I'm learning how to play mix...

Not to mention drop as well... Yeah. You shouldn't clear too many time unless the opportunity is there. Otherwise, just keep the returns low and setup for your partner to kill the weak return.

 

Men in mixed should play most of their shots straight instead of cross-court because they are supposed to be the better player on court, hence should bare the onslaught from the opponents. Vice versa for women.

Please note that I'm not discriminating against the genders here since I myself play mixed with men who are either the same or lower standard than I am. But the above is the 'general' rule of thumb.

 

mixed generally play front and back positions with weaker player in front, stronger at the back. when playing against this, weakest point is the midcourt area of the side alleys.

 

Don't be a fire hydrant!

Generally, yes... weaker players at the front will save alot of trouble for the team. However, in level doubles as well as mixed, the net man has a very crucial responsibility-- he has to aggressively intercept any shots crossing his area within his reach. He has to move aggressively to every netshot and drops, enabling the team to maintain offensive and allow the teammate at the back more attack options (either to pound the opposition or move them around) as well as deny the opposition much of the vulnerable areas. Stance in front should be slightly wide and forward, hankered down (knees bend) and bouncing on toes. Any sh*t from the team's mistakes will come down on the net man first, so he has to be very alert... or end up getting creamed.

In mixed, the lady at the front would do well to hold her racquet front and slightly above her head to block/intercept fast crosscourt shots. Cuz if she's letting shots pass her by, the man will basically be playing singles against the opposition. So get involved and don't be passive.

 

There are threads out there.
e.g. Mixed Doubles

search for "mixed" in titles only and you'll find some

 

when i was a high school i was no.1 at Mens Doubles and No.2 at singles

 

neil, that thread wasnt really into mixed game strategy. more like why mixed isnt preferred.

i personally prefer mixed as it involves a lot of strategy rather than power and pressure thats prevalent in mens doubles. a good strategy for mixed is to help improve your female partner. theyre often the deciding factor in a mixed game. their netplay, ability to rotate at the back, and capability to handle pressure when defending hard smashes can win games.

 

but there were some posts about strategy and tactics for mixed

 

How do you guys feel about smashing at the lady opponent?

-dave

 

smashing at the lady opponent doesnt always guarantee points. thats why its often better to play smarter rather than harder against them. a well trained mixed doubles female should have good solid defense cause they should be ready for the typical smash at the girl tactic. if picking on the girl is your style, the way to go about it is by screwing up their rotation. dont let them settle in their offensive position. force the net player into the rear corners and let the smasher take up the net. or better yet, force them to play side to side by playing the rear corners.

 

Depends... if she's decent player, I wouldn't hold back. If she's a newbie or low intermediate player, I would move her around instead.

 

This matches with my "cheating" strategy.

Most of the cases, I will try to push the net player (most are ladies, in case of MXD) to the rear corner (prefer backhand side). Try to go with deep & high clear, while control teh net and wait for either weak returns or errors. Once this occurs, either gain a free point or a easy kill.

 

Hrmms...#3 and you want to be #1. Maybe I should go back to mix so I can play you. Haha. I was just transferred out of mix and into doubles.

http://www.badmintoncentral.com/badminton-central/techniques/mixed-double.php

 

During XD, I would normall do a very strong smash aiming at the front because I know smashes are too fast for front players(and it's not easy). Also, I tend to do smashes when they are standing side-by-side, and I will aim for middle of them (so they can clash their rackets )

PS: clashing rackets usually result in bad returning shots

 

or they will both leave it

 

Good traditional mixed pairs usually don't do too much rotation. I was watching the 2nd Tier Korean players decimate our Canadian national players in last year's Canadian Open. During one televised mixed event, our mixed pair got pushed all over the court while the Koreans manage to maintain their composure and formation. If our guys and gals were fast and skillful enough... they could have kept to their attack formation.