Whenever anyone hits the birdy i slide my right foot back to take a smash, no matter what. I rarely don't. This really slows down getting drops but it works for clears and stuff. I can't figure out how to get rid of it. I try to stop myself but i just can't, i'm like stop in my mind but my body moves on its own. Also i lead with my left when i net clear from the right... What should i do?
Drill! Drill, drill, drill! Oft times it can hundreds of hours to break a bad habit & form a new good habit. Trying to rid yourself of a bad habit in the heat of battle is often nearly impossible to do. you've got to do it in a training/drilling session instead... to the point to where it start to become 2nd nature. Hit a clear to your drilling buddy &, this is very important, be sure to split-step just as they are about to smash. Hopefully, just doing the act of the split-step may correct the problem. When you do the split (hop), make sure that your feet are a little bit wider and that your feet are either even or your racket foot is slightly forward (ahead of your other foot). Do this over and over and over... If you have problems with your feet even when doing the drill, then modify the drill bit. Hit the clear, do the timing hop (the split step) but do NOT attempt to return the smash. Do this until you are sure that your feet are doing the proper move. If this is ok then the next step is to pretend to return the smash... swing w/o trying to make contact. If your feet are still doing the correct move, then & only then, progress to the last step... actually attempt to return the smash. If your footwork breaks down again at this point, go back to the previous exercises. Last point... when you do your split-step make sure that you are lowering your body (by bending your knees & your upper body slightly forward) with your racket well in front of you about waist level or a bit lower. You should actually be in a semi-crouched position before the split-step and then bend your knees a bit more as you land the split-step.
Search Try using the Search function on split-step. It's been described in dozens of threads. I pretty sure that i had mentioned the split-step in a reply to your query about your friend who slices. When the split-step (hop) is performed, the balls of the feet often land a bit wider apart than before the (timing) hop... hence the name, split-step. For more info try the following links (and also use the Search button above): http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20487&highlight=split-step http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19436&highlight=split-step If you employ the split and try the drill sequence as I described it in the previous reply, I'm confident that you can change the habit.