By Jackie Lu @badminton_physio
Welcome to our final part to conclude our badminton injury prevention series! We hope you have enjoyed the series so far and have learned some helpful tips to become a better badminton player. In this blog, we talk about the different hand grips used in badminton and when you should use them.
Why should you change grip?
Imagine if you were to use your hands to walk around all the time. While it may be possible for a short period of time, if you kept pushing, it will eventually start to fatigue and cause injuries. This is because our hands are designed for more fine motor tasks, like using a spoon, drawing and typing, instead of loading our whole body weight on our hands.
The same concept applies to your grip. Certain shots will require specific grips and angles. For more effective shots when playing badminton, making sure you have the right grip is critical. This ensures that you not only play better and more precisely but also helps to lessen the strain on your wrists.
As seen in the image and video below, there are four types of grips, and we will go through each grip and what type of shots they can be used in.
Forehand - Midcourt flats, backcourt clear, drops and smashes
Bevel - backhand in the rear court
Thumb (backhand grip) - backhand in the midcourt or at the net
Panhandle (hammer) – late backhand in the rear court
How to start practicing
With all these different grips, it can get overwhelming to remember everything. Our advice is to first start off by choosing one type of shot you want to learn. For example, rear court backhand. Then find a partner to continue hitting the shuttle to your rear court backhand until you begin getting the hang of the shot.
Try to do this for 5 to 10mins every time you play. Then during play, every time you have a rear court backhand switch to the correct grip to hit. Once you continue to repeat and practice every time it will eventually become muscle memory and be natural to you. Learning a new skill is always the hardest at the beginning!
If you have any questions about badminton injuries and skills, give us a shout!