Why Use Trick Shots?

There's only a certain amount of basic shots you can play in badminton. Clear, drop, smash, net. Once you get to an advanced level, you're going to have to learn something a bit special. Shots that are different to the routines ones. A shot that can win you a rally. If you're gonna just play with the basic shots, then sometimes the opponent can read your game. But if you play some trick shots, you can add variety to your game, forcing your opponent to think and move around the court. Deception is key to trick shots. Without deception, you won't be able to pull off your shot effectively and your opponent can intercept. Most importantly, most trick shots require practice, so don't expect to pull of an amazing, crowd mind blowing trick shot, without practising it in training first. ;)

Taufik Hidayat is considered one of the best players in the world today, when it comes to trick shots (especially at the net) and overall deceptive play. He is arguably most famous for his backhand smash, which has been recorded at over 200 km/h and can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEsARpxuYTM (It's truly amazing!)

Here's also a video displaying some of the trick shots played by some of the world's best professionals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8IFeLHz-eQ