Smash return in doubles- backhand only?

(This thread should be in the techniques forum.)

The backhand can cover a wider area than the forehand, and top players generally prefer backhand defence for this reason.

When the shuttle has been smashed to the forehand side (wide of the racket hip), however, the backhand return becomes much less effective. It's still possible, but it reduces the strength and variety of your defence. Your opponents should anticipate a straight reply, because it's almost impossible to play crosscourt (especially if you are in your forehand half of the court). A straight block the net is your most likely shot; straight lifts and drives are possible but extremely difficult.

You might think that a straight block is just fine, as long as it is of good quality. Yet good opponents will soon realise your limited shot selection, and will begin to move in early for the kill. No matter how tight your blocks are, you are going to lose once the opponents can predict them.

In extreme cases (the smash is heading for the line), the backhand defence becomes impossible, because you simply don't have enough reach.

For these reasons, I believe it is important to become skilful in both forehand and backhand defence, and to be ready for both sides when receiving a smash.

Lee Jae Bok is very keen to emphasise that committing to the backhand side is a Bad Idea. In his view (which I share), you must be equally ready for both sides. This means that your posture and grip should be neutral, not backhand-biased.

 

I fall into this bad habit, as I usually defend with a backhand grip. If I find time I switch to a forehand grip, but if the smash is closer to my body or it's a very quick shot I often defend with my backhand. I've noticed that one particularly good doubles player is accurate enough to aim smashes at my right hip. If it doesn't give him a winner outright it sometimes encounters a weak reply.

 

I generally do. However, doubles positioning should mitigate the use of the forehand in most cases.

Typically, a 'wedge' formation is used, so that down-the-line or mid smashes will go to either players' backhands. The only possibility for forehand is a completely cross-court smash, but these are slow and may be cut off, and probably wont be so far over that forehand must be used. Since the defensive preparation is, by default, more suited to backhand, it is faster to use the backhand the return the smash in this situation.

 

yea i got into that habit too... I don't think its a very good habit though... Some shots that i could return forehand as a drive, i return as a backhand as a bad drop or a lift.

 

Quite similar thread..

...as found and discussed in this previous thread :
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38484

 

The difficulty of changing grips is typically the reason that players play all-backhand smash returns.

Some years ago, when I still had terrible backhand technique, I thought the same way. I had terrible backhand technique because my coach had taught me to use the thumb grip for all backhands (and all the other club players seemed to agree).

At that time, I thought that I needed "the backhand" thumb grip for backhand defence, and "the forehand grip" for forehand defence. This was what I had been taught. Yet it seemed impossible to change between them quickly enough, so I stuck to pure backhand defence most of the time (and it was weak too: I could only really play a block).

Now that I know the correct hitting technique, I find it hard to imagine why anyone would want to use the thumb grip for backhand defence. This grip locks the wrist and greatly limits your ability to use the forearm muscles.

The basic "forehand" grip is much more effective, and it has the advantage of working on both sides.

Of course, all of this assumes that your grips are right in the first place. Once again, a technique issue comes down to the grip.

 

Thanks for the tips Gollum - I'll try switching between backhand and forehand grips next time I play on defense and see how it feels.

 

backhand grip has a lot more scope to move, the forearm only does trhe right side? So I always kinda hold backhand, though yah, should be neutral i must remember that

 

I think some of you don't know what a backhand grip is and what is not...

But perhaps Gollum should explain, my english is too bad.

I mean thumb grip is just one kind of backhand grip, it's very good for backhand drive in front of your body or for net kills...
Neutral grip can be also a backhand grip for high lift oder smash defense...

 

Indeed. That is why I believe "backhand grip" is a bad name: it suggests that the grip is used for only and all backhands. The same is true of "forehand grip".

Both the "only" and "all" part are incorrect.

 

The thumb is essential for backhand strokes hit in front of the player. For backhand shots hit at your side the thumb is best diagonally across the slope bevel and the flat side. For backhand shots that are behind your body then the thumb and the index finger are best at the two racquet edge bevels, not the flat side. If you hold the handle with the thumb and index finger followed by closing of the other fingers, and then supinate your forearm/wrist with a fast wrist snap action (with minimal arm swing), for a backhand push towards your opponent's backcourt, the shot will be very crisp and will travel at great speed. A panhandle grip for such a backhand shot will lack power, speed and deception.
However, this assumes you can change your grip from forehand to backhand instantly, which you must otherwise your shots will lack speed and crispness. That is why you should practise twirling your racquet in your hand at great speed around the handle and doing a figure of 8 motion exercise.

 

i think it's all a matter of the player's mental preparation......

we should be prepared to use both forehand and backhand defence when it suits the situation best.........but well.............easier said than done!!

 

I more or less agree with this.

I would add that changing quickly from a "thumb on flat" backhand grip for defending in front of you to a "thumb on bevel" backhand grip for defending on the forehand side is not hard to do. It's easy. Just make sure the racquet is gripped lightly so that you can roll the racquet in your fingers to make the transition.

Wayne Young

 

There is no way you can do that quickly enough to defend against a powerful smash. The grip change, no matter how quick, will always slow you down slightly.

Note that the thumb grip is only good for some backhand strokes in front of the player. For most lifts, the basic ("forehand") grip or the bevel grip are better.

The exception to this is a deceptive lift (flick) at the net, where the thumb grip is most effective for creating a small amount of surprise power at the last moment, using the fingers without (or with minimal) forearm rotation. For lifted smash returns, a full thumb grip is simply wrong.

People will insist on using it, however, because they've developed poor backhand skills from earlier, misguided teaching by coaches and players

 

Really? No way it can be done against a powerful smash? Guess it depends on what you classify as a powerful smash, or what level you play at. The highest level I played at was Prem B county badminton in the UK a few years ago - which at the time our team had to play against the likes of Nathan Robertson, Anthony Clark and other England players, so I've come across a few big hitters. Smash defense is not a problem for me and I do use a full thumb on the flat for backhand defense when the shuttle is in front of me. I'm a little old school, so I favour a backhand bias on my defense (rather than the more modern crouch defense), but I don't have a problem redirecting the shuttle if it goes onto my forhand side. Perhaps you grip your racquet too tightly? I don't change my grip with distinctive steps. It's a continuous "spectrum" as I roll the racquet with my fingers as the raquet passes from one side of the body to the other.

Simply wrong? Poor backhand skills? Misguided coaches? You sound like a fairly confident chap. Good of you to tell us everything we're doing is wrong before you've actually seen us in action.

Wayne Young

 

it's a difficult topic. because a 'smashreturn' can be hit is soo many ways and places:
-on slower smashes/faster people they actually do a step forward and hit the smash back flat. the grip for this 'must' be a full thumb grip to fully utilise your fingers
-on normal smashes that can be regularly taken in fron of the body both the bevel and the thumbgrip can be used..depended on what the player wants: fast transistions to the forehand, or more flick-power with the thumb...
-on the faster smashes you might have to take one behind your body. To do this you have to use the bevel grip in order to get your rackethead in the bizar angle...
also the type of reply sometimes calls for a different grip. cross-returns after a smash to your backhandside often require a bevelgrip...in example...

also: most people hardly notice/know they change their grip so often. many people use the bevel grip naturally...

 

Hmm, perhaps I let my apoplexy get the better of me This is an area where I see huge, persistent weaknesses in beginners and I think it's totally unnecessary. Also, I found the "old style" thumb-grip-for-everything defence very limiting; once I learned to change the grip, smash defence became much easier and more natural.

It is, however, a complex subject. I think jerby illustrates the complexities well in his post above (in fact, I think that's the best post in this thread). In my teaching, I try to keep things simple; in this case, I would like to say "basic grip for all smash defence", because I believe that will work much better than "thumb grip for all smash defence".

Unfortunately, this is too extreme an attitude. Simple, but imprecise. The full thumb grip can be useful for some smash defence; there are many variations. A complete prohibition on the thumb grip would be just as bad as the simplistic teaching of "thumb grip for all backhands". Mea culpa

Nonetheless, I stand by the principle of using the basic grip for smash defence on both sides. I think it is much better to learn this way, and then allow your grip to adjust as needed for the variations.

And it's not just me who thinks this. Lee Jae Bok teaches exactly the same thing. If someone wants to make an counter-argument based on his level of play, he will need to be at least senior international standard and preferably an international coach before I will find it convincing. Just being better than me is not enough.

Finally, note that in this discussion we all undoubtedly have slightly different ideas of what "backhand grip", "forehand grip", "thumb grip", "bevel grip", and "basic grip" mean. I've learned not to rely on other players having the same conception of a grip. Unfortunately, that makes the discussion more difficult, because it's not easy to be sure we're talking about the same grips.

 

Also, note the modifiers: "full thumb grip" is not quite the same as "thumb grip". It's subtle, but there's an important difference.

Even this attempt to be specific fails to an alternative possible interpretation of the modifier, but it was my vain attempt to be more precise

(In my intended meaning, full thumb grip means a grip where the thumb is completely committed to the back of the handle, without any slight shift towards bevel/basic, as used for tight net kills well in front on the backhand side. Yet it can also mean a bad thumb grip, with the thumb pressed tightly down the back and completely straight. This second meaning is often used by Badminton England.)