Hello!! 1. When defending who should take central dropshots and smashes? I have my own different opinions: a) Diagonal b) Right player (he is backhand) c) The player that didn't go to the net before (only dropshots) d) Both rush to the shuttle, so that they don’t lose aggressive attitude to the game. e) In some mixed doubles I’ve seen that the man is always first one to take it (especially dropshots), mainly due to his more aggressive game style comparing to the girl. 2. Who takes central drives? For now I have a version that both should be trying to take it because the game pace is high at the moment. 3. If the attacking player is hitting the shuttle from the center of the court (smash and dropshot) – what player position changes must happen next? Maybe it depends on the shot type? a) The net player goes to the vacant side of the court, players position themselves in parallel b) Players change positions: the net player goes to the rear court, while attacking player holds the net 4. What is the best possible smash target when taking flick serve in doubles? Center? Player? The line? Does it make the difference if the serve is taken from left/right side of the court?
4. I think smashing/drop between the server and opponent is a good idea, since they are switching to side-by-side position. If the server is slow to back up to the side by side position, you might be able to smash into his body.
I'm presuming that questions 1 & 2 are after your side have lifted or cleared to your opponents' rear corner. If this is correct, then the 'x-court' defender will be both more central and closer to the net than the 'down-the-line' defender. Therefore, they will be best placed to return smashes, drops and drives to the center of your court. If your side have cleared or lifted to the center of your opponents' court, your positioning will be far more symmetrical. If you are 'same-handed' (i.e. both left or both right), the drop tends to be taken by the player whose backhand it is. Similarly a central clear is taken by the player whose forehand it is. The rest is more subjective. 1 player may be better at defense than their partner. 1 player may have just hit a clear and be slightly further from the net. Alternatively, 1 player may have lifted & therefore slightly closer to the net. Initially, both players shall 'go' for every shot. However, good communication is vital to establish whose it is really, so the non-hitting partner can take up a supporting position. Typically, the best line for smashes is just inside the 'down-the-line' defender & returning flicks is no exception. However, if the opponent who flicked hasn't taken a step or 2 back, then they may be slightly more vulnerable. However, they may be equally vulnerable to an attacking clear & this may carry less risk.
Thanks for detailed answers! I would like though to hear some opinions about the 3rd question, because I'm not sure if it was understood correctly. The question is - in situation when opponent has lifted and the shuttle is landing closer to the center of the court than the back line, and my partner in the rear court is hitting smash - what should I do? a) stay at the net and let my partner hold the rear court b) move sideways in the vacant spot with intention to take the rear , letting my partner continue to the net (or return to the net leaving partner in his rear corner, depending on which side the shuttle goes) c) side-by-side position
there's simply no general answer to that. it depends on: a. the length of the lift (the shorter the lift, the more likely you are to rotate, the further to the rearcourt, the more likely you are to stay in the front) b. your stregths/weaknesses (if you're a good net player and your partner is a better smasher, you're more likely to stay at the net and vice versa). c. your opponents (some opponents always defend long/drive/block. this changes your behaviour on court). d. your own skill level/speed (the faster and better you are, the more you rotate (generally speaking...)). this is definetaly one of the hardest things to master in doubles...
Presuming that your partner has got to the half-court lift/clear in plenty of time (to smash), the answer is to stay 'at the net' (even though it's a racket length or 2 behind the service line). The reason for this is that the opposition will be unlikely to lift the smash back over your partner's head, but they may be able to squeeze a x-court block across your partner. You therefore have to be alert to this with a net kill. If your partner plays a drop or block (question this after the rally), then you have time to take a couple more steps backwards to cover the mid/rear court. If your partner is late on the shot & the best they can do is a drive, then consider a quasi-defensive position. In other words, expect to cover a return drive to the central 3rd of the court.
Line & Length , Well, from what I’ve seen in Boe/Mogensen matches : after such smashes from the center of the court they first stay side by side until the shuttle is returned , then player to whose side it is going takes it, his partner goes to the net. I’ve seen lots of situations when the shuttle is actually lifted after those middle court smashes. And there is another situation I can’t explain to myself: why the girl in this video went to the right? Can this be due to simple agreement or maybe she is better at defense? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkh1OrqRljQ&feature=youtu.be Well, from what I’ve seen in Boe/Mogensen matches : after such smashes from the center of the court they first stay side by side until the shuttle is returned , then player to whose side it is going takes it, his partner goes to the net. I’ve seen lots of situations when the shuttle is actually lifted after those middle court smashes. And there is another situation I can’t explain to myself: why the girl in this video went to the right? Can this be due to simple agreement or maybe she is better at defense? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkh1OrqRljQ&feature=youtu.be
When you say center, do you mean half-way between the net and rear of the court, or between the forehand and backhand sides? From the posts, I thought you were referring to short lifts (i.e. too close to the net). I would be surprised that many smashes from the mid-court are returned at elite level. The defenders would be far too close to the shuttle to react. In fact I'd be surprised that many lifts go mid-court in the first place. As I said in my previous post, 'at the net' is actually 1-2 racket lengths' behind the service line. If your partner is smashing from the mid-court, that would appear to be pseudo 'side-by-side'. Not too sure which shot you're referring to in the video, but with the man at the net, the pair at the far end are pushing the lady into her rear back-hand corner. Rather than smash, she tries a containing drop between the defenders.
Line & Length , I've meant why the girl who lifted moves to the right when left seems more logical in my opinion? Maybe they agreed so, but why then? )
