When we receive a serve, should we stand in front like Candra Wiyaja and Sigit Budiarto ? Or should we stand in the middle? Also, should we hold it as near to the shaft as possible to tap it down when the shot is too high. Or should we hold it as usual, in my case, the end of the racket? Pls advice.
LJQ, It depends. You will want to crowd the net to pressure the server but you better be damn sure that you can jump back to retrieve a flick serve. This is more than often used when the server is not sure of their short serve. Standing in the mid court to receive serve is a defensive posture as you figure to not have enough speed or reaction to jump back to retrieve a flick serve but is okay with going forward (a natural movement) to retrieve a short serve (usually a lift since the shuttle would have dropped below the net). As for the grip, in most doubles you will want to grip higher on the handle when you are up front and lower when you are playing back. Gripping higher (choking up) on the handle gives you a faster response as your racket head has a shorter distance to cover on your swing. As part of training, one of the things you should be doing is practise switching your grips from forehand to backhand, choking up and down. Some folks will choke up for the entire game. For strategies on doubles, I suggest that you take a look at Jake Downey's books (available for free) at http://www.badmintonbooks.com and for techniques/strokes, you should look at his "Excelling at badminton".
