Hey BCers I have a lot of trouble with my backhand shots. Even though I know that I should play the 'around the head' shots as much times as possible, sometimes I am FORCED to play with my backhand. Usually, if I try to backhand drop, it will either go too high or too low. If I backhand clear, it would either end up as a bad midcourt clear or a slow drive. Don't even get me started with smashes. They are HORRIBLE. Is there any way I can improve (without getting a coach because I am very busy during this time) my shots? Do I use a powerful wrist motion, or do I have to follow through with every shot? Is there any videos/guides where I can read to master these shots? THanks!
I finally cracked this shot (and the backhand smash, to a lesser extent) simply by relaxing, first and foremost, and then relying on 2/3 momentum and 1/3 wrist snap - really get your arm moving with some shoulder strength and then add the wrist right at the end. For me follow through is important - my racket ends up horizontal at the end (so the oppoent can see the top edge). Try to find a video of Lee Chong Wei doing a BH clear - his technique really illustrates the shot better than any other, especially the follow. That video is a good one with respect to footwork, but doesn't cover grip. You may be unintentionally slicing the shot, so try rotating the grip slightly. Also try hitting them flatter on purpose (i.e. what your brain considers too flat), as you may be putting too much angle in as well.
This is not a very good instructional video. If I cleared like this from backcourt, my opponent will nail me with a powerful net kill. This video is not very helpful. Sorry )=
Think of the backhand as the exact same thing as doing a forehand with your non-dominant (left?) hand. The only difference is that instead of pronating as you would with a forehand, you are supinating. Also a really important aspect is the contact point... you want to contact the shuttle above your shoulder area. If it's too far back, it's considerably harder to get the clear far enough. Also, if you contact it at the right point and higher up, you can greatly improve your backhand drop shots.
See if you can find the Zhao Jinhua coaching videos - there's an entire segment on backhand clearing (with a really high frame-rate slo-mo replay of Zhao himself doing it) that covers footwork, timing AND grip. You can get them from BC, with subtitles, as I did. I have vids myself, so I'll check back and find out which episode it's in to save you getting them all. (Unless you want them all.)
When first starting the process of learning how to make a backhand clear the best tip my coach gave me was to relax and getting my elbow up. I tended to have my elbow drop down which meant the rotation would get stopped in the shoulder resulting in very little power. So, focus on your elbow (I ensured that I would get my elbow high enough by making sure my upper arm was always above horizontal) and then relax.
Has anyone got a decent video of a backhand clear ? the high backhand drop is a more effective shot in single matches
Sadly I've got no video, but I just wanted to say that the high backhand drop isn't the more effective shot - it depends on who you are playing, your own playstyle and the situation. To make an example, my playstyle involves a lot around doing around the head which means that if pressured so much that I need to use my backhand, the more time I can buy myself the better. Hence it is for me VERY often best to return with a good high clear or a cross-court clear so that I'll have time to get back in position. The good thing about mastering more shots is though that sometimes I can "fake" being pressured by showing a backhand and the do a drop as my opponents move backwards.
in respect to the livestrong link that guy is 1: A Tennis player 2: A golfer 3: Dosnt know a flying **** about badminton i personally am going of the last one. Now to the matter at hand the best way to do a backhand clear is exactly as Mr Trnum said relax elbow up and try not to thrash at it but place the shuttle to where you want it to go. i started off not being able to get it half way but can now almost get to the back tram line thanks to these same tips from my coach.
Before reading this take into account I haven't actually read the previous posts apart from the first because I'm goin to sleep soon In my experience, backhand clears are much left untouched until you are confident you can clear a decent length, lest you get disappointed and disheartened. The fastest way to develop a decent backhand is to approach someone with standard technique and ask them to spectate you to make sure you have the correct racket and arm motion when playing the backhand. As for your backhand drops, whether in doubles or singles, if you're not playing at a fairly high level there will be one side at the net where you should be safe to play a fairly loose backhand drop, unless it is silly high. One thing I have found with backhand smashes are, power isn't always everything. Just as you would play a forehand smash at an opponent who approaches the net expecting a dropshot, you should also apply this to your backhand in certain situations. The way I work out when to do this is by playing some backhand dropshots down the line, then I pay close attention to where my opponent is moving to. If he/she is close to the net it is a sure sign that they are trying to prey on your inability to play a lengthy backhand clear and are assuming that you will play multiple dropshots as a result of this. Taking all of that into account, you will then be able to play the odd backhand smash without a lot of power in order to catch the opponent off guard. One last thing to mention here is that after you play the backhand smash make sure you move foreward to follow it up, if the opponent gets to it in time then he/she will most likely play a fairly decent netshot because of the lack of power on it (this is what I've found anyway), at which point it would take your partner (in doubles) way out of position to take the shot for you, having seen the shot that forced you into the backhand shot. Finally, this post is welcome to debate, since there are very certain situations when these tactics don't add up, but seems to be situations which occur extremely rarely, although I'd love any constructive criticism.
Check this video out too, this guy probably invented his own badminton. http://www.livestrong.com/video/3369-do-advanced-serve-badminton/
He's a straight up catastrophe!!! :crying:When serving: "remember to take a couple of steps" I thought it was a coincidence he was standing outside, but then again, he has probably never actually played anything but gardenbadminton He even states that only the server can score points, yet he plays to 21 This gotta be a comic of some sort...
