How to read a badminton shot-placement heatmap
A heatmap turns hundreds of shots into one picture. Here's how to read it, and the five patterns to watch for.
Updated 07 Oct 2026 · by the Skorvi team
Two kinds of badminton heatmap
- Shot-placement heatmap: where your shots landed on the opponent's side. Hotter colours mean more shots there.
- Movement heatmap: where you were on your own side during rallies. It shows coverage and recovery.
Both are built by tracking the shuttle and players in a video recorded from behind the court.
How to read a shot-placement heatmap
Split the opponent's court into 6 zones: front-left, front-right, mid-left, mid-right, back-left and back-right. Then ask:
- Is it balanced? Good players move opponents to all four corners. A heatmap with one hot corner means you're predictable.
- Is mid-court hot? Lots of shots landing in the middle of their court usually means short clears and lifts, the easiest shots to attack.
- Are the back corners deep enough? Clears should land close to the back line. A hot band 1–2 m short of it means your clears are falling short.
- Are drops tight? Drop and net shots should cluster just past the net, not around the service line.
- Where are your winners? If the app colours winners separately, see which zones actually earn points.
How to read a movement heatmap
- A hot spot near the centre (slightly behind the middle in singles) is good. It means you recover to base.
- A hot spot at the back means you're stuck defending deep and not getting forward.
- A cold forehand or backhand corner means opponents aren't going there, or you're not reaching it in time and losing the point early.
- In doubles, compare both partners. Big overlap means you're crowding each other. A gap in the middle shows a coverage hole.
Five common patterns and what to do
| Pattern | Likely meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| One hot back corner | You clear to the same corner every time | Alternate corners; add straight and cross-court clears |
| Hot mid-court band | Short lifts and clears | Target the last 1 m of the court in drills |
| Front zones cold | Almost no drops or net shots | Add drops to pull the opponent forward |
| Your movement stuck at the back | Opponent dominating the attack | Play flatter replies and blocks to regain the attack |
| Only forehand side hot (movement) | Running around the backhand | Backhand clear and drop practice |
Getting a heatmap from your own matches
You can make a rough one by hand: print a court diagram and mark a dot for each of your shots while watching the video, about 20 minutes per game. Automatic analysis apps generate them in minutes from a behind-the-court recording and can show changes over weeks.
Get these stats from a phone video
Shots, errors, winners and a heatmap, automatically.
Join the waitlistFAQ
What does a badminton heatmap show?
Either where your shots landed on the opponent's court (placement) or where you moved on your own side (movement).
How is a badminton heatmap made?
By tracking the shuttle and players in video, ideally recorded from behind the court, and plotting landing or position points on a court diagram.
What is a good shot-placement pattern?
A spread across all four corners with deep clears and tight drops, rather than one hot corner or a mid-court band.