The essential shots

Badminton looks fast and complicated, but almost every rally is built from a small handful of shots. Once you understand what each one does and when to play it, the game starts to make sense. The trick is to think about three things on every shot: height (how high you hit it), length (how far down the court it travels), and deception (how well you disguise what you're about to do). Get those three working together and you'll outplay people who simply hit harder.

The clear: send it long

The clear is your bread-and-butter shot from the back of the court. You hit the shuttle high and deep so it lands near your opponent's back tramlines. There are two versions, and the difference is all about trajectory. The defensive clear goes high and steep, buying you time to recover to the middle of the court. The attacking clear is flatter and faster, fired flat over your opponent's head to rush them and catch them out of position.

The drop shot: kill the length

The drop shot is the clear's quiet cousin. From the back court you use the same overhead preparation, but instead of powering the shuttle deep, you ease it gently so it falls just over the net into your opponent's forecourt. Because it starts out looking exactly like a clear, it's a brilliant deception shot. Play it when you want to drag a back-court opponent forward and open up space behind them. The closer to the net it lands, the harder it is to dig back.

The smash: the finisher

The smash is the most aggressive shot in the game: a steep, powerful downward hit aimed at the floor. It's your point-winner, played when the shuttle is high enough for you to angle it sharply down. Don't fall in love with it, though. A smash from the very back of the court loses its steepness and gives your opponent time to block it back, so pick your moment, ideally when the shuttle is short and high.

The net shot: soft hands win points

Played from the forecourt, the net shot is a delicate, controlled stroke that just tips the shuttle back over the net so it drops steeply on the other side. The aim is to make your opponent reach down and lift, handing you an attack. More advanced players add a slicing or tumbling action so the shuttle spins and flips over the tape, making it even harder to return cleanly.

1. Step in with your racket leg and reach towards the shuttle early.
2. Hold the racket loosely with relaxed fingers; net shots are about touch, not force.
3. Guide the shuttle over with a gentle push or tap rather than a swing.

The lift: the net's defensive answer

The lift is the opposite of the net shot. From the forecourt you scoop the shuttle underarm and send it high and deep to the back of your opponent's court, exactly the height and length of a defensive clear but played from the front. It's mainly a defensive, resetting shot: when an opponent has dropped or played a tight net shot, the lift buys you time and pushes them back so you can recover to base.

The drive: flat and fast

The drive is a flat, quick shot hit roughly parallel to the floor, skimming just over the net. It's a counter-attacking favourite, especially in doubles, where rallies are fast and there's no time to lift. A good drive forces your opponent to hit upwards, handing you the attack. Keep your grip relaxed and your racket up in front of you so you can fire it back quickly off either side.

The block: defending the smash

When your opponent smashes, you usually won't have time for a full swing, so you block. A block is a short, soft return that absorbs the pace of the smash and drops the shuttle just over the net, turning their attack into your net shot. The secret is doing almost nothing: hold the racket out, keep your grip loose and let the shuttle's own speed rebound off the strings.

Putting it together

You don't need every shot at once. Get comfortable with the clear, the drop and the net shot first, because together they teach you to control height and length all over the court. Add the smash, drive, lift and block as your movement improves. Above all, remember the goal of every shot: make the same preparation produce different results, so your opponent never quite knows whether the next one is going long, short or flat.