Hoi, I've recently watched a lot of badminton training videos... a lot of them were doing a 3v3 excercise... I have to admit that I do not exactly know why they play 3v3.. it's fun though... anyone has answers?!
Not really physically easier for the rear players. I play 3v3 every Friday night n have to smash and deep clear most of the time. Can be very tiring if the front players are just beginner/intermediate n they don't intercept or block often. It is also difficult to kill yr opponents if the opponents have good defense because the court is so 'saturated'. I also read somewhere that deep clears and full power smashes are the most physically taxing shots in badminton.
Our 3v3 games are recreational n usually the 2 frt players are beginners who can barely do a full court clear. That's how all of us of different skill levels get to play together as friends. Nevertheless we bet a dollar per person per set of 30 pts old scoring system. Sometimes a hard fought match last almost one hour.
I've played some 3 vs 2 training games, and even 4 vs 2. It's a great way for the 2 to practice defence. You shouldn't be seeing too many high clears in such games: there's no excuse for the rear court players being out of position and unable to smash or drop.
we do 3 vs 3 for fun/warmup sometimes. 3 vs 1 for singles is probably the best thing you can do to improve your singles game. it's so physically intense and mentally tiring, because you never make the point and always run like crazy... 3 vs 2 is very good for defense in doubles, too!