Badminton training advice

A competitive racquet sport, badminton involves two or four players in either singles or doubles matches. The badminton players stand on a rectangle-shaped court, which is divided by a net, and use racquets to hit a shuttlecock so it passes over the net and lands in the opponent's half of the court. The shuttlecock can only be struck once by each side before it crosses over the net, and the player is awarded a point if their opponent allows the shuttlecock touch the floor on their side of the court.

The shuttlecock is what makes badminton a unique sport since it is radically different from the ball used in tennis or squash. The shuttlecock is a feathered projectile that has a lot of drag which means it decelerates more quickly than a standard ball. This means that the sport is nearly always played indoors to avoid wind. When it is played outdoors (on the beach for example) the shuttlecocks tend to be heavier.

There are a wide number of shots or strokes employed in the game such as lifts, drives and blocks as well as the service. All the shots can be performed forehand and backhand and skill at the game means developing mastery of all the shots and playing them with the right strategy. With practice, players can develop the more advanced shots such as slicing and spinning netshots that are deceptively difficult to defend against.