0

Your Cart is Empty

May 25, 2023 2 min read

5 Common Mistakes When Learning Your Badminton Backhand 
5 Common Backhand Mistakes in Badminton - Transcript

Hey fellow backhanders,

We’ve made this extra video for you to show you the 5 most common mistakes when someone is learning their badminton backhand, so hopefully you won’t make them!

Let’s go…

First off, many people hold their badminton backhand grip too tightly. This makes it tiring for your arm, and difficult to generate power as well as control in your shot.

So try this instead - when you hold the grip, allow a bit of space between the racket handle and your palm. That way, you can use your fingers to generate power and it’s easier to ‘feel’ the shot when you make contact with the shuttlecock. 

Second, we see a lot of new players try to use their wrist too much when hitting their backhand shots in badminton. A lot of them think that badminton is all about using your wrist, which is kind of true, but it shouldn’t be used in a way where it’s bending or flexing too much.

Doing it this way, can easily cause a wrist injury and also the bottom of the handle can hit against your wrist too

So try this instead - keep your wrist neutral and don’t bend it much. But rather, use more of a rotational movement of your forearm (also called ‘supination’). This will give you more power and also prevent injury.

Third, we often see players lunge with their non-racket leg when hitting a backhand. Although sometimes you can, the majority of the time, you should lunge with your racket leg. 

Fourth, even though we want you to practice your backhand, some players will resort to using their backhand unnecessarily. 

As the backhand is usually weaker than a forehand (except if you’re Taufik Hidayat), it’s often better to play a forehand shot instead - if you’re able to get there quick enough. 

And lastly, walk before you can run. We often see players who try to do fancy backhand shots before they are competent at the basic badminton backhand skills.

If you’re able to comfortably hit all of the basic backhand shots, you’ll be able to transfer these skills into the more advanced backhand strokes. So don’t skip out on the basics, even though you really want to hit that backhand smash cross court winner against your biggest rival!

And that’s it! 5 common backhand mistakes that we see too often. 

See you out there on court! 

Need an upgrade on your racquet to help you with your backhand too?

We highly recommend the Flight S1 -a head-light badminton racquet that is light and fast to compliment your backhand.

Best head light badminton racquet

We'd love to hear your comments, suggestions, tips and tricks so please feel free to comment below. If you would like us to write about something in particular, please let us know!

Jeffrey Tho
Jeffrey Tho

Jeff is an ex-international badminton player who represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games (twice as a player & once as a coach), World Championships, All England Championships and multiple Thomas and Sudirman Cups. He was the Australian National Coach, Senior State Head Coach and is the co-founder of Volant badminton & The Badminton Podcast. Jeff is extremely passionate about building the worldwide badminton community & showing the world how incredible our sport really is.


Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in The Volant Badminton Blog & Community

What shoes do you wear for badminton?
How to Choose the Right Badminton Shoes

November 28, 2024 2 min read

Choosing the right badminton shoe can be challenging, especially since it's a decision you’ll need to live with for a while. So, how do you ensure you’re making the best choice? This is a common question for many new players. In this guide, we’ll explore essential tips to help you select the perfect badminton shoe for your needs.
Read More
Examples of different grips for badminton racquets
Badminton Racket Grips - What Are The Most Common?

October 23, 2024 2 min read

Polyurethane grips are a highly tacky/rubbery grip, that does alright at absorbing sweat too. It’s lighter than towel grips are and are relatively cheap.

Towel grip is essentially made of cotton and does better at soaking up all that sweat but its weight can have an impact on your game if you’re used to the lightweight of polyurethane grips. Some players also prefer to the feeling of the towel instead of rubbery PU.
Read More
Badminton racket weights 3U 4U 5U 2U girl
Badminton Racquet Weights - What's the Difference?

September 25, 2024 2 min read

You may have heard someone saying that their racket is a 3U or a 4U, maybe even 7U! To put it simply, this refers to how much the racket weighs. The smaller the number, the heavier the racket is. Most badminton rackets will be either 3U or 4U.
Read More