How to Hit a Forehand in Badminton

The forehand is a fundamental shot to play in badminton. The forehand occurs to nearly all players naturally as it involves hitting the shuttlecock forward with your dominant hand. When you advance your level of play, however, you find that there are a wide range of forehand shots you can play, both defensive and attacking, using which you can dominate rallies and win points.

Instructions

    • 1

      Read your opponents shot to ascertain whether you should play a forehand or a backhand shot. Use a forehand if your opponent hits the shuttlecock wide of your dominant hand — a right handed player would use a forehand when the shuttlecock is wide of his body on the right hand side, for example.

    • 2

      Lead with the foot on your racket-bearing side, which you should plant on the court's surface to give you a firm footing to play your forehand from. Lean your body low if the shuttlecock is dropping level with or below your waist or stay upright if the shuttlecock is any higher than your navel.

    • 3

      Observe your opponent's shot and determine the best type of forehand to play. Use a deep, defensive shot, which you hit to the back of your opponent's court, if you are struggling during a rally and having to stretch to retrieve the shuttlecock. Select an aggressive, attacking forehand, where you aim to angle to shuttlecock downwards over the net, however, if you are dominating a point and have your opponent on the run.

    • 4

      Play your chosen forehand stroke, which you can hit high and deep into your opponent's court using a large swing with a big follow-through. Use no follow-through, however, if you wish to drop the shuttlecock just over the net into your opponent's court, which is known as a drop shot. Play a smash forehand shot from above your head by hitting the shuttlecock as hard as possible with a large follow-through and angling it down over the net and low.