In badminton, players must hit the shuttlecock back over the net before it touches the ground. A player win points when her opponent cannot return the shuttlecock or when her opponent hits the shuttlecock out of bounds or into the net. In singles badminton, one player must cover the whole court. Because of this challenge, singles badminton requires certain different strategies than doubles badminton.
Create Movement Pressure
The Badminton Bible recommends that singles players focus more on creating movement pressure rather than shot-making pressure. When you create movement pressure, you force your opponent to move into different areas of the court so that she no longer holds the optimal position for covering the court and making offensive shots. Alternate long shots with drop shots, for example, to keep your opponent moving. Force your opponent to travel the longest possible distance by hitting shots to the corners of the court.
Hit Low
Try hit the shuttlecock so that it passes just over the net. Low shots require your opponent to hit a defensive shot, hitting the shuttlecock upwards rather than downwards. When your opponent hits the shuttlecock upwards and high over the net, you will have a better opportunity to attack the shuttlecock and hit it downwards toward the surface of your opponent’s court. Beware of smashing the shuttlecock when your opponent is near the net; he could simply block it back onto your side of the court.
High Serves
Force your opponent to move to the back of the court by serving high and long. Though a high serve can give your opponent the opportunity to attack the shuttlecock in a downwards motion, a high and long serve will require her to surrender the center of the court. From the back of the court, your opponent will not be in as good a position to attack the shuttlecock.
Variety
Vary the placement and speed of your serves and shots. Serve to different parts of the service box and with different amounts of force. Vary the amount of time you take to serve the shuttlecock. Serve and shot variety will keep your opponent guessing, and will make it harder for your opponent to predict your shots.
Recovery
In singles badminton, you will often find yourself running to an extreme end of the court to hit the shuttlecock before it touches the court’s surface. If your opponent pushes you to the edges of the court, recover by hitting a high and long shot that will give you time to return to the center of the court. Be prepared for another attack from your opponent, as any high shot will give your opponent the opportunity to smash the shuttlecock. In many situations, however, the high shot will be your best option.
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