The shot that’s least expected but can cost you a game- A drop shot!

Known as the deceptive shot in badminton, a drop shot is a soft badminton shot usually played from the backend of the court which travels steeply to the fore end of your opponent’s court changing the entire pace of the game! Source.

Either a Slow or Fast Drop Shot, a good badminton drop will have the shuttlecock passing just above the net before reaching the front of the mid-region of the court.

This naturally disrupts the entire pace of your opponent’s game by bringing him/her near the net and disrupting their footwork, hence giving you an added advantage.

The shuttle might get caught by the net and you’ll lose a point or the shuttle might pass over too high above the net.

The key to a great drop shot is to hit the Drop when your opponent expects a Clear or a Smash as your next move.

This deceives the opponent and you can then expect your opponent to return a weak shot, anticipating the return of the shuttle to your midcourt.

To play a drop shot, one must understand the types of drop shots that the opponent might play, or that you can perform.

Usually, once the first two are perfected only then can you move on to perfect the slice shot. 

Although it is said to be performed with a soft touch, when hitting the drop, one should not simply ‘touch’ the shuttle with the racket.

It should be gently performed with a proper Overhead Forehand Stroke, but with a complete full arm swing!

This is a steep dropshot played from the backend of your court to reach the fore end of your opponent’s court. To perform the backhand dropshot, one must move into position and take on the Backhand Grip.

When you swing the racket, it should be in one smooth and continuous motion. This means that there should be no stopping after starting the backhand swing.

Perform this Overhead Backhand stroke by using wrist action to direct the shuttle downwards.

The slice dropshot is an advanced technique and is usually used as an offensive shot.

In this type of dropshot, the shuttle is dropped steeper, making it harder for the opponent to retrieve.

This is a shot that deceives your opponent into thinking this is a soft drop when actually is played firmly and the opponent will think the shuttle is heading towards one direction while it’s sent to another direction.

Most of all, in a sport like badminton that requires skill and precision, practice is the key to achieving all techniques and bagging that win!