How To Play A Badminton Backhand Smash

Hi, my name's John Webb. I've been a badminton coach for over fifteen years, and I'm going to show you some tips on how to play badminton. Hi, I'm just going to talk to you about how to play the perfect backhand smash.

Now, when you're looking at playing the backhand smash, probably a more advanced level of your skills. Probably, you're certainly not into your beginner level. It's quite an advanced shot and requires excellent timing and hand-eye coordination.

Often, people will try and run round the back hand and play a forehand, or play it around the head, forehand. But let me show you how to play a backhand smash. So come round with me.

The backhand smash is very similar in preparation to the backhand drop shot or the backhand clear. It's an overhead shot. The only difference is the connection with the shuttle and the speed of the racket.

The good thing with a backhand smash is most people won't be expecting it. They'll be expecting the clear or the drop. Quite deceptive when you play a backhand smash and can often lead to a winner.

So let me show you. Preparation. Your backhand grip.

You're sideways onto the net. With the racket angled down but your over arm up. So the shuttle's going to come in quite nice and high on your back hand, and you're going to be here.

The point of contact - you're reaching up nice and high, full arm extension, but you're bringing and following the racket right the way through, rather than stopping there with a clear or drop. So you're turning, up here and it's there, a quick racket movement that goes down. I'll show you again.

You're turning, pivoting, take it nice and high, and then you're coming down. This is the backhand smash there, and then you transfer the weight to there and you come to the front of the court. One last time, the backhand smash.

Start in the receiving stance back here. Turn, smash and then back to the front. So the angle of the smash wants to be going down like that.

Going down steep. Either I've hit a winner or forced a weak return from the opponent. So that's the backhand overhead smash. .