Fundamental Badminton Techniques
He Clear
It is the most important and frequent shot in badminton. To be effective, the shuttle must land on the final doubles alley. The main objective is to move the opponent to the back of the court, allowing time to cover all areas of the field and creating attack opportunities by leaving weak areas or feasible angles of fall of the shuttlecock.
a) Preparation phase
The body is placed in profile to the net, with the left shoulder and the left foot forward. The weight of the body falls on the right leg, which is slightly bent. Hips and shoulders are in profile to the net. The left arm serves as the aiming point, pointing towards the trajectory of the shuttlecock, while the executing arm is semi-flexed and directed backwards, with the elbow pointing towards the ground at an angle of 45º.
b) Execution phase
The racket is brought back, at the same time that the elbow of the executing arm is raised and forward. The executing arm is then thrown above the head towards the point of impact, with a slight bend in the elbow. The point of contact should be above the head. The weight of the body is transferred forward, and the right leg begins its movement to surpass the left, which acts as a pivot.
c) Termination phase
The executing arm continues the movement, completely crossing the body, recovering balance to be able to link a next movement.
He Drop (left)
This blow of precision It is mainly performed from the back of the court with a high hand. The trajectory is downward, falling approximately on the service line. It can also be executed from the center of the court towards the net. There are two types:
- slow drop: High and slow trajectory, the shuttlecock falls between the net and the short service line.
- quick drop: Sent behind the short serve line with a lower trajectory and higher speed.
a) Preparation phase
The body rotates until it is parallel to the side lines of the court, with the right foot behind the left and pointing towards the side. The weight of the body falls on the rear leg, which should be semi-flexed and ready for a quick start up and forward. The executing arm adopts a posture similar to the Clear, semi-flexed and with the elbow pointing towards the ground. The racket grip is the basic or universal forehand grip, and the left arm is raised, semi-flexed and pointing towards the shuttlecock.
b) Execution phase
The movement begins with an impulse of the right leg, raising the center of gravity and beginning the rotation of the trunk and body forward. The weight of the body is transferred forward, and the right leg surpasses the left, which acts as a pivot. The executing arm rises (shoulder and elbow) while the left arm descends, helping to rotate the trunk. The trunk progressively rotates towards the net. The impact with the steering wheel is made a little further forward than in the clear, exceeding the line of the longitudinal axis of the body. Hitting is done by cutting the steering wheel to a greater or lesser extent.
c) Termination phase
After impact, the racket continues its trajectory forward and down until it completely decelerates.
He Drive
this blow offensive It is done mainly from the middle zone of the court. It is more common in doubles and seeks for the shuttlecock to pass as close to the net as possible, quickly and parallel to the ground. Its objective is to force a quick and weak return from the opponent, maintaining the attack. The strike is performed between the head and the waist, with a parallel-descending path to the ground.
a) Preparation phase
The body is positioned in front of the net, since it is a quick hit that requires an immediate response. A balanced position is adopted, with the legs slightly bent, the feet shoulder-width apart and the right foot slightly forward. The weight of the body is distributed over the balls of the feet, and the executing arm is placed in front of the body with the racket at waist level.
b) Execution phase
A lateral step is made with the right foot towards the direction of the blow. The elbow is placed slightly below shoulder height. The arm is semi-flexed, with a forehand or backhand grip depending on the hitting area. The forward movement of the racket begins, intercepting the shuttlecock in advance of the body. During the movement of the arm, a slight twist of the trunk occurs in the direction of the blow.
c) Termination phase
The executing arm continues the movement to the central position, balancing the weight of the body to return to the base position.
