Advanced Technique: The Reverse Slice Drop Shot

Introduction

After you master the basic badminton drop shot, consider bringing your drop shot skills to the next level.

The reverse slice drop shot is an advanced badminton technique.

It is used as:

• A more deadly drop shot. Slicing makes the shuttle drop steeper, making it harder for your opponent to retrieve!
• A shot to deceive your opponent. When executed properly, your opponent will think the shuttle is heading towards one direction while you send it to another direction.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to incorporate these 2 techniques into your drop:

• the technique of slicing
• the reverse action

Hence the name “reverse slice drop shot”.

Higher Quality Drop Shot

To get a drop falling steeply, you need to slice the shuttle. By doing this you can make the shuttle fall steeply pass the net.

A basic drop shot lands at point A. The reverse slice drop shot, on the other hand, lands at Point B (i.e. falls steeper and lands nearer to the net). It’s much harder to retrieve a drop shot at point B.

Deceive Your Opponent

This is done through a reverse action. A reverse action simply means swinging your racket towards one direction, while sending the shuttlecock to another.

When you perform the reverse slice drop shot, you will produce a cross court trajectory.

The idea is to make your opponent think that you’re going to do a straight shot. Then by adjusting the head of your racket at an angle, you slice the shuttlecock and send it at an angle.

Perform the reverse slice drop shot either from the left side or right side from the back of the court.

In the pictures above, you swing your racket forward (red line). At the same time, slice the shuttlecock so that it flies cross court to point B (blue line).

Tutorial

The technique is exactly the same as performing a basic forehand badminton stroke. The only difference is you position your racket face at an angle to slice the shuttle.

For a basic badminton drop shot, the shuttlecock travels towards the same direction as your swing.

This means that if you swing your racket forward, you’ll produce a straight drop shot.

Angle the racket face slightly to the RIGHT to slice your drop shot towards the right side of the court.

Angle the racket face slightly to the LEFT to slice your drop shot towards the left side of the court.

Slicing from the back of the court requires

• good control
• perfect shot power

If you can perform a good badminton stroke, you’ll naturally have control and power.

Good Control

When executing the reverse slice, you need to have good control over your racket.

What I mean is that you have to angle your racket to ensure the shuttle is directed cross court. If angled correctly, it will land inside. If you overdo it (i.e. you tilt your racket too much), the shuttle will fly out!

Perfect Shot Power

Slicing is NOTHING like hitting the shuttle normally. When you hit the shuttle normally, ALL the power from your stroke is transferred to your shot.

As for slicing, not all the power from your stroke is transferred to your shot. This means you need a more powerful stroke to slice the shuttle cross court!

This is where it’s difficult. If your stroke is too strong, your slice might send the shuttle out of the court.

A gentle stroke with sufficient power is the KEY to a perfect slice.

Avoid adding wrist action when slicing. Wrist action can generate a lot of power, but it is very difficult to control the direction of the shuttle.

Therefore, focus on a good stroke. Your forehand swing action can control the direction better.

Important Tips/Advice

1. Master it!

Learning it is not enough. This skill requires practise! Angle your racket face to produce a good cross court slice. Keep trying until you get the right angle.

2. Deceive your opponent.

If you can execute this badminton shot perfectly, you’ll be able to deceive your opponent.

It’s hard to guess the direction of your shot until you actually hit it. If your opponent focuses on your racket movement, they will probably fall into your trap.

3. This shot requires excellent CONTROL.

Avoid using wrist action because it is difficult to control. Your swing will generate power and the direction will come from the positioning of your racket.

4. Use thinner badminton string.

Badminton strings with a thinner diameter is probably better for slicing. If you want to execute a perfect reverse slice, avoid using strings that are thicker than 0.66mm.

I personally use the Yonex BG66 Ultimax badminton string (0.65mm) and I find myself producing high quality reverse slices from the rear court.