Badminton · Volley & net play · Tactics & patterns

Deception: holds and flicks

At the net, show the same racket preparation, hold it, then choose a tight net shot or a flick over the opponent.

P1P2
Start / 4
Time
15 min
Players
2–4
Age
U16+
Area
Full court
Equipment
10 shuttles

Setup

  1. P1 works on one side and P2 on the other, both starting from a singles base.
  2. Optional: tape a rear-court zone behind P2's doubles long service line to show where flicks should land.

How it runs

  1. P2 plays a net shot to P1's front court.
  2. P1 reaches early with the racket up and in front, showing a net shot, and holds that preparation as long as possible.
  3. P1 then chooses: a tight or spinning net shot, or a flick lift over P2 to the rear court.
  4. P2 must read it and reply; play the rally out for three more shots.
  5. Ten reps each, then swap. P1 scores a point every time P2 moves the wrong way first.

Coaching points

  • Same preparation for every option: racket head up, face open, arm relaxed and in front.
  • The hold comes from arriving early, not from waiting; a late arrival has no time to hold.
  • Flick with a short, fast wrist and finger action from the held position, not a big backswing.
  • Watch the opponent while holding: if they rush in, flick; if they hang back, play tight.
  • After a flick, recover straight away; a good opponent can still attack it.

Common mistakes

  • Preparation changes for the flick (racket drops or pulls back), so the opponent reads it.
  • Holding too long, so the shuttle drops below the tape and the flick goes up short.
  • Flicks that are too high and slow, giving the opponent time to get behind them.
  • Every rep is a flick or every rep is a net shot, so there is nothing to read.

Say it: “Arrive early, hold, choose.”

Make it harder

  • Add a third option: a flat push into the mid-court gap.
  • P2 plays from mid-court and may move in early to take the net shot above the tape.
  • Play it as a front-court game: first to 7, rally counts only once both players have hit a net shot.

Make it easier

  • A coach hand-feeds or racket-feeds the net shot so P1 arrives early every time.
  • P1 calls the shot out loud just after hitting so P2 can learn the cues.

Reviewed by the Sportdify coaching team.