How easily can you produce great net spins?
Its part feeling, part tactical and part technical
The way you practice will have a huge effect
on your ability to be awesome in a match
Tips from players and coaches I know
The common advice:
… Move forwards
… Consider how you stand
… Vary the feeding
… Be an explorer
The no.1 point they all made was…
Just standing still and using a single step with consistent hand feeling
will NOT produce great spins in a match, you need much more
Include different forward movements in practice
Almost all the spinning net practices I see start with the player around or standing over the service line. They are either a single step forwards or worse the feet stay planted to the ground and only the racket or arm moves
However, be aware and careful that you don’t mix up Practice Performance from Performance in a Game
You will get better at spinning using just a single or no step, but its highly unlikely that this will transfer into a game so that you can reproduce the same spins.
The conditions of this practice are so controlled that it would be strange not to improve. You may have practised in this exact way for many hours, using lots of repetitions, so it’s highly likely that you have some awesome spins in practice.
But does this show itself in a game?
Do your practice performances transfer into your matches?
(NB I do recommend that this practice be used in early development of spins)
- In a real match, the conditions vary
- you are moving at different speeds
- moving with different intensities
- the shuttle is struck at all sorts of heights,
- your opponents shots also changes, you may have to return (or spin back), one of theor spinning nets
“When I move quickly, I can make it spin more,
it’s aggressive, intentional, I feel like I own the spin when I move into it”
Starting Stances
Move from behind the service line and start in either a ...
Forward Attacking (racket leg lead) stance. The fast forward movement will asssist you.
or the
Backward Attacking Stance (non-racket leg forwards). The body rotation will add something to the spin
Don’t forget to also move directly forward as well as diagonally.
Not all spins are approached from the same direction
Feeding types
Vary the feed and feeding situations. It’s that simple.
Your best results will come from experiencing different scenarios: hand feeding for spins isn’t the only way 🙂
- straight and crosscourt
- racket and hand feeding
- upwards and downward trajectories
- racket blocks, net returns, hand-feeding: underarm and overarm
- partner (opponent) mini-competition net shots – my favourite ‘feed’
Why would you limit your experiences
by always choosing to practice using your favourite hand feed
Be an explorer
Everyone I spoke to expressed the view that you need to be adventurous when thinking about and developing your net spins
Don’t be afraid of making some mistakes, push your limits and imagination. Take risks and think how you strike the shuttle, try out different ideas.
Go on the court with a friend and experiment! No coach just you and someone like you.
My friends spoke about how they got these ideas from not only watching other players but by playing against those with great spins. That motivated them to know how they could learn to spin just like the people they faced over the net
Some spoke about how they would ask others in practice to show them what they did and what tips could help
Returning spins, spinning back
Returning or Spinning back
It’s as important to know how to return spinning nets as is to play them. I’ve seen a few different ways of practising this, some coach-controlled others more game-like.
The question for you is which is best to prepare you to play an opponent who has great spins. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.
You need to decide what to do.
Returning isn’t just lifting safely to the backcourt. It is possible to learn to spin back a shuttle that is already spinning. This is a skill that you must develop.
Do you practice the art of returning spins
and if so how do you set your practice up?
Hand Feeding by a Coach
There are lots of videos on social media of people hand feeding and spinning shuttles with their fingers as they throw.
The theory is that it will help players learn to control and even spin back with a spin of their own.
It is possible to spin from your fingers, and if you stand close to the net you can make it very difficult for a player by speeding up the feeding process. You may know 2 or 3 different ways of spinning using different finger movements and throws
How representative & effective is hand feeding spins,
compared to what happens in a game?
Do you see any limitations?
Practice: rackets are better than hands
If you want to become really good at returning spinning nets, you must face a real opponent who uses a racket, spins as they would in a game and wants to beat you (most of the time 🙂 )
Do you have practice partners like these?
Spinning back
I first witnessed the awesome ability to spin back when I watched Richard Vaughan practice with a junior international player.
This player was developing their net spins after striking down to the midcourt.
.. The smash reply was a defensive block in a controlled way that put the shuttle in the ideal position for the spin they were practising.
.. The player moved forward to hit the spin, it was great 🙂
.. Richard then lifted high to the rear court, and they continued.
.. One shuttle, fast drop/half smash, block (controlled by the coach), a net spin of choice. Then repeated in a set of 8-10
.. Then suddenly, when the shuttle seemed to spin more than before, instead of lifting, Richard played a spin back to the net.
.. That spin was even better, and I sat there with my mouth open
.. When I asked how that was possible, he replied
“When I see the shuttle spinning like that I know I can spin back like this !!”
Questions
- As your opponent approaches the net, is it possible to know which spin is likely?
- As you watch the shuttle spin are you able to decide/adjust your choice of what to do next?
- What does success look like : merely returning the shuttle, or, gaining an advantage as the opponent tries to return the shuttle?
- Could all the above still be achieved using a hand feed?
To spin or not to spin
Do you think every net shot you play should be a spin … I don’t
Why not consider the next few points. I’d really like to hear if you agree with them.
The downside to spinning nets
… They take longer to travel over the net
… They can ‘sit up’ and present opportunities for your opponents to kill
… The error rate is higher than you may believe it to be
The upside of spinning nets
… They can be very difficult for your opponent to control and return safely as they cant easily hit the base of the shuttle
… It’s possible to make them spin close to the net and make it hard for your opponents to lift to the rear of your court
Fast nets rather than spinning nets
It takes longer for your spinning net to go over the net and into your opponent’s court than playing a ‘fast net shot.
A fast net shot could also be described as a net push, one that flies fast and flat over the net, landing before the service line.
When I suggest that a spin takes longer in time, I mean just a little bit longer, but that’s enough for your opponent to reach it.
I recommend that you practice both spins and fast nets in a TACTICAL practice. Talk with your coach and decide when a fast net could be more appropriate than a spin.
Can you visualise any situations while you are reading this post?
Conditioned games
If you want to try out a Conditioned game that will help you practice your spinning net shots, then click on the image below for a Net Spin Conditioned Game
Conditioned games work best when they feel like a real game, but there are some limitations and rewards within them.
In this game, you should get lots of opportunities to play spin nets. You will also get just as many opportunities to practice returning your opponents’ spinning net shots
I’ve used this game and variations of it to answer these player questions:
- I want to practice playing spins in a practice that feels like a real match
- My net spins seem to work great in technical practice but not as well in a real match… why?
- Is it possible to play spins that are impossible to return into court?
- How can I decide which spins to play to without knowing what the feed is?
-
I want to practice playing spinning nets without the coach hand feeding and to see if my opponent can actually return them
It’s not all about hand-feeding and single steps at the net
Spinning nets can be created in so many other ways
Send me a question
I’m always grateful if you have read this far.
If there is anything that you have read that has helped or that you disagree with, then please send me an email.
I promise to read all your comments
It would be great to hear from you contact@badmintonandy.com
