stance is very important. try to prepare for a backhand defense stance. back hand defense is faster than forehand. Backhand also covers more ground. make sure you are properly spaced out side-side with your partner. crouch, bending your knee and lowering your body to minimize yourself as a target. of course make sure your lifts are high and back clears instead or else it's suicide. try not to lift repeatedly. attempt to cut the smash by slicing it back to make the attacker unable to smash again. if u chose to drop it as a net shot by just blocking the smash, then beware the opposition net man's position. if you are playing singles then it's less risky to drop as a net shot. in fact it is a good choice if u r talkin about singles by returning a smash shot as a net drop shot. knowing your opponent's style also help. some ppl just know how to smash hard without versatility. some hard hitters only knows how to smash flat shots instead of steep angled smashes. get the idea?
work on your reflexes, just feed shuttles at someone and get them to smash it at you until you can return it, experience always helps. you can also work on reflexes by playing video games.
Hi All, Yes. Backhand defence is faster than Forehand defence (For Return Smash) if for Double match. For Single match: Backhand and Forehand most important to use for return the smash. Assumsion>>Hand Right Player: If the smash come to you at right site, use forehand and come to left site, use backhand. Hand Fingers, Wrist, Timing, and Footwork are important to return smash for single games. Footwork has not important for double to return smash, the rest important. Cheers, Yadi
Many players and coaches use purely backhand defence, but this is not a good idea. Smashes can come to both sides, and attempting to play a backhand on the forehand side will limit the quality of your returns. Sometimes you will see international players do this -- but they only do it when under extreme pressure. The main forehand and backhand grips are almost identical, so why not use this to your advantage? You can be ready for both sides with the same grip. Do not use a full thumb grip for smash defence. This will reduce your power and prevent you from playing a forehand return. (More details in the next grips guide. I seem to be saying that a lot these days....)
I would also add the two-on-one half court drill where the sole player will try to defend against smash and net kills from the other two players. That will boost up your reflexes and hone up your recovery habit and defensive skills.
you mean for backcourt return?if you use only yr arm swing, it is not enough to generate more power to lift the shuttle to the backcourt. you must use yr wrist flicking/snapping as well while hitting. This will generate more power. Some tips for you, if the smash comes straight to yr body (chest or waist level), with backhand grip try to jump a little bit as you hitting the shuttle. This will give more lift to the shuttle. for frontcourt return, just use a little swing/push so that the shuttle bounce slightly on yr racket face. Good luck .
