Singles tactics

[Harry]

I played a couple of new players at my club recently, and they were not very good doubles players, but their singles game was so strong.

I was playing with an injured partner and still beat them 15-2 in doubles, but each of them beat me easily in singles. I'm quite quick around the court and have a strong smash, but I just could not break them down. It really made me think that there must be singles tactics and shots which I'm just not familiar with.

I thought all you needed for singles was a crisp accurate clear to the back, a fast drop and a strong smash. The only shot that seemed to get me any points was the fast flat push to the back corners. And the most frustrating part was I hardly smashed at all. I just didn't have time, or the shuttle was always behind me, or I was rushing to retrieve drop shots.

Are there any singles players out there who can give advice on singles tactics and training? I did enjoy the games, even though I was running far too hard and losing all the points. I think singles can be just as fun as doubles if you are playing well and have a good opponent, which I wasn't.

I was playing with an old borrowed racquet with really poor nylon strings. When I get my Ti-10 back with new strings, I'll whip 'em both (maybe)....

[Sing]

Maybe this can help- analyse a good game on video and

decide following -

1) How many % of points are gained from net dribbles

2) How many points are gained from smashes

3) How many points are gained from placements

4) How many points are gained from long rallies

5) how many points are gained/lost on mistakes

Of course there are others to consider, but maybe singles

needs a wider repertoire. Maybe read a good book on tactics?

[Lao Liu]

What you said make sense. As a double player you tend to use flat pushes, drives and smashes a lot, and try to keep the game at a high pace. One fact is extremely important to keep fast pace is ANTICIPATION. In contrast, in singles, speed is only one factor with less importance, too much anticipation will get you in trouble of being decepted.

In practice, if I am playing against players like you, I will use a tactic of varied-pace to upset your natural pace for doubles by doing high and long clearances, speed drops and a lot of deceptive movements. One thing I will certainly try is to hold up my shots until you have start to move and then place the shuttle to the opporsite direction. This tactic is only efffective when my opporsition is fast on court and try to attack whenever he can.

Hope this can help.

Happy playing.

[Cepheus]

I agree and disagree with Lao Liu.
Deceptive movements is certainly very important in single, and in fact it is the fun of playing single, :)
However, speed is equally important too. For example, when u said that you got no chance to smash, I believe what u meant was that your pace is slower than your opponent.
A major difference between single and double is the way you move. For example, while in double, you always have a partner to cover u when you are at the front, for single, when you move to the front, you almost certainly need to have a step backward immediately.

[Sing]

All true.In singles there is probably more space to cover, front,

back, side,the idea is to make full use of court providing you

don't make too many mistakes.Probably looking for openings in

opponent's court key issue, unfortunately players like gade or

hidayat cover their court so well.

[Jason]

Well, my take on singles is the fact that your trying to keep up with your opponent and out last him. I am not saying that doubles is relaxing, god no. But what I'm saying is that in singles, you have to be more content to retrieve the bird. You really shouldn't smash or always hit attacking shots. The attack is important but how many shots does it take to turn their offensive into a good attacking position for you??? Usually one good shot. So you would want to just defend until your opponent gives you a good opportunity to attack, usually a bad drop or a bad clear. Now, if you really want to go on offensive, for those impatient types, then you just hit a weak smash, that designed to push your opponent out of position before you start your offensive. But singles is a game that requires you to be in superb shape. I mean I've played basketball and football and etc etc before, but I don't think I've ever been more tired(i say tired, not beaten up, that was football) than after a 3 game badminton singles match.
Now, deception is a good thing in doubles but in singles, it should be used with caution. Since most deceptive shots are hard to hit and very easy to mess up, the question comes that is it really worth it to hit the deceptive shot that usually, your opponent can see through anyways. also, in singles your almost always on the run which makes hitting deceptive shots hard. if you watch an international singles game, like the one between sun jun and peter gade, i believe that there was only 1 real fake hit all game so... ;-) just play your game, relax and unless yoru absolutely sure, just keep the rally going for another shot and you will usually get a good opportunity to smash.

A bit of a disclaimer here, these are suggestions and I know that i'm not the best at badminton. I am only 17 y ears old, a senior in High school who plays at a B level so don't take these as absolute dictums, but as suggestions. ;-)

[cooler]

those advices of your are quite good. I would be surprise if you didnt got some proper coaching before. Anyway, it look like u got a good foundation for further improvement.

cooler

[jerby]

well, I think deception in singles is very important.
i say deception not trickshots, the difference being a deceptive stroke keeps your opponents guessing, and a trickshot is meant to be messed up.(;) )

Singles tactics is , to me, mostly about initiative...If is keep "attacking" and putting presurre on my opponent the weak reply will come. But this isn't all out blind smashing, but more tactical manouvering wíth initiave at your side...
as soon a steh opening comes, thén start hammering/flat push/doubles-attack-like.
though stamina is a big factor in this type of game. after an intense two-setter (!) against an opponent against wich I normally have a fighting chance, turned a winner...when I came home I lay down flat on the rock-hard-cold-floor, and decided not to move for 10 mins....I've never been so tired...

[SeasonW]

i really need help with my game.i got a strong smash but no accuracy..wen i smash i smash directly at the opponent.they are able to return it with a drop n i cant follow up to it.how can i improve it??

[SystemicAnomaly]

Wow, it looks like you've resurrected a couple of very old threads.

Try slowing down your smash for a while & focus on placement for now. Also, loosen you grip before executing the smash -- that may help your control. With a more controlled smash you can try to hit it away from your opponent -- to an area where they can not easily return it.

You might also try to smash at their racket arm instead of their body. Try to notice how your opponents defend against smashes. If they defend primarily with their backhand, then smash to the forehand side.

Are you referring to singles or doubles?

[SeasonW]

thnks for the tips im refering to singles

[SeasonW]

another weakness. When opponent clears it right to the back i usually do a drop because making a clear right from the back is to risky for me.it might go out.when i do my drop opponent is there is receive my drops n does a cross drop which i barley get to the tip of it.can any one please tell me how to improve my game play?????

[Loppy]

The single most important factor in singles is footwork, you have to be able to get round the court easily, and you have always got to maintain the proper balance especially after you've played a shot. Good net play is also a must, and try to play the shuttle to opposite corners if possible. If you're playing a good opponent, it's rare to get an easy smash. Most players are weaker in the backhand rear corner, so do a drop into their front forehand corner then an aggressive clear to the back. Drives can be a bad idea, because it does not force your opponent to move, so only drive if he's not expecting it.

[SeasonW]

thanks i need more training.........

[SystemicAnomaly]

thnks for the tips im refering to singles

You might be trying to smash too much. There is typically less smashing in singles than for doubles. It is common for advanced beginning & intermediate players to smash more than they really should in singles.

Are you smashing from the back court area? If so, it might be too easy for the opponent to drop the shuttle to the forecourt & run you around like crazy. Smashing from deep in the backcourt usually only works for top players that possess a devasting jump smash. It would be better if you wait for a high shot, deep in the mid-court area to use your smash.

Try some singles games where you don't smash at all (or very little). That should help to develop the rest of your singles game.

[XKazeCloudX]

I agree with everybody, but I believe the two MOST important points of winning in singles, is Footwork and Shot Placement.

Footwork - Allows you to be ready for the shot. Finish the shot cleanly. And of course, GET to the birdie.

Shot Placement - Hitting away from the opponent is vital, it tires them out, makes the opponent have harder time doing a shot that he or she wants to do, and give u more time to get to a good spot when your in the backcourt or net.

These two concepts combine will lead to one of the way to win in singles. Forcing the opponent to make a bad shot, so you can smash or hit the birdie away for the point.

[Loopy]

What do you do against a strong opponent that frequently clears the shuttle in the back ? Even if you do any kind of shot variation like back-to-back clears, attacking clears, fast and slow drop shot, and smash, he'll answer with a clear. Sometimes, he'll drop the shot to the net when you're too far away from the net.
PS: The guy is tall, pretty strong, and lots of stamina (that's why he plays the clearing game...).

[gingerphil79]

Had the same problem myself loopy last nite against a player who is well above my standard. He just kept clearin it & clearin it. I got so tired. My clearing was ok but length not quite good enough especially when i was so tired. I did get him thou with a few good cross court drop shots & if he did return them, i cleared it & every so often done a net shot. He still beat me thou but for the standard he is at, i felt pretty good that i got a good few points of him.

(PS, he prob could have beat me more if he had smashed but i think he was trying to teach me about how good a shot the clear is when done right)

[Gollum]

What do you do against a strong opponent that frequently clears the shuttle in the back ? Even if you do any kind of shot variation like back-to-back clears, attacking clears, fast and slow drop shot, and smash, he'll answer with a clear. Sometimes, he'll drop the shot to the net when you're too far away from the net.
PS: The guy is tall, pretty strong, and lots of stamina (that's why he plays the clearing game...).

You need to put pressure on his movement. It sounds like he has an efficient but unsophisticated style; therefore you should seek to upset his simplistic rhythm, and play as much net as possible.

Try flat attacking clears, and fast drops. With a really good sliced fast cross-court drop, you heavily encourage a net reply -- which allows you to play a net game, in which his crude style will be weak. Try to make your shots deceptive so that his footwork rhythm will be upset.

[Kiwiplayer]

What do you do against a strong opponent that frequently clears the shuttle in the back ? Even if you do any kind of shot variation like back-to-back clears, attacking clears, fast and slow drop shot, and smash, he'll answer with a clear. Sometimes, he'll drop the shot to the net when you're too far away from the net.
PS: The guy is tall, pretty strong, and lots of stamina (that's why he plays the clearing game...).


If you're losing to someone who only plays clears with the occasional drop shot, then the bottom line is that you two are not at the same level. At the very least, you have a lot of catching up to do in terms of shot quality and court coverage.

However, in the short term, your best bet is to play a faster game to try put him under more pressure. You have already mentioned that attacking clears and fast drops don't get you anywhere, so look at playing hard and flat, ie drives and smashes. Being tall, he'll have a reach advantage, so look to tie him up by playing at and across his body. Basically, try to play it like a game of doubles.

This is high risk badminton and not how you should normally play singles, but just for the moment, it's probably your best chance against this opponent.

Wayne Young

[Atreus]

Maybe this can help- analyse a good game on video and

decide following -

1) How many % of points are gained from net dribbles

2) How many points are gained from smashes

3) How many points are gained from placements

4) How many points are gained from long rallies

5) how many points are gained/lost on mistakes

Of course there are others to consider, but maybe singles

needs a wider repertoire. Maybe read a good book on tactics?

Yes, this may help, but players like that are probably better suited for the shots that you aren't. This is going to make the comparason different because there isn't really a defined style. Every player is different, but yet the same.

[zazaza]

I am playing against a 50+ year old man and at 1st match I lost 15-8, and the next day I kept thinking of a way to gain the 2nd game.

Analyzing the 1st game, he occassionally clears at the back and drop shot a lot. That one tricks me and kept me losing lots of points. At his age he doesn't smash that frequent and concentrate on just clearing to the baseline and doing sudden drop shots to the front court.

I smashes a lot and did many mistakes like stuck to the net, smash out and those silly shots.

In the 2nd game I try to watch his net and tries to confront his back court clearance by returning him with accurate backcourt clear as well. This works but he then attacks my backhand as my backhand is not that strong clearance. At the end I was at 14-13 (we play 15 point sold format), and he won the deuce and won that game at 17-15.

I was devastated and couldn't believe my fast smashes, better clearance, better placements and net drops couldn't close that game.

I discovered something, that I have to identify my weakness in order ro win games. At first I have to identify on my weaknesses and try to rectify it before I can formula up how to attack my opponent.

If I never improve on my weakness, then my opponent will always find a loophole to win tha game by attacking on thos soft spots.

I am improving my backhand now and that is why in teh 2nd game I could lead by 14-13.

[jhirata]

In the 2nd game I try to watch his net and tries to confront his back court clearance by returning him with accurate backcourt clear as well. This works but he then attacks my backhand as my backhand is not that strong clearance. At the end I was at 14-13 (we play 15 point sold format), and he won the deuce and won that game at 17-15.
You could've cleared around-the-head instead, because..
1) Backhands arent as powerful as forehands for most people.
2) Doing a backhand clear forces you to face backwards, therefore you wont be able to have your eye on your opponent.
But if you're like Taufik or Cheng Hong, that's not much of a problem.. :o

[Athelete1234]

It's not a viable option to always use a round the head; it's tiring, and often it's easier to just turn around and do a full court backhand clear. It's pretty much essential to singles, because you're forced to cover the 4 extreme corners of the whole court.

[Shifty]

It's not a viable option to always use a round the head; it's tiring, and often it's easier to just turn around and do a full court backhand clear. It's pretty much essential to singles, because you're forced to cover the 4 extreme corners of the whole court.

better opponents will actually capitalize on backhand clears. back hand clears will never be hit as good as a forehand round the head clear. good opponents can intercept these short clears and punish you. how often do you see a top player play backhand when NOT under pressure? basically never. the backhand is almost always used when under pressure of some sorts. sure, Taufik's backhand smash is good, but i've seen more than once in a match Taufik getting into trouble on the next shot because he recovered slower.

after all, if you find it tiring playing round the head all the time, that's saying something's wrong with your stamina, not that you should rely more on backhands. the more you cover your weakness, that bigger it gets as you progress.

[kitseb]

I play in a club where our doubles play is a lot stronger than the singles. We normally win a lot of doubles against higher ranked players (they are ranked on their singles play), but lose our singles. We practice the doubles much more, and know each other very well. I find that doubles play relies heavily on the tactics you use as a pair and how well you communicate together more so than the skill of the individual players - obviously the skill level can't be worlds apart!

So the tactically sound but technically less capably and slower pair may easily beat a pair with better shots and speed. It happens to my team quite a lot (we are older and wiser!), especially against younger less experienced doubles players - who then go on to absolutely stuff us in singles.

[Gollum]

I smashes a lot and did many mistakes like stuck to the net, smash out and those silly shots.

So your opponent gets lots of points for free (you make an error), whereas you have to work hard for your points. Guess who will win? ;)

You should not try to blast him off the court with smashes. That will work in doubles (if you have a strong smash), but not in singles. You need to put him under movement pressure; since he is much older than you, you should be able to tire him.

Force him to move the full length of the court, by playing clears/lifts followed by drops/net shots. Wait for his mistake before you smash.

[77suns]

:crying: Me too, used to play well in single but as i started to play double for almost all of my game in these few years, i found preparation and pace is quiet different(maybe that just me) between them.

Able to move fast back and forth in single plays a great difference in singles so i normally concentrate on my footwork more and will only consider my return shot done only when i get back to my ready position for my next shot. Indouble i will tend more often to stay put (get stuke) in the new position after each return, belittle the importantance to get back to the best position.

Also i tend not to forcus on my arm stroke so not to waste the split second to do a drive then to think and try to do a drop. That is unless you have a great short burst stroke using your wrist at the last moment.:)

[badboy4life]

one of the best tricks to do in singles is the way my mate plays......

return everything and keep rally's going on forever! and that forces ur opponents to make mistakes...you then capitalise on them!

[Athelete1234]

better opponents will actually capitalize on backhand clears. back hand clears will never be hit as good as a forehand round the head clear. good opponents can intercept these short clears and punish you. how often do you see a top player play backhand when NOT under pressure? basically never. the backhand is almost always used when under pressure of some sorts. sure, Taufik's backhand smash is good, but i've seen more than once in a match Taufik getting into trouble on the next shot because he recovered slower.

after all, if you find it tiring playing round the head all the time, that's saying something's wrong with your stamina, not that you should rely more on backhands. the more you cover your weakness, that bigger it gets as you progress.
Agreed with that. I try to use the around the head as often as possible, but sometimes the bird just flies too far past me; and a backhand is the only stroke that will buy you some time. I was just pointing out that a backhand clear is a very important stroke nonetheless, especially in singles.

[Shifty]

one of the best tricks to do in singles is the way my mate plays......

return everything and keep rally's going on forever! and that forces ur opponents to make mistakes...you then capitalise on them!

doesn't work so well against a person who can rally longer than you. nor does it work against a person who's actually rallying you to make you more tired by playing specific shots. nor does it work too well against a guy who's very good on the attack. if he's good enough, you eventually get forced into too many defensive errors. against better players, it's probably not a good idea to rally. in fact, since they're better than you, they'll be able to rally better. you can't just sit back and let them come to you. being defensive all the time won't work. look at France and it's Maginot line. all that money poured into there, and they get blind sided by the germans, who went on the ATTACK. sure you need to defend, but you can't just defend. not against someone good.

and yes, i agree Athelete1234, you need be able to do a backhand clear. but backhand drops are also important. the fact that one can mix drops AND clears(at least half decent ones) means the opponent can't clear to your backhand, then charge into the net.

[The Other]

Why don't U just do always overhead ? They are more powerfull, but yo have to improve your footwork to always be ontime.

I usually clear the bird on the backhand of my opponent when I am y trouble and some time just that shot from anywhere on the court can totaly change the path of the rally.

[katz_2007]

I know to myself that I am for singles,but the problem is that,I become so nervous that I don't know what to do.....Kindly have an answer for that please...thanks..




KAT

[Shifty]

I know to myself that I am for singles,but the problem is that,I become so nervous that I don't know what to do.....Kindly have an answer for that please...thanks..




KAT

try doing a lengthy warm up, to ensure your muscles are relaxed. if you still get nervous, just have faith in your ability, forget about everything but the rally. but most importantly, keep playing through it. over time, you'll become less nervous.