Slicing the shuttle in badminton is one of the most effective and deceptive techniques, allowing you to outmanoeuvre opponents with clever shot placement and unexpected trajectory. When executed properly, a sliced shot makes the shuttlecock travel at a slower pace or in an altered direction, confusing your opponent and disrupting their rhythm.
In this blog post, we’ll explore why slicing the shuttle in badminton is so effective, the benefits of mastering this technique, and some tips for improving your slice shots.
What Is a Slice in Badminton?
A slice is a type of shot where the racket cuts across the shuttle at an angle instead of hitting it squarely. Although in many instances we might assume that this is slicing across the shuttles, it can also mean slicing across the cork. The general effect of slicing the shuttle is to:
- Slow the shuttle down, contrary to swing speed (or perceived swing speed).
- Change the direction of the shuttle, contrary to swing direction and relative to the angle of the racket head
- Cause the shuttle to fall at a steeper angle.
An experienced player will be able to produce a slice shot that delivers all three of the attributes above.
Types Of Shots That Use The Slice In Badminton
Typically, we associate the slice with a drop shot as that is its most common use. However, it can also be used with:
- Forehand Drop
- Backhand Drop
- Smash
- Drive
You wouldn’t normally slice a clear. Naturally, you want it to travel the full distance of the court and therefore slicing it would likely create a shorter clear which would be punished.
Straight Slice Vs Reverse Slice
Straight Slice
A straight slice is played from the rear backhand corner. The shuttle travels straight down the tramlines with the slice adding to the deception and changing the trajectory of the shot. For the straight slice, the shuttle is cut on your racket side. For example, if you’re right-handed, you slice the right-hand side of the shuttle.
Interestingly, in the hands of a lefty the straight slice is a little more dangerous, which we’ll get to later.
Reverse Slice
A reverse slice would be slicing the shuttle on the opposite or non-racket side. From the rear backhand corner, this would result in a cross-court shot into the opponent’s court as Loh Kean Yew demonstrates below. This shot is slightly more difficult than the straight slice, at least in my opinion. It requires better racket control to slice the shuttle accurately as well as the additional deception needed to show the opponent the opposite of where the shuttlecock is going.
The Reverse Straight Slice
The reverse straight slice is one of the most difficult shots to play in badminton. Playing it successfully, though, will leave your opponents unable to react at all! Leaving you looking pretty damn cool.
Compared to the two slices above, the reverse straight slice is a more obvious action. The reverse straight slice is not played in the same way. Instead, it is more subtle, with the slice coming slightly off-centre of the cork on the non-racket side.
This is played as drop shot from the forehand side. Everything about the body and stroke implies a cross-court shot. However, the shuttle is played straight by slicing across it at the point of impact. This is extremely deceptive and even at the top level is fairly rare to see. Watch Lee Chong Wei perform it perfectly to end the rally above.
A backhand reverse straight slice can also be performed but is perhaps the hardest shot to play in badminton. In the hands of a master like Tai Tzu Ying it looks effortless and incredibly deceptive. Slicing the shuttle in this way requires a very high level of skill.
Cross Court Slice
A cross-court slice is played from the forehand side in the rear court and the slice is on the racket side of the shuttle, making it the opposite of the reverse slice cross court. This is perhaps the most thought-of shot when players think of a sliced shot. This shot is difficult to be consistent with and requires very good control of the shuttle to pull off.
What is the Effect Of Slicing The Shuttle In Badminton?
The reason why the slice is effective in badminton is because it forces the shuttle to behave unnaturally. In a normal shot in which the shuttle is not sliced, the shuttle must turn to point towards the direction it is travelling. The spin of the shuttle is naturally counter-clockwise and it spins at a certain rotation speed which creates stability in the flight of the shuttle. The shuttle is generally predictable as to the direction and speed in most “normal” shots. However, the slice changes this by forcing the shuttle to rotate faster or oppose the direction of it’s spin.
Effect Of The Slice On The Shuttle
The natural spin of a shuttle is in an anti-clockwise direction due to the way the feathers overlap each other. A right-handed player who plays a straight slice or cross-court slice will cut the shuttle on its right-hand side. In practice, this means that the shuttle is sliced with the natural rotation of the shuttle. This causes the shuttle to spin much faster in an anti-clockwise direction, increasing drag on the shuttle. The drag is created by the skirt of the shuttle widening creating more surface area and therefore greater air resistance. This causes the shuttle to fall faster and at a steeper angle. This can catch opponents off guard when the shuttle falls much shorter than they would have expected.
Bonus points if you’re a lefty! The straight slice is played against the natural rotation of the shuttle. This forces the shuttle to spin clockwise instead. Therefore, the shuttle has to additionally correct its rotation, which means the shuttle falls a little faster than that played by a right-hander. Nevertheless, this does not make a significant difference in reality.
The opposite is true when playing reverse slices. For right-handers, you slice the left side of the shuttle, against the natural rotation of the shuttle. This makes this shot more tricky as you have to compensate for the slice by hitting the shuttle harder to ensure the shuttle travels the distance intended. Left-handers will play reverse slices with the rotation of the shuttle, similar to a right-hander’s straight slice.
For the reverse slice, the pace is taken out of the shuttle by slicing along the face of the cork. The deception element comes from the stroke of the racket head which implies the shuttle is travelling the opposite way to where it actually ends up.
Benefits of Using a Slice Shot
- Deception: The main advantage of a slice shot is its deceptive nature. When you prepare for a normal shot, your opponent may expect the shuttle to travel in a certain way. A slice, however, makes the shuttle slow down or change direction, catching your opponent off guard.
- Control: Slices can help you control rallies, as the unpredictable shuttle path can disrupt opponents’ footwork.
- Slows the pace: Slicing can help disrupt their rhythm by slowing down the game and giving you more time to recover and reposition.
- Variation: Playing a fast attacking rally will condition the opponent to expect hard shots. Slices will help maintain your speed of movement but upset the pace of the shuttle – confusing your opponent.
Some Tips When Slicing The Shuttle In Badminton
There’s plenty of information out there on how to play the slice itself. It would be too cumbersome to write out how to actually do it. I have included here some videos from other content creators on how to perform this shot.
However, we can share some additional tips here which will help you get the most out of those slices.
Hit The Shuttle Harder Than You Think For Sliced Drops
Don’t think of the slice drop falling as close to the net as possible. Many players condition themselves to think a drop should fall as close to the net as possible. In some instances, that might be the goal. But with a sliced drop, you have to compensate for the sharp fall in speed of the drop.
This is especially true for cross-court drops. Remember, the shuttle slows much faster during slices so hitting them too lightly means there’s a good chance it will fall short of crossing the net. It’s important to maintain a fast swing speed. Not only will this help with the distance on the shuttle, it will also help with the deception of the stroke.
Hitting Action
For a straight slice – instead of hitting the shuttle straight on, you have to cut the shuttle on the right-hand side (if you’re right-handed). I like to think of it as an axe swing but from above your head, if that helps anybody. Try to keep your racket at the same angle as when it’s just behind your head and don’t pronate your forearm any further. This will prevent you from hitting it too flat, which will not have the slice effect you’re looking for.
For a reverse slice, you don’t want to slice across the shuttle as with the straight slice. Mainly because this is pretty difficult to do considering you’re taking the shuttle around your head and trying to slice it to the same degree would require an insane amount of skill. Instead, you want to hit the cork off-centre which will force the shuttle to travel cross-court. It’s the racket movement which creates the deception and angle of the shot.
Also don’t forget to take the shuttle at its highest point! Otherwise, you’ll lose some vital distance that could mean the difference between a successful slice or not.
Use Your Wrist To Slice
Slicing the shuttle in badminton isn’t just about the forearm action. The wrist needs to be used to help create the right angle to slice the shuttle. Just the movement of the forearm won’t be enough. This helps to create the slice and also create the speed in the racket head needed to create power while keeping the stroke deceptive.
Make sure you follow through as well! When you’ve struck the shuttle, the racket head needs to continue it’s path downwards, lead by the wrist to pull it in the direction you want it to go depending on the slice you play.
Don’t Rely On Your Stroke Only For Deception
While the stroke itself creates a natural deception, your body language also needs to follow suit. It needs to look like every other overhead stroke to keep your opponent guessing. Don’t think the speed of your swing is enough to confuse the opposition. An experienced player will be able to read most strokes if the body language doesn’t line up.
Image: Antony Stanley
Don’t Force The Deception
Many players who are learning this shot focus too much on trying to be deceptive, rather than playing the shot consistently. Once you’re able to play this shot effectively, there’s no need to force the deception. It occurs naturally through the motions of the shot. It’s not the same as a stop drop where there’s an obvious attempt to be deceptive.
Conclusion
Slicing the shuttle in badminton and mastering a variety of those shots can give you a strong weapon in your arsenal. Slicing allows you to control the pace of the game and adds an element of unpredictability to your shots. Practice regularly, focus on your wristwork and timing, and you’ll be slicing your way to victory in no time!
If you haven’t already – make sure to check out Alien Pros grips so you can really add some extra flare on court when playing those slices! They provide an excellent selection of unique racket grips which will help you stand out from the crowd.
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