Hot do you defend a body shot

[Crosskid]

i know this will seem hard but i jump up or duck and drive it back

[DinkAlot]

i know this will seem hard but i jump up or duck and drive it back

Hmmmmm, that's interesting. Ducking to drive the shuttle back? You must be strong.

[cappy75]

Heh! Maybe it's easy for you kiddo, but not for me. I am too old to be jumping around or doing the matrix bend-over without some postgame consequences! Ducking is easier but not as efficient as taking the shot early and doing something with it.

Also, I notice that having a lower perspective (while squatting) of the court makes it easier for me to judge whether a shot is going out or not.

i know this will seem hard but i jump up or duck and drive it back

Strengthening lower leg muscles is the key to faster mobility on the court. Bodyweight calisthenics, rope skipping and footwork drills/exercises will do the trick.

[cappy75]

It's easier to think of it as 'leaning forward with bend knees' or having a slight forward bias in your stance than 'standing on the toes'.

It's effective with all kinds of shot. with drops and deep angle smash, just take a step (or lunge) and dig it out. Punch clears will be abit tougher to deal with, but then again one shouldn't be too forward in the forecourt in the first place when the other side has the high contact.

Hey, Cappy, I agree with everything you mentioned there. I'm working on standing on my toes and getting my stance right, but it's definitely working.
I've been told that it's a singles defence, but it works for me in doubles, so I'm carrying on working on it.
It's really effective with fairly hard but flat smashes!

[event]

i know this will seem hard but i jump up or duck and drive it back

I've seen advanced players do this in preparation when they get caught near the front on a short lift. They basically squat and hit an overhand shot which goes flat like a drive. Obviously, one is vulnerable to punch clears or shots out of lateral reach since it's hard to lunge sideways (or in any direction) from a squat. But, hey, it's not a bad strategy when you're out of position.

I often instinctively jump, spread my legs and try to hit the shuttle after it goes through the five-hole. If only my arms were indeed as long as my list of bad habits!

[DinkAlot]

Heh! Maybe it's easy for you kiddo, but not for me. I am too old to be jumping around or doing the matrix bend-over without some postgame consequences!

I'm with Cappy, I can't do that stuff either, "without some postgame consequences..."

[Gollum]

I guess I didn't make myself clear. If there's a shot going to my forehand, I'll definitely use my forehand return unless I cannot and have to use my backhand. I did not mean I use a my backhand return exclusively. It's just better for overall defense, meaning I can use a backhand return on both my forehand and backhand side but cannot use my forehand return on my backhand side. Hope that made sense.

Oops! Sorry, I misinterpreted your post.