How shots are classified: Docs

GGAB Data

How shots are classified

Every value GGAB records on a shot, what it means and where the lines between them sit, with examples from official match videos you can jump straight to.

Updated 24 Oct 2026

These are the only values a shot can have. A shot that doesn't fit cleanly still gets one of them, so the rules for the awkward cases matter as much as the definitions. For how a match is tracked and checked, see How GGAB tracks a match.

See every shot typeLink to this section

Pick a discipline, then press a timestamp to watch that shot in the official match video. Each type shows two examples from the match; Two others picks again.

Mixed doubles · soonWomen's doubles · soon

MS | LEE Chong Wei (MAS) [7] vs Tommy SUGIARTO (INA) | BWF 2018

Official video on YouTube

Serve
The shot that starts the rally
- Short serve
  Low over the net, landing near the front service line
- Long serve
  High and deep to the back of the service court. A flick serve is long
- Drive serve
  Flat and fast, aimed past the receiver rather than over them
  No example in this match.
Clear
Hit from the rear court, high and deep to the opponent's rear court
Drop
Slower shot landing near or in front of the service line
- Reverse slice
  A drop cut across the shuttle in the reverse direction, so it breaks the opposite way to a cut
- Cut slice
  A drop sliced across the shuttle, faster and steeper than a plain drop
Drive
Flat and fast, roughly parallel to the floor, usually mid court
Smash
Steep downward attack with full body commitment
- Half smash
  Still steep and attacking, but generally just an arm flick rather than the whole body
Kill
Downward put-away from the front court, off a loose shuttle above tape height
Net
Played in the front court, back over the net into the opponent's front court
- Spin net
  A net shot struck to make the shuttle tumble over the tape
Lift
Played from the front court, upward to the opponent's rear court
- Flat push
  A lift pushed flat and fast to the back, rather than lofted. A clear, smash or drop can be played off it, never off a drive
- High lift
  A lift lofted high to the back of the court
Block
Defensive reply to a smash, drive, kill, brush or drop, dropping it into the front court
Brush
Fast sideways swipe across the shuttle in the front court, mostly doubles

Shot familiesLink to this section

The shot itself. Every shot is exactly one of these ten.

Family	Definition
Serve	The shot that starts the rally
Clear	Hit from the rear court, high and deep to the opponent's rear court
Drop	Slower shot landing near or in front of the service line
Drive	Flat and fast, roughly parallel to the floor, usually mid court
Smash	Steep downward attack with full body commitment
Kill	Downward put-away from the front court, off a loose shuttle above tape height
Net	Played in the front court, back over the net into the opponent's front court
Lift	Played from the front court, upward to the opponent's rear court
Block	Defensive reply to a smash, drive, kill, brush or drop, dropping it into the front court
Brush	Fast sideways swipe across the shuttle in the front court, mostly doubles

Where each family is generally played from and to, seen from above:

ClearRear → rear

High and deep, hit from the back.

LiftFront → rear

The same arc, hit from the front. Position decides it.

NetFront → front

Soft, just over, off a shot that wasn't an attack.

BlockMid → front

Soft reply to an attack or a fast drop. What it answers decides it.

DropRear → front

Slower, lands near or in front of the service line.

SmashRear or mid → mid

Steep, with the whole body behind it.

DriveMid → mid

Flat and fast, roughly parallel to the floor.

KillFront → down

Put away off a loose shuttle above the tape.

BrushFront → front or mid

Fast sideways swipe, mostly doubles.

From above, the striker’s half on the left and the net in the middle. Grey is where the shot is generally played from, red is where it lands. Clear and lift land in the same place, so where it was hit from decides which it is; net and block land in the same place, so what it answers decides it.

The lines between familiesLink to this section

The calls that come up constantly:

Smash, half smash, or drop. A smash has full body commitment: rotation, jump, everything behind it. A half smash is generally just an arm flick, still steep and still attacking. A drop is slower again and lands near or in front of the service line. Read the body, not just the shuttle.
Smash or drive. Mostly the angle: a drive is much flatter, travelling close to parallel with the floor. But a flat shot can still be a smash when the player jumps or commits their whole body into it. Steep, or flat with a full-body hit: smash. Flat and pushed: drive.
Kill or smash. A kill is struck from the front court off a loose shuttle sitting above tape height. Anything downward from mid or rear court is a smash.
Block or net. A block is a defensive reply to an attack: a smash, drive, kill or brush. A net shot is played off anything else. Off a drop it can be either: a fast drop, like the slices, usually comes back as a block. Both land short, so a high reply to a smash is never a block.
Brush or net. Speed decides it. A brush is a much faster shot: a quick swipe across the shuttle that sends it down and away. A net shot is soft and slow, played to stay close to the net.
Lift or clear. Position decides it, not trajectory. A lift comes from the front court. A clear comes from the back court.

What can follow whatLink to this section

A shot is decided partly by the one before it. Some families can't be played off others, so when a family doesn't fit the shot before it, one of the two is wrong. The common case: a clear, smash or drop can't be played off a drive, so a shot that drew one of those was really a flat push (a lift).

Shot before	The reply can be	The reply can't be
Short serve	Drive, kill, net, lift, brush	Clear, smash, drop, block
Long serve (flick included)	Clear, drop, drive, smash	Lift, net, block, kill, brush
Drive serve	Drive, kill, lift, block, brush	Clear, smash, drop, net
Clear	Clear, drop, drive, smash	Lift, net, block, kill, brush
Lift (flat push included)	Clear, drop, drive, smash	Lift, net, block, kill, brush
Drop	Drive, kill, net, lift, block, brush	Clear, smash, drop
Drive	Drive, kill, lift, block, brush	Clear, smash, drop, net
Smash (half smash included)	Drive, lift, block	Clear, smash, drop, kill, net, brush
Kill	Drive, kill, net, lift, block, brush	Clear, smash, drop
Brush	Drive, kill, net, lift, block, brush	Clear, smash, drop
Net	Drive, kill, net, lift, brush	Clear, smash, drop, block
Block	Drive, kill, net, lift, brush	Clear, smash, drop, block

Where a shot was hit from isn't recorded separately; the family carries it. A high, deep reply to a smash is a lift even from mid court, because a clear can't be played off a smash.

VariantsLink to this section

A refinement on some families. Every serve has one. On other families it's optional, and left blank when it isn't clear.

Family	Variant	What it is
Serve	Short serve	Low over the net, landing near the front service line
Serve	Long serve	High and deep to the back of the service court. A flick serve is long
Serve	Drive serve	Flat and fast, aimed past the receiver rather than over them
Drop	Reverse slice	A drop cut across the shuttle in the reverse direction, so it breaks the opposite way to a cut
Drop	Cut slice	A drop sliced across the shuttle, faster and steeper than a plain drop
Smash	Half smash	Still steep and attacking, but generally just an arm flick rather than the whole body
Net	Spin net	A net shot struck to make the shuttle tumble over the tape
Lift	Flat push	A lift pushed flat and fast to the back, rather than lofted. A clear, smash or drop can be played off it, never off a drive
Lift	High lift	A lift lofted high to the back of the court

Striking sideLink to this section

The side of the body the shot was played from: forehand, backhand or around the head. Around the head is an overhead on the backhand side with the forehand face, so it's neither of the other two.

DirectionLink to this section

Where the shuttle went, read from the striker's own position, not from the camera.

Straight: stays in the tramline it was hit from.
Middle: down the centre of the court.
Cross: crosses to the far side.

Read it from the striker, not the camera. Straight stays in the striker’s own third of the court, middle goes down the centre, cross goes to the far third. A striker on the other side flips the lanes.

Hit from the middle of the court: back down the middle is middle. Anything else, the centre line decides. A shuttle landing on the same side of the centre line as the striker is straight; on the other side, cross.

Hitting from the middle. Back to the middle is middle. Anything else, use the centre line: landing on the same side of it as the striker’s box is straight, the other side is cross.

Contact heightLink to this section

Recorded on net-area shots only: net, lift, drive and block. It's how high the shuttle was met, the difference between taking it early and letting it drop.

Value	Meaning
Above tape	Met above the top of the net
Above net midline	Met in the top half of the net
Below net midline	Met in the bottom half of the net
Below net	Met below the bottom of the net, low to the floor

The net seen side on. Record how high the shuttle was when it was hit, only on net, lift, drive and block. The net is 76 cm deep; its midline splits the mesh in half. Below net means under the bottom edge of the mesh, close to the floor. Quick read from the player: racket at head height or higher is above tape, at the chest is above midline, at the waist is below midline, and lower is below net.

Serve placementLink to this section

Where a serve went across the receiver's half court, in three strips running out from the centre line: middle (nearest the centre line), body (at the receiver) and wide (toward the sideline).

Split the receiving service court into three strips running out from the centre line: middle is nearest the centre line, body is at the receiver, wide is toward the sideline. Doubles serves end at the long service line; the strips are the same.

DeceptionLink to this section

Marked when the racket starts one shot and changes into another, a double action. It's marked whether or not it beat the opponent, and not just because someone got caught out by an ordinary shot: the deception is in the swing, not the result.

How a rally endsLink to this section

Every shot is in play except the last one in the rally, which is a winner, a forced error or an unforced error. Which one isn't judged by eye: it follows from who serves next and from the shot before the error. The rules are in How GGAB tracks a match.

This page answers

What shot types does GGAB track?
What's the difference between a smash and a half smash in GGAB?
How does GGAB tell a block from a net shot?
What does contact height mean?
Can I see examples of each shot type?

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