um... where do you guys stand when your side lift a bird (to about the back doubles service line) straight across from you? Cuz I stand about one or two feet back from the front service line, and I notice that most of the people I play with stand a LOT furthur back I notice sometimes I get in trouble when the opponent has a fast and powerful smash, but in general I've been able to get away with it. Am I standing too close? or do I just have to knock up my reflexes a notch?
as for most badminton questions, the answer is : it depends. if your lift is of high quality and is pressurizing your opponent and/or your opponent is weak, then stand further front to anticipate a weak smash or drop. else stand back a little bit. if your lift is giving your opponent a lot of time to prepare and/or your opponent has a very strong smash, then stand further back to give yourself a bit more reaction time.
You have to anticipate where your opponent going to hit the shuttle, look at their wrist movement, and dont move until they are about to hit the shuttle. However, some good opponents are able to see where you are, where you are moving to and detect your defense position. I normally stand more to the front (around 3/7), but prepare to move as fast as possible. The reasons: 1. when my opponent drop the shuttle, i will quickly move forward and tap the shuttle. 2.when my opponent smash, i can drive the shuttle back to turn into attacking position 3.when my opponent lob the shuttle, i could easily move 2 step behind to smash it.
I would stand around mid court since most likely the smash (if there is one) will come down the line to you. Your partner then should be a little bit in front of you on his side since if they smash at him, it would be a cross court smash and he should have plenty of time to react to the smash. Remember that it is easier to move forward than to move backwards.
Of course much depends on the quality of the opposition. You can stand nearer the net if your opponents are weak, anticipating weak returns to kill. However, let's assume that your opponents are equally as strong and can deliver a good variety of strokes. When you lift the bird to your opponent's baseline, he can smash, drop or punch back to your baseline, all attacking strokes. I suppose your opponent will try not to execute cross-court shots unless you and your partner are badly out of position and present the attacker with a chance. If you stand nearer the net, you are at the mercy of your opponent smashing into your body or hitting a very fast, low clear (usually a punch) to your baseline and leave you stranded. As WWC has said, it is easier to move forward than backward. It will be a wrong strategy for your opponent to employ a slower and poorly executed drop shot when you can step forward and kill it. Therefore, like WWC, I will prefer the mid-court "square" position and watch my opponent closely. Most times, I will focus on the shuttle and see how it was being hit by him. But I confess I will be too slow to able to watch his wristwork and try to anticipate his shot. I rather wait untill the bird is hit by him to safely determine the direction and intent of his return shot. Remember, your baseline lift is a defensive shot, therefore you should position yourself in such a way as to be able to make a good return, expecting an attacking shot from your opponent, and set yourself up for a counter-attack if possible.
I agree that the reply to this question is "it depends". I would however like to stress that it is generally a good idea to train players to be able to stand as much in front as possible when returning the opponent's smash. The reason is that it is much easier to turn the situation around from the front of the court using returns that will put the opponent under pressure. And generally, the pair who has the initiative and puts the opponent under pressure - which can also by strong defensive players be done from a defensive position - will have the upper hand.. Therefore.. if it works for JChen99 to stand as close to the net as he mentions I would suggest that he keeps working on improving that already strong position..
Thx guys for the reply Kwun, I kno this is always personal preference, but it seems that there is a "general trend" of where people stand, and I was interested in knowing that. Most of the people who I've played with usually stands midcourt like WWC said, some with slower reflexes (or less experienced) stand back furthur, and in that situation, if the opponent has a good drop, the guy is toast
i didn't say "personal preference", i said "it depends", meaning, it depends on the situation. i admit it it also depends on the person's preference and ability. but i will roll that into "it depends" (on ability) instead of calling it "personal preference"...
Hi, When i'm playing doubles, i tend to stand bang in the centre on my 'box' that i am defending, at times a little more foward. The key to your problem, maybe, is it 'split step'. What this entails is as the person is going up for the smash, jump about an inch or two from the ground, just before they hit it, you should land again. This enables you to switch feet, move back or go foward. Always be on your toes and not flat footed, on your toes means you can take a step back (or little jump) while defending. Another way is again not looking at the shuttle, but the person. If the person's cheeks are puffed out, back is arched and face clenched, i dont think a drop is coming . They key is to stand in the middle of the side you are defending, and shift A LITTLE body weight waiting to go foward. Take a look at some video clips and see where the people are standing. You can also see them take little split steps. I myself watch videos of Candra / Sigit, Archer / Robertson and many other players and cut down their game. I'll watch it over again, freeze frame it and then try to encorporate it into my game, and it works. Try it I hope this helps Matt
it also depends on if you are more comfortable moving back or forward, if you are more comfortable moving back, then stay closer to the front, if you are more comfortable moving forward, then stand a bit farther back =)
