Me and my friends were playing badminton, and we are learning how to switch position from attack to defence. I was taught a long time that when one of us smash or drop at the opponent, then the closest person to the net goes to front and form an attack position, and when we clear or drive, we use the defence position. But it seem not to be working... can anyone give any ideas?
It would be helpful if you can provide a stroke-by-stroke breakdown of the situations where your rotation from an offensive to a defensive position did not work, and vice versa...
What it sounds like... -you 2 are in the defensive position and a high clear was hit to your side one player will typically has the right of shot, his team mate must take the position at the front of the net (ie/ if you do not have the responsibility of the shot, then you have the responsibility of position) -if you're in the attacking position if any of you two clear, then both needs to go side-to-side to defend If this does not answer your particular scenario, please describe. Cheers!
A good cue to know when to switch formation is how low the opposition receive your shot. As soon as your side hits a downward shot, you get into back-front and maintain it. Any time you think the opposition will receive overhead shots (clear/flatsmash/drive), you have to switch to defence. How to rotate so that you'll maintain offensive will largely depends on communication. Since the back attacker has a better view of the situation, he can determine when to switch by following his drops/smash (rushing to the net) so that the front player could move to the back to maintain the attack. Defensively, the front player has the added burden of determining where to move when the opposition has the offensive by moving to one side of the court so that the back player knows where to fill the gap. Both players must be very alert to one another's position and be prepared to move fast to complement each other. Also, if in doubt... take the initiative and yell "yours" or "mine".
Also have to mention that if anyone from your side makes a drop (usually to the sides of an attacking opposition), that person must follow his shot and claim the front... that's how one goes from defensive to offensive. When one forces a lift from the opposition near the front, one must stay there and trust the partner to cover the backcourt. The front player only move back (decisively to one side) when he perceive a clear from his teammate. A good way of backing up would be to move diagonal from the last position of your partner so that he could simply step forward after his clear to complete the defensive wall. Again, extra burden on the front player to be ultra perceptive to the general situation and act accordingly to minimise confusion. The sooner the front player make the decision, the more seamless transition will be. Worst thing to do in a doubles is to back up unnecessarily. You don't move back for fast defensive shots that are not within a step's reach unless you're certain that your partner won't be able to get it in time. It's very crucial not to impede forward momentum, so don't expect your partner to cover a lifting shot when he's already moving to covering the front. If you have enough time to debate who gets the shot (ie. high clears), whoever is nearer to the back should get it regardless of who has the forehand side of the shot.
This is absolutely right, but you've used unusual terminology. I would call this shot a BLOCK rather than a drop. This shot is normally an attacking response to the smash. Clearly if you perform a drop shot (i.e. a soft overhead shot from the back of the court, directed to the front of the opposition's court), then you should stay at the back because your partner is already in position to cover any net replies.
Yes, I kinda equate all soft returns (including non-tapping netshots) as drops. BLOCK would be a better term for the shot that elicit lifts from the opponents when one is around the midcourt area (especially in defensive formation). There are times when one do need respite after performing numerous baseline poundings, following one's drop or smash to the net would cue the partner to move to the backcourt... that's if there's prior discussion about rotation already and the partner won't be surprised by one's sudden move to the front. In this manner, the "rested" player will have a chance to maintain the attack.
Probably best NOT to yell 'yours'. Your partner might have already decided to leave it. Better to yell 'mine'. If you both shout at the same time, precedence for the shot should be (IMO) 1. player who has the forehand shot 2. player furthest back in the court
Heh! Not when you're playing with less experienced players. Better to deal with indecision in our coverage in the first few points of the game than to let it linger to the end. I would rather be explicit about intent than be implicit... at least for new partners anyway. After awhile, there's lesser need for further vocalising. Actually I won't even use the word "yours", "go for it" sounds alot better and less bossy.
