How to avoid hitting outside the sidelines?

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by godknife, Jan 23, 2010.

  1. godknife

    godknife Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2008
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    India
    When hitting a overhead clear from my left backhand corner(I am a right- hander) to the opponent's corner(parallel shot) I invariably hit outside the left sideline.

    Should I adjust my grip from the normal forehand grip I use?
    Any footwork tips for this shot?
     
  2. ryim_

    ryim_ Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2006
    Messages:
    213
    Likes Received:
    2
    Occupation:
    Capital Market Research
    Location:
    Hong Kong SAR, China
    footwork tip would be to get to the shuttle quicker so you have more time to play the shot.
     
  3. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2003
    Messages:
    4,642
    Likes Received:
    298
    Location:
    Surrey, UK
    Yes, you can adjust your grip a little towards panhandle, to help keep the shuttle in. :)

    If you're playing an "extreme" round-the-head (almost falling over, arm nearly horizontal...), then play a backhand instead.
     
  4. godknife

    godknife Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2008
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    India
    ryim and Gollum. Thanks a bunch!
     
  5. godknife

    godknife Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2008
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    India
    Gollum,

    Would the same(little towards panhandle) hold true while hitting a forehand overhead clear from back right corner parallel to the right sideline?:confused:
     
  6. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2003
    Messages:
    4,642
    Likes Received:
    298
    Location:
    Surrey, UK
    No. This grip adjustment will make your shot go slightly more towards the right. From the back right corner, therefore, it will make you hit the shuttle out the side. ;)

    Normally, you can just use the basic grip for these clears. However, if the shuttle has travelled behind you, you will need to shift towards a thumb grip to help keep it from going out at the side.

    More information: adjusting your grip for a late forehand
     
  7. godknife

    godknife Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2008
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    India
    Many thanks Gollum!
     
  8. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2003
    Messages:
    4,642
    Likes Received:
    298
    Location:
    Surrey, UK
    My pleasure. :)
     
  9. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2004
    Messages:
    6,526
    Likes Received:
    25
    Occupation:
    Designing and producing quality feather shuttlecoc
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    The obvious cause why the shuttle goes outside is the wrong direction-outwards-the racquet face is pointing outwards when hitting the shot.
    Actually in a straight and parallel clear along the left side of the court, the ideal direction is to hit a high clear slightly to the left, say about an inch or two outside the line. Because a shuttle swirls inwards from height, this will fool the opponent into thinking it will fall out, only to find it will fall in. This is shuttle in precesssion. It only works from left to right, not from right to left, in sync with the anticlockwise rotation of the shuttle on its axis. It only works on high shots or shots that have a turnaover, not smashes.
     
  10. TedTheFarmer

    TedTheFarmer Regular Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2008
    Messages:
    118
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Lancs,Eng
    Well, I'm not going to disagree with Gollum at all, since he's like our technique guru here, but I've got a few pockets of knowledge that I use myself from time to time.
    I think the way you play this shot really depends on how high the lift or clear to your backhand side is.
    For example, if the shot to you is quite high, then the solution is probably to sort out the footwork to that position and then to work on your spacial awareness. This I consider to be the hardest out of the two possible shots (the second of which is coming up now)
    Next, picture a flatter lift or clear (punch-clear) to your backhand, you have much less time to move to the shot and some bending of your back will most likely be involved here. If I'm playing the down-the-line clear then I like to play the punch clear back, since I consider it the safer shot. Safer? You might ask, since your opponent is playing the flat clear or lift to your backhand, he/she is going to be trying to cover any shots which will be landing about their mid-court. The key in this shot is the pace on the shuttle, you really need to put some "umph" on the shot to get it down their court before they have time to see what you're trying to do.
    Anyway this is how I tend to play this shot, bearing in mind I'm not representing very-high level play, more advanced-intermediate level.
     
  11. bradmyster

    bradmyster Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 22, 2008
    Messages:
    744
    Likes Received:
    1
    Occupation:
    Customer server network Support
    Location:
    Australia, Brisbane
    adjusting your grip may work but it may also cause problems for you.
    Theres 2 ways you can get the shuttle to move more to the right.

    Either fix your footwork so its faster and you are behind the shot with a decent amount of body rotation so that you can control precisely where you want the shuttle to go.

    Orrrr you can input more wrist snap with your racket stroke, to try and snap the shuttle inwards a little more. But its alot more difficult to do.

    Id really only reccomend fixing your footwork. Changing your grip can contribute to different bad habits arising and loss of power in different circumstances.
     
  12. DivingBirdie

    DivingBirdie Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 22, 2005
    Messages:
    972
    Likes Received:
    4
    Occupation:
    student
    Location:
    Singapore
    i'd second what taneepak have said....i'd look at your racket face first. You are probably slicing the shuttle, or contacting with your racket head tilted leftwards, as a result of an improper swing. Those are common habits that may not be obvious to the hitter himself. I personally wouldn't advise changing your grip too...instead u should practice swinging to hit it squared, with the same grip, and get consistent with aiming that way first
     
  13. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2003
    Messages:
    4,642
    Likes Received:
    298
    Location:
    Surrey, UK
    I should probably mention that I see the grip change as a "last resort". It's not something you should need for every round-the-head, but it will help you with the more "extreme" round-the-heads (especially smashes/half-smashes).

    I have in mind a progression like this:

    Normal round-the-head ---> Extreme round-the-head ---> Backhand

    At some point, an extreme round-the-head becomes too awkward and you have to switch to a backhand. This often happens because your shots start going out at the side; a grip change can help extend the "range" of your round-the-head reach, by allowing you to play round-the-head at stretch, but without hitting the shuttle out.

    For a normal round-the-head, however, you should need little or no grip change. As the others said, focus on your timing and footwork here. :)
     
    #13 Gollum, Jan 25, 2010
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2010
  14. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2004
    Messages:
    6,526
    Likes Received:
    25
    Occupation:
    Designing and producing quality feather shuttlecoc
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Irrespective of grip, footwork, technique, etc., if the shot goes outside the court then it is mainly due to the wrong direction the racquet face is being pointed.
     
  15. alexh

    alexh Regular Member

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Messages:
    408
    Likes Received:
    1
    Location:
    Adelaide, Australia
    Yes, but if you want to change the direction your racquet face is pointing, how do you do it? My guess would be that you'd need to adjust your grip, your technique or your footwork...

    Really, it's a genuine question. Maybe I'm missing something obvious here.
     
  16. taneepak

    taneepak Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2004
    Messages:
    6,526
    Likes Received:
    25
    Occupation:
    Designing and producing quality feather shuttlecoc
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    It is no different from throwing a stone straight instead of to the left. You can use a wrong grip or wrong footwork but yet not hit way out. Or you can hit it outside. Likewise with the right grip or the correct footwork.
    All it takes is to ensure your racquet face is facing square to where you want the shuttle to go during impact. The racquet can be in any position before impact, including pointing it edgewise, before impact, but at impact every crooked path the racquet has travelled before must be square on. This dictates where the shuttle is going.
     

Share This Page