Many badminton singles beginners often find themselves at a loss when facing their opponent’s net short shots—either lifting a high shuttle that gets smashed, or returning the shot with poor quality and giving away a point directly. The net flick shot (net搓球) is one of the core skills to solve this problem. It gently flicks the incoming shuttle over the net with spin, making the shuttle land close to the opponent’s net area, making it hard for the opponent to launch an attack, and even directly causing the opponent to make mistakes. Today, we will take you to quickly master this technique in the simplest way.
1. First understand: What is a net flick shot?¶
Simply put, a net flick shot is to gently nudge the bottom of the shuttlecock with your racket in the net area, so that the shuttle flies over the net with rotation and lands close to the opponent’s net zone. Unlike lifting a high shuttle, the flick shot has a slow speed and lands close to the net, which can directly disrupt the opponent’s offensive rhythm. It is a key technique for singles to move the opponent and create scoring opportunities.
2. Flick shot steps that even beginners can learn¶
New players don’t need to pursue fancy movements, just master the basic movements firmly. There are 4 easy-to-remember and practice steps in total:
1. Stance and Preparation
Stand 1.2-1.5 meters away from the net, turn sideways to the net, place your重心 on your front foot (for example, if the incoming shot is on your right, use your right foot as the front foot). Hold the racket in front of you at about waist height, relax your wrist, don’t grip the racket tightly—hold it like you’re holding an egg, to keep your wrist flexible.
2. Move to find the hitting point
When you see your opponent’s shot is a net short ball, quickly move your feet so that the hitting point is in front of your body and below the waist position—never let the shuttle fall behind your body, because it will be very difficult to control the shot’s landing point.
3. Precise Hitting
Gently touch the bottom of the shuttlecock’s cork with the sweet spot of the racket (the center of the racket face). At the same time, quickly rotate your wrist inward (what we often call “flipping the wrist”), like gently “scraping” the bottom of the shuttle to make it fly over the net with rotation. Note here: Only use your wrist and fingers to exert force, no need to swing your arm vigorously. Beginners often make the mistake of using too much force.
4. Follow-through and Return to Position
After hitting the shuttle, let the racket naturally follow your arm back to the front preparation position, don’t stop there, and immediately get ready for the next shot.
3. 3 most common mistakes for beginners & correction methods¶
- Gripping the racket too tightly, unable to move the wrist
Many beginners get nervous during play and grip the racket so tightly that their wrists cannot move at all. The resulting flick shots will either fly too high or go out of bounds. Correction method: Keep your fingers slightly relaxed when gripping the racket, and only gently clamp the racket with your fingers at the moment of hitting. - Hitting point is too far back
Failing to move your feet in advance, letting the shuttle fall behind your body, and only being able to swing the racket reluctantly. The flick shot will not have a controllable landing point. Correction method: Judge the direction of the incoming shot in advance, move quickly into position, and always keep the hitting point in front of your body. - Using too much force and flicking the shuttle out
Beginners always think they need to hit hard to score, but the opposite is true for flick shots. The more force you use, the more likely you are to send the shuttle out of bounds or lift it high. Correction method: Only use your wrist to gently nudge the racket, so that the shuttle just flies over the net and lands, trying to make the landing point as close to the opponent’s net area as possible.
4. How to use flick shots to score in actual matches?¶
After mastering the basic movements, you can use these 3 scenarios in actual matches to maximize the effect of flick shots:
1. Counter your opponent’s net short shots
When your opponent returns a net short ball to you, don’t rush to lift a high shuttle. Use a flick shot to send the ball to your opponent’s backhand net zone—the opponent’s backhand area is already a weak spot, which can directly disrupt their rhythm.
2. Move your opponent around the court
If you want to move your opponent to the left court, flick the ball to the opponent’s left net zone; if you want to move them to the right, flick to the right. After the opponent moves continuously, gaps will appear, and you can seize the opportunity to attack.
3. Connect to follow-up attacks
Don’t stand still and watch after flicking the shot. Immediately return to the ready position in the middle of the court, because your opponent is likely to return the shot to your midcourt area, and you can get ready for offense or defense in advance.
5. Quick practice tips for beginners¶
- Practice against a wall: Stand about 2 meters away from the wall, use the flick shot motion to hit the shuttle against the wall, so that the shuttle falls close to the wall, to practice controlling your wrist’s force and racket face angle.
- Practice with a partner: Ask your partner to feed you a few net short balls, and you specifically practice flick shots to slowly get a feel for it. Don’t pursue speed at first, just focus on controlling the landing point.
- Watch professional players’ movements: You can find clips of badminton matches to watch the net flick shots of top players, focusing on their wrist rotation and hitting point position, to learn their feel for the shot.
Finally, remind beginners: You don’t need to pursue perfect rotation right away when learning net flick shots. First, master the standard movements and control the shuttle’s landing point, and you will slowly get a feel for it, and soon be able to use this practical technique in singles matches.
