Which badminton grip for lifts?

Forehand lifts

Forehand lift

For forehand lifts, use the basic grip. This will be effective both at the net and from the midcourt.

For some deceptive lifts from the net in singles, you may find it helpful to adjust your badminton grip slightly towards panhandle. Backhand deceptive lifts follow the same principle, but move towards a full thumb grip (see below).

Backhand lifts

For backhand lifts, you may need either a basic grip, a thumb grip, or a bevel grip.

For most lifts, I recommend the bevel grip, perhaps with a slight shift towards the thumb grip. The bevel (or basic) grip generally allows more freedom of movement in the wrist and forearm than the thumb grip.

Key tip

Whichever grip you use, remember that the thumb should stay straight when you hit a backhand (don’t curl it around the handle).

Lifts from the net

Deceptive backhand lift

For lifts from the net, a thumb grip is often best, especially if the shuttlecock is directly in front of you.

In particular, a thumb grip is useful for playing deceptive lifts in singles (hold and flick). The idea is to use as little arm movement as possible, delaying your lift until the last moment so that your opponent thinks you are playing a net shot. This deceptive lift is most effective when you hit it shallow instead of high: you deprive your opponent of time.

You don’t need much power for a shallow lift. Since you don’t need much power, you don’t need much arm rotation: this shot is mainly in the fingers.

A thumb grip is not always the best choice at the net, however. For example, suppose you want to play a crosscourt lift when the shuttlecock is well to your left. In this case, the stroke is more natural using the basic grip or bevel grip, because the thumb grip does not let the wrist move freely enough (making it hard to achieve the crosscourt angle). If the shuttlecock is even farther to the left, you will need to shift towards a panhandle grip with the thumb on the side of the handle (bevel 1).

Key tip

Don’t assume that the thumb grip is always best. Be flexible with your badminton grip, so that you can adjust for different angles.