Hi all, I've got different opinions on this matter, and I haven't found any relevant thread that addresses it. My question is: After I smash, and the opponent returns it, what areas of the court am I responsible for (instead of my partner) if the returned shuttle goes there? Obvious choices are: shuttle returns to same corner where I smashed -> me, shuttle returns to opposite corner -> partner. If I smashed from back-center, I guess any return to the back court is mine. But what about the other areas: 1. When I smash from one back corner, who should go when the return is to my side but at the front? And what if it goes to the other back corner? 2. When I smash on the flick serve, should I apply the same logic as in (1)? (Note that the momentum is not the same) 3. Finally, how about when I smash from the mid-court (and my lousy smash gets returned)? Any answer/feedback/suggestion/flame is welcome!
1. Smash from back corner Your partner should be standing roughly in the centre of the court: about a metre back from the short service line, and slightly biased towards your side of the court (so he can cover the straight replies more effectively). He should cover all net or drive returns, and you should cover a lift to your corner. If they lift to the other rear corner, then sometimes you should get it, and sometimes he should. It depends on how much pressure you are under. If your partner thinks you are under pressure and may have difficulty reaching the other rear corner, then he should be ready for that corner before you smash: he should adjust his feet position to be angled towards that corner. Note that he doesn't change his position on court (not much, anyway), just his stance (from square-on to angled). This is a slight compromise, because it slows down his movement to the cross-court front corner. So when you are attacking but under movement pressure in the rearcourt, your partner should cover all three other corners. This is not easy, and requires a good understanding in the partnership. 2. Smash the flick serve In this situation, your momentum will be going backwards and recovery will be difficult. Your prospects of covering the front corners are very poor: your partner needs to get these. If the flick serve was wide to a corner, then he may also need to cover the other rear corner (as above). You may be able to cover some drive or push returns to the midcourt, but if your partner can intercept these it will be much more effective. 3. Smash from the midcourt Your partner should move out the way, to one side and back, allowing you to follow your smash in and become the forward player, while he rotates round you to become the back player.
Thank you Gollum for the clear and detailed answer. I forgot to mention that it was about regular doubles, but you got what I meant anyway. Most of what you said actually concur with what I've learned through reading materials and simple common sense. However, some players I've played with, even experienced ones, do disagree. For example, a player (more experienced than me) told me that after I smash during a rally, I should take the front returns on my side of court. Her reasoning is that my momentum is going forward so I should take it. I agree when it's a mid-court smash, but not if it's from the back court. I'm so glad that you've confirmed what I thought about the flick-serve smash. Most players I played with just apply the same logic as for the in-rally smash. As we all know that most flick serves are sent to the far corner and I'm bent like a pretzel after the smash, even then I'm supposed to run to the other corner on time? Come on!!! Well, now I'll have some expert opinion to back me up when other players don't agree with me.
Hey, you're from Canada, maybe a hockey analogy will work. When you're smashing, you're like the guy with the big slapshot on the point. Your partner is the guy who has to crash the net to bang in rebounds.
Thanks stumblingfeet. That's a good analogy, but only for the best-case scenario where the return is a short floater. The ones I have difficulty in getting my partner to agree to are the good returns, e.g. flat blocks/pushes to the front corners and drives/clears to opposite back corners, especially after a flick-serve smash where body is already flying backwards diagonally. Well, the fact that I have a lousy smash doesn't help.
More experienced is just relative, and does not mean he's always right. Some times, it's also depends on the real game situation (i.e. speed and height difference between u and ur partner, speed and skill level of opponents, etc). It's always better to have a quick discussion during the warm up between partners, if heading into a competitive match.
It's applies to more than just the easy kills. I like that hockey analogy because in hockey, the net crashing players are those with good positioning (e.g. they get to the net before the shot comes) and play aggressively (they put a lot of pressure on the goalie). So, when I say that to badminton players, it's because they usually suck at positioning and aggressive mindset.
Who takes what shot depends very much on the strengths and weaknesses of the players and how well they understand each other. For example, if you are attacking strongly from the back and your opponents are struggling with your smashes, then you and your partner at the net should channel the attack more to one side of the court and the net player should start to creep over looking for the net kill. If they manage to lift the shuttle to the other side of the court, then the back player should take it. If your smashes from the back are not so strong, then the net player will have to look at taking the high cross court lifts if the back player has been pulled too far over to one side. Whether the net player comes back or not will depend on how well he can gauge your position at the back of the court, and whether he thinks you're quick enough to get across the court and still play an attacking shot. If your smashes are weak, or you're getting tired and want a break, then you can start aiming your smashes further cross court (but not too much), with the aim of enticing the opponents to lift straight, which the net player will come back for, allowing you to come to the net. Of course, this assumes your partner knows what you're trying to do. Wayne Young
I do have a lousy smash, so this applies to me. This is a good tip that I wasn't aware of. Thanks. Did I mention that I have a lousy smash? By the way, when smashing the flick serve, where should I aim? Logically I would go for the body of the server, because he would be closer as well as less prepared and therefore more vulnerable. Is it the right strategy?
Answers You can find answers to all your queries at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U16I54wFBs It's (of course) a clip from a high-level doubles game. In case you want a detailed explanation, please ask.
Generally that's ok, but you do have to watch out for a couple of things. If they flick to the centre, then that works well. However, if they flick wide, then targeting the server will open up your court as there will be a big gap at the opposite rear corner, assuming your partner comes in to cover the net like he's meant to. Wayne Young
Clip This is from All England 2007. Indonesia vs Korea. Near court: Tony Gunawan & Candra Wijaya Far court: Lee Yong Dae & Jung Jae Sung
like many previous posts mentioned, it actually depends on your partnership, and the understanding of one's strengths and weakesses. Run a search on Doubles Rotation. you'll probably find some good help on when should you rotate. remember there's no fixed rule and it all depends on you and your partner
Well, I'd say there are definitely commonly accepted guidelines that people follow (eg person who blocks to the net follows it up), which makes it easy to play even with complete strangers, so long as they all understand orthodox doubles tactics. However, what actually ends up happening in real games does depend a lot on the players. Wayne Young
