Why The Backhand Action Is Used In Doubles Defence

Featured Image: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin

In another article about doubles defence, I discussed the correct positioning for your body, racket and feet when in defence. You might have noticed if you watch professional badminton, players take almost all defensive shots on their backhand in doubles. So below I’m going to explain why and it’s advantages.

Backhand Action In Defence

Most players will defend with a backhand action and prefer to play defensive backhand shots with a backhand thumb grip. This is not the same as biasing your racket position to the backhand side. It’s biasing which face of the racket you defend with.

In the above video, you can see most of the defensive shots are played using the backhand, even though some shots are played to the defender’s forehand side. Nearly all defensive shots can be played with the backhand side of the racket and with a backhand grip. So why is this prefered?

It actually has to do with the anatomy of the body and the greatest potential to return a smash. The backhand allows for a much greater range of movement, covering both the forehand and backhand sides as well as body smashes. This is because the elbow is in a much more natural position to play defensive shots. There is more freedom for the arm to move in a number of directions and to generate power.

You can test this yourself;

• Imagine you are ready to defend a smash.
• Now imagine a clock around you with 12 above your head. We will use this for reference.
• Now play every forehand defensive shot available to you assuming the smash comes straight but at any angle.
• Now do the same thing but with a backhand action
• What you should find is that on the forehand you can play any shot between roughly 9 – 4 o’clock. At 9 you are playing around the head forehand and at 4 you are playing a lift. At 5 and 6 the elbow starts to move too far into the body to play a comfortable and effective forehand. You will have to move your body out of the way to give you the space to play shots in this area.
• On the backhand, you should notice that you can play almost all positions around the clock face, including the middle (i.e. defend against a body smash). It is almost impossible to defend a smash to the body with a forehand action. The anatomy of the body simply doesn’t allow it. Your elbow has to come into your body and your wrist has to bend unnaturally backwards. It’s impossible unless you’re some kind of contortionist.

Therefore the backhand is much more versatile in badminton defence than the forehand. It allows for a much great range of movement and coverage. This is because the elbow is in a much more natural position to play defensive shots.

Other Advantages Of The Back Hand Action

1. More Power. As mentioned above, there is more power to be gained from a backhand defensive shot. Not only is there more room to play the shot due to the position of your elbow, but your forearm can also supernate which gives more power to shots such as defensive lifts. Finger power can also be used more efficiently with a backhand grip which helps add power to your shot. This is important for defensive drives for example.

2. Better Control. Many players find that a backhand grip provides more control when playing softer defensive shots. For example, holding the racket with a backhand thumb grip allows you to guide the shuttle better for pushes and blocks as the shot is being played from a racket stabilised by the thumb.

3. Much Better Option For Body Smashes: Often when you’re playing, you might become tangled when a smash is played directly at your torso. These are very difficult to return with a forehand action. It’s much more comfortable on the backhand. Especially if it’s one of those moments you’re just reacting to the shuttle because the smash is coming at you from closer than you would like!

This is not to say that forehand doubles defence is redundant. Of course, there will be situations in which a forehand would be appropriate. But the natural position and movement of the arm make the backhand a better option for most shots.

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