when you are about to recieve a shot, a friend told me to do a small hop just as your opponent hits the shot. he told me this is so you can anticipate the shot better and get to area quicker. my question is does anybody do this?? i've been trying to use this method as mcuh as possible but i am always getting faked out if the opponent hits the shot to the back of the court. (this is because im always hopping forwards) only when he drops or smashes the birdie can i make a really really good shot. thanks in advance
There are threads talking about this, I suggest that you do a search. As to your question, it is neccessary to hop (or split step) when waiting your opponent's stroke. You would adjust the timing so that you land both feet when your opponent makes contact with the shuttle. If you do not do split step, I am pretty sure that when your opponent plays a good, well disguised drop shot, you will stay flat footed until the shuttle virtually reaches the ground (on your court ). The fact you being faked out when your opponent play clear to backcourt shows that you're not quick enough, I mean not yet. When you reach a certain level of play, the dropshots and half smashes will become more hard to return than clears, simply because you are quick enough to return if the shuttle goes high (which mean it take much more time to land on your court). Ofcourse, even at high level we still see a player win points with clears, when he already fooled his opponent to rush the net. But it is very rare.
my opinion: split step is VERY key to footwork. however, it has to be done very quickly. usually i jump AND land before and while my opponents racket touches the shuttle.
