Ever had difficulty moving about in court while playing badminton? This article is for you! The basic front-back attacking footwork is the bread and butter of all Badminton footwork. This basic footwork is most commonly used by badminton players of all levels to navigate the length of the court.
The reason why this basic footwork is a must learn as a beginner, is because other beginners usually do not have enough skill or accuracy to move you around the width of the court. Thus, the ability to travel along the length of the court quickly will give you a great advantage.
Not only will this basic footwork develop the fundamentals for safe and effective movement (not only footwork but also racket techniques); this basic footwork is also the most effective way to pose a greater challenge to other beginner players.
It’s simple and easy, let’s get you fast.
There are two variations of this basic footwork covered in the video when moving forward, but only one when returning to baseline.
Of course, there are more variations, but that is another article for another time.
In the article below, we have broken the video down into step-by-step instructions on practising the Basic Badminton Attacking Footwork.
To begin the basic footwork, place your racket foot on or close to the baseline (right foot if you are right-handed and vice-versa), and your non-racket foot in front towards the net. Raise your racket as you would to prepare for an overhead shot.
Get into a ready position!
Then, do a jump-swing while rotating your torso and hips, bringing your racket foot forwards simultaneously.
Here’s where the variation begins, depending on the number of footsteps it takes for you to reach the front of the court:
1) Reaching the service line in two steps comfortably is no problem.
For right handed players, take would be a left step, and then ending with a right lunge. For Left-handed players, change all “rights” to “lefts”.
2) Reaching the service line in two steps comfortably is not your thing.
Strafe/Skip a single step while maintaining the same footing, and then take two steps to the front.
For right-handed players, that would mean after the first swing at the back, you should skip/strafe forward once while maintaining the right foot forwards, and then taking two steps forwards: a left, and finally ending again with a right lunge.
To return to the baseline, simply skip backwards once, maintaining the racket foot forwards.
Then finally, switch foot while moving backwards and continue strafing towards the baseline.
Now, you might be wondering why skip one step back first. This is to prepare in the event of a potential net-kill/tap opportunity (Explained in video).
In totality, it should look like:
Some important tips to make your footwork safe yet effective:
- Ensure that you always land with your racket foot in front, with a good lunge to reduce impact
- Ensure that your toes are pointed in the direction of movement.
- Focus on safety and speed first, form can come later
I hope you have learnt something from this article! Stay tuned for our basic footwork drill article that will help you get that extra speed you need in court.
Or, if your footwork is already fancy, why not check our Badminton Shoe Selection Guide to get a fancy pair of shoes for your fancy feet!
Until next time!
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