Deception is such an important part of the modern game that I think it deserves a detailed look at the different techniques in much greater detail. We have dissected many techniques on this forum but haven’t really looked closely at what it takes to actually deceive your opponent. Deception is used at all levels and can win a lot of points or create a lot of opportunities yet it is often not given enough thought at amateur level.
We have all seen the effects of deception and probably know the basics techniques that are used by watching the pros at work. It is a topic that has been discussed before but only generally on a superficial level and not sufficiently scrutinized and discussed in detail.
What I am hoping to achieve this with a few detailed pointers on the techniques and mental notes that one can try and adopt as well as practice at their leisure in the absence of a coach.
There are some players who just seem to be able to get it right such as Peter Gade, Lin Dan, Zhao Jianhua, Tai Tzu Ying etc but there are other top players who do not seem to be quite have that level of deception no matter how hard they try – Lee Yong Dae for example, is an extraordinary gifted player but no matter how hard he tries he just cannot deceive his opponents at will.
So what is it that differentiates a good deceptive shot from one that isn’t? The obvious answer would be the one that works! But what I am referring to here is the detail in the technique. What are the subtle differences in the technique between the good deceptive shot and the bad one that doesn’t quite deceive? Is it about getting to the shuttle earlier? Is it the body language? Is it timing? Is it the way you hold the racquet? Or is it something else?
There are varying degrees of deception, ones that completely leaves your opponent grounded and flummoxed to ones that sends them in the wrong direction and ones that simply delays them slightly but enough to open an opportunity in the rally.
It is easy just to say “make your shot look like any other” and although that is the crux of it, I would like to break it down further and explore whether there are other less obvious things going on or perhaps other techniques that can be adopted to achieve the same result.
I have listed below some of the main deceptive shots that are played and outline the way they are executed and the effect they have as a starting point. You may refer to the shots by different names or may have been taught to play them differently but hopefully you will know the shot I am talking about.
I’m sure we all know somebody who is very good at some of these shots. If you are one of these people or have been taught to play them, it would be great to share with the rest of the forum as to how you play these shots, what mentally are you thinking as you play the shot, what are you aiming to do / focus on, how do you practice it? How did you learn it? What are your tips on achieving the perfect deceptive shot?
1. The flick serve. This can result in either the receiver struggling to get behind the shuttle or going the wrong way (forward). Why is it that some players are able to flick serve so deceptively that it consistently causes the receiver to move in the opposite direction whereas others are read more easily? Obviously it is important that your flick serve “looks” like any other low backhand serve, but studying it in more detail what is it exactly that prevents others from reading it. Why are players like Kevin Sukamuljo so good at doing this? Is it the length of backswing? Is it the speed of the forward swing? Is it the timing? Or is it something else? What gives it away? What prevents it from being read?
2. In-to-out forehand (or backhand) return of serve. This usually has the effect of either sending the receiver’s rear court player in the wrong direction, or very late to the shuttle. This is adopted in both singles and doubles but you see it most often in doubles. There are two variations to this, one that involves showing the racquet face in one direction and playing the shuttle in another direction at the very last moment. The other involves a double action.
3. In-to-out backhand cross court net shot. Again, this is a shot that is used in both singles and doubles which shows you playing the net shot (or holding the racquet) in one direction initially, then playing an “in-to-out” BH cross net drop. This has the effect of making the opponent get to the shuttle late or completely grounded with no idea where the shuttle is going. At professional level, I noticed a slight difference to the way it is played in singles and doubles. For example Lin Dan and Momota play this shot quite well but there seems to be a lot less racquet movement than the same shot played in doubles. This could be due to the difference in position on court though.
4. Deceptive punch clear. For me this is one of those shots that can be spectacular to watch, almost admirable even as the person being deceived when it is played to perfection. It’s almost illusion-like when played by someone who has completely mastered this shot. In all the many years I have played the sport, I have only come across two players who can play this absolutely perfectly, many others can do it well, but not what I call perfectly. I mean even to the point that top county players are fooled despite knowing it is coming. It is also one of the shots that I personally would love to master. The effect of this seemingly simple shot is that the returner is left stranded or delayed to the extent that the shuttle can sail well over their heads despite having plenty of time to prepare. The returner of the shot is generally expecting a smash or drop and doesn’t expect a clear. The best executions of this shot I have seen usually completely confuses the returner so much so that they only know it is a clear well after the shot has been played. And in some instances it is too late or they feel somewhat humiliated by the deception that they give up trying to retrieve it.
5. Double action low forehand and backhand lift. When I think of this shot, I think of Peter Gade and Lin Dan. This shot is disguised as a cross court net drop/push initially then the actual shot is a lift (usually straight). PG does this extremely well and often fooled his opponents or delayed them significantly.
6. Disguised drop shot. This shot comes in different forms. One that is often played in singles by players like LD and PG, the reverse slice, where the shuttle is brushed on one side making it look like it’s going one way but it actually goes in a different direction. Another is predominantly played in doubles, where the player shows them preparing to hit a smash but then slows down the racquet at the last moment to play a drop. JJS and YYS both play this fantastically well. But one of the masters of this shot imo is ZJH.
7. Holding shots – forehand and backhand. This is played by many singles players but once again LD comes to mind as the master. He is able to hold the shuttle really late and still generate enough power to lift deep with a very small take-back.
8. Peter Gade’s (FH/BH) cross net shot. This is a borderline trick-shot imo and has no right in competition yet PG has pulled it off in competition as clear winners. He would show a net drop shot preparation with the racquet high, but then lets the shuttle drop before hitting it with “underarm” shot played by turning his wrist to hit a cross court net drop. Nobody else has pulled this off in competition afaik.
I’m sure there are many other deceptive shots that I have not included above. Feel free to add and discuss them.
But I think it is important to separate the subtle difference between “trick shots” and deceptive shots. In so far as “trick shots” are perhaps intended to have an element of entertainment and are considered non-conventional shots that are generally not practiced in training whereas deceptive shots are intentional, with a purpose to create an opening in a rally and are practiced in training.
We have all seen the effects of deception and probably know the basics techniques that are used by watching the pros at work. It is a topic that has been discussed before but only generally on a superficial level and not sufficiently scrutinized and discussed in detail.
What I am hoping to achieve this with a few detailed pointers on the techniques and mental notes that one can try and adopt as well as practice at their leisure in the absence of a coach.
There are some players who just seem to be able to get it right such as Peter Gade, Lin Dan, Zhao Jianhua, Tai Tzu Ying etc but there are other top players who do not seem to be quite have that level of deception no matter how hard they try – Lee Yong Dae for example, is an extraordinary gifted player but no matter how hard he tries he just cannot deceive his opponents at will.
So what is it that differentiates a good deceptive shot from one that isn’t? The obvious answer would be the one that works! But what I am referring to here is the detail in the technique. What are the subtle differences in the technique between the good deceptive shot and the bad one that doesn’t quite deceive? Is it about getting to the shuttle earlier? Is it the body language? Is it timing? Is it the way you hold the racquet? Or is it something else?
There are varying degrees of deception, ones that completely leaves your opponent grounded and flummoxed to ones that sends them in the wrong direction and ones that simply delays them slightly but enough to open an opportunity in the rally.
It is easy just to say “make your shot look like any other” and although that is the crux of it, I would like to break it down further and explore whether there are other less obvious things going on or perhaps other techniques that can be adopted to achieve the same result.
I have listed below some of the main deceptive shots that are played and outline the way they are executed and the effect they have as a starting point. You may refer to the shots by different names or may have been taught to play them differently but hopefully you will know the shot I am talking about.
I’m sure we all know somebody who is very good at some of these shots. If you are one of these people or have been taught to play them, it would be great to share with the rest of the forum as to how you play these shots, what mentally are you thinking as you play the shot, what are you aiming to do / focus on, how do you practice it? How did you learn it? What are your tips on achieving the perfect deceptive shot?
1. The flick serve. This can result in either the receiver struggling to get behind the shuttle or going the wrong way (forward). Why is it that some players are able to flick serve so deceptively that it consistently causes the receiver to move in the opposite direction whereas others are read more easily? Obviously it is important that your flick serve “looks” like any other low backhand serve, but studying it in more detail what is it exactly that prevents others from reading it. Why are players like Kevin Sukamuljo so good at doing this? Is it the length of backswing? Is it the speed of the forward swing? Is it the timing? Or is it something else? What gives it away? What prevents it from being read?
2. In-to-out forehand (or backhand) return of serve. This usually has the effect of either sending the receiver’s rear court player in the wrong direction, or very late to the shuttle. This is adopted in both singles and doubles but you see it most often in doubles. There are two variations to this, one that involves showing the racquet face in one direction and playing the shuttle in another direction at the very last moment. The other involves a double action.
3. In-to-out backhand cross court net shot. Again, this is a shot that is used in both singles and doubles which shows you playing the net shot (or holding the racquet) in one direction initially, then playing an “in-to-out” BH cross net drop. This has the effect of making the opponent get to the shuttle late or completely grounded with no idea where the shuttle is going. At professional level, I noticed a slight difference to the way it is played in singles and doubles. For example Lin Dan and Momota play this shot quite well but there seems to be a lot less racquet movement than the same shot played in doubles. This could be due to the difference in position on court though.
4. Deceptive punch clear. For me this is one of those shots that can be spectacular to watch, almost admirable even as the person being deceived when it is played to perfection. It’s almost illusion-like when played by someone who has completely mastered this shot. In all the many years I have played the sport, I have only come across two players who can play this absolutely perfectly, many others can do it well, but not what I call perfectly. I mean even to the point that top county players are fooled despite knowing it is coming. It is also one of the shots that I personally would love to master. The effect of this seemingly simple shot is that the returner is left stranded or delayed to the extent that the shuttle can sail well over their heads despite having plenty of time to prepare. The returner of the shot is generally expecting a smash or drop and doesn’t expect a clear. The best executions of this shot I have seen usually completely confuses the returner so much so that they only know it is a clear well after the shot has been played. And in some instances it is too late or they feel somewhat humiliated by the deception that they give up trying to retrieve it.
5. Double action low forehand and backhand lift. When I think of this shot, I think of Peter Gade and Lin Dan. This shot is disguised as a cross court net drop/push initially then the actual shot is a lift (usually straight). PG does this extremely well and often fooled his opponents or delayed them significantly.
6. Disguised drop shot. This shot comes in different forms. One that is often played in singles by players like LD and PG, the reverse slice, where the shuttle is brushed on one side making it look like it’s going one way but it actually goes in a different direction. Another is predominantly played in doubles, where the player shows them preparing to hit a smash but then slows down the racquet at the last moment to play a drop. JJS and YYS both play this fantastically well. But one of the masters of this shot imo is ZJH.
7. Holding shots – forehand and backhand. This is played by many singles players but once again LD comes to mind as the master. He is able to hold the shuttle really late and still generate enough power to lift deep with a very small take-back.
8. Peter Gade’s (FH/BH) cross net shot. This is a borderline trick-shot imo and has no right in competition yet PG has pulled it off in competition as clear winners. He would show a net drop shot preparation with the racquet high, but then lets the shuttle drop before hitting it with “underarm” shot played by turning his wrist to hit a cross court net drop. Nobody else has pulled this off in competition afaik.
I’m sure there are many other deceptive shots that I have not included above. Feel free to add and discuss them.
But I think it is important to separate the subtle difference between “trick shots” and deceptive shots. In so far as “trick shots” are perhaps intended to have an element of entertainment and are considered non-conventional shots that are generally not practiced in training whereas deceptive shots are intentional, with a purpose to create an opening in a rally and are practiced in training.
Even beginners can rapidly learn deceptions such as "hold and flick" to a level where they can use them in games. Yet at the top level, there are layers and layers of subtle deceptions and tactics, together with amazing racket skills to make them work.