Glossary

The pair stands one behind the other: one player at the net, one at the back. It is the usual formation when your pair has the shuttle above the head. A convention, not a rule.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept als „Angriffspositionen (hintereinander)“ belegt

A flatter, faster clear that just passes over the opponent’s reach. It lands before the opponent can get back, which is why it is used from the back of the court.

German term used by club coaching pages, not in DBV material

The spot near the middle of a player’s half that they return to after each shot, because it is the centre of the opponent’s options. It shifts with where the opponent is.

German term not yet confirmed by a coach

A soft reply to a smash that dies just over the net. It uses the smash’s own pace and turns defence back into a neutral rally.

German term found in DBV material: Auch als kurze Abwehr bezeichnet

The pair moving from one formation to the other as the shot changes, for example from defence to attack after the opponents lift. Often called rotation in English.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept als „Übergang“ und „situatives Verschieben“ belegt; „Rotation“ meint dort die Körperdrehung beim Schlag und wird hier nicht für den Formationswechsel verwendet

A shot played diagonally, to the opposite side of the court from where it was struck. The opposite of straight, along the same side line.

German term found in DBV material: In den DBV-Unterlagen als „longline/cross“ belegt

Making several shots look the same until late, so that the opponent cannot tell which one is coming and starts to react later.

German term not yet confirmed by a coach: Kein Beleg in den gelesenen DBV-Unterlagen gefunden

The pair shares the width of the court side by side, at mid-court, so that each covers one half. It is the usual formation when the shuttle is coming down hard on your pair. A convention, not a rule.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept als „Abwehr- (nebeneinander)“ belegt

A flat, fast shot at about the height of the net tape. Neither player can hit down, so it is a race of reactions; much more common in doubles.

German term found in DBV material

A soft shot from the back of the court that falls into the front of the opponent’s court and drags the opponent forward.

German term found in DBV material

A serve that looks like a short serve and is then flicked high and deep towards the back of the service court. Its point is to catch a receiver who has moved forward.

German term not yet confirmed by a coach: Für „Flick“ gibt es keine DBV-Quelle; das Trainingskonzept nennt einen „Swipaufschlag“, ohne ihn zu erklären. Deshalb beschreibt die deutsche Seite den Schlag.

A high, deep shot from the back of the court. It stays in the air long enough for the hitter to recover to base and pushes the opponent to the baseline.

German term found in DBV material: Auf Vereinsseiten heißt der defensive Clear auch Befreiungs-Clear

Keeping the racket up and playing the shuttle late, so that the opponent cannot tell where it is going and starts to move later. It needs the hitter to be early.

German term not yet confirmed by a coach: Keine Quelle für den Begriff gefunden; „Halten“ und „Verzögern“ sind Trainersprache, nicht in den DBV-Unterlagen belegt

An underarm shot from low in the front of the court, high and deep to the back. It is the defensive reset that gives time to recover.

German term found in DBV material: Unterhand-Clear ist auf Vereinsseiten gebräuchlich, in den DBV-Unterlagen nicht belegt

Doubles with one woman and one man on each side. The Laws have no separate rules for it: the doubles laws apply, and no rule fixes who stands where.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept als „Mixed“ und „gemischtes Doppel“ belegt

The felt sense, on court and in the stands, that a run of points has taken on a life of its own. Whether it is more than chance in badminton has not been tested in anything read for this site.

German term not yet confirmed by a coach: Das Wort „Momentum“ steht weder im DBV-Trainingskonzept noch im Elternratgeber des Olympiastützpunkts Sachsen; es wird hier als Fremdwort erklärt

Hitting a shuttle that has come up near the net down and hard, from above the tape, before it can fall.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept als „Töten“ belegt; „Netzkill“ wurde nicht gefunden

A soft shot played from close to the net so that the shuttle tumbles just over the tape and falls.

German term used by club coaching pages, not in DBV material: In den DBV-Unterlagen ist vom Netzspiel die Rede

Asking more of a young player than they can currently cope with, in training, competition, school or everything together. One Olympic training centre brochure names it as a route to injury, exhaustion, illness or giving up the sport.

German term found in DBV material: In einer Broschüre des Olympiastützpunkts Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein belegt („Überlastung und Überforderung“); einmalige Verwendung

The role a federation-adjacent parent guide asks for: connected in success and failure, neither umpire nor coach.

German term found in DBV material: Im Elternratgeber des Olympiastützpunkts Sachsen belegt („Sei Fan statt Wettkampfrichter:in oder Trainer:in“); keine DBV-Quelle

Someone close to a young athlete who matters to them, such as a parent, a partner or a friend. Sports-psychology brochures use the word for the adults around an athlete.

German term found in DBV material: In einer Broschüre des Olympiastützpunkts Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein vielfach belegt, im DBV-Trainingskonzept einmal

The feeling in a match that the next point matters. Researchers offer two explanations for why it can make play worse: worry uses up attention (distraction), or a learned movement is controlled too consciously (self-focus).

German term found in DBV material: Im Elternratgeber des Olympiastützpunkts Sachsen belegt („Druck“, „Druckmacher“); im DBV-Trainingskonzept bedeutet „Druck“ nur Zeitdruck oder Drucksituationen in Technik und Taktik

Thinking about how to play the next rally rather than about the result. The German federation asks younger players to move from result-oriented to process-oriented thinking.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept belegt (Stufe U13: Entwicklung vom ergebnisorientierten zum prozessorientierten Denken)

A DBV tournament whose results count for the national youth ranking (abbreviated RLT). Age-class rules, such as how far a player may play up, are set in the DBV youth rules.

German term found in DBV material: In der DBV-Jugendspielordnung (Ranglistenbestimmungen) vielfach belegt

The player standing in the service court diagonally opposite the server. Only the receiver returns the serve; if the receiver's partner hits it, that is a fault.

German term found in DBV material: In den DBV-Spielregeln belegt; das Trainingskonzept spricht von „Annahme“

The time and conditions in which a player recovers from training, competition and everything else that asks something of them. Questions about how much is enough belong to the coach or a doctor, not to this site.

German term found in DBV material: In einer Broschüre des Olympiastützpunkts Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein belegt; im DBV-Trainingskonzept kommt Erholung vor, Regeneration nicht

How old a player is within their age class. In a class defined by birth year, a player born in January is almost a year older than one born in December, which can show in strength, size and results at 13 to 15.

German term not yet confirmed by a coach: „Relativer Alterseffekt“ steht weder im DBV-Trainingskonzept noch in den gelesenen Broschüren; in der Forschung üblich, hier aber nicht belegt

A fixed sequence of thoughts and actions before a task, here used for the short gap between two rallies. The three-phase version on this site (reset, plan, execute) is a convention.

German term not yet confirmed by a coach: Das Wort „Routine“ steht weder im DBV-Trainingskonzept noch im Elternratgeber des Olympiastützpunkts Sachsen; es ist in der Sportpsychologie üblich, hier aber nicht belegt

Consecutive points won by the same side. Chance alone produces surprisingly long ones in a game between equals.

German term not yet confirmed by a coach: „Punkteserie“, „Lauf“ und „Serie“ sind als Begriff für aufeinanderfolgende Punkte in den DBV-Unterlagen nicht belegt

The shot that starts every rally, played diagonally into the opposite service court. The Laws require the whole shuttle to be hit below 1.15 m; at national DBV events a waist rule applies instead, unless service judges are used.

German term found in DBV material

The first shot played by the receiving side, in answer to the serve.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept als „Annahme“ und „Annahmemuster“ belegt; in den Spielregeln heißt der Schlag „Rückschlag“

The part of the court a serve must land in. In doubles it is short and wide: from the short service line to the doubles long service line, half the court width, diagonally across the net.

German term found in DBV material: In den DBV-Spielregeln als „rechtes/linkes Aufschlagfeld“ belegt

A low serve that just clears the net and lands near the short service line, so the receiver has to play it from the front of the court.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept als „kurzer Aufschlag“ belegt

The projectile of badminton. A feather shuttle has 16 feathers and is slowed strongly by air drag.

German term found in DBV material: Für Kunststoffbälle ist Kunststoffball üblich; Ball ist der allgemeine Begriff

The main finishing shot: hit hard and steeply downward from above the net.

German term found in DBV material: Schmetterball wird als Synonym verwendet

A smash aimed at the opponent instead of at a corner. It takes away space rather than time: the opponent has no room to step aside or swing.

German term not yet confirmed by a coach: Kein Beleg in den gelesenen DBV-Unterlagen gefunden; „Körper-Smash“ ist eine mögliche Kurzform

A small hop timed to land as the opponent hits, so the player is balanced and can push off in any direction.

German term found in DBV material: Das genaue Timing ist eine Trainingskonvention, keine gemessene Größe

A group of players selected by a federation for extra training and support, at national or state level. The names and levels have changed over time, so check the current ones with the federation.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept (2017; Bundeskader, Landeskader, Förderkader) belegt; ob die Kadernamen von 2017 noch gelten, ist offen

A regional or national training centre where squad players train together under federation coaches (talent, youth and national support bases exist).

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept (2017) vielfach belegt

The process by which a federation looks for young players who may develop well, through scouting tournaments and squad selection. How it works today is not something this site can check.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept (2017) und in den DOSB-Rahmenrichtlinien belegt

The structures a federation and its regional bodies use to train and support young players who have been identified as talented: squads, support bases and coaching.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept (2017) und in den DOSB-Rahmenrichtlinien belegt

The white band along the top of the net. It is 1.55 m above the floor at the posts and 1.524 m at the centre.

German term not yet confirmed by a coach

How quickly a rally is played: the choice to take the shuttle early and quickly, or to slow it down and give both players time. It is a matter of time, not of power.

German term not yet confirmed by a coach: Alltagsbegriff; als Trainerbegriff im Badminton nicht in den gelesenen DBV-Unterlagen belegt

The fastest a shuttle can fall through the air: drag then balances gravity. For a feather shuttle it is about 24 km/h (6.8 m/s in this site’s model).

German term not yet confirmed by a coach: Physikalischer Fachbegriff, nicht aus dem Badminton-Training belegt

Competitive sport for young people who train and compete with the aim of reaching the top level as adults. It is a structure, not a promise about any one player.

German term found in DBV material: Im DBV-Trainingskonzept, in den DOSB-Rahmenrichtlinien und in Broschüren der Olympiastützpunkte belegt