Play a plan
Ready when: The flat game and drives (a1) and Win the front court (a2) done.
What you are learning
To play with a plan instead of only hitting the shuttle back. A plan is two or three shots you mean to use, for example "deep to the back, then a drop shot". Saying it aloud before a game helps the player stick to it.
Words on this card Shuttle, Rally, Serve, Drop shot, Smash, Fault
- Shuttle
- The "ball" in badminton: a cork with feathers or a plastic skirt. It flies fast, slows down quickly and falls almost straight down. A foam shuttle is softer and good for learning.
- Rally
- The shuttle going back and forth over the net until someone misses. One rally wins one point.
- Serve
- The hit that starts every rally. In badminton it is hit underarm, low, across to the other side.
- Drop shot
- An overhead shot that looks like a clear but goes softly and falls just over the net.
- Smash
- A fast hit from above the head that sends the shuttle steeply down.
- Fault
- A broken rule in a rally: into the net, out, a double hit or a net touch. The other side wins the point.
Set up
A court; a score sheet and a pen. A racket each, shuttles.
Weather: no wind
Show it first for the one teaching
- Before your first game, say your own plan aloud: "Today I hit deep, then drop."
- Play a few rallies.
- Point out each time you followed the plan.
Your part while they practise
Be the opponent, and do not play your hardest. Before each game, ask the player to say the plan aloud.
Step by step
- The player says the plan aloud.
- Play a game to 11.
- After the game, the player says how often the plan worked.
- A new plan for each of the three games.
How much: three short games to 11 25 min a session 1 day a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Plan points
Games to 11, where a rally won with the plan scores an extra point.
Who plays: the player against you.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- The player says the plan before the game
- Play a normal game to 11, with the usual faults
- When the player wins a rally using the plan, they shout "plan!" and score 1 extra point
- Fair play
- The grown-up does not smash.
- Points
- 1 point for each rally won. The player scores 1 extra point for each rally won with the plan.
- Fouls
- The other player wins the rally
- The shuttle goes into the net or out
- A net touch or a double hit
- A serve that is not hit underarm and low
- Winning
- The first to 11 points wins the game. Play three games.
- 2 plan points in a game for 1 star
- 4 plan points in a game for 2 stars
- 6 plan points in a game for 3 stars
Easier or harder
A plan of two shots.
A plan with three shots that changes at 6 points.
What you will see, and what to say
- the plan is forgotten
Say the plan out loud
Say it again before the next serve. - anger at a lost point
Breathe, reset
One slow breath before the next serve.
Self-check
The player says their plan before each game and follows it for 7 of the first 10 points.
Stop and get a coach when
A loss makes the child cry or refuse to play; speak to the coach.
Fitness for this
Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.
This card trains tactics, composure.
awiseathlete.com/sports/badminton/badminton-a3