If you read the ArizonaBadminton.com blog, you probably have come across our 5 Core Badminton Points post. We feel that these are points are fundamental and important enough to basic badminton strategy that we will cover them again here.

Racket up

• This is the biggest mistake most people make. Badminton is a very fast sport. Your racket needs to be up and in front of you ready to return the shuttle. Think of the center of your body as the center of a circle (your “badminton circle”) encompassing your entire body. The shortest distance to any point on your badminton circle is when you start from the center. So in order to reach the majority of shots in the shortest amount of time, you need to keep your racket up and in front of you.

Get back into position

• Being able to return anything hit at you is great, but of course during a match, the point is to keep the shuttle away from you, thus, you need to be positioned correctly after each shot you make in order to be ready for wherever the next shot may go.
• In singles, this almost always means that after your shot, you should be returning to the center of the court. Transitioning a variety of shots into fluid body movements to get you back to the center of the court takes practice but it is possible and we will go over them during practice. The only time during singles when you do not want to make the transition to the center of the court is after you make a net drop. You need to take one step back toward the center of the court and react to the opposing player’s next shot. This is to prevent the opposing player from simply re-dropping and causing you to needlessly move around the court.
• In doubles, positioning can be very confusing but once mastered, it is the skill that separates the pros from the amateurs. Doubles rotation will be covered in the doubles strategy section

Knees bent

• Your knees should never be locked; they should always be bent and ready to spring. Not only does this ready you for movement on the court but it also allows you to lower your center of gravity when on defense, thus giving you more stability during quick defensive shots. Then after you transition a defensive attack into an offensive opportunity, keeping your knees bent prepares you to quickly attack the shuttle.

On your toes

• This one goes hand-in-hand with keeping your knees bent. You should never be caught flat-footed. If you have ever watched a boxing match, you will notice that the boxers are always on their toes and their feet are always moving. This is because they need absolute split second reactions to keep from getting hit. Take a lesson from them and whenever you are on the court (yes, even between points, matches, and during practice) always keep on your toes and keep your feet moving. This keeps you agile and ready to react quickly.

Watch the shuttle

• You would think this was an obvious one but a lot of people end up watching either their opponent’s racket or their body in hope of figuring out where the shuttle is going to be hit. Experienced badminton players know that deception is the name of the game, especially when their opponent is of comparable skill to themselves. Always watch and react to only the shuttle. Do not make a move until the shuttle is contacted and you know where it is headed.

General Strategies

Analyze both your and your opponents game as you play

When playing a match, always analyze what is going on. After each point, quickly think about what happened. Was there an error (did someone mess up)? Have you gotten/lost previous points this way? Where on the court was it? Have you or your opponent missed similar shots like that one? What did you do right/wrong? How could the rally have been improved?

Answering questions like these, after time, will become quick and routine and will help you constantly re-frame the game according to what is going on. This is important if you start to run into trouble and have to change strategies. Be sure to pay attention to patterns like, “she can’t seem to get to the back court well after I drop.” Discoveries like these can spell the difference between a win and a loss.

Find their weakness, protect yours

If you are asking yourself the questions outlined above, then you should have all you need to discover both you and your opponent’s weaknesses. Play to their weaknesses while protecting yours. If you find that they can’t clear very well, then make a lot of your shots to the back court. If you realize that you can’t seem to return drives, then play a short and long game with a lot of drops and clears; keeping the shuttle out of the mid court.

Don’t let your racket or the shuttle drop

Keeping your racket up is one of the five core points above but also important is to not let the shuttle drop. I don’t necessarily mean letting the shuttle drop to the floor (that one is obvious) but rather it is critical that you attack the shuttle as soon as you can while the shuttle is above the net. Letting the shuttle drop below the net means that your return will likely be defensive and thus setting your opponent up to score. This happens a lot when players are tired or lazy. A defensive shot is when the shuttle leaves your side of the court angled up, giving your opponent a chance to smash or otherwise better control their next shot. Attack the shuttle as soon and as high as you can!

Get the point, no matter how you do it

The most common way score points in badminton is when you force the shuttle down onto your opponent’s court or when they hit the shuttle out of bounds. However, an equally valid way of scoring points is to hit your opponent with the shuttle. Now, this may sound a little mean, but hitting and getting hit with the shuttle is simply part of the game. If the shuttle hits any part of your opponent’s body or clothing, you’ve won that point.

Now, I’m not advocating you to try and nail your opponent every chance you get; that is a little overboard. I am also in no way recommending you hurt your opponent; that is poor sportsmanship and should never be tolerated, especially if it is malicious!!! However, don’t be afraid to take aim at your opponent’s body (NOT THEIR FACE!!!) if the opportunity presents itself. It is a guaranteed point and counts just as much as a shuttle to the floor. However, if you do hit your opponent with the shuttle, be it on purpose or by accident, always raise your hand and apologize.  True badminton players will know that it is simply part of the game.

Have good shoes (and a clean gym floor)

This is covered a bit in the apparel section but I must stress that the proper shoes are a critical part of a good gaming experience. Not only is this a safety issue, with ankle injuries being one of the top badminton related injuries, but it can impact your performance too. You will notice that gym floors can be a little fickle, depending on how well maintained they are, dust and dirt can accumulate making traction a very big issue. Trust me, a slip-n-slide badminton match is no fun for anyone. Some gyms will have a large sweeper that you can use to quickly sweep the court with. This is ideal.

However, good tacky (read sticky) shoes can help to alleviate this problem. Another trick is to go to the bathroom and lightly wet a paper towel and place it on the ground next to or just off the court. Take a couple of steps on the damp towel then drag your feet across the floor to clear off any excess water. Instant tack! Of course, this will only last a few points especially if the floor is really dirty but a quick hop onto the towel and you are recharged again.