For any player who plays badminton, its always a dream for him to able to improve how he plays and eventually become a better player. Regardless if you are a beginner, intermediate or an advance level player, improving the way you play is always a continuous and on going process of learning in Badminton that every player needs to go through in order to upgrade themselves.Discussing in regards about how one can improve the way he plays is a vast topic and the inputs available are a lot. Since the information available in hand are a lot, it can become dilute to understand what's the core element that the player needs to emphasize first as a starting point before gradually learn more about how he can improve how he plays badminton.
Like any quality improvement process, without proper guidance, whatever correct input available, the output will eventually will be incorrect. In referring this to Badminton, regardless whatever theory in hands that you have on how you can improve the way you play but then, without the correct guidance on how to transform that information to proper practical knowledge, the results will eventually will be incorrect and you will not improve much. Therefore, having a trained coach, an experienced mentor or a player can help very much.
In this blog, i want to discussed only the theory surrounding "the power of 4" that are the foundation in Badminton coaching module that all player must comply in the path for him to improve the way he plays. Most coaching information or guide available will emphasize from certain approach but here, i want to simply its concept for easy understanding in order for you to know where to start and what are the priority information in becoming a better player that you need to emphasize:1. Better Badminton : The power of 4The 4 elements that you need to seriously learn and master are:
a. The power of Fitness b. The power of Proper Footwork c. The power of Correct Technique
d. The power of Strong Mental
a. The power of Fitness
Its extremely important in Badminton that you are always fit be it playing or training. The importance of fitness is very important as it plays an important role on how you can improve because:
- By being fit, you will have the physical ability to continuously learn properly
- By being fit, you will have the mental ability to continuously learn properly
b. The power of Proper Footwork
The role of footwork in badminton is extremely important since every strokes you do, require you to make few steps of footwork FIRST. Without able to initiate a proper footwork, it simply to say that you WILL NOT ABLE TO POSITION YOURSELF PROPERLY TO EXECUTE THE CORRECT STROKES ( and don't blame your racket for this if it happens).
c. The power of Correct Technique.
The application of the correct technique while executing any strokes is extremely important since without knowing the knowledge of the correct technique and also the correct application of such knowledge will eventually leads to unsatisfactory hits. The application of such correct technique is so important because by combining it with the proper footwork movements, the impact of the strokes unload will be solid thus making the chance for it to be a winning strokes higher.
d. The power of Strong Mental
The psychology in Badminton has an important role as part of the process of learning to become a better player. Having a strong mental in Badminton in very important because:
- It influence one's self confidence. - It influence the thought of making the right decision - It influence the way we properly strategies our game play
- It influence the Physical strength
Having a strong and correct mental attitude will create a stronger character inside a player mind that able him to impose the will to play confidently regardless with who he plays with.

Article was quoted from BadmintonCentral and written by Shooting Stroke

Once a player has fully understand the technique on how to execute all range of strokes and then upgrade himself to master several type of deceptions, the double motion is another type of deception that the player can learn. In the advance stroke coaching module, the double motion deception is another useful and popular type of deception that is very deceptive in nature if executed very well.

1. Introduction
Like its name, the double motion deception is simply defined as a type of deception that is executed where two action of racket swings are performed – The first action of racket swing (first motion) is performed addressing the shuttlecock in one direction and then, by quickly withdrawing the racket, a second action of racket swing (second motion) is performed that will eventually hit the shuttlecock to another direction.
The objective of this deception, if well executed, is to deceive your opponent about the direction of your hit whereby you show the opponent that you intend to hit the shuttlecock to one direction but then quickly place the shuttlecock elsewhere. For an example:
You can initiate the first motion of racket swing similarly like addressing a shuttlecock to do a straight lift but then changing the direction of the shuttlecock by executing a second racket swing and making a hit directing the shuttlecock into a straight or cross court net.

2. Components
By knowing its definition, we can simply understand that the double motion deception technique is centered at its two executed “motion”: It is very important to fully understand the components of this deception in order to fulfill its objective when executed and also to understand the techniques applied to execute them.
a. First motion - Referring to the first @ initial racket swing action
- It also referred as a “False Hit” since there is no hit performed even though there is a
  racketswing executed while addressing the shuttlecock
- Purpose : This first motion of racket swing is done to create a convincing scenario to the opponent that you are addressing the shuttlecock and making a hit to direct the shuttlecock to one specific direction.
b. Second motion
- Referring to the second racket swing performed after the quick withdrawal of the racket following the first motion of racket swing.
- It is also referred as a “True Hit” since there will be a hit performed to direct the placement of the shuttlecock.
- Purpose : This second motion of racket swing will actually deceive the opponent by making a hit to direct the shuttlecock into any opposite direction.
3. Requirements
Like any other deceptions, to successfully execute a Double Motion Deception, there are certain requirements that a player must fully understand and master first so that this deception can be well executed. 3.1 General Requirements
a. A player must understand first how to execute all the full range of normal shots using the correct technique.
b. A player must have a fair degree of forearm and wrist power to energize the complex movements of the racket and to hit accurately for proper placement of the shuttlecock.
c. A player must have a clear vision and awareness on how he moves his racket in refer to where the opponent positioned in order to properly coordinate the next hit.
3.2 Specific Requirements
a. Address the shuttlecock early.
By addressing the shuttlecock earlier:
- The player will make enough room to execute properly both of the swings. - At the same time also, it will allow enough time for the player to observe the opponents position
- It will also allow enough time for decision making prior to the placement of the shuttlecock.
b. Grip
A tight grip is important to maximize the power for both of the swings.
c. Timing
Timing is essential to coordinate a fluent sequences of racquet swings and withdrawal of racket between swings with the trajectory of the shuttlecock.
d. Fulfilling the purpose of 2 (a) stated above
4. Technique
The double motion deception has 4 phases that a player needs to follow in order to properly execute it. These 4 phases are:
a. Preparation
b. The first motion – False hit
c. Withdrawal
d. The second motion – True hit
These are the detail explanation and diagram for all the phases:

a. Preparation
Always hold the racket head level high . By doing this, you can address/retrieve the shuttlecock at the earliest opportunity through a faster respond reflexes and to make enough comfortable room for you to make a convincing first motion of racket swing.
b. The first motion – the false hit
With a clear idea of where you are going to direct the shuttlecock ( in this case : A direction), address it and make a swing with the technique and approach exactly like how you are going to hit it but then don’t hit it yet. It is extremely important for you to address the shuttlecock with the correct technique and approach exactly like how you are going to hit it. This is to create a convincing action of racket swing that will convince your opponent that you are making a hit to direct the shuttlecock to the area of intention ( A direction) hence making your opponent react to retrieve it. If this technique is not executed as stated above and the player will rather just do a racket swing for the sake of making one without any purpose, then most likely, especially in the eyes of an experience player, he will not react to your first swing and subsequently making your double motion deception most likely a fail one. That is why it is important for your first motion of racket swing fulfill its purpose stated at 2(a).
c. Withdrawal
After executing the first motion of racket swing, quickly withdraw your racket. It is important for you to quickly withdraw your racket so that you can properly prepare yourself before making the second motion of racket swing. To properly prepare yourself before executing the second motion of racket swing is vital because by being properly prepared, you will have enough room to observe your opponent respond from your first racket swing, adequate time frame to make the decision making process for the next direction of your hit and a comfortable space to maneuver yourself to make that second motion of racket swing.
Due to the fact that there is only a few fraction of second exist between the first motion and second motion of racket swing, a quick withdrawal of the racket is important to coordinate a fluent action of swings.
d. The second motion – the true hit
After executing the first motion of racket swing followed by a quick withdrawal, a second motion of racket swing is then executed. At this point, it is important for you to observe and aware where your opponent is positioned in correlate with his reaction towards your first motion of racket swing.
By clearly aware of your opponent reaction, at this second motion of racket swing, hit the shuttlecock and direct it to the opposite direction ( In diagram : B direction) thus deceiving your opponent.
5. Application
To execute a double motion deception is not easy. However, in the hand who has mastered it, a double motion deception can produce spectacular results that can even deceive the most experienced player.
As long as the technique applied to execute it is done correctly, the application of a double motion deception are vast even to the most difficult shots:
a. First Motion – Straight Clear
Second Motion – Straight Drop Shot *
* Involves a deceleration of racket swing to produce a drop shot
b. First Motion – Straight net shot
Second Motion – Cross-court net shot
c. First Motion – Straight lift
Second Motion – Cross-court lift
5.1 Tools
It is better to apply a fast and compact type of racket swings to both of the motion. By applying such type of swings:
- Its more maneuverable thus making both of the racket swings easy to execute.
- The hit will be more unpredictable since the racket swing is fast and short.
5.2 Advancement of the Double Motion Deception
a. Triple Motion Deception
A deception that involves 3 actions of racket swings where the first two actions of racket swings will be the false hit and the 3rd racket swing will be the true hit. Rarely being use and very difficult to execute. b. Fusing with other type of deception – Hold and Hit
The double motion deception can be fused with the hold and hit deception. The “Hold” component will remain as it is but the “Hit” component will end as a double motion action. Rarely being use and very difficult to execute.
By having a clear idea of what Double Motion deception is all about, the next step will be to practice it regularly and once mastered, hopefully it can give benefit in the future and makes how we play badminton even more beautiful.

Article was quoted from Badminton Central

Performing a well executed deception can be used both as a useful strategy and part of your several "shots bank" that can give you the winning edge while playing. As valid as executing other shots such as a smash or drops, it also makes how we see badminton beautifully played since it a technical skills that is an art by itself.
In regards with the way we play badminton now, which emphasize on speed and power, there are still place for deception since the millisecond of breathing space produced while executing it can be part of the preparation as a winner and theoretically it should be part of the coaching module. So can deception be coached?The answer is yes but its not easy. Before coaching a player to execute the correct technique about deception, that player must understand first on how to execute all the full range of normal shots using the correct technique. The other important ingredient to successfully execute a deception is to have a fair degree of forearm and wrist strength since they are used ultimately to energize for the late arrival of the racket head to the shuttle upon hitting it. Your eyes also needs to be very sharp and always alert so that you can have a clear vision and awareness on how you move your racket in refer to where is your opponent positioned in order to properly coordinate the next hit in ensuring the deception is a well executed one.
As long as badminton has exist, the types of deception also has evolved since it is part of the badminton evolution. Therefore, there are a lot of deceptions available now and only "your fantasy" can be the limit to what available types of deception that can possibly exist. Personally, i have a lot of type of deception under my belt and frankly speaking, I've used them quite often and it helps me a lot as part of my winning edge in numbers of tournament. I've coached them also to my students as part of the advance modul in the coaching program and i can see its psychological advantage and positive breakthrough on how they are playing and i want to share this knowledge to you.
Teaching deception theoretically using words and sentences is not easy since, it is the applied technical part that will give the full effect on how the correct technique should be executed. Therefore, by having the correct knowledge, continously practice on perfecting the technique so that it can eventually be executed correctly. Learning deception is one thing but perfecting it require full dedication and concentration because it is an art that you cannot master overnight.
Deception 1 - Hold and Hit
1. Intro
Arguably among the most common deception used, the hold and hit type deception can be a lethal maneuver by itself if executed well. The "hit" portion can either end as a flick or net (if you're retrieving the shuttlecock as a net play) or a drive or drop (if you're retrieving the shuttlecock as a drive shot) depends on where your opponents reacts and moves. Its the combination of both "hold", that makes your opponent mind thinks it is going to be hit at that particular shot hence reacts to it and the "hit" portion where the direction of the shuttlecock upon hitting it will go to the opposite direction that act as a deceptive moves that eventually leaves your opponent stranded. One recent maneuver was performed by Peter Gade yesterday against a Japanese player, Yamada in this year WC.
2. Type
The "hold" and "hit" deception has two type of maneuver, the back swing follow through and no back swing follow through. These two different type exist because it is referring to the different technique applied in its "hold" component. This thread will only concentrate on teaching the "back swing follow through" "hold" and "hit" type of deception since this is the most difficult and among the most deceptive shot available.
3. "Hold" and " Hit" - The back swing follow through
3.1 Components
The differences between the back swing follow through and no back swing follow through is at its "hold" component since it requires for the player to extend the forearm as like retrieving the shots but then, there are no immediate "contact/hit" perform yet. This is because the player needs to do a reverse movements or back swing of his forearm as to allow a synchronize movements backwards of the racket head in refer to the shuttlecock to create a time frame delay before hitting the shuttlecock at the last possible moments. The no back swing follow through will have minimal or no back swing movement and the time frame delay will be more shorter.
3.2 Technique
This deception has 4 phase which include preparation, the hold phase - retrieving, the hold phase - back swing follow through and finally the hit phase. Below is the diagram of all the phases and the explanation on what are techniques to executed them.

a. Preparation
- Always hold the racket head level high. By doing this, you can address/retrieve the shuttlecock earlier and to make enough room for your forearm to extend.
b. Hold - Retrieving
- Extend your forearm as like your going to address the shuttlecock to hit it but don't hit it yet. The earlier you address is better since it will make more room for you to perform a back swing later.
* As mention earlier, it is important also at this point to be clearly aware where is your opponent positioned.
c. Hold - back swing follow through
* This is the most tricky part as you need to have a good coordination to synchronize the forearm back swing movement with the shuttlecock travel trajectory together with the split second awareness where is your opponents position and his movements.
- Do a reverse movement of your forearm/a back swing of your racket and synchronize its movement together with the speed and direction of the shuttlecock . This back swing action together with the shuttlecock movement and the wait to hit the shuttlecock until the last moment will in fact create the delay.
- At the same time, coordinate this movement together with a clear awareness on where is your opponent moves. - The deceptive moves depends hugely on the amount of delay performed. The more room in performing a back swing will results in a more longer delay to hit the shuttle thus making your opponents clueless to where your going to hit it and at the same time will give you enough time to observe his reaction towards how you address the shuttlecock. This is why you need to address the shuttlecock earlier.
d. The Hit
- Once your opponent has react on how you address the shuttlecock and at the same time, you are also clearly aware where is your opponent moves, then at this last moment, you hit the shuttlecock to any opposite direction leaving your opponent possibly stranded.

Article was quoted from Badminton Central

Here's a common situation in a game of badminton: You are standing in the front half of the court when the opponent blasts the shuttle towards your back boundary. You don't react fast enough and the shuttle flies behind you. Even if you manage to hit the bird by stretching your body to its limits, all that results in is a high shot that doesn't fly past your opponent's mid-court, resulting in an easy kill shot. You might even hurt yourself if you are not careful. This scenario happens very often in a competitive badminton game, so what is the best way to for a player to handle this situation?

The situation in the last paragraph happens most often when you go to the net to return a drop shot with a lifting shot. The opponent will hit an attacking clear to your back boundary. Even if you try your hardest, you are still about 1 -1.5 meters away from where the bird will land. At that point, the shuttle is falling close to vertically downwards. Even if you bend and stretch your body backwards, the bird is still too far back for you to produce a good hit. You can try a slice drop or a half-smash, but again you are not in the best position to hit those shots and will probably end up missing or hitting the bird into the net. This is a pretty tough situation to get out of, and there are currently no instruction material or badminton classes that teach people ways to handle something like this. So is there no way to make an effective return? No, there is an answer for this problem, and the answer is an unconventional and sometimes miraculous hitting technique that many players wouldn't even think of.

I am sure a good number of you are familiar with the sport of basketball. If you are, then the concept of a hook shot should be nothing strange as it is a commonly used shot in basketball. A hook shot lets a player use his/her body width and arm length to create distance and prevent the defender from blocking the shot. Some people probably think that there is no relation between a basketball hook shot and a badminton back-court shot, but there are many occasions where the principles of one sport can apply to another. So for the situation where you can't quite get back to the right position to hit the shuttle, you can use a similar motion to a hook shot to maximize your reach. Since you can't really hit a power shot then don't bother with a power shot. Instead, extend your racket arm and use a flick of your wrist to make an arcing drop shot. In doing this you avoid making a low quality return and deny your opponent a chance for the kill. This shot gives you an offensive opportunity in an unfavorable situation, and it usually works quite well. In most cases, the opponent will be surprised by shot and won't be able to come to the net quickly enough to keep up the offense. A famous user of this shot is Indonesia's Hidayat Taufik. Taufik isn't especially fast or powerful when compared to other world-class players, but he uses his sublime skills and quick thinking to produce unexpected and innovative shots (including the subject of this article) to gain the upper hand.

I recently saw two unbelievable doubles games with my own eyes, and after these matches, I thought of a connection between these matches and the age old mathematical question: 1 + 1 =?

Okay, these matches happened between two pairs of players. Mr. A and Mr. B are on one side, while Mr. C and Mr. D are on the other. Mr. A and Mr. B have never paired with each other and they play only with their individual skills in a side by side formation. At the first part of the game, the AB pair was successful and built up a 13 to 5 lead, but suddenly, Mr. C and Mr. D noticed that Mr. B is significantly weaker than Mr. A, so they changed their strategy to attack only Mr. B. This strategy worked out very well. The CD pair was about to force a 20-20 tie and at the end won the game 22-20. This game demonstrated the offensive prowess of the CD pair.

At the beginning of the second game, Mr. A and Mr. B still retained their side by side formation while Mr. C and Mr. D stuck to their strategy of attacking Mr. B. The CD pair quickly jumped out to a 9 to 1 lead. Realizing that they were in trouble, the AB pair boldly changed to an offensive formation, with Mr. B in the front handling the net, and Mr. A handling everything else. Now the CD pair can only attack the much stronger Mr. A. The result: the AB pair held their opponents to only one point while they scored 20 to win the game 21-10, completing an amazing comeback victory.

Recently, I played a game of doubles badminton, teaming up with my good friend and "coach" Mr. Su. Our opponents were two veteran players from Hong Kong; each one of them had over 20 years of experience in badminton. In theory, our opponents should be better than us, since I haven't played badminton for nearly as long. The final score of this game was much unexpected; we won the game 15-0, shutting out our opponents. My team served first this game. Even though the opponents played very hard, we retained the right to serve for most of the game. My short serves during this game were all of high quality, and the opponent couldn't take advantage of any of my serves. This coupled with Mr. Su's devastating offense meant that our opponents didn't have many opportunities to strike back. The victory was unbelievable, and during this game I observed an important fact: a good serve is extremely important to a doubles game.

In the sport of badminton, rules dictate that serves can only be hit from below the waist and the head of the racket during service has to be lower than the wrist of the racket hand, so all serves are hit upwards in order to clear the net. This meant that all serves are defensive, not offensive. Current rules also state that only the serving side can earn points, so whether if it's singles or doubles, the serve plays an important part in the sport.

Firstly, serves are split into forehand serves and backhand serves. Secondly, depending on the speed, trajectory and target of the serve, serves can be split into short serves, long serves and flat (flick) serves. The current trend is that short serves are becoming more and more popular, not only in doubles, but in world class singles competitions as well. If the serve is well executed, the opponent won't be able to attack right off the bat and the serving player will be able get on the offensive.

In a game of badminton, when you are playing close to the net against your opponent and the opponent makes a beautiful drop shot, and raises his/her racket to block your return, what can you do? Because of the quality of the drop shot, you probably won't be able to clear the bird to the back court. You also can't swat it because the bird just grazes the net and you have no space or angle. It's also difficult to return the drop shot with a drop shot of your own, because the bird is so close to the net and touching the net with your racket results in a violation. A lot of players "freeze" when they encounter this kind of situation, thinking that there's no way to return the shot. Is this situation completely helpless? No, there are ways to handle these shots, and if you handle them correctly, your opponent now would have a hard time hitting the bird back to you.

When your opponent makes a drop shot that drops right beside the net, you have three ways to return the birdie.

1) If the drop shot is going to land near the corners, you can make a drop shot to the diagonally opposite front corner. There are two ways to do this.

Blocking smashes is among the most important defensive skills in badminton. If you can't return your opponent's smashes, then your chances of winning the game is slim.

In the NBA, there is a famous saying: Good defense equals good offense. This also applies to badminton. Everybody knows that the smash is an important offensive move in badminton. Smashes, especially jump smashes, are extremely fast and powerful and it is the main attraction for audiences watching a competition. Players and coaches spent years trying to perfect smashes and also smash blocking techniques. In the 80s, there was a famous match where Han Jian from China stopped around a dozen continuous attacks from Liem Swie King of Indonesia, one of the best offensive players in the world at the time, and went on the win the match. There are many other examples of great defense in high level competitions, and all of us recreational players wish that we had that level of defensive skill, so that winning a game becomes easier.

The goal of smash blocking is to prevent the opponents from scoring points from their smashes, and also try to turn the tide of battle. There are many specific smash blocking techniques, but all of them fit into three general categories.

Badminton is quite a unique sport. Even though there are similarities to sports such as tennis and ping-pong, badminton has its own set of skills such as clears, drives, half-smashes, smash blocks and net-plays that makes it a unique sport. However, a badminton player can still incorporate hitting skills from other racket sports and even non-racket sports. Using these techniques adds more variety to the game and can make you a more competitive player. Below is a list of shots that take inspirations from other sports.

Sliding Stroke Drop
In table tennis there is a sliding/slicing stroke where the players swings the paddle one way but the ball moves in different direction. The same principle can be used in badminton when the opponent clears to your backhand side. In that situation use the standard footwork to get into position to return the clear, and then swing your racket from right to left over your head in a sliding motion (assuming you are right-handed). The key is to keep your racket facing towards the net so that you like you are dropping the bird to the near corner, but in reality you are actually targeting the diagonal corner. In today’s badminton world, the members of the Chinese national team are especially skilled in using this technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDwkcurD3o8

Underhand Slice Shot
The slice shot is an often-seen technique in table-tennis. The shot is characterized by its low trajectory so that the opponent can not smash it back. In badminton you can use a similar slicing stroke when handling underhand shots. The underhand slice shot actually a pretty common shot for controlling a rally. When the opponent hit to your front corners or the middle of the sidelines, you will probably be on the defensive if you return with a lift. If you don’t lift the bird high and far enough then the opponent may get an easy kill. If instead you use underhand slice shots then the bird will just clear the net and then drop to front corners or middle sidelines, leaving no opportunity for your opponents to press on with an attack.