KS3 · Physical education · Year 8
Underarm and overhead clears to maintain a rally
Net and wall games: technical proficiency and problem solving through badminton
Learn it. Recall it. Make it stick.
IllumED Slides
IllumED · 1/10
Your learning goal
I can keep a rally going with good body positioning.
1 of 10
Underarm and overhead clears to maintain a rally: slides adapted from the imported teaching text; recall questions created from its keywords, learning points and common mistakes. Self-check practice, with no automatic grading or XP. Answers stay on this page and are cleared when you leave.
What you’ll learn
I can keep a rally going with good body positioning.
Key learning points
- Move: being on the balls of your feet will reduce reaction time when moving under the shuttle to return shots.
- Move: a smooth swing with a firm wrist and partially flexed elbow improves consistency of underarm and backhand shots.
- Think: overhead forehands are easier to hit by getting under the shuttle whenever possible.
- Feel: achieving a long rally requires internal drive and commitment.
- Connect: working together to achieve success requires good communication.
Words to know
- overhead clear
- a defensive shot played by making contact above your head and hitting high to the back of your opponent's court
- underarm clear
- hitting the shuttle from below waist height and aiming up high towards the back of your opponent's court
- open racket face
- angling the racket strings slightly upwards to play defensive rallying shots
Common mistakes
Pupils hold the racket like a frying pan and squat lower and lower to hit overhead clears.
A shake hand grip and sideways stance is required to get power and accuracy into shots, but you also need to know when it is necessary to hit underarm rather than trying to hit everything above the head.
For parents, carers and teachers
- Tie additional nets/tape to extend the nets between courts so you can get more pupils working at the same time. Two pupils use a half court and two more use the tramlines and gap between the courts using a make shift net. Remember to keep rotating who is using each space and safe pratice distances.