scenario;
facing opponent who is preparing to smash.
Me; facing square on, right foot slightly nearer the net than the left.
Just before opponents impact with shuttle, small BOUNCE.

So my question is, when landing after the bounce should the weight distribution across legs be 50:50 to maximise acceleration to the sidelines?

The BOUNCE you mention sounds like a split step. This timing step primes (flexes) the muscles of the legs to react & move in any direction. This bounce should be precisely timed so that when you land, you are prepared to move immediately in response to your opponents stroke in the direction the shuttle is heading.

The weight distribution MAY be 50:50 only for a fraction of a second... cuz you should immediately decide which direction to move (and push off with the opposite leg). If, on the other hand, as you are landing you can pick up the shuttle's destination, then your weight distribution may favor the driving leg.

Does this make sense? The time interval from the bounce landing to the movement toward the shuttle is so quick (virtually instantaneous), it is really hard to say exactly what your weight distribution might be.

I would say that you should make the split step ASSUMING that your weight distribution will be 50:50 when you land. If you do this & time it correctly, then it doesn't really matter what the ACTUAL weight distribution is for a given situation.

Hope this helps.

What is your mind thinking at this precise moment? Are you really expecting a smash to the sidelines? Can you anticipate (or higher probability) which side is your opponent planning to send the shuttle? My opinion would be your weight distribution should be decided according to your understanding (perception) of your opponent's shot. Equal weight distribution is when you do not know which side the shuttle will be landing otherwise prepare to move to the side where you expect it to go.

There are many players who successfully manage to use the same stroke movement but send the shuttle to either side.

I was wondering, if one feels there is equal probability of the shuttle going either side (or that person's stroke movement is so fast as not to anticipate very well), would it be more beneficial to have equal weight distribution across both legs.

If I can achieve 80% of my potential in this movement (including covering the next shot), what is the final piece in the puzzle that can push me to the 90-95%?

As a note, I find now that it's very small differences that are making an improvement to my game. But nevertheless, these small movements (a minimal extra step, slightly wrong racquet preparation, slightly different body position for clearing vs drop/smashes) are now becoming more important.

Everytime I play/train, I try to think what can be improved.....

My opinion in competitive badminton is usually played under pressure - by pressure I mean playing the shuttle in unfavourable condition. To get a point you need to be the server and after your serve you are at once in an unfavourable situation. And if you don't know where the shuttle is going to land the best way in my opinion is distribute your body weight evenly.

I remember in one of your posting you mentioned a coach hit a shuttle to a corner which surprised you completely. Actually in a match the situation is similar and I am afraid that other than good technique and fitness there's nothing that can be of help. I totally agree with your views about the finer technical details. One way to improve is to look for a really knowledgeable coach and there are many in HK.

I still believe that it is the TIMING of the split step that could be the most crucial factor. Initially, your wt disribution is equal, but once you bounce & move the transition is so quick it's hard to say that it stays equal for more than a a fraction of a second.

???? can u put ur scenario in simple words??

Suppose you are the server in a singles game. Yours is a long and high serve to the back. After the serve you are in an unfavourable position, where you are dependent of your opponent return. If your opponent return is good it will not allow you the ideal position to attack (like a drop shot where it surprises you and have you scramble to the net). Continuing in this scenario, and assuming that you have a good net play, you are able to return a good net shot which in turns makes your opponent to struggle to return the shot ... and so on.

What I tried to say, in a match most of the times we are not in ideal positions to do what we want to. In order to make out the most of the situations we have to pay much attention to our on court posture - how and where to position, how to move efficiently, how to the shuttle under different circumstances and achieve the best results. This kind of little things require a lot of work and also a good coach to teach.

Hope I made it easier to you.