Badminton Tips

Badminton Tips (Note: Every coach have their own way of coaching.)

Starter Tips: Build up your wrist power by using a roller (cut a broom stick into 1 feet length) and a string with a brick at the end of the string (cheapest way). Once you do this regularly, the racket weight will feel like a feather. To win a game, do plan ahead before or just starting a game. Look for your opponents weak point and capitalize on it. You can see that most of the students are improving well with confidence and enjoying the game very much. Click here To see the Video.

Coaching is available for all. Be it you are a student, beginners advanced both young, old, male or female. Nothing to be shy about. Once you get the basic skills, you'll be on your way to enjoy the game better since your understanding of the game is better than the rest. You are never too young or too old. A few sessions of this training will set you up for good. You don't need to struggle on how to play badminton for life (not sure if you are executing a correct shot). I will teach you the necessary strategy to be the best in your school or group. Even though you may already have a coach, there's no harm getting another perspective to see your weakness. I believe you must have someone in mind whom you want to beat really bad correct? (It can be a cocky/snobby player in the group or another school player). Just ask me to guide you. Your money will be well spent. Being incomplete in a badminton could probably cost you more in the long run. Effort will be easier and you don't have to go through the "School of Hard Knock!". Use whatever resources available to be competitive and win the game. No point keep on loosing all the time and be miserable. It can be frustrating.

How to start for beginners.

Please make sure you are reasonably fit enough to start hitting some shuttles. Easiest way to start is to get a racket and a shuttle, drag someone to join you and just have some fun hit without any badminton net. Relax and Enjoy every hit of it and keep trying with strength and accuracy for about 30 minutes. Play regularly (about at least 2 times a week for a month) until you feel that you are good enough to start playing with other.

Now, get some friends and talk about badminton and start a small club or ask if there is a club to join in. Begin to build on the basics of the games. Library will have some free books. Watch some tournaments in youtube.
When you reach at the highest level of play, it is 90 percent a mind game and 10 percent physical game. If you are a beginner, then it could be the other way round.

So, the focus shift as you improve your game. At high level of play, No matter how good physically or racket you have, it doesn't matter. You can ask some champions to see if it is true. Basic foot work, experience, strategy & exposure are very important. Do a lot of shadow run. Tango method or crab method. Train yourself for at least an hour.
Recommended tension is 20-23lbs depending on your level. Some extreme cases went to 24 and above; its like hitting a plank. The higher the tension, the easier it is for the string and racket to break especially when you hit the wrong spot. However, the feeling is good when you reach at high tension level. Netting very much depending on your wrist work and your arm positioning. Has to be straight and use your wrist to spin the shuttle a little.
To adjust the weight of your racket, you can use your grip. If you put more weight on your grip, then your frame will be lighter. Beef up your wrist power and press firmly while smashing (for accuracy). Just practice it. It will save you lots of smashing energy. Also gives you the power to do backhand smash like a professional. Work your wrist till you can't hold the racket. Get someone to tap you while you defense. This will help your wrist power, reflexes and defending. It'll make you solid like a wall. The size of grips can be adjusted accordingly. If you want it small, pull firmer while putting on the grip (it will be thinner). If you want fatter grip, just put it on at normal strength.
Stringing at a higher tension will give you more control over the direction the shuttle takes off your stringbed, but at the expense of increased power. Conversely, a looser strung racquet will give greater power, hence the explosion of the shuttle off the strings, but with less control. The reason for this is best described by the "trampoline effect." If you jump on a solid floor, you will not get much bounce, because the hard surface absorbs your energy. But, try jumping on a trampoline and up you go, benefiting from the return of energy that occurs when the trampoline strings stretch with your impact, and then rebound back.

Basics of badminton.
In badminton or any other sports, more offense compared to defense will win you the game. Generally defensive players are very good in counter attacks. So, don't be misled by them. Some say a good offense is a solid defense. They will pounce on you. At any level, if you want to be a better player or keep your consistency, you will need to give your extreme best. Do a small wager to keep the tempo up (loser do pumping or buy a can of drink). Generally, points are lost because of mistakes. Which could be due to tiredness or carelessness. Do ask those experience players. You'll need to read the tips again and again to get it right.

Offensive Strategy (Or tips)

For singles, Aim for all the four corners, keep hitting to the front (drop) and back (punch is better) to make your opponent tired (diagonally). Do occasional slicing or chopping. Smash to the sideline (Aim 1 feet inside the line to be safe). Do flat baseline punching to keep your opponent off balance. Smash to the body at times to confuse them. Oh make sure you can handle all the shots if your opponents do the same back to you.

Phsycological points are 18, 19, and deuce situation. Finish it off whenever possible. Always take a short break and many deep breaths. You are not considered a complete player if you have NOT lost a game to another player while leading at these points. Have to learn through hard knock sometimes.

For doubles, Practice smashing to the middle to confuse both players. KEEP on doing this till you are good at it. Keep practicing on your smashes to maintain the extreme power. Even when you are playing for fun, keep the power and drive back with flat returns (counter attack). You will get some respect when you do that and mentally, you are one step ahead when you show your Extreme Power. Always tap on their service. Racket MUST be above your head, ready to pounce and keep the pressure on opponents. If you continuously play with dedication and discipline, you'll be ahead of the rest quickly and when come to tournament days, you will adapt faster and easier. So, no lazying around or look for short cuts.

For doubles front partner, stay on the line to anticipate weak shots to tap. If you are fast, you may stay slightly behind. Some international players if you observe closely may... just stay right in front of the partner doing the offense. The expectation is most shots will come back straight... when your partner smash straight. it is not easy for opponents to defense and place the shuttle cross court.


Defensive Strategy

Singles, be patience, just return the shuttle; place the shuttle front and back. You opponent will feel hopeless when you can return all the shots. Make sure you beef up your stamina. Do occasional cross courts when handling smashes. Vary them with high clear, net and driving or counter attack. Please practice with your friends first. Do it regularly and you'll be the king. When your opponent ask for a time-out, then you know, your job is done.

Handling front shots. Stay a little to the front half of the court. You should have time to recover it, lean your body to the front a little, get the legs to be ready. Solid footwork matters. If the shuttle goes to the back, it is a little slower, you should have time to go to the back. Again, solid footwork in fundamental. Do shadow run always.

Doubles, Always cross the shuttles when someone smashes you. The idea is to keep your opponents moving. Hit the shuttle to the weaker partner. Focus on the weaker partner to get them frustrated. Occasionally, hit to the better player to keep him out of balance or keep him in his place (Not allowing him to cover the weaker player). Be prepared for counter attack. Get your feet position and wrist ready to flick cross court. To know when you have achieve defensive perfection is when your opponent says you are like a wall. (Be proud and congratulations).

For standing position, you'll need to gauge your opponents offense traits, if they hit the shots sharp down, then it's better to stay in the middle, if their shot are flat to the back, you may stand to the back a bit, but again, be careful, you may not have time to reach the front, in case they do a trick shot on you.


Doing regular 10 minutes drills net-tap and return drive will make you a wall for your opponents to remember. Do it till your hands and wrist are numbed. Try it. It'll make you feel good.

Other Notes.

Even with improvements in string technology, breakage is as common as ever, due to the increasing popularity of thinner strings and HIGH stringing tensions. In order to reduce breakage, it is important to understand that it has several different causes. Each may be addressed through a different approach. The first and most common cause of breakage is stretching the string beyond its elastic limits-similar to pulling a rubber band until it snaps. This usually occurs on one of the central four main strings, within an inch or two of the racket’s head. The sweet spot is the most resilient-and hence most powerful-area on the racquet.

No matter how clever racquet designers may be, they’ll never be able to make the sweet spot extend right to the edge of the racket head. Every time you miss-hit outside the sweet spot, you’re stressing a relatively un-resilient section of the string. There’s simply not much string to stretch between the shuttlecock and the edge of the racket, and if the forces are too great, it snaps. Stringing at lower tension will reduce the incidence of this problem, as will the use of a thicker string. But don’t change both at once.

Approach the problem systematically, change one or the other, and play on the new setup for a few weeks before deciding what your next move should be. Other relatively common causes of breakage are string-to-string abrasion and cutting. Every time you hit the shuttlecock, the cross strings pound against the main strings. In time, they can cut through the outer jacket and into the core. Likewise, “cutting” and spin shots cause the strings to “saw” back and forth against each other, with much the same effect. Again, thick string withstands this longer than thin string, but there are better ways to resist abrasion and cutting.

Some strings have two jackets or wear layers instead of the more common single wear layer. Naturally, two jackets will resist abrasion longer. Jackets may also be either twisted or braided over the core. Braiding is the more durable approach because the over-under-over design locks all the fibers in place. Even after a few jacket fibers have worn through, the jacket as a whole remains intact. In contrast, a twisted jacket may start to unwind as soon as the first fiber is breached.

Over-stressing, and string-against-string forces are inherent in the game. They’re not entirely avoidable, but you can take steps to reduce their effects. Other types of breaks are due to racket defects or carelessness, and can be completely eliminated with proper attention. A broken, split grommet may present a sharp edge that can cut into the string. If the grommet is missing, the frame itself may cut the string.

Next time the strings are out of your racket, feel the edges of the holes that are drilled into the frame: they may be quite sharp. The simple solution is to make sure the grommets are sound. If the proper grommet strip is unavailable, your stringer may be able to install a piece of plastic tubing as a temporary repair. Temperature-related breakage is common in cold climates in the U.S. and Europe. Cold causes the string to contract, significantly increasing its tension. Furthermore, nylon, which is normally a very resilient material, becomes brittle when it’s cold. For both of these reasons, if a racket is taken directly from a cold car trunk and immediately put into hard use, the string can shatter.

The solution to this problem is simple. You can protect the racket from the cold by transporting it in the heated cab of the car, and/or by carrying it in an insulated racket bag. If the racket does get cold, give it several minutes to warm up before putting it into play. Even with proper care, some string breakage is inevitable. As a string ages, it gradually becomes abraded and loses resiliency. Your best bet is to restring before such degradation occurs: newer strings perform better, and you’ll be surprised less often in the middle of a match.
Tournament is more demanding than practice or recreational play. It's also tougher on your equipment. Here's how to ensure that your gear is up to the challenge. Good preparation is essential. Before any tournament, you should have resolved, at least temporarily, any questions about your equipment. Serious competition is no time to experiment with different racquets, string, shoes, or anything else.

After the tournament, you will analyze every decision and every move you made, and that might involve re-evaluating equipment choices. But going in, you must have confidence in your equipment, so that you can devote full attention to your play. Supply yourself with numerous racquets, and take the time to become familiar with all of them. When you break a string in the middle of a match, or when the string begins to lose its tension, you want to be able to switch to another racquet and continue playing as if nothing had happened.

This is no time to get the feel for a new setup. I'd recommend a minimum of THREE racquets, although five or six is not unreasonable. Ideally, the racquets should be identical. In practice, few can afford to replace all their racquets simultaneously, so most players have a collection consisting of their newest, favorite racquet, followed by the second-newest, second-favorite, etc. This makes it essential that you settle on your favorite stringing setup for each racquet before the tournament.

The racquets should be strung to your specifications by your favorite stringer, on his usual machine. Well, I do string for ex-national players as well. For at least four good reasons, you should use the tournament's on-site stringers only when necessary. First, they don't know you or your preferences. Second, even professional stringers use different techniques and may get different results. This extreme power guy strings beautifully. Try it.

Third, tournament stringers work under incredible time pressure. And fourth, stringing machines differ in quality, condition, and design, and generate results that can vary by several pounds. (Electronic, constant-pull machines consistently produce tighter string jobs than mechanical, fixed-tension machines at the same tension settings.) You can eliminate these variables by arriving with your racquets pre-strung. But what if you must restring during a tournament? Again, preparation is key.

Pack several sets of your favorite string in your gear bag. Know what tension you prefer in each racquet. Ask your regular stringer about any unusual stringing techniques he uses, and find out if he uses a constant-pull or fixed-tension machine. Explain your preferences to the tournament stringer, and ask him to duplicate your usual setup, using your string. Tournament matches take longer, on average, than recreational matches, because players and teams tend to be more evenly matched, and because every point is taken seriously. Racquet string therefore takes more of a beating, and may lose tension during a single match.

Certainly, string breakage is more common in tournaments. Make sure you're ready for these mishaps by having extra racquets ready, and by being prepared to have your racquets restrung according to your needs and preferences. As a tournament player, you must cope with much that is unfamiliar. You're often playing unknown opponents in unfamiliar surroundings, sleeping in a strange bed, and maybe even trying to adjust to a different time zone. Do yourself a favor and make sure that your equipment, at least, stays the same.

Tips to keep your racket in good condition (applies to all brands).
String will normally run out of tension over a 3 months period. So, change it if you want a good feel while playing. Change your grip whenever you feel that you don't grip well.
Also, your stringer might recommend replacing the grommet strip and bumper-guard to keep your frame in good repair and your strings intact. He can show you the worn grommets and the chipped or worn bumper-guard. Don't resist this replacement. It's a normal part of servicing your racquet (like replacing the tires on your car) and it'll add years to the frame's longevity and maximize the longevity of your strings. Due to grommets weakness, it'll also causes the frame to sag in. It's time for new rackets after 1 year old due to more inferior materials used during manufacturing and also short of carbon supplies around the world. All rackets have similar lifespan. Avoid exposing your racket in hot sun, water or in the car. Heat and also water can degrade the quality of your rackets. Don't place heavy objects on the racket.
Have a good cover to protect our racket.
If you can keep your racket in good condition, there's no point buying expensive or so called branded racket. They are all very similar and breaks regularly, which could be due to stringing problem or clashes.
It's time to change your racquet, if it is more than 2 years old. On average a player will break about 5-10 racquets. Some even break 5 pieces in one year alone, the culprit is the high tension used. Just like the professionals, they will break their rackets within a month of usage and since it's sponsored, they couldn't care about breakages. Well, if you can afford it, go ahead and have high tensions. At most 24lbs for normal advanced players will do.

Courtesy of a good friend.
Singles Strategy.
1. very important to have a quick eye. focus on the bird as it leaves your opponents racket, then workout the direction u have to move. Some listen to the impact of the racket to know if it is a hard shot.

2. always be in a ready position with your knees bend and on the toe.
push against the floor to propel in any direction. Pace a little.

3. exploit the four corners of the court. especially one deep shot into the forehand, followed by one into the deep backhand. u are bound to get the weak return.

4. return to "head office" after every shot (center)

5. avoid silly errors , fancy strokes, and all the gorengs here and there. (Once a while is ok for fun).

6. be patient in the rally. keep throwing back everything to the opponent. Stay like a wall.

7. know your opponents favorite shot and move in early to surprise him. Counter attack.

8. serve high and deep to push opponent far (for pro serve low)

9. use your wrist strength to drive, push, tap front shots

10. when under pressure hit very high to gain time or cross court drop

11. never change a winning strategy but quickly change a losing strategy

12. appear confident, be confident......

Basic rule of thumb.

1) Grip firmly. Press it down while smashing.
2) Good footwork. Reach there first and be stable before hitting the shuttle.
3) Make your opponents move all the time to tire them. (Mental). This is the strategy. Patience.
4) Aim for the corners. Be save to aim 1 feet inside the line (less mistakes). Smash if it's half-court.
5) Note: When you are tired, your opponent will also be more tired than you.
Encourage (talk to) yourself.
Say, You can't be serious. Again, Its all about less mistakes. True? Did you count your mistakes when you loose? It helps in reminding you. I do it as well.
6) Back to (1) again.

Good Questions and Answers.
Q. How do you prepare mentally?
A. Have you seen the contender boxing show or Rocky? If you can have a heart like those guys, then you ARE a CHAMPION! Work hard and smart all the time. Show some emotion!

Q. Whats the fastest way to learn badminton or be better?
A. No short cut man. Get a coach. I can help you on 1-to-1 training. Hopefully you can join the national team after 2 years. Discipline and lots of sacrifice to reach the level. You need to expose yourself against many players.

Q. What will you do when your opponent serve a very high ball into your court when playing doubles? The serve is just within the service back line. How should you prepare your self when the shuttle drops?
A. When your opponent serve high, Just move to the back and smash it. Make sure that you are positioned correctly, ie in front of the shuttle. Practice jump smash. This will give you extra sharpness. Continue to build up your smashing power. As long as you are below 35 yrs old, should not be a problem.

Q. What's so special about your racquets?
A. It is durable, sexy design, feels good, quality, affordable, reliable and strong. Recommended by good and advance players. I did try clashing with other brands or so called popular racquets, and theirs broke first. So, you can really keep it for quite a long time. Hope this convinces you. The mold is recommended by advance players. So, the quality and consistency is there. If there is a manufacturing defects or cracks upon purchasing, I'll replace the racket. These are classics & I don't come out with too many models just to confuse people which other brands are trying to do. They crack pretty fast under high tension.

Q. I really don't know when the best time to make contact with the shuttlecock, how my arm should be positioned and at what angle, and how exactly to follow through?
A. Need a coach? Just make sure that you are in front of the shuttle and your elbow is close to straight when hitting the shuttle (hit at the highest point), you'll need to move your shoulder and legs as you hit; also use your wrist to flick the shuttle to add pace. Just take a look at some of the advance players and it should be able to help. Just focus on it.

Q. I tend to have this doubt when playing. Cause when he serve high and far you have time to move back but when the shuttle is dropping i would be thinking to return high to the corner to get back to my position or to just hit it down the line?
A. Build up your speed and leg work. You have 4 corners to hit, just choose his weakness and make sure that you comeback to the middle and anticipate the next shot. You can also jump smash. 2 more places to kill; ie left or right.

Q. My shoulder hurts, how do I handle this?
A. You can try using more wrist work to smash it down instead of using your shoulder to help you in smashing. You may aggravate it. Just improve your wrist power and it should be fine. Note that if you have great power, it'll definitely help in offense, however the trick is the control and position your smash to the weaker player, to both sides or to the body. You'll need to analyze your opponent as you go along.

I do face problem with shoulders and I switch to more wrist power and heavier rackets helps in terms of keeping the power. Am also not sure if its a blood circulation issue. I just bought those little magnetic stuff where I put it on my feet (helps circulation) and the pain is no longer there. Takes time though. Good luck!

Q. How do you train your wrist power? And when smashing, is it the wrist power or the arm? As i am not very tall (standing at 1.63m) i usually don't smash but this is the best way to kill off a point.
A. Smashing takes a combination of wrist, arm, shoulder, body, hips and proper foot work. Do look at how the prof do it in tournaments. Just follow one player who suits your style. Use a round wood, tie it to a string with a rock or weight at the bottom. Then just put your arms straight and roll it up using your wrist. Do it regularly and you will become the king of smashing and power defending. Again, keep on smashing to train and build up your power (its ok to loose as long as you focus on what you want to improve on). Since you are just beginning to become a better player, just build your overall muscle and fitness. Use the gym if you can afford it. Or swim to build your overall shoulder power. Do some butterfly strokes.

Q. How do I improve my foot work or running?
A. Just do a lot of skipping. Half an hour session. Play more singles and shadow run about 10 minutes. Have QUALITY practice to make it better. Once you've done this continuously for 3 months, you should be good. Sexy too. Looks effortless.

Q. How do I improve my reflexes or defense?
A. Take a shuttle an hit against the wall continuously for 20 times without dropping the shuttle. Do it continuously till your wrist gives up. No pain no gain in this. Or Roll the brick. See my youtube videos.

Q. How do I improve my back hand?
A. Make sure that the contact with the shuttle is at the highest point while hitting from backhand. Just use your wrist to flick it to the back. Improve your wrist power. I am sure you will be able to do backhand smash like I do. Practice for about 2 minutes each time. Good luck! Some of the answers sounds easy and a little braggy at times, I'm just trying to put some humor into it and hope that you read this with a "pinch of salt"; above all, you must enjoy the game.

Q. Can you give me some tips on how to increase my smashing power?
A. The cheapest way of gaining strength is to use a broom stick, cut it into 1 feet, then nail a strong durable string on it and then tie a brick stone or weight at the other end of the string. Keep it about 3 feet long. Use both hand to hold the stick and grind it using your wrist. Hands must be straight. Your smashing will 100% improve once you've done it regularly. Defense is a breeze. Especially, just before your game. This is how the good old free way of gaining powerful smashes. Note that nothing comes easy. You'll need to work on it almost everyday in order to get the power. "With great power, comes great responsibility". hmmm sounds familiar rite? Youtube available on request.

Q. How do I beat a better player?
A. You need to analyze their game and weaknesses. Ask others about their weaknesses too. Am sure you can beat them. Practice on it. Get me to coach you lor.. Sure can one... cannot also can... hehe..

Q. My punching/log goes out and my smashes goes into the net. What do I do?
A. One way to reduce the shuttle going out is to slice it. It'll reduce the impact. But you'll need to aim it slightly higher while punch/slice it. For smashing, you can always do a first half-smash, then slowly aim better with more power. The idea is to get the shuttle low and get back into position for the next one.

Q. Yonex and others have so many different series. What are their differences? I always thought the most important specs of a racquet is Strength, Weight and Rigidity. Some models from different series seem to have similar specs.
A. Many are similar actually, its just the mold, shape and colour that makes it look different and confusing for buyers. Most come from same manufacturer (OEM) but with different brand names. Of course you'll never know which is the manufacturer. 90% of the world rackets are from China. Some says "China is God". lol...

Q. Some racquets are rated flexible while others stiff. What is the pros, cons and purpose?
A. Stiffness does not vary too much. Too stiff will be like an iron, too flexible will give problem in timing and accuracy. Stiff is mainly for power players who needs accuracy, flex is more for beginners to help them to swing the shuttle further.

Q. What are the characteristics of a racquet gives you power and control?
A. Basically, the trick is the racket which gives you the best feel when you play with it. Also it depends on if you are a defensive (nano-matrix or Z9000) or attacking player. Defensive needs lighter rackets. Offensive needs heavier frame (888). Combo player needs EP18 or EP18L

Q. How do you defend a body shot?
A. Hold the racket high up near to the cone, with you thumb ready to push the shuttle. Put your hand to the front of your body with elbow slightly bent. Put some space between the racket and your body. Flick the shuttle back to the opponent when it is near. Move your body and legs to have a good feel. (Just like dancing). Anticipate it and keep on practicing. Do this regularly and your defence mechanism will be solid like a rock. You opponent will knee down in front of you and beg for mercy.. hehe.

Q. As a female player, how do I play mix to contribute best?
A. Just keep the shot low near the net area. Brave to pounce or push the shot or just block it (again, keep it low). Do not lift the shuttle at ANYTIME if possible. Serve low shot and have confidence in your partner to take all the shots behind you. Keep your shots simple (High Percentage game). Don't have to put the shots too hard or too close to the net. Its just too risky. Just take care of everything that is in-front of you and keep it low. Speed up your game and keep the intensity going. Flirt with the male opponent if you have to. The idea is to distract him. (lol).

Q. What's the critical skill for ladies?
A. Its more on the speed, you need to move faster than your opponents as well as being able to return good shots. Composure is important. Think about how to move faster and anticipate shots. Practice netting regularly. Cross courts if possible.

Q. Why is it that partners always argue? How to resolve it?
A. Its normal due to pressure or a person character. Just get an intermediate coach or buddy to see who is weaker to correct the mistakes on both side. You can also count to see who makes more mistakes or see who's weakness is more obvious if you want to go to the extreme level. It happens to international players as well. Do you know who? guess and let me know.

Q. Is it true that the better singles player will be a better doubles player?
A. Difficult to say, but to a certain extend its true (higher percentage). Reason being that as a singles player, they cover the court a lot and they tend to be more agile due to the excessive effort they have to put into singles. When it comes to doubles, the effort is less. Of course the game is faster in doubles and if the singles player is not good in speed, then it doesn't really make him a better player. Again its the style and the mistakes that counts. Have a proper doubles strategy and less mistakes. Singles players then to leave the racket below their shoulder (lazy); as for doubles game, its important to keep the racket above shoulder level to anticipate.

Q. Can I have a special design on my own racket?
A. Sure, many had it. Minimum 100 pieces. If less than than, will be slightly more expensive. You can even have your own brand. I can even design it for you as well. So many are happy & proud to have their own.

Q. Why is it that my rackets are out of shape after re-stringing?
A. The reason is its being strung by non-professionals. Sometimes you will see its crooked and rounded when strung by some old aunties or uncles. They are not badminton players and the couldn't care more about your racket. They just want to make more money.

Q. Who should take the middle shots in doubles?
A. The one with forehand stroke. If one is a left and one is a right handed, then the stronger attacking person should take it. Be it front or back. Again, you need to plan and communicate with each other. This is my favorite spot and hated by most defenders.

Q. I always have a fear that people will tap me when I serve low, what should I do?
A.Take your time to serve. Tell yourself to relax. Also get someone to simulate the rush; you just practice the serve. This will help you to get rid of the nervousness as well as helping you to get the optimal strength for serving. Always target the T-joint area. Practice is the keyword. Even the pros gets nervous. It is a life cycle that every badminton player have to go through. Once you get the technique correct, no one can bully you; its a breeze. You need to practice your serves as much as you practice for other strokes. No short cuts. Draw a line on the wall with a 6 inches gap. Practice to nail to the middle. This is another way to learn alone.

Q. How do I smash and how to jump smash?
A. To work on smashing. The stroke is very similar to lobbing with exception that you use your wrist to press the shuttle down lower and your body need to bending down to the front (as if you are starting to sprint). Your racket will need to follow through right to the back and make sure that your body is forward moving to move back to the center position. Do see how the experts smash especially during the contact. There's lot of wrist work in it which you normally can't see. Use it. See the coach jump smash video.

As for jump smash, you will need to do regular jumps with both feet and knees up. Practice hang time like what the basketballers do. Then practice with a normal smash (as above) when you jump. Practice with shuttles slowly and get the timing right. Once you do this regularly, Am sure you'll get respect from your opponents. Just keep on jumping smash whenever you get the opportunity to smash. Its just for practice sake, not much of winning. Once you perfected it, then think about enjoying and winning. Hope this helps.

Q. How do I practice hang time?
A. Do lots of double skipping using jump rope. Practice skipping for 30 minutes non stop. You'll be a much better player. Do double skip jump and bend you knees. Jump to the ceiling and try to touch it as long as you can. (Make sure the fan is not spinning ok? hehe..

Q. Which area or spot do you recommend me to smash?
A. If you can determine your opponents weakness, then there's the place. Normal safe side will be straight down on your side single-line of the court or the body (Get your partner ready to pounce on weak returns). Do not cross court UNLESS you are very sure. Its vulnerable to counter attack by your opponent. You'll know what I mean when you get blasted (being crossed court) by good players. If you insist, better make sure you can cover the other side.

Q. I have certain weakness in my game. What do I do?
A. Just practice on it. Ask your coach or friends on how correct it. You must practice the drilling till you feel numb on your wrist, hand or thigh muscle. Know your limits and don't get injured. Some say no pain, no gain. You've watch Rocky? Follow la... Just enjoy it!

Q. Why do I feel as if I am not improving?
A. If you train regularly and play regularly (at least twice a week), you should improve. It is important to play with many different players to get the exposure. It is normal for you to feel incomplete. Just be patience and you will be there. Focus on what your weakness and get it corrected. There are times where your hitting techniques or strategy are not correct. Ask your coach.

Q. Why do I have to train hard?
A. Reason being that in order for you to improve to be a better player, you must push yourself to the limit in terms of strength, stamina and power. This gives you an edge over other players. The more you train and the more you play, you will definitely be ahead of the rest. Both Quality and Quantity is important. If you aspire to be a national player, you will need to work a lot more harder. Good things doesn't come easy. If you aspire to be a national player, you'll need to be in top 3 of your age group. Else, better go and focus on your studies; get a good job and just enjoy badminton as a leisure game.

Q. What do you mean by quality training?
A. Quality training means, you have to practice all the drills properly in terms of executing your shots and footwork. For example, if you are smashing, use full power; when you are stretching your legs, do it the correct way. Position your hands accurately. Proper movement and strategy have to be there; infact, it should be harder than during tournament play so that you are always ready for real competition play. Even though some of the shots are routine, just do it in proper and diligently. The old saying "practice makes perfect". You will only improve when you know that you have stretched to the limit. eg. hands and legs felt numb. It doesn't matter if your colleagues know your style, there are lots of differences between real tournament play and training. You just need to condition it as if its real. This is what champions do and I can see one in you since you've read a lot and reaching here all the way. Crazy ah you? I salute you! It shows You have good stamina on badminton. I also distribute videos to my students. It gives them competitive edge.

Q. I have laid off badminton a while now and how do I make a comeback?
A. Welcome back. Just do some light drills and some simple games at first, you'll definitely feel the muscle strain in the beginning, beef up your stamina slowly by jogging and play regular intermediate badminton. You old charm will come back in no time. Just do the dance.

Q. Is jump smash important? How do I improve on it?
A. Yes it is. If you are young and below 35, you should do about at least 50% using jump smash. Reason is because when you jump, your opponent will be more afraid and your smashes will be sharper. It also shows that you are a more agile player. You can even do slicing drops or punch to catch your opponent off-guard. It helps to varies your pace. Just see how the international players do it. Do DOUBLE skipping regularly for about 10 minutes consecutively. Then practice on the court. Beef up your thigh muscle. 1 minute frog jump helps.

Q. Should I go to the gym regularly?
A. If you can afford it, then I would say yes. Proper repetition is better than excessive weights. If you CAN'T afford it, you can be creative by working on your muscles with some of the equipments. Do it in moderation; don't use overweight items. Know your limit so that you DON'T injured yourself. Many people seems to have lots of injuries. It shows that there is a lack of discipline to take care of their body or knowing the limit.

Q. Should I do trick shots?
A. Well YES if you want to embarrass yourself, but only a few times and never all the time. You'll need to be careful as you might get hooked to it ,which is not a good sign. Your credibility as a badminton player will be lost. Your girlfriend will run away from you. Your opponent may also act stupid and get you to do it regularly; hence they will capitalize on it to kill your shot. Even for advance players, the will only do it a couple of times. The focus is on making them move around the court and killing your opponents in the most precision way. You have to be ruthless. Its an edge in psychology.

Q. How do I anticipate shots coming back to me?
A. You'll need to practice on how to read the body movement of your opponents. Also take a look at how your opponent hit the shuttle to anticipate them. If you observe long enough, you should be able to proactively react to the shot once the shuttle leaves the racket within 1 feet from the frame. Some uses their ears to determine if the opponent is going to hit a hard shot or a soft drop shot. Stay on your toes all the time to quickly retrieve the shot. Use 'go' word to move yourself once your opponent hit the shuttle. To increase your reflexes, hit the shuttle against the wall till your wrist get numbed.

Q. I have a hard time doing clear back hands and moving to the front?
A. Well, its easy to handle this. Basically, when a shot comes backhand and if you are comfortable with clearing to the back, then do it. If you are not, then better to aim for the drop shot be it straight or cross court. Just come back and recover in the middle and get ready for the next rally. Even for professionals and if they have a tough back hand coming up, they will do the drop shots and come back to the middle for the next shot. So, there's no one player in the world where they can just clear back hand as of when they like. Use a little of intelligence when dealing this this situation.
Its more of a preparation for you to move to the middle after your shot and get ready instead of you lundging straight to the net from the baseline. Your aim is to move back to the middle after a shot and get ready for the next one. Not just standing there and run coast to coast. Be compose after a tough shot by going back to the middle and smack them. Hope this propels you to the number one spot.

Q. I find it difficult to move front and back to retrieve shot?
A. Always focus on the shuttle and do shadow runs to the front and back. The the technique correct. I'll normally train my students by feeding them front and back. It gives confidence and make it natural.

Q) Still very bad with my movement from front, back and front, especially for singles, i'm not moving fast enough or not reading my opponents move fast enough?
A. This is normal for beginner to get used to it. For pros, they do it regularly half an hour before start training by doing shadow run. So, need to diligently do it regularly and find time to do it.

Q) I need to hit higher too i think, and i keep hitting the cock out lately, very annoying. I try to compensate by hitting softer, but that makes the cock slower. HELP!
A. Use more wrist instead of shoulder or elbow power. This shd help in controlling your strength. Do punch using wrist regularly. Wrist is the most important hidden component.

Q) Work with the net area.
A. For netting, always focus on the tape net. Don't get distracted. Once you net, get ready to kill when your opponent lift the shuttle. If they net, just calmly push diagonal. They will be in trouble and ready to pounce again.

Q) Is it ok if I take a coaching session every 2 weeks?
A. Sure, once a month is ok with me as well. I do this for passion. As long as you enjoy it like others.

Q) I feel so frustrated sometimes I felt like quitting. Do you face this?
A. Yes, It is normal. All great players do face this sometimes. This is because nothing works when you play. Lets face it, there are bad days. It will take a little while to settle in. Great players do great comeback. Just take a small break, relax and come back to enjoy the game. Life is short, play hard.

Q) Backhand still need major work.
A. For backhand to be save, just clear it or drop it and prepare for recovery. The idea is still to attack 70% of the time. You can also attack back to your opponent backhand regularly.

Q. How do I hit the shuttle accurately to the place I want?
A. Always remember to hold the racket a little firmer and not too tight. Have the racket face where you want to hit it. Practice them.

Q. How do I prepare to defense a smash from my opponent?
A. Make sure you come back to the centre (base). Bend your knees a little and place your racket frame pointing to your opponent. You can anticipate the smash either on the left or right. Make a one step move towards the shuttle. Use your wrist to return the shot. Some does diving. Do lah if you see some ladies there, you'll impress them ;) But don't kid yourself ok. Do it with style. :)

Q. During a game, I seems to attack more but I am just not able to beat my competitor. Why?
A. Well, there are a few reasons to this. First, when you attack, you need to make sure that it is effective. Don't just smash for the sake of attacking/offence. You need to be patience, create chances/space before you attack. You need to be patience, the more you attack, the more mistakes you will commit. So use strategy to play and find your opponents weaknesses. Make sure that your defence is strong (footwork and diagonal placing is critical), For the first 10 points, just be patience and return all the shots. Once he/she gets tired, then you do your attacking. Again, count your mistakes. Reduce it as much as possible. This is where you kill yourself. Applies to all players.

Q) I seem to have mental block playing certain players. I just can't beat them. How do I get over this?
A. Some of your thinking, techniques or strategy is wrong. Analyse their weakness. You have to be persistence to improve yourself. Return all the shots and be confident. Use imagery and encourage yourself. Get me to coach you. Faster.

Q. How do I anticipate opponents shots coming back (which direction front or back)?
A. Focus on the shuttle leaving your opponents frame. HEAR the sound and SEE there it heads. Move to the front or back depending on the sound and speed. Move left or right depending on where the trajectory is. Speed is utmost important to anticipate a shot. You need to move fast and wait for the bird and pounce.

Q) I know some people doesn't have basics and it is frustrating for me to partner them. What shd I do?
A. Ask them to get coaching from me then. Tell them that little investment in time and money will go a long way.

Q) What is badminton tap?
A. It is a small wrist action to hit the shuttle downwards near the tape of the net. Just like tapping on someone head or a pad at the back.

Q. What are the some self training I can work on when I am free?
A. Try to do shadow run 2 step front, 3 step back regularly. Strengthen your wrist work. Use 2 rackets to swing till your wrist and arm becomes numb. Swing for 1-2 minutes. repeat 5 times.
Try jumping as high as you can using both feet up. Work on stamina. If possible wake up 6am (also 5pm) and go jogging and physicals like pumping 10 times, sit up 20 times, chin up 10 times and practice jump smash (3 jumps on each side) shadow 1 minute cycle for 5 times. Simulate the smashing action.

Below are the other off court training advice.
1) do a combo of running and skipping (both legs up like boxers) for 20-30 minutes non stop. Slow and fast pace combination for stamina.
2) Rest, then do double skipping (2 swing for 1 jump) for hang time. 10-20 times.
3) Do shadow run to the 4 corners (with hands simulating a punch or smash shot) with speed coming back to the middle (base). Do this for 10 minutes with rest in between.
4) Do psychology/imagery (dreaming) simulation on strokes.
eg.
a) smashing to the sideline (inside 1 feet to go give a little margin of error. Aiming on the line is too risky).
b) punching the shuttle straight to the back (not cross court). Forcing opponent to use backhand or a weak forehand.
c) simple net and drive back to counter attack or to position yourself in attacking position.
d) remind yourself to reduce the number of mistakes (this is the biggest killer for any player).
e) remind yourself that if you are tired, your opponent is 'more' tired since you have also moved him around. Happens after 11 points onwards.
f) simulate on moving the opponent diagonally front and back. (this is the longest distance in a court).
5) for wrist power and reflexes, bring a racket and shuttle to hit against the wall. If not, just bring the 'hand gripper' to strengthen his grips (a firm grip must be applied during the game; not excessive or too loose). Use a brick grinder. Ask me if you are not sure.
Drink lots or bottled water....

Some good notes from friends.

Think strategy : oh yes this is a must. a good player must have a game plan in the court how to skin the opponent. international players even rehearse what they are going to do on court even the night before the tournament. they analyses the opponents weak and strong points and counter it accordingly. badminton is very much like chess; you have to plan several steps ahead and even change plans if you keep losing points. "the game of badminton is alive". nobody can help u with your next stroke to play except yourself. always have a strategy !

Smashing only with 3/4 force: ar huh; this is correct. in other words you compromise power for accuracy. what good is a bloody loud hard smash that draws the attention of the spectators only to find the bird flies wayward outside the court or into the fishing net. So smash a little bit softer and focus on the placing. And if you are in advance go for steep descend of bird using your wrist ! You can use brute force only when you are confident and has practice a lot like professionals. Temptation is always there to use brute force. I call it Extreme Power.

Try jump punch or slice then pounce: absolutely correct especially if bird is at 3/4 court distance and opponent is just reeling away from the previous return. the punch shot also called a shooting lob is hit with force causing the bird flying parallel to the ground at about 12 to 13 ft height. now, the bird has to have speed and height to avoid interception. properly executed you can be sure the return will be weak. the slice is a more complicated shot because u have to cut the shuttle; the racket face at an angle to the shuttle finessing the bird to a quick landing. Pounce means rush towards the bird with your racket up. Throw the racket head backwards for sufficient backswing and hit thru the bird.

70 pct offensive: oh yes yes ; I have not known a sport that can be won by being defensive. well anyway badminton favors an offensive player. one of the best things to do is to continuously hit down (hit down means attack; even a drop shot is an attacking shot). when you hit down, your opponent can only hit UP and hit UP cannot win points at all unless u cant reach the bird in time.
Of course your opponent having got the tip from his coach will attack u right from the start. In other words he will try to do to you what u try to do to him. However u must devise ways to make the attack in your favor and the ways will be a topic of another day. That's why badminton is such a beautiful game and i love it most. Strategy is key.

Q. Should I use expensive rackets?
A. Some expensive other branded cracked rackets below. Is it worth the money to pay for it? It doesn't even last a year. Not even at high tension level. I am very sure that you won't buy them. Let your friends know that branded doesn't means its superior. These are old age thinking. They only want your money.
With extreme power, you can get 2 pieces for the same price.

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