My doubles partner and I have different attacking styles. He smashes straight (even from the corners) and I at the front have to bias towards the cross court return. I tend to smash down the middle to cut down the angle of return, and play a fast drop to give myself time if I get caught really deep in a corner. I was wondering what opinions people have on the straight vs middle thing, and whether we should work on trying to stick to one or the other or should just work each other out?
cross court shots could be confusing to return as well in doubles, since they're coming from a side, it might give more time for the opponent to react to the bird, but the awkaward angle of a cross court smash can be quite intimidating, especially if it's in the middle and your not sure if you or your partner should get it!
generally, to me, a cross court smash is a big no no. then again, you can smash cross court when the opponent at the cross court is noticeably weaker in defence. to answer your question, a smash to the middle create more confusion and limits the angle of return. however, a straight smash to the forehand would create more angle of return but people are generally weaker in the forehand defence. so my answer is it depends.
Sometimes, a crosscourt smash could catch the player unaware... especially if he's been mesmerized by the fast and furious exchange his partner is partaking. A deep crosscourt smash is one of the hardest shots to return as it's seldom employed (it's a fairly low percentage shot as it's hard to execute properly) and also hard for the defender to angle the return. The best one could do with it is to drop the return straight (which will be covered by the opposing netman) or lift it back to the baseline (which the smasher would have ample time to get to it). Either way, the defender will be hard pressed if his opponents are experienced and fast enough to intercept them. A flat crosscourt smash, on the other hand, is the biggest no-no in doubles. Not only will it more likely to go out, it'll trap your partner at the front as you rushed to get the driven return at the other baseline corner.
misunderstanding You misunderstand...I said I prefer to smash down the middle rather than straight. This doesn't not mean cross court! If I was smashing cross court I'd be smashing to the guy diagonally opposite me. I define the middle of the court as half way between the inner shoulders of the two defenders, rather than as a fixed point/line on the court. My problem with smashing straight is the net guy will struggle to cut off the weak return as they have too much angle. Also I feel the smasher is more vulnerable to a cross court clear..
