Singles Strategy

Basics

Singles badminton is a game of endurance and patience. Given the speed of the game, a singles badminton court is a pretty large area to cover. The most common shots in singles play are the drop and clear. When two experienced singles players who are of the same caliber face off, you will usually notice a couple of things:

1. Both players will usually begin playing conservatively, meaning that they might play more defensively and try to keep court movement to a minimum. This is for a number of reasons but primarily this is because they do not want to waste all their energy early on. Singles games are long and you have nobody to fall back on when your tank runs empty.
2. Position, position, position. Each player will use their shots to get their opponent out of position for a kill. In singles, this usually means lots of drops and clears to the corners. This plays off of #1 in that if you can move your opponent around the court more than they can move you, chances are that they will tire sooner leaving you with the advantage.
3. Smashes will be relatively infrequent but when they do happen, they are usually big. Again, going back to #1, the smash is the most energy consuming shot in badminton and experienced players don’t want to waste their energy on smashes if they don’t have some sort of advantage; specifically, when their opponent is out of position (#2).
4. Exciting and aggressive net play. Given that drops (both net and back court) are one of the most popular shots in singles play, it is not surprising that there will be a lot of net play. Combine that with the fact that net shots are some of the least energy-consuming shots in badminton (again, going back to #1), and you can expect some fantastic net play.

Given these points, we can tease out some basic strategies for the budding singles player!

• Energy conservation! Don’t waste your energy if you don’t have to. Singles games are long and difficult. Unless you have an opening where your opponent is out of position, make smart shots that conserve your energy. Don’t smash where a drop will do!
• Stay in position while trying to move your opponent out of theirs. This largely comes down to footwork and shot selection which will be covered later. In singles, your position is pretty much right in the center of the court (plus or minus a few steps forward or back, depending your style); it’s the shortest distance to any given point on the court. After making a shot (with the exception of net drops as described below) you should move right back to the center of the court and be in the ready position. Getting your opponent out of position can be tricky and involves a bit of shot variety and deception (both are described below). One fundamental rule that a lot of people seem to forget is to place the shuttle where your opponent is not. It sounds obvious but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen players hit right at their opponents out of habit or shot favoritism. If your opponent is at the net, clear the shuttle back. If they are in the front right of the court, send the shuttle to the rear left!
• Practice net play. Most beginning players are really excited to learn clears, drives, and especially smashes. While these are all important shots, most beginners entirely neglect net play. Net play is all about finesse and very little power. Grip and racket control are critical, as is form and proper footwork. In singles play, you are dam-near guaranteed to play at least 1/4 of your short at or very close to the net.

Movement

Nearly every movement in singles should start from the center of the court. This should be your “home” or starting position, not only at the beginning of each rally but between shots as well. Court movement in singles play usually consists two parts that I call expanding and contracting movements. Think of yourself as being tethered to the center of the court with a bungee cord. When your opponent makes a shot and you need to move away from the middle of the court to make the shot, this is your “expanding” movement; you are expanding away from your home position in order to make the shot (think of stretching the imaginary bungee cord). After the shot is made, you then have to “contract” back to the center of the court (think of the bungee cord pulling you back) and get ready for the next shot.

You can think of the expand/contract model as a fairly constant way of ensuring that you are in the right place at the right time. From the center of the court, you are, generally speaking, at the shortest distance to any arbitrary point on the court. However, there are times when you do not want to return or contract back to the center after making a shot. In fact there’s really only one time I can think of and that is after making a net drop. Net drops are made while you are standing very close to the net and because of the speed and deception involved in net play, after making a net drop, you do not want to move back to the center of the court. In fact, you should only take a single step (more like a hop, really) back and be ready to attack another net drop. If you were to move all the back to the center of the court, your opponent could easily straight or cross-court drop back over the net and you would have little time to get to the shuttle. Conversely, if your opponent were to clear while you were still near the front of the net, the little hop back would give you a step in the right direction since the shot would likely be high enough to give you enough time to retreat to the back court to return the shuttle.

Shots

As I said above, the most common shots in singles are the clear, drop, and smash.

Clears

There are two kinds of clears: defensive and offensive. Defensive clears should be executed from your court and hit in a high arch that lands the shuttle in the back ally of your opponent. Contact should be made high and out in front of you with your body slightly behind the shuttle. The defensive clear is meant to push your opponent to the back court giving you time to get back into position and to prepare for an attack. An offensive or flat (or drive) clear is a manipulation and attacking shot. The offensive clear should be hit more level than the defensive clear (not in a high arc) and is supposed to be a faster shot forcing your opponent to move out of out of position or miss the shuttle entirely.

Drops

There are two basic kinds of drops: back court drops and net drops. A drop is an offensive finesse shot whereby the shuttle is softly hit over the net forcing your opponent forward towards. Back court drops are very similar to smashes and clear in that the mechanics of the shot are nearly identical. However, instead of making hard full-force swing, you want to simply hit the shuttle with enough force to fall just over the net, as close to the net in your opponent’s court as possible. The key with the back court drop is deception. Your opponent should not be able to tell by your windup and swing if your shot is a drop, clear, or smash.

The net drop is played close to the net and involves hitting the shuttle just over the net into your opponent’s court. The most important thing to remember about the net drop is that you should be contacting the shuttle as high (soon) as possible. Don’t let the shuttle drop much below the tape on the net if you can help it. Drops can be much more effective when contacted early (or high) as you have a better chance of a good return and you also have more options for deception.

Smash

The smash is probably the most popular shot in badminton even though it is probably one of the rarest shots to make (relative to clears, drop, and drives). As outlined above, the smash requires a lot of energy and executing multiple smashes in a rally or match can wear down even the toughest player. That said, the smash is an offensive shot with the specific purpose of ending the rally. It should be a fast downward shot, ideally away from your opponent. Smashes are generally executed because your opponent has “set you up” by making a bad shot (a clear that was too short perhaps) or because your opponent is out of position and you want to down the shuttle as fast as possible. Sometimes, smashes are used to simply manipulate your opponent’s positioning or to throw them off balance as a prelude to another shot. Either way, the smash should be thought of as a scarce resource; to be used when needed but not wasted!

Situational Strategies

You keep hitting the shuttle out

Refocus yourself and for the next few points, hit to the center of the court. We already know that you should be hitting the shuttle away from your opponent but sometimes our precision is just off. If you find that you are consistently hitting the shuttle out of bounds, take about 3-4 points where you only hit to the center of the court. Now, this doesn’t mean that you should be hitting nice high shots right at your opponent. But what it does mean is that you should not be continuing to hit boundary shots if you can’t consistently keep them in. If your shots are wide, then narrow the width of the zone (towards the center of the court) where you are aiming. If your shots are long then narrow the depth of the zone you are aiming for. Doing this for a few points should help you regain your focus and then you can slowly start expanding your target zone back to the court boundaries.

One or more of your shots just aren’t working today

It happens to everyone. Some days even your best shot can, for whatever reason, become your worst. I could be a wise ass and tell you to just not use it, but that would be obvious and not very helpful. One strategy you could use would be to modify your troubled shot. For instance, if you smashes are not quite working right, change your grip slightly or position yourself differently when you hit the shot (try jumping if you usually don’t or hit the shuttle earlier than you normally do, etc.). It may not be what you are comfortable with (or 100% proper form) but I have found that this sometimes “resets” your body and allows you to recover yourself a little faster.

Another strategy, and yes, the most obvious one, is to simply not use that shot. If, for example, you can’t seem to play the net well, modify your game to keep the shuttle away from the net. If your opponent net drops then clear or push them to the back or corners. Try to keep the play more level relying more on smashes, drives and offensive clears vs drops. Likewise, if your drives a just not doing it, play more drops and clears; keep the play higher. The important thing here is is shift the game away from your bad shots and onto your good shots. Do your best to not let you opponent onto your secret.

You’re so tired you’re about to drop

We’ve all been there. A long and tough game is nearing its end. The score is close and you sure as hell are not ready to give up but your simply exhausted. There are a few ways to make these last few points a little easier. Mind you, you should never delay a game for the purpose of getting more rest time. Never fake an injury to get the 5min injury break. If you have been fairly beat by sheer endurance, that’s just how the game goes; work on your endurance.

Having said that, there are a few legal and acceptable ways to get a little bit of a breather:

• Request a shuttle change if needed. A new shuttle will need to be retrieved and flight tested, giving you about a minute or two of break time. Don’t abuse this though. Only change the shuttle if there is a good reason (the feathers are broken or the shuttle doesn’t fly correctly).
• Make full use of the legal time limits in the game. Between games 2 and three, players are permitted a 5min break. Don’t rush back onto the court simply because your opponent is ready. If you still have time left, take it.
• Take your time on the serve. You shouldn’t be rushing the serve anyway but when you are tired, you can usually get a few extra seconds when you are serving to take a deep breath and refocus yourself.
• Play a “higher” game. Low flat shots are the fastest shots in the game requiring you to move more and react faster. Keep the shuttle high and in the air as long as possible. This gives you more time to get back into position and to set yourself for the next shot.
• Stay hydrated and energized. I know some players like to eat between matches while other will likely see what they have just eaten come back out onto the floor. It’s a good idea to eat healthy (light balanced meals, fruits, and certain energy bars are great on game days) before and after games if you can. But if you are going to eat between or even during matches, keep it light and energy packed. If you are between games 2 & 3, eat 1/2 a banana or something similar to get a little more energy into your system. Of course, even more important, stay hydrated. Fluids with electrolytes are best but try to avoid the ones with lots of sugar (wrong kind of energy for the task). It’s ok to ask for a water break during play; but don’t abuse it.

They keep getting points in a certain area of the court

Ahh, they have found your weakness! Well, there are two things you need to do, find theirs and defend yours. First, if you have been paying attention to your game (you know your supposed to do that right?) you should have a general idea of where your points are being scored. Maybe you get a lot of points playing to the back court or maybe they just can’t handle your smashes. Attacking their weaknesses distracts them from attacking yours.

Second, make it hard for them to attack you weakness by using common sense and physics. If your weakens is your back court, keep your starting position a step or two back from where you would normally stand. Focus on hitting your shots to their back court. It’s a lot harder and takes more time for a shuttle hit from one back court to reach the other back court. This gives you more time to react and position yourself. No matter your weakness, you just have to think logically about how you can change your game to protect that weakness and attack theirs.