Important, back hand grip is only for hitting in front of you, otherwise bevel is the standard.

For me it looks like you are just focusing on hitting the shuttle hard and less emphasis is given on the power transition from body to shuttle.

Focus on thumb push and wrist snap with proper elbow stretch. You should consciously feel the power transferring from your body to the racquet and to the shuttle.

Hope that makes sense!

Honestly technically it looks pretty good and your timing seems good. Just need to follow through and hit it from a slightly higher point. Even the higher contact is not super necessary

Late contact point, slightly wrong grip, back should be facing the net completely. absence of pronation.

Wrong grip for backhand clear

https://preview.redd.it/nxlra3l9ookf1.png?width=1440&format=png&auto=webp&s=a0e5dafff398cff0cc5e3329d22ca4001963c815

Your thumb should pressing or laying on the side of the handle

Nicely explained, can you explain backhand smash and drop, you mentioned about it in the end of the video, but need more details

This was the number one request for me to make a video on so here it is. (Apologies for the ugly thumbnail).

Let me know if you have any questions!

All shots key is a relax grip(including backhand clear as you mention in video) . Is there away to work on this?

For the first 2 years of my training my coach refused to team me how to do a backhand. His theory was it would make me lazy and until i can perfect my movement and forehand game, there's always something to improve.

So I had no backhand. Tried to self learn in social games etc but basically couldnt do it.

Then 1 day i had a big whinge and his like "ye ok we will do some today". After 2 sessions on backhand i could do most backhand shots 80-90% consistnetly. Clears, drops, cross court, smash. For me, it looks like all I needed was to drill it.

Backhand technique is advanced and if you're getting coached for technique then your coach probably should prioritize literally any other shot.

That being said probably a couple years.

I’m left handed so my back hand is stronger than my forehand

tai tzu ying has one of the best backhands ever - and the reason for that is because she was injured previously and was unable to use her forehand. so for months she trained using only backhand - so maybe play a few games and see how far u can go with just ur backhand!

For me:

baseline-to-baseline, self learning, two times a week playing, practice when warming up: 2 years.

Then again, I have a friend that can show me how to do a good backhand clear, so I tried to copy the stroke/hitting style. I think the most important thing my friend taught me is the contact point. By copying the same contact point, I inevitably has to use the same stroke and grip to reach the shuttle.

Ask your friend to help practice these backhand clear while warming up before the match. It’s quite fun to learn.

That’s 99% technique not strength. Strength would be more to improve muscular endurance and injury prevention. It can come into play sometimes, but especially for backhand clear it’s almost all technique

Badmintonstrength.com has recently been launched, maybe that’s what you are looking for?

Check out these channels few home workouts, they are mostly focused on footwork/agility/cardio but some are also for upper body

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrQI_kbNeQQmW2N69aEZaABYzuBPcYlDj https://www.youtube.com/@PlayFasterThanYourShadow/videos

https://www.youtube.com/@badmintonmotivation this channel has a lot of clips from pro players training, can get lots of inspiration from them too

Yes, you need to relax while swinging but you need to squeeze it when you hit the shuttle

Can u send a video of your clear?

Yes - we need videos. Could be a lot of things including not using enough torso, or using the wrong grip....

Technique. Even a skinny teenage girl at the top clubs can clear high and deep. We are not weaker than a skinny teenage girl. It's not about power.

share us videos of your clear

do forehand serves to the backline instead of short backhand serves. Your footwork is bad and your hitting technique is bad as well. As a beginner playing short serves is not advisable since you need to have strong footwork. Also you should play your short serve close to the middle. If you play it to the side like you did in the video it is very easy to push the shuttle deep into the corners. I think at a high level most rallies would be lost instantly with this kind of serve.

also make sure you're not using to much string tension when you get your racket string. I see a lot of people requesting 27-28lbs for plastic. Since you're a beginner stick to 20-22lbs ish for tension. this will increase your sweetspots and give you a bit more power! on that, keep hitting and you'll get it.

1. Split step

2. Proper footwork when moving to the back right

3. Learn different shots, with a cross court drop you could've easily surprised him and in that position he would not have gotten it

Looks more like footwork issue than anything. I’d start there!

I'm by no means an advanced player so please take this with a pinch of salt and I welcome discussion to further my knowledge too.

You said it was a good lift, but I don't see it that way. The highest point of the shot was at an interceptable height at somewhere around mid court, which one should achieve with better footwork and perhaps anticipation. You basically play with both of your feet firmly on the ground with no split step whatsoever, which is problem number one.

You actually managed to return the clear, but it seems to me you just hit it with all your might, with no thoughts of what shot and where that shot should land, understandable when you allowed yourself to be under pressure. To answer your question, at the height and place you were taking it, I think there is no way you send it to the backcourt ideally. The back hand return after the tap by your opponent, same thing. That back form where you just swing it is really erratic. At the tension you are using, I am afraid you are just inviting injuries.

Your grip is also the infamous panhandle grip.

Videos please. We can't determine anything other than your description, and there are a lot of factors that can affect your stroke without you realising it without seeing it.

For beginners learning any stroke, you start with the entire swing. Because you are learning the shuttle contact point that is comfortable for you. The full swing is the basics, it is why children without much muscles or wrist strength can do clears. Over time, as you start to get better at adjusting your body positions to hit the shuttle at the same contact point, then you slowly shorten your swing bit by bit. Your first coach is trying to get you to be used to a proper swing and hitting technique that does not cause you injury. The intensive lessons in Asia assumes you already have the basics down and are trying to upgrade your level and skill. Now I am not sure what type of lesson you went to, but the Asian coaches are trying to teach you a more advance level of hitting and stroke. Again, this is contingent on you already know how to adjust your body position and swing speed to hit at the same contact point regardless of where the shuttle is coming from or how fast. It is possible that you may have signed up for lessons that are meant for a target audience with higher skill level than you currently have.

I recommend Full-Swing Badminton on youtube for such understanding. Many of the players under the Coach are also trying to learn and adjust their stroke, and the Coach also teaches them to do a full swing first. A shorter, more compact swing can come later. He also talks about keeping your chest facing the shuttle as much as possible which naturally lends to you turning your body for a clear. Badminton is a technical sport, it can take quite a while to get just the basics down, so keep at it and grow at your own pace. Every coach has a different philosophy, a different teaching method and expectation for students.

We need a video of you playing or training. Simply put. Both coaches are correct but seeing how you actually swing brings better conclusion as to which one is more right.

Following for video. One thing to note, coaches aren’t biomechanics/anatomy experts. When people say use wrist/don’t use wrist, it’s usually referring to using forearm pronation and not actually bending your wrist. So the different language might actually refer to the same thing

You could be doing many other things wrong that you don't realize. That's why we ask for videos not just word descriptions.

This whole essay is nothing compared to a single video of you clearing

Backhand clear is just one of those use in case of emergency situations in doubles. It's a nice to have, but not entirely necessary if the rest of their game is solid. If a backhand is necessary, I'd at least make sure they can do a good backhand fast drop.

I think that's a very arbitrary assumption by your friend... being able to play a backhand clear from backcourt to backcourt is merely an indicator that a player could be experienced.

Most professional male players (playing MS, MD, or XD) could execute one perfectly, but many female professional players struggle with playing a conventional backhand clear.

Two players that always come to mind when discussing the ability to play a backhand clear are Chiharu Shida and Yuki Fukushima. They are two of the best female doubles players in the world, yet they are unable to play a conventional backhand clear. Instead, they rely heavily on their shoulder strength and torso rotation when caught playing a rearcourt shot to their backhands.

No, it is not very essential for doubles, since you would avoid being put in that position from the beginning.

The ability to backhand clear from back court to back court is often used to determine the maturity of a player in term of power generating and overall ability to handle the racket, since most amateur would have trouble with generating enough power, or having their backhand clear flying all over the court and not to their desire.

Even in single, you only resort to backhand if you are under pressure.

Like others said, backhands you only want to do if needed. Going around the head for shots is quite a lot of the time gonna be more effective. My doubles partner has a very good backhand, but he doesn't do clears he almost only does very fast cross court drops with them, so it's not exactly necessary to have a great backhand clear, but itll be useful in specific situations sometimes. Practicing going around your head more with some shots would be much more of a necessary skill

To be considered intermediate or advanced? Yeah you should be able to do that at that level, but you would never need to in doubles. For singles or might get abused, but I highly doubt people would judge him

The shot you describe is a backhand lift. Make sure you’re using a backhand grip as the power is mainly generated with your thumb. Check Badminton Insight’s lift tutorials.

https://preview.redd.it/7u9bscxh4rhf1.png?width=1440&format=png&auto=webp&s=c0a2ea0ec354234e42d2b3eba54204a46c744694

Thumb is on the flat side of the grip

Honestly (this is a bit of a hot take), the thumb grip which is common for backhands is probably not the best, especially if you're late. It really depends on your racquet angle on contact, and having the thumb directly on the back (flat part) of the grip makes it biomechanically awkward (for those who have weak internal rotation range like me).

A bevel grip is possible, but I personally use closer to a forehand grip, with the thumb a bit higher up (I realize it's pretty much the bevel grip, except this would feel different compared to a backhand clear). I also use less wrist, with the majority of movement from the forearm, but breaking it down into parts is probably not a great idea. The best way to think of it is to hold a small object (like a ball) in your hand, and throw it as high as you can in a similar motion (i.e. palm down).