Let’s start with the basics. We’ll worry about deception later.
Stand near the back of the court, and have a partner racket-feed lifts to you. Ask him to hit the lifts high, so that you have plenty of time.
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Preparation
Make your preparation the same as for a clear or smash: stand almost side-on to the net, with your right elbow back. Your elbows and shoulders should be in a line.
Why does this preparation matter for drop shots?
If your opponent knows you are about to play a drop shot, he can wait for it at the net! By disguising your drop shots to look like clears or smashes, you can make him wait longer before moving forwards.
It’s not only about disguise, however. The correct preparation will also help you play a better shot, by encouraging you to reach up and make a smooth hitting action. Which brings us to…
Reach up for a high contact point
The higher you can contact the shuttle, the better. Ideally you should be hitting at full relaxed reach. Start your hitting action by bringing your elbow upwards and forwards, and extend your arm as you reach upwards for the shuttle.
A high contact point means your drop shot will travel downwards, not flat; this makes it a more effective attacking shot.
Use the right grip
Hold your racket in a relaxed basic grip. You will need to make sure the racket strings are pointing at the shuttle when you hit it; to make this happen, you’ll probably need to turn your arm inwards slightly.
Do not use a panhandle grip. For most beginners, a panhandle grip feels more natural, but it’s the wrong grip here. Using a panhandle grip will make you hit with a low contact point, and will also cause other problems later.
Contact the shuttle slightly in front of you
Try to position yourself slightly behind the shuttle, so that you hit your drop shots from above and just in front of you. If the shuttle has travelled behind you, it will be more difficult to play a good drop shot.
The ideal contact point is above and slightly in front of your right shoulder.
Use a soft pushing action
Hit the shuttle gently and smoothly. You do not need much power to make it travel over the net. Keep your arm movement compact and controlled, and avoid making a snapping action with your wrist.
Think of it as pushing through
the shuttle, rather than flicking or tapping at it. You are guiding the shuttle over the net with your whole arm.
After you hit the shuttle, follow through smoothly with your arm, rather than stopping suddenly. The follow-through should initially be in the direction of your shot; after that, you can allow your arm to relax naturally across the front of your body.
What about arm rotation?
For forehand clears and smashes, generating power using arm rotation is a essential part of the technique. That power is not needed for playing a drop shot.
The arm does rotate during drop shots, but much less forcefully than for clears or smashes: for clears and smashes, arm rotation is sudden and violent; for drop shots, it is gentle and smooth.
You probably don’t need to worry about getting the arm rotation right. Focus on the correct preparation, reaching up for a high contact point, and making the racket face the shuttle at impact. The required arm rotation will likely happen without thinking about it.
Goals
Basic control
At this stage, don’t worry about deception. Just concentrate on the quality of your drop shots.
Begin by aiming for the service line, and don’t worry about getting your drop shots to pass close over the net tape. At this stage you’re learning about how much force to use when you hit the shuttle.
Once this is working, try making the shuttle pass closer over the net tape — say, no more than 30 cm (about a foot). Don’t try to make it perfect: you need to leave some margin for error. Although tighter is better, the exact height is not critical for drop shots.
Varying the pace
Try varying the pace of your drop shots. Can you make them land even closer to the net — say, halfway between the net and the service line? Can you make them land farther from the net? These variations are useful.
To achieve these slower or faster drops, you need to use two techniques:
- Varying the speed of your hitting action
- Adjusting your contact point (by changing where you stand)
For a slower drop, slow down your pushing action even more. Contact the shuttle with your racket pointing somewhat upwards: you want to send the shuttle upwards and forwards on a slower, loopier path. This works best if your wrist is bent back (extended) and your contact point is directly above your racket shoulder, rather than slightly in front.
For a faster drop, make the gentle pushing action more forceful. This time, the ideal contact point is slightly farther in front (more like a smash), and you’re hitting more steeply downwards. You can also try using the wrist to adjust how steeply and how hard you hit the shuttle, but keep any wrist movements small and subtle.
In other words: a very fast drop shot is like a very slow smash!
Varying the direction
Next try varying the direction of your drop shots. Can you play them cross-court as well as straight? Can you play them to the middle? Can you do this from either rearcourt corner (remember that we often play forehands in our backhand corner), or from the middle?
To control the direction of your drop shots, simply change the direction of your arm movement. Pay particular attention to your follow-through movement: after contact, your arm movement should initially follow the shuttle — almost as if the shuttle were dragging your arm behind it!
If you need a greater change of angle, you can bend (flex) your wrist as you hit the shuttle. This is especially useful when playing a cross-court drop shot from your backhand corner (round-the-head).
Because the cross-court distance is longer, cross-court drops require a bit more force.
Once you can hit all these different angles, try combining them with changes of pace. For example: can you hit a slow cross-court drop from your backhand corner, making the shuttle land close to the net? Can you do the same thing, but hit it faster to land beyond the service line?
Copyright © 2008–2012 Mike Hopley. All rights reserved.
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