    Messages:
    118
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Lancs,Eng
    Yeah, my normal backhand drops are fine, just this backhand "slice", I'm pretty sure I saw Taufik use one in one of his vids but I cant remember where.
     
  7. Athelete1234

    Athelete1234 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2007
    Messages:
    1,677
    Likes Received:
    7
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    Canada
  8. TedTheFarmer

    TedTheFarmer Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2008
    Messages:
    118
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Lancs,Eng
    That's a different video but I think the same kind of thing. Except in the other it pretty clearly showed his racquet head nicely angled for a slice and looking like he was playng a straight backhand shot.
     
  9. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2003
    Messages:
    4,642
    Likes Received:
    298
    Location:
    Surrey, UK
    As one might expect from Taufik, that video provides a demonstration of flawless technique (and stupid comments from the commentators).

    Notice that the hitting action involves a "hooking" or "pulling" action, and that there is relatively little use of the wrist -- the pull is mainly from the forearm. Notice also how this action is incorporated into his recovery movement, so that even as he hits the shot he is turning back into court.

    If you're at full stretch and are unable to make this hitting action, then you can shorten the swing and "use more wrist" -- just punching at the shuttle with an angled racket face. However, with the smoother pulling action, you get better control and recovery.

    The action should look similar even when playing a straight drop. The "cross-court" arm movement and body recovery would still be present.

    I'm pretty sure he added slice to that shot. As well as improving the trajectory, slicing can make it easier to hit the cross-court angle, as you don't need to come around from outside the shuttle as much.

    I would recommend starting with a straight backhand drop, and then experimenting with the effects of slice. Change the angle of the racket, so that you hit the shuttle with a glancing blow. You'll also need to hit it harder, to compensate both for the longer cross-court path and the loss of speed due to slice. Grip tightening and a small flick of the wrist should suffice for this added power, but don't neglect to use the forearm to guide the shot.
     
    #9 Gollum, Jun 25, 2009
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2009
  10. TedTheFarmer

    TedTheFarmer Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2008
    Messages:
    118
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Lancs,Eng
    Should I be trying to hit the shot a little earlier like in normal slices?
     
  11. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2003
    Messages:
    4,642
    Likes Received:
    298
    Location:
    Surrey, UK
    Well, I don't think that playing a slice -- forehand or backhand -- means playing the shot earlier. You play the shot as early as you can (obviously, this doesn't mean straining your arm upwards with the joints locked out, or hitting from an badly off-balance position).

    I think I know what you mean, however. With a forehand reverse slice, the timing of your arm rotation is different -- you actually hit at the same moment, but your arm has rotated slightly earlier, so that as you contact the shuttle, the racket is already facing in a somewhat cross-court direction.

    As an example of forehand reverse slice: you are in your backhand corner, and play a round-the-head cross-court forehand drop.

    The same is true if you apply reverse slice on the backhand. Note, however, that this would never be used for a cross-court shot, because you never play backhands in your forehand corner (unless you're mad ;)). It would only be used on a straight drop.

    For the "normal" slice, it's a different story. Here, instead of merely changing the timing of your arm rotation, you don't even complete the rotation (you don't want your racket angled flat or outward -- you want it angled inward). This applies for both forehand and backhand slice.

    However, with forehand slice you can increase the slicing effect by brushing around the shuttle -- supinating your forearm and bringing it across your body, when for a normal shot you would be pronating instead. With a backhand (cross-court) slice, your ability to do this is much more limited -- partly by the grip, but also by the more restricted movement at your shoulder. Note that with the backhand drop you would be pronating instead of supinating (turning the arm in the opposite way).

    Pronation of the forearm is possible here, but it's limited, and it's also much more difficult to use the fingers to help control it (compared to a forehand). Just another reason to use forehands when you can!

    To a certain extent, the pulling/hooking action I mentioned earlier helps to overcome these difficulties -- it does at least allow freer use of your arm to help guide the shot.
     
  12. Vincentlam

    Vincentlam Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2007
    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    London
    Heres a video of LCW slicing shuttlecock with a backhand, but in a upward motion! check out 2:35
     
  13. Vincentlam

    Vincentlam Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2007
    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    London
    Another LCW upward slice backhand drop shot is at 7:02
     
  14. jymbalaya

    jymbalaya Regular Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2007
    Messages:
    977
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    United States
    uh, links? i mean, did you try to embed the video?
     
  15. thejym

    thejym Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2008
    Messages:
    389
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    San Diego
    Oh that's the shot he did against Kenneth Jonassen in an exhibition match... so sneaky.
     
  16. Vincentlam

    Vincentlam Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2007
    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    0
    Occupation:
    Student
    Location:
    London
  17. george@chongwei

    george@chongwei Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    Messages:
    29,923
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    MIA
    yes, im thinking of asking the same questions too earlier..this backhand slice from chong wei is superb;)..seldom see him did that in tournaments.
     
  18. TedTheFarmer

    TedTheFarmer Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2008
    Messages:
    118
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Lancs,Eng
    That's a nice shot and would be pretty useful to learn. But, the shot I'm after is more followed through with the racquet and goes cross-court.
     
  19. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2003
    Messages:
    4,642
    Likes Received:
    298
    Location:
    Surrey, UK
    I don't know about "upward slice". Those look like reverse slice backhand drops to me. Good video though. :)
     
  20. Oldhand

    Oldhand Moderator

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2005
    Messages:
    6,843
    Likes Received:
    108
    Occupation:
    Broadcast Systems Integration
    Location:
    Asia
    It might help to see what Kenneth Jonassen does at 4.26 :)
     

Share This Page