Badminton Slicing Techniques

Badminton slicing is the method of changing or reorienting your racket head when you are meeting the shot of the opponent.

Your badminton slicing techniques do two things:

1. Confers a spinning motion to the shuttle.

2. Changes the angle of your return to the opponent.

So the opponent is deceived by noting the direction of your racket head before you slice the shuttle at the last second. Also, the spinning motion you induce in a shuttle by slicing makes it travels in a curvilinear path. It further makes it difficult for your opponent to face and return it.

There are so many ways of performing badminton slicing techniques. We will briefly see some:

1. Slice proper - in this, the racket face is angled inwards at the last moment of hitting the shuttle. So, even though the racket head seems to make a forward motion to the eyes of the opponent, the shuttle will actually travel cross-court.

2. Reverse slice - in this, the racket face is angled outwards, instead of inwards, confusing the opponent in the same way.

Generally, a right-handed badminton player plays the slice proper when in the right hand corner of the badminton court. Similarly, he plays the reverse slice when he is in the left hand corner of the court. This prudent choice enables him to avoid hitting the shuttle out of the left or right side borders of the court. If he is in the center of the court, he can slice the shuttle in either way depending upon which side of the court his opponent is guarding.

There are various shots that can be played using the badminton slicing techniques. They are -

Sliced drop shot

Here the opponent is deceived in believing that he will get a smash or straight clear, but gets a drop shot which come down more steeply as it clears the net.

Sliced low serve

In this, the normal low serve is sliced to confuse the opponent. It can be sliced straight or wide.

Sliced straight low serve is employed to simply make the shuttle make a steep landing after crossing the net without any change in direction. Also, slicing creates a wobble, which makes it difficult for the opponent to time and plan his return.

Sliced wide low serve is executed to make the opponent believe that a low or wide straight serve is being employed. Here, the racket head moves from left to right when a right-handed person serves, but the shuttle travels to the left.

Sliced smash

It confuses the opponent as to which side the player is going to smash. One more advantage is that with slice or reverse sliced smash, it is possible to direct the shuttle in directions, which will otherwise be impossible to do when routine smash is attempted.

Tumbling net shot

This shot is executed by slicing the shuttle underneath at its base. It makes the shuttle tumble and land faster on crossing the net. The opponent is surprised in two ways. One, the shuttle falls faster than expected and two, he cannot plan his stroke properly until the shuttle corrects itself from tumbling.