After the opponent does a backcourt dropshot

normally, players aim at the sides or the wide open space... but occasionally, they target your body... when your drop is high, obviously, the opponent will flick the shuttle... it depends, some players flick the shuttle at the opponent and others aim it to the wide open area....

 

as to your question why the 'flick' targets the body, there has been cases where the flick has been returned back to the flickers court... the best that i've seen is TH returning Lin dan's flick, and LD countering Bao Chun Lai's flick... and if there are cases where the opponent was able to return a body flick, it's very rare, and almost never if done properly...

on another note, are you sure that most of the players in videos that you have seen aim at their opponents body? normally, the height of the netdrop varies, the lower it gets, the harder to flick it and hit your opponent...
in other words, if you're watching professional badminton, you mustn't see that so often....

 

What shot you play will depend entirely on you and your opponent. In very general terms, if you can play a tight tumbling net return, then this should be your first option, assuming you're not there quickly enough to play a net kill.

Aiming a net kill at your opponent cuts down on your chances of hitting it out. However, it does give them a chance to hit it back over you if don't manage to put it away.

Wayne Young

 

you can jam them by hitting at their bodies, its harder to hit powerful returns if you hit the right areas

 

Depends on the game you're playing. Driving back at the opponent is quite suitable for doubles and mixed. Driving at your opponent if it's doubles can force the opponent to do a bad clear or return and allow your partner or you to finish the rally. But as others have said, driving it at the body makes it quite hard to return if you aim at the correct places on the body.

A net drop is a good choice if you're playing singles. It'll drain more stamina from your opponent to come back and return the drop, especially since the opponent is coming from the backcourt. But of course, if the drop shop obviously high enough for you to kill, then take it and smash/drive it to win it.

 

It all depends
When you choose to return a dropshot, either with flick/net, you will definitely take into account where the opponent is standing/moving towards.
If you decide to execute a high but close to net shot, you must be sure that by the time your opponent reaches the shuttle, it has fallen below net height. this usually gets you a bad return from the opponent.
However, if the opponent is able to reach the shuttle before it has fallen before net height, it means that it's probably not a good choice of shot to play. Thus in such circumstances, a shot that pass just above the net, but land further in would be safer to play

when an opponent's net/drop is high, the lunges you see made by professional players are simply their attempt to take the ball early, before it falls below net height. By taking the ball early. they can easily put the shot somewhere out of reach of the opponent. Their choices are also wider, because the ball is still above net height. With regards to which shots to play it again depends on your opponent's position/movement/. Such net pouncing requires great anticipation and an 'alert net play mentality' (抢网意识）, and is usually rewarding because the opponent is too near to the net to retaliate..In fact, such pounces at the net can be done even when the shuttle is tight above the net. Professional players anticipate well and are able to execute 'brush net kills' on those shots. u can run a search on that

 

In professional play defences are so good that they quite often will anticipate and intercept a cross court net kill. Hitting crosscourt opens up the spaces on your own side for which your opponent can exploit especially if you've fully commited to an outright winner from the forecourt such as a netkill, which is why sometimes the netkill is aimed at the opponents body, thus narrowing the angle of return. As said before it jams the opponent.

Try not to play shots that will leave your backhand side exposed, for example when you are retrieving a shot from your forehand net and returning it back crosscourt. This will expose your backhand side. If your opponent is handed same as you, ie left or right, then you would have been at an advantage when retrieving that forehand net corner as his shot exposed his own backhand side. If you now play it crosscourt you've given that advantage away unless you play a skillfull shot.

 

Professional and more advanced players can play more cross-court shots (particularly attacking shots) as their movement and court craft is good enough to allow them to do so. It's extremely important for beginning players to get in the habit of playing straight. You may find it boring, but in terms of developing your game, it's absolutely for the best.

Even the best players in the world start to play straighter and more conservatively when they face each other. Against people that they are more confident against, then all the big cross court smashes start coming out.

As for net drops to the middle, it's about cutting down the possible angles of the reply.

Wayne Young

 

Thanks Wayne, answered perfectly.

 

drops and netshots to the middle become increasingly important when you advance (starting to notice it myself).
In the good old days p) a netdrop to the sides meant your opponent had to 'run' further, giving you an edge.

Now when players get faster, those 2 feet distance hardly pose a problem. If they get to that shuttle early, you leave them with a great oppertunity: a fast lob down the line, or a killer crossnetshot.

Same scenario, but now you netdrop/drop to the middle: the distance for the player is shorter, but insignificant (as long as you play it fast/tight)
Bút now it's up to your opponent to make the angles, théy have to place the shot to a line (maybe he/she/they'll hit it out?) and to whichever side they hit, it hardly matters for you (the distances are almost the same..)

It's not exactly an offensive shot, but a good strategy to get the initiative (back)

 

I'd say Jack Downey's term "a building shot" aplies best, I should've perhaps added...

 

In singles, it's normally better to place the shuttle towards the corners of the court. So a net shot would normally be straight or cross-court, and not towards the middle.

The reason for hitting towards the corners is simple: your opponent has farther to travel, and will therefore reach the shuttle later.

The disadvantage of hitting to the corners is that it gives your opponent better angles: he can play both straight and cross. Normally, however, this is out-weighed by the advantage of making him travel farther.

Because of this, it is sometimes useful to play a stroke to the middle: it takes the venom out of your opponent's replies, because his shot angles are less varied. In particular, a good defensive tactic is to clear high to the middle, giving yourself time to recover and reducing the opponent's angles of attack.

In doubles it's rather different. Generally speaking, defensive shots (clears and lifts) should go to a corner. When attacking (drops and smashes), however, hitting to the centre is an excellent tactic (and attacking cross-court is risky).