Grip & Ready Position: Badminton technique, drills and fixes

Every badminton stroke starts from how you hold the racket and how you stand while you wait. Beginners need two grips first: the basic "V" grip for forehands and overheads, and the thumb grip for backhands in front of the body. Hold both relaxed, and wait in a balanced ready position with knees slightly bent, weight on the balls of your feet and the racket in front of you, so you can split-step and move off quickly.

Basic grip and thumb grip

Basic ("V") grip: close your hand around the handle so your thumb and first finger make a "V" shape on it, with your fingers spread along the handle rather than bunched together. Use it for shots level with you on either side and for overheads.

a loose V between thumb and first finger, fingers spread.

Thumb grip (backhand): for backhand shots in front of your body (net shots, lifts, backhand serve, drives in front), place your thumb on the back of the handle with a slight gap between your palm and the handle. Lead with the back of your hand.

your thumb doing the pushing behind the handle.

Change grips with your fingers, not your whole hand: roll the handle with your thumb and fingers to switch between the basic grip and the thumb grip, without turning your whole hand or arm.

the handle turning inside a loose hand.

Relaxed grip, long or short

Keep the grip relaxed and squeeze your fingers only when you hit. A relaxed grip makes grip changes easier and reduces fatigue. The squeeze at contact happens naturally and is stronger on powerful shots such as drives than on soft ones (net shots).

loose fingers that firm up only at the hit.

Choose a long or short grip for the shot. Hold near the base of the handle (bottom of your hand resting gently against the widened end) for reach and power, as on most rearcourt shots. Slide up the handle to a shorter grip for quick exchanges and control.

long for reach, short for speed.

Ready position and split-step

Set your feet: about shoulder-width apart, square or slightly staggered, knees slightly bent, weight over the balls of your feet. Keep your upper body between your feet with a slight forward lean.

light on your feet, balanced over the middle.

Hold the racket in front of you with the arm relaxed and slightly bent, not locked straight up. In mid-court the racket head sits above your hand. Hold it higher when you expect to attack at the net and lower when you are defending.

racket out front, elbow soft.

Split-step as your opponent hits: make a small, shallow jump just before they strike the shuttle, land on a slightly wider base with knees bent, and push off quickly toward the shot.

a light bounce that loads your legs to move.

Feel it

Your hand is loose enough that the racket could be rolled between grips with your thumb and fingers, and it only firms up at the hit. In the ready position you feel light on the balls of your feet, knees soft, upper body over your base, and the racket out in front where you can bring it to either side.

Fix-its

You use the panhandle (frying-pan) grip for everything The panhandle grip, with the face square to the net, has a place: forehand net kills and some backhands well behind you. For overheads and shots level with you, switch to the basic V grip.
You squeeze the handle all the time Relax your fingers between shots and squeeze only when you hit. A tight grip makes grip changes slow and tires your forearm.
You play backhands with the forehand grip For backhands in front of you, roll into the thumb grip so your thumb sits on the back of the handle and can push.
You turn your whole hand or arm to change grip Keep the hand loose and roll the handle with your thumb and fingers. Practise the switch on a signal until it is quick.
You stand tall and flat-footed with the arm locked up Bend your knees slightly, get onto the balls of your feet, and hold the racket in front with a relaxed, slightly bent arm.

Drill

Keep-ups: hit a shuttle up 5 times with the basic grip (palm up), then 5 times with the thumb grip (back of hand leading). Reduce to 4, 3, 2, then 1 so you alternate grips every hit.
Tic-toc grip change (about 5 min): stand in the ready position and switch between the basic and thumb grip each time a partner or coach calls the beat, rolling the handle with your fingers.
Partner feed: a partner throws underarm to your forehand and backhand alternately. Hit 12 shots with the correct grip on each side, then swap roles.
Split-step walk: move down the hall and do a split-step at each line or on a call, landing balanced with knees bent, then push off.
Film yourself from the front at waist height in your ready position and split-step. Check feet about shoulder-width, knees bent and the racket in front. Check your grip yourself up close; the camera can't see your fingers.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-26.