A trick shot in badminton can win you a rally. It deceives your opponent to slow down their reaction or send them in the wrong direction. Professionals use trick shots all the time to stay ahead of their competitors. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t do the same. To help you win games, here are ways to play the tricks.

This trick shot is pretty simple. To execute it, move the racket forward as if to hit the shuttlecock in a particular direction. Allow your opponent time to prepare for defense based on the orientation of your racket. Then, suddenly change and hit the shuttle toward a different destination.

You will send your competitor the wrong way. Before they can pull themselves together, you will have won a rally. For this shot to be effective, include as many directions as possible. It will prevent your opponent from predicting your moves.

In this shot, you pretend to hit the shuttle with force but pull back just in time to startle your opponent. It’s best performed when the player on the other side is expecting a high-flying clear. Instead, you make a dipping shot.

Make a massive swing, holding your racket as if to perform a power hit. This will trick your opponent to prepare for a long shot. Just when you’re near the shuttle, slow down abruptly. Hit the shuttlecock directly downwards. Make sure it falls as close to the net as you can make it to. You want it to be far from your opponent to allow you to win a rally.

This shot is a variant of the power-hit trick, only that you don’t pull back to dissipate the energy of swing. Instead, you hit the shuttle but in a way that makes it to arc low and drops close to the net.

To perform it, swing forcefully and quickly. On reaching the shuttlecock, strike it just below the cock. This causes it only to travel a short distance before dipping. On the other side of the court, your competitor will be expecting a powerfully hit shuttle, and their reaction to defend won’t be fast enough.

This one combines the above tricks into one. It has the ability to confuse even more since you’re executing two tricks at the same time. However, it requires enough practice and agility to perform.

Move the head of your racket forward as if to make a hit. Allow your swing to appear powerful and in the direction of the shuttle. Just when you’re about to make the hit, change the direction of the shot, and reduce the force of the swing. It will cause the shuttle not to travel far while at the same time making it assume a different direction.

The slowed shot and sudden change of direction will surely stun your opponent. Not only will the shuttlecock fall on the side of their court they least expected, but it will also be far away from them to allow any save.

Well performed, trick shots can give you an upper hand in a game of badminton. You will win more points, and easily so. It needs adequate practice to perfect them, though. You also need to vary them during a game to avoid predictability. Once you master the tricks, you will find executing them a breeze. A suitable racquet will make it easier to practice these tricks.