I often play against this certain player who loves to play drop shots. Sometimes, when Im at the backcourt, he plays drop shots which are very hard to retrieve. I have tried diving 2-3 times before but it keeps hurting my hip side and racket hand ankle. Can anyone tell me how to dive the right way?? Are there any diving drills that i need to practise?? P/s= Im playing singles.
Instead of diving, work on your scissor kicks in the backcourt to transfer your momentum from going backwards into a forward one so that you can retrieve his drops shots. Keep in mind that diving will maybe allow you to retrieve his drop shot but most likely also put you in a horrible situation to get the next shot. As well as wasting a lot of energy. I find dives are usually best in doubles.
what PopsiclePete is correct. OR against this player, you can even move your 'base position' slightly forward, in order to help anticipate the drop shot. although diving 'looks' spectacular when you get it, but (espeically in singles) puts you out of position for the next shot. even international players will rarely dive in singles apart from the sideways dive which you can more easily get back to base position. forward/other diving is more for doubles as your partner can cover for you. also best to work on footwork to get there quicker. hope it helps.
anyone who dives for a shot will lose the rally 95% of the time. practicing dives is like practicing how to lose.
Agree with all above. Diving in doubles is done out of desperation to keep the bird alive, and then you have your partner to cover for you while you recover. But it wastes a lot of energy! Sometimes it is not worth it to exhaust or hurt yourself just to get that point. Also, diving only works safely on badminton mat floors; not concrete or hardwood floors!
i would run close to the shuttles and when i know imma close enuf i will skip in to it...my technique might be wrong but...hey it works!!
I think the advice above is correct: practise your FOOTWORK, not your LACK OF FOOTWORK The first part of what you said is what troubles me: "when Im at the backcourt, he plays drop shots" Why would you ever be at the backcourt, at the same time your opponent is hitting a shuttle? I recommend that the answer is to not get into this situation, rather than to recover from this situation! Consider hitting very high defensive clears to allow you to reach your base in the midcourt Matt
maybe you should practice getting up from a 'press up' position to your feet, this will help your recovery. When you have dived to the front of the court, you are limited to only two real shots to keep you in the rally: a high lift, and I mean really high, and with good length allowing recovery time. And neutralising angles. And the second shot is to return to the net area, however for this shot, it's better to only use in singles, as your opponent only needs to put in a lift to put you under a lot of pressure. But if the return is tight to the net, then you have a chance of winning the point.
I guess to answer the original question.. to prevent getting hurt on your hips from your diving, reach out with your non racket arm and support yourself (like a one-armed pushup) while you hit with your racket. But again like everyone has said, there's no reason you need to be diving for a drop shot, no matter how good it is. Practice controlling your weight and improving your reaction speed.
