Hello, I'm new on the forums so I'm not sure if this is the place to post this but I've been playing badminton for over 2 years now and I've been gripping the racket with the V between my thumb and forefinger on the narrow side of the handle, but recently a friend of mine told me that the V should be on the small diagonal bevel instead of the flat one. Do you guys know whether the V on my hand should be on the narrow or diagonal side? Thank you for any responses.
San Diego... better go to this person: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/member.php/40177-thejym the youtube video is also from him
I'm going to do something a bit odd here, which is contradict the Badminton Bible advice. The grip you currently use is called the forehand grip. This is widely taught all over the world and has been for many years. The grip your friend is talking about is called the basic grip. As far as I know, it is a recent "invention" by Badminton England, and (perhaps partly due to me!) has gained some currency outside England. Both grips have their uses. However, if I had to recommend one grip for hitting overhead forehands (clears, smashes, drops), I would recommend the forehand grip. I certainly wouldn't try to change your grip if you are hitting the shots well. The basic grip is very good for changing to other grips (i.e. as a "waiting grip). But otherwise, I think of it as a slicing grip. Bear in mind that one grip is not enough for badminton. To play really well, your grip needs to adapt to the situation.
When you are referring to the grip that you are currently using, does it look like this: http://www.badmintonbible.com/images/basic-grip/R_forehand.jpg
I actually used to hold my grip like that too, but I was also told to use the basic grip for my overheads, but I've never really gotten used to it. I think with the grip in the link (not the basic grip), the body posture is more "open" and facing the court, and less side on in my opinion.
That was pretty much my experience, both as a player and in coaching. We were "told" to teach the basic grip by Badminton England. I gave it a good try, but it seemed to cause a lot more problems than it fixed. I noticed many coaches creatively "working around" the approved teaching by inventing terms like "a backhand-adjusted basic grip" (because they were not "allowed" to say "backhand grip" any more). It is a good grip for slices -- which makes it seem a perverse choice for the "standard grip" to me! I suspect over-correction. All other things being equal, that would make sense. If you want to hit cleanly (no slice), you would effectively need to turn your body more side-on when you change from a forehand grip to a basic grip (i.e. rotating your whole hitting action around the grip change).
