Grab the Badminton Grip Right
Never think lowly of having the right badminton grip! Have you ever seen the pros play and then look at how the beginners play? Ever noticed the clear differences in the range of motion and the pros just seem to be able to swing their racket at weird angles and yet deliver so much power?
Yes i have to admit, it takes practice, no doubt being good in badminton takes lots and lots of practice. And part of that practice is getting the grip right so that the swing becomes more comfortable, smooth and most importantly, efficient.
And to me, there is no one 'Perfect' way to hold a grip, only a more efficient way. Many people have their own styles of holding the grip but the one that I'm about to show you are the different fundamental gripping techniques.
As you get better, you could explore different gripping techniques to appear more deceptive, accuracy and efficient at certain situations!
So i classify holding the grip into four categories, the forehand grip, backhand grip, the short and long grip.
And to me, there is no one 'Perfect' way to hold a grip, only a more efficient way. Many people have their own styles of holding the grip but the one that I'm about to show you are the different fundamental gripping techniques.
As you get better, you could explore different gripping techniques to appear more deceptive, accuracy and efficient at certain situations!
So i classify holding the grip into four categories, the forehand grip, backhand grip, the short and long grip.
*picture of me holding forehand grip*
Forehand Grip
Firstly the forehand badminton grip, this is also know as the universal grip where you hold the racket such that your thumb and index finger forms a "v" shape.
The method that my club taught me was
1) Ask a friend to hold the head of the racket such that you can only see the frame and not the strings with the grip pointing towards you.
2) Then, give the grip a handshake! You should arrive at the "v" shape quite naturally.
*Remember, do not hold the racket too tightly, it should be held loosely between strokes and only held tight when executing a move.
The method that my club taught me was
1) Ask a friend to hold the head of the racket such that you can only see the frame and not the strings with the grip pointing towards you.
2) Then, give the grip a handshake! You should arrive at the "v" shape quite naturally.
*Remember, do not hold the racket too tightly, it should be held loosely between strokes and only held tight when executing a move.
*Picture of me holding backhand grip*
Backhand Grip
Next is the backhand badminton grip, the backhand grip is necessary to hit shots that are of the opposite end from your racket effectively.
For example, if you are a right hander, the shots comes from your left, using the backhand grip would allow better delivery of strength and control.
To change from the forehand to backhand grip,simply shift your thumb till its straight along with the fatter part of the grip. Now, try executing a backhand but using the strength from your thumb and wrist, it should feel relatively easy to generate strength. Amazing isn't it?
For more pictorial illustrations of the forehand and backhand badminton grip, click here!
*http://www.badmintonbible.com/articles/grips-guide/grips/basic-grip.php
Moving on is the short and long gripping styles, these two are basically just opposites of each other.
For example, if you are a right hander, the shots comes from your left, using the backhand grip would allow better delivery of strength and control.
To change from the forehand to backhand grip,simply shift your thumb till its straight along with the fatter part of the grip. Now, try executing a backhand but using the strength from your thumb and wrist, it should feel relatively easy to generate strength. Amazing isn't it?
For more pictorial illustrations of the forehand and backhand badminton grip, click here!
*http://www.badmintonbible.com/articles/grips-guide/grips/basic-grip.php
Moving on is the short and long gripping styles, these two are basically just opposites of each other.
Short Grip
The short grip is when the player hold the racket higher up of the wooden handle, different people have different comfort level.
So you gotta find yours! For me, i hold it touching racket cap a little (The triangular area of the racket).
Of course there are pros and cons of holding the short grip which I'm going to explain.
So you gotta find yours! For me, i hold it touching racket cap a little (The triangular area of the racket).
Of course there are pros and cons of holding the short grip which I'm going to explain.
Advantages of Short Grip
A Few Reasons why people (Even why I use this too!) use the Short Grip is..
1) You can swing the racket faster as compared to holding at the bottom of the wooden handle (Try it!)
2) It feels lighter when you swing, meaning you can do more side drives and smashes! Because more weight is under your grip now!
1) You can swing the racket faster as compared to holding at the bottom of the wooden handle (Try it!)
2) It feels lighter when you swing, meaning you can do more side drives and smashes! Because more weight is under your grip now!
Disadvantage of Short Grip
The downside of the short grip would be
1) Shorter Reach, making it less ideal for singles because it makes it difficult for you to cover the court.
2) Less power, a small range of swing would mean you cannot generate that much power
1) Shorter Reach, making it less ideal for singles because it makes it difficult for you to cover the court.
2) Less power, a small range of swing would mean you cannot generate that much power
When is the Short Grip Used?
Usually the short grip is used in doubles because the game is faster for example when
1) Intercepting in the front area
2) Defend better when under attacked
3) Less fatigue from the constant drive shots
1) Intercepting in the front area
2) Defend better when under attacked
3) Less fatigue from the constant drive shots
Long Grip
The Long grip is opposite of the short grip, holding the grip as low of the handle. The limit to how low you can go would probably be till your pinky finger is being supported by the base of the shaft. By then you should only be holding the bottom half of the grip.
The advantages of the long grip are as follows..
1) Longer reach that can prove very helpful very playing against skilful opponent.
2) More powerful shots generated with less strength because of the wider swinging range.
1) Longer reach that can prove very helpful very playing against skilful opponent.
2) More powerful shots generated with less strength because of the wider swinging range.
Disadvantages of using Long Grip
1) Slower rate of swing
2) More fatique when swinging rapidly such as drives and net kill.
3) More difficulty covering body shots such as at the armpit areas because of the extended length of reach The advantages of the long grip style are more force generated with less strength as the range of motion is greater. And it also gives a longer reach as you are holding the bottom of the racket.
2) More fatique when swinging rapidly such as drives and net kill.
3) More difficulty covering body shots such as at the armpit areas because of the extended length of reach The advantages of the long grip style are more force generated with less strength as the range of motion is greater. And it also gives a longer reach as you are holding the bottom of the racket.
When is the Long Grip Used
The long grip is commonly used when playing Singles and also by the men during mixed doubles.. Some examples of when the long grip is fully ultilized during the game are..
1) When having to run corner to corner to do side drives
2) When doing hard smashing at the baseline
3) When jumping as high as you can to do a very sharp drop shot
1) When having to run corner to corner to do side drives
2) When doing hard smashing at the baseline
3) When jumping as high as you can to do a very sharp drop shot
One real life example would be World Champion Lin Dan uses the long grip! He only ties grip up to half his racket leaving the rest bare, simply because he does not use the top half of the grip and wants to keep his racket light.
Right now it may seem very hard to visualise how to hold the badminton grip, soon i will be showing pictures on how to hold the grip and hopefully it will clear things up! So right now i need to book that court and have the pictures taken.
Right now it may seem very hard to visualise how to hold the badminton grip, soon i will be showing pictures on how to hold the grip and hopefully it will clear things up! So right now i need to book that court and have the pictures taken.