Basic Badminton Skills That You Can Learn Without Coaching – KreedOn Guide

Badminton is one of the most followed and fast sports which demands utmost fitness. At the same time, badminton is a beginner-friendly sport that anyone can start without much hesitation. Playing the sport has many health advantages added to the fun. When you embark on your journey in this marvelous sport, it’s essential to hone basic badminton skills to ascend to the pinnacle of this individually demanding discipline. Moreover, if you aspire to become a professional player, neglecting these basics could become a persistent obstacle on your path to success. Here are 7 basic badminton skills or the fundamental skills of Badminton that you can learn without coaching.

7 Fundamental Skills of Badminton

Grip: Fundamental skills of badminton

The right grip in holding the racket is really important to achieve control on shots while avoiding the chances of a wrist injury. A proper grip will allow you to play both backhand and forehand strokes effortlessly.

Holding a racket is similar to a friendly handshake. Just the thumb will be comfortably placed against the wider surface of the handle grip. The rest of the hand will imitate a handshake. Remember to keep the handshake friendly, avoiding a tight grip. It will hinder flexibility in motion and also might lead to wrist injuries in the long term. 

Backhand and forehand Grip: Basic Skills in Badminton

The only difference while playing the 2 kinds of strokes is in the use of fingers. 

• Push the index finger forward while playing forehand strokes.
• Push the thumb forward while playing backhand strokes.

Stance: Badminton Skills

The stance is how you stand while playing badminton, both in between a rally and before the serve. A stable and correct stance will bring a huge change in the results due to easier movement. There are 3 types of stance:

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Attacking Stance

It is used to get into position before playing an overhead forehand stroke. To stand in the attacking stance turn your body facing the sidelines with the racket leg behind and both legs shoulder-width apart. Now raise both racket and non-racket arms to generate the power to attack the shuttle on its downward trajectory.

Defensive Stance

To defend the opponent’s smash, you need to be prepared with a defensive stance. Face the body to the net and place your racket in front at waist height, slightly pointing forward. You can keep the non-racket arm comfortable while ensuring a better balance.

Net Stance

This stance is to be ready for the opponent’s return after playing a net shot. To play this shot, place your foot on the racket side forward while keeping a non-racket foot at the back. Place the racket in front of the body, slightly above waist height while raising the non-racket arm. Shift the body weight slightly forward to be ready to pounce forward.

Also Read: 12 Best Badminton Shoes for Men in India 

Footwork: Badminton Skills

Badminton is played on a badminton court with limited space, and the athletes have to take care of the same while playing. Footwork plays a huge role in helping with an effective and organized movement on the court. In fact, some coaches even raise footwork to prime importance over other skills.

Tips for proper footwork

• Always remember the base (starting point).
• Move only 2-3 steps backward.
• Shuffle only 1 step sidewards.
• Move only 2-3 steps front.

Serve: Badminton Skills

Service is among the most basic skill that you need to master in Badminton. Also, you should ensure to make a legal service otherwise it might lead to penalty points. Check out Badminton rules and dimensions here. 

There can be 2 types of service in badminton, depending on the landing aim of the shuttle. 

High Serve

High serve aims at the back-end corner of the opponent’s court. Ideally, a good high serve results in the shuttle dropping steeply downwards at the back end of the court. In fact, a high serve is presented to opponents having the ability to executing a strong smash. You can always expect a lob or a drop from your opponent as a reply to a properly executed high serve.

Generally, it is recommended to serve the shuttle to the opponent’s backhand area. This to exploit the weaker backhand that exists in the game of most of the players.

Low Serve 

Unlike high serve, the low serve aims to the front of the court. The objective is to let the shuttle fly just above the net landing in the front corner of the court. In this case, your opponent has the opportunity to dash forward and smash the shuttle to you if the execution is poor.

Smash: Badminton Skills

Smash is the most potent and powerful stroke in badminton which naturally turns out to be the most familiar term to all. The shot is basically to hit the shuttle powerfully towards the opponent’s body or downward on the court. A perfectly executed smash has no defense. This badminton skill is the most aggressive and technical one. Fundamentally there are 3 types of smashes:

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Forehand smash

The forehand is an overhead smash which is similar to the action of throwing a ball. You shouldn’t have a problem playing this stroke if you can throw a ball well. This skill in badminton acts as a game-changer for beginners.

Backhand smash

This is one of the toughest strokes in badminton, and even experts face difficulty in playing the stroke. Still, it is important to practice and get the technique to rise in the skill level. To execute this stroke, getting the backhand grip is extremely important. Also, it is equally important to return back to stance. Backhand smash skill in badminton requires years of practice and consistency.

Jumping smash

A forehand smash with a timed jump added to it counts under jumping smash. This skill in badminton is the most glamorous of all.

Drop Shot

Amongst all the basic skills in Badminton, the drop shot is the most technical one. Badminton Drop Shots are delicate badminton shots that can win you points that aim at scoring points in deception. Played with both backhand and forehand, these are used to move the opponent to the frontcourt. This creates space in the midcourt and backcourt for you to exploit. There are slow and fast drop shots, played judging the situation. This fundamental badminton skill if developed properly can turn an intermediate player into an expert. 

Also Read: 20 Best Badminton Rackets for Beginners in India

Clear or Lob 

The lob shot in Badminton can be imagined as a shot with an inverted ‘U’ trajectory. It is normally played from the forecourt with an aim to lift or ‘lob’ the shuttle over the opponent. The idea is to land it as near to the baseline as it is, at an angle that is impossible to clear. This is similar to the drop in challenging the opponent with sudden motion backward this time. It can also be executed by both backhand and forehand. This generally results in the creation of space in the front and midcourt, opening plenty of opportunities. It is one of the basic badminton skill one can learn with practice without joining coaching.

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