The crosscourt net, because there is no margin for error, and it has to follow a very tight trajectory to be effective. Backhand clears from beyond the doubles long serve line has to be up there for me, as well. I usually attempt a straight drop or a well placed drive instead.
Actually I would say none of the above. The most difficult shot for me is the back court backhand drive to the opponents back court.
I think the most difficult shot is backhand smash. How many "Taufik" in the world can perform this type of tricky shot? http://badmintonclip.blogspot.com/
[video=youtube;oMV0sv3XiBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMV0sv3XiBE[/video] Perhaps this bizarre net shot by Peter Gade (first seen at about 30 seconds in)? Does he accomplish this purely with great wrist flexibility and a loose grip or is there something else I'm missing? I used to consider the backhand overhead shots to be the most difficult but actually, once you trust your technique and don't try to hit them too hard, they become considerably easier. Still, the backhand shots are not nice to be forced to play in singles since the recovery takes so much longer than from the forehand side. This time, I think I'll make a suggestion for the hardest shot that's a bit "out there". The serve is a vastly neglected part of most people's games and yet nearly all of us find it difficult to serve in doubles when our opponents are returning aggressively. Also, if you're having a shocker and your serve deserts you, it's incredibly difficult to find it again during the match.
Sorry for the double post, it was too late to edit. I think I have an idea of how to play Gade's shot now; I'm not 100% that it's exactly the way he plays it but it should work. I might try it next time I'm on court.
For me, I think the backhand clear would be hardest for me as I don't really know how to release the power properly.
for me, its the jump smash. everything needs to be in harmony. from the shot preparation, lift off, hitting the shuttlecock and follow through. the wrong timing and form can easily ruin the shot. i always thought it was fairly easy to learn. im already on my 2nd jump smash training and im nowhere near my dream shot.
Just played a kid, think he was about 14/13 and he did this to me in a game. . I find serving and net shots (cross court) the easiest, hardest for me is getting power but its getting better. Only been playing 6 months so still alot to learn. Seeing this skinny kid play hitting backhand smashes better than i can hit forehand just reinforced what everybody says its almost pure technique.
I have difficult on all shots. smash not fast enough, clear not longer enough. make silly mistake on drive, and drop shot.
for me, the most difficult shot is back hand clear (baseline to baseline), which is not shown in the poll.
Cross court net. I'm not very good with my drops to begin with anyways haha. xD Mine always manage to get so high during a game.
I don't remember what I originally said, but I have to say that both the jump smash and the standard short serve are the hardest to master. With the jump smash, your body location/jump angle/jump timing/shuttle placement/arm pronation amount are all factors when smashing. It's absolutely ridiculously difficult to be able to replicate the same precision for every smash when all of these things are so different with every smash. The last thing I feel comfortable relearning when I come back from an absence from badminton is my jump smash. I think that one of the reasons I enjoy it (besides the fact that I am jumping around hitting a shuttle at full power) is that there is so much that must be done correctly in sync to get the jump smash perfect (angle, power, recovery, energy efficiency), and so when it's done correctly, it's so amazing, considering how many things could go wrong. The short serve is one of the easiest and most commonly practiced shots, but it also has probably the least margin for error: (1) The opponent will be expecting it to come, and having placed his/herself in a position to receive it, will apply lots of pressure on you, both mental and spacial. (2) There is very little distance between an attack-able and non-attackable serve. (3) It can be quite tricky trying to get the mix of angle and speed correctly. For these reasons I think these two are the most difficult. While the clear is probably the most difficult to maintain a precise accuracy, there is also more margin of error for what defines a good and bad clear. I feel pretty much the same way about a lift. Drops/net shots can be very difficult, but as there are so many varieties on drop/net shots in terms of technique and placement, the margin of error is not as bad as the short serve. Drives are actually probably my weakest shot, but I think that the drive itself is not that difficult to master, it's the reaction time that is difficult to develop.
Very good post. I agree with the reasoning, the short serve is difficult to master. It is, however, one of the few things you can do on your own I still maintain the backhand clear is the hardest shot. Similar to the jump smash, there are several factors that define a good BH clear: timing (absolutely crucial), supination, the correct angle of the racket, and of course a quick swing. In my case, the supination is not nearly as strong as pronation, and the timing is not always good, which results in short&punishable clears. At least you face the shuttle when doing a jump smash
Jump smash (I meant the real jump smash not the one that players only jump 10cm in the air), definitely ! look simply but trying to get everything in sync needs alot ,lot practice .... one thing hiro forgot is the preparation of footwork is so important in the jump smash that timing is everything . Personally I only hit the jump smash if I have to against higher level of opponent in doubles (never in singles otherwise I would never get back to the base in time)
In singles I only do one when I have lots of time - then its quicker to recover than a normal smash, because you can jump forwards and coming down from the jump can use that speed to go forward (like a split step). The more hangtime you got, the easier it gets.
