by Henry Chew

Created on: March 17, 2010

There are many diverse ways of playing the game of badminton. How you play, depends greatly on your creativity to execute the different badminton shots. You will need to cleverly time, and combine series of these different shots, in order to play well. But before that, one must first master the 5 basic shots in badminton. Only then, are we able to play good quality badminton. Presented here is a guide to the different shots in the game of badminton.    

1.  The Serve Shot

The serve shot is basically the opening shot in a badminton rally. When executing this shot, it is essential that the shuttlecock is hit at a point below the player’s waistline. If this is violated, a technical fault will be in order. The serve shot can be executed in two ways. It can be high towards the back of the opponent’s court, or low into the opponent's front court. The high serve is much more commonly used by most players. When executed properly, this stroke sends the shuttlecock high towards the back of the opponent's court, and drops vertically onto the ground. It is tricky to return such a serve, because of the shuttlecock’s vertical fall. That is why many players utilize this high serve in their game. The low serve is a soft touch to the shuttlecock that sends it flying low and just over the net, into the opponent's front court. This type of serve limits the choice of shots that can be used to return the serve. It also reduces the time for the shuttlecock to reach the ground.

2. Drive Shot

The drive shot is a stroke that runs the shuttlecock low, and just over the net, with a flight path parallel to the ground. The shot should be fast and aimed at forcing the opponent to move around his side of the court. The drive shot is also normally used to disposition the opponent, by driving the shot to an open space, on their side of the court. If they fail to reach the shuttlecock on time, they'll risk letting it hit the floor. If they try too hard to reach for the shot, then they risk getting themselves into a compromising position. 

3. Clear Shot

The clearing stroke is aimed at sending the shuttlecock high towards the back of the opponent's court. It is quite similar to the high serve, only that it is not an opening shot. There are 2 types of clearing shots. One is use for defensive purpose and the other, offensive. The defensive clear shot is executed by striking the shuttlecock far and of extreme height, towards the back of the opponent's

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