Change 10 Bad Habits to Substantially Improve Your Badminton Ability!

Change 10 Bad Habits to Substantially Improve Your Badminton Ability!

Text/VICTOR BADMINTON A-Z Editorial Room


Badminton is a sport that’s easy to learn. As long as you practice a little, no matter if you are a man or woman, young or old, you can easily have fun playing badminton.

After playing badminton for a while some players will find that they can no longer improve their game and are even gradually falling behind players they started practicing with, but they don’t know where to begin to set about improving their game. Consequently, VICTOR has compiled a list of the 10 most common bad habits seen on court. If they are corrected one by one your badminton ability will undoubtedly see substantial improvement.


1. When receiving serve the one foot forward one foot back stance isn’t used


The most common little mistake made by many beginners is that they don’t stand with one foot forward, one foot back when receiving a serve. This stance allows more intuitive footwork and quicker movement off the mark. When reaction time is shorter, of course, the success rate and quality of return shots will be improved.



2. Staying fixed to the same spot after playing a return shot

After making a successful return many newcomers to the game unconsciously remain fixed to the spot, eyes glued on the shuttlecock, all their attention focused on whether their shot has managed to get over the net or whether it has been reached by their opponent.



When receiving serve the stance should be one foot
forward, one foot back.


In fact, even if you stare at the shuttlecock after you hit it won’t change its flight path.

Therefore, after each return, what you most need to do is to use the time it takes for the shuttlecock to fly over the net to quickly move to a suitable position to give you more time to prepare to meet the next shot.

3. If the point the shuttlecock is hit is too low play will be difficult to control

There is undoubtedly more advantage to be gained from hitting the shuttlecock at a high point than at a low point. For this reason we suggest that when you play you use every shot as a chance to practice hitting the shuttlecock at the highest point you can.

High hitting point

Low hitting point




4. Too much effort made to dive to make a return in front of the net

Diving to play a return in front of the net is an attack method often seen in fast-paced, high level matches. Due to the short reaction time, many players go all out to dive for the shuttlecock before they have adjusted the angle of their wrist, causing the shuttlecock to fly out of bounds or hit the net. Actually, using 70% of maximum effort to dive for the shuttlecock allows you to better control the angle and landing point of your shot and also makes it more lethal.



5. Always forgetting to raise the racket in preparation for the next shot

After playing a shot many amateur players let their racket hand naturally fall to their side and then have to rush to raise, make a backswing and swing the racket when the next shot from their opponent comes over the net.

The most important thing when diving to
make a return in front of the net is control


We suggest that, after playing each shot, you immediately raise your racket up to get ready for the next incoming shot. Already having the racket raised will allow you to shorten the time it takes you to play a shot.

If your racket is always raised ready for the next shot you will be able to even deal with difficult and fast moving shots from your opponent



6. Don’t bother about it if it isn’t your shot?

In doubles play newcomers often just stand and watch their partner hit a shot, however, moving to a suitable position is what an accomplished player would do. For example, when the front player prepares to hit the shuttlecock, you should move to a spot behind him/her then, even if he/she misses the shuttlecock completely, you will be in a position to back-him/her up and hit the shuttlecock back over the net.



7. Too anxious to play a shot before in position

The most vexing things about playing badminton are missing the shuttlecock or playing inaccurate shots. The main cause of these situations is that a player is too anxious to play a shot before they are even in position. If you aren’t stood in a stable posture when you play a shot you will be unable to play a quality one. Thus we suggest that, before you play each shot, you should be standing steadily and have the correct posture.



8. If the way of exerting force is incorrect the effect won’t be any good no matter how hard you hit the shuttlecock

When many players are preparing to receive an opponent’s shot their muscles are all tight and they use force throughout the process of playing the shot. This way of exerting force not only makes their swing posture too rigid, it also uses up a lot of energy and can also easily cause shoulder injury. To play nimble, delicate and clever shots you really have to practice how to correctly exert force.
(1) Keep relaxed before you receive a shot
(2) Let your upper arm carry you forearm when swinging the racket
(3) At the moment you hit the shuttlecock, exert instant force with fingers and wrist



9. Don’t forget that warming up can improve performance in play

Playing badminton makes use of many of the body’s joints, so it is essential, before playing, to warm up properly. Loosening each joint will not only improve your performance on court, it will also reduce the chance of sports injury.



10. Don’t forget the importance of warming down

Many players go to courtside, sit down and take a drink as soon as an intense match comes to an end. This may seem normal, but it can actually give your heart extra burden. Also, a proper warm-down can help your body recover from just having used up a large amount of energy in strenuous play.

The correct method is to first walk around the court a few times and breathe deeply after you finish playing and then, in accordance with your personal situation, do some simple stretching exercises, and only then sit down and have a drink.


(Edit by VICTOR Badminton )