Badminton deception. There’s nothing quite like leaving your opponent stranded on the court as your shot completely confounds them. On the other hand, when you’re on the receiving end of it, it can be embarrassing. Below I will try to dissect briefly how deception is created and the advantages of using it in your game.
Image: Chartlin
What Is Deception
Badminton deception is playing a shot in such a way that the opponent has difficulty reading the outcome of your shot from your stroke and/or body movement.
Outcomes Of Deception
1. Opponents completely misread your shot and you win the point outright. If played well, a deceptive shot can completely fool your opponent, leaving them stranded on the court.
2. Cause your opponents to hesitate and reply to the shot late, forcing a weak reply. In such a case the opponent may pause their movement just a split second longer as they register your shot.
3. Force your opponent to adjust their movement pattern. Opponents may move towards a shot that they believe you are going to play before you’ve played it. They then have to change the direction of their movement to reply to your actual shot. This puts them under pressure to adjust their position and recover for your next shot.
Singles Vs Doubles Deception
Deception is more effective in singles as a winning shot. Simply for the reason that it’s easier to fool one person than two.
The singles player will have to cover the whole court themselves. Once they have been caught out they are immediately under pressure. In doubles, if you fool one of your opponents, their partner might cover them. Especially in the rear court as they have more time to react.
A disguised drop shot is the most common badminton deception in doubles. However, it’s not unusual to see very deceptive strokes in the front or midcourt areas.
How Deception Is Created
1. Having a strong foundation in your footwork and basic shots. Ensuring you are technically sound in your basic movement and strokes will mean that there will be a similar approach you take to your shots regardless of what shot you are actually going to play.
For example, when a player prepares to hit an overhead shot, the basic movement towards the shuttle and racket stroke looks the same, regardless of what the shot outcome is. All overhead shots have the same basic preparation, whether it’s a clear, smash or drop.
2. Reaching the shuttle early. If you are early onto the shuttle you have many more choices of what shot to play. At the net is a good example. If you reach the shuttle above the tape, you can kill it, drop the shuttle, play a net shot, or crosscourt. The crux of the matter is that your opponent is forced to wait until you play your shot because they’re uncertain of what you will do and will have to react to you.
The two above points create a natural deception. This is not a deliberate attempt to deceive your opponent but deception is created naturally through your uniform movement, ability to reach the shuttle early and shot strokes.
Natural deception directly impacts your ability to be more creative with how you play deceptive shots.
Creative Deception
This is enhancing the natural deception one already possesses to create more convincing and dramatic deceptions. Some of which are technically very difficult.
The video above video is courtesy of Victor Badminton and demonstrates a significant number of creative deceptions by Tai Tzu Ying, all of which are based on getting to the shuttle early, indicating to her opponents with her movement and racket in one shot, while producing something radically different. Each time she produces a deceptive shot is when she is in control of the rally and her opponent is under pressure. She is able to produce such shots because of her ability to play extremely well at the basic level of the sport.
Deceptive Shots In Badminton
Any basic shot can be deceptive. Below I have listed just a few deceptions commonly seen in badminton.
1. Deceptive overhead shots. Overhead shots have a wide number of deceptive variations. We’ve mentioned deceptive drop shots in doubles. However, you can also create deceptive clears which are especially useful in singles. In addition, smashes can be made deceptive through the use of slices and change of pace.
2. Hold and Flick. Seen mostly in singles the hold and flick can be used from the mid or forecourt. The shot is held a little longer before the shuttle is struck. An example can be seen below by Taufik Hidayat.
3. Double Action. This was used to great effect by Peter Gade. In effect, two shots are played. The first being a fake to mislead the opponent sending them cross court while playing the shot straight with the second motion. The video below from Badminton Channel shows Peter demonstrating this shot. It is a very difficult shot to play and requires great accuracy and timing.
When To Use Creative Deception
Badminton deception is most effective if you are controlling the rally and dictating the pace. Your opponent is under pressure. This puts them in situations where they are more likely to react to your deception because they are more rushed. Therefore they will attempt to reach the shuttle earlier to regain control of the rally. It is this rushed thinking that will cause them to be deceived.
Other situations include the return of serve when you can be relatively certain about the flight path of the shuttle and the speed at which it will travel. Therefore you can use this to your advantage to play deceptive shots which will set up the rally for you (as a singles player) or your partner in doubles.
It’s important to note not to play creative deception all the time. This is because it becomes predictable and loses its ability to mislead the opponent. Players will start to anticipate your shot and use this to their advantage. In particular, do not try to be deceptive when you are match point down. Many times players think they need to win a quick point in order to catch up. However, if you’re match point down, there’s a lot more pressure on you than, for example, if you were five points ahead. This will mentally affect you and distort your ability to play an effective deceptive shot.
Summary Of Deception In Badminton
Deception is an important part of any badminton player’s repertoire. However many players will try to be deceptive without being able to play the basic shots well. Deception is supplementary to your shot base. You cannot play deception to its full potential without first mastering the basics of the sport and building natural deception into your game.
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