You cannot return all serves using the same badminton grip. You need to be able to change grip quickly, especially in doubles.
Using a basic grip will help you change quickly to other grips.
Doubles
- Ready to attack the serve
Doubles receivers stand close to the short service line, in order to attack the low serve. They need to react immediately to three different types of serve: low, flick, and drive.
Using a short badminton grip can help you react more quickly and create power with a short hitting action. Most professional players use a short grip for receiving, but some use a long grip. The most common use of a long grip seems to be for the man in mixed doubles; the man usually tries to retreat from the forecourt after playing his low serve return, and using a long grip may help him play the next shot.
Hold the badminton racket lightly in your fingers, so that you can change the angle by turning the handle between your index finger and thumb. Don’t hold the badminton racket too loosely, however, because your hold must be stable enough for reacting instantly to drive serves.
Using the basic grip
- Ready with the basic grip
The basic grip is flexible: it can help you change quickly to other grips. For example, to return your opponent’s low serve with a drive, you need a thumb grip when the serve comes to your left and a panhandle grip when the serve comes to your right. The angle of the basic grip is between these two grips, so it helps you change to either of them quickly.
You may prefer the bevel grip to the basic grip. The only difference is thumb placement; the angle is the same, and both choices are good for changing to other badminton grips.
Moving towards a thumb grip
- Adjusted towards a thumb grip
When receiving serve, some players prefer to adjust their grip towards a thumb grip. This is useful mainly in the right service court, where a thumb grip is needed for most replies to a straight low serve.
The main purpose is to improve your readiness for the straight low serve. A secondary benefit is that this adjustment can improve your readiness for flick serves: you will need to smash when the shuttlecock is behind you, so shifting towards a thumb grip is necessary.
If you choose to adjust towards a thumb grip, remember that all your flick and drive serve returns should still be played with a forehand hitting action. You should not turn the backhand side
of your badminton racket to face the server (as if preparing for a backhand net kill).
Biasing towards a thumb grip has one main disadvantage: it’s harder to switch to panhandle. In the right service court, however, a panhandle grip is mainly used for returning wide low serves. Since the wide serve takes longer (because it travels farther), you may have enough time to change your badminton grip.
In the left service court, several returns to the straight low serve require a panhandle grip. If you bias your grip towards a thumb grip, then these returns will be more difficult.
Moving towards a panhandle grip
In the left service court, some players prefer to adjust their grip very slightly towards a panhandle grip. The adjustment is subtle, much like a smash grip adjustment.
For example, I’ve seen Donna Kellogg use this method. She also turned the forehand side of her racket to face the net. Both of these adaptations are ways to help you cover the straight low serve better.
This grip adjustment has much the same rationale as moving towards the thumb grip in the right service court: you’re trying to improve your readiness for the straight low serve.
Which is better?
Most professional players appear to use a basic grip, but some move towards a thumb grip. A few players move towards a panhandle grip. Experiment with the different options, and see which you prefer. You may find that you prefer a slightly different badminton grip for each service court.
While you experiment, be sensitive to how your choice of badminton grip may predispose you to certain replies, and prejudice you against others. Try to find a compromise that gives you a complete range of service returns.
A full thumb grip, as used for a backhand serve, is not a good idea. This grip is not flexible enough: astute opponents should serve to your forehand side; they could also try drive serves.
Similarly, a full panhandle grip is a terrible idea. Astute receivers should serve to your backhand side, or simply play a flick serve.
Singles
- Receiving in singles — a long grip
Follow the advice above as for doubles, but use a long grip instead of a short grip.