foot placement at service return.

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by kwun, Dec 9, 2000.

  1. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    i have been wondering about this. during return of serve in doubles. which is the correct feet placement? i remember my old coach's direction was: using the attacking placement (left foot front, right foot rear) since the goal is to attack and get an advantage. when the serve comes in, step up right foot, get on top of the net and push the shuttle down.

    i have trouble doing that. i find that's too slow to bring my right foot from behind the body and reach forward. by the time my foot/body is there, the shuttle is way passed the net already. also, when a flick serve comes, since my right leg is moving, i find it hard to change direction and move backwards.

    instead, i use same feet placement, but i step up <i>left</i> foot and push the shuttle. i still get a substantial forward body motion, i will be faster and also i can be ready to move backwards.

    how do you do it?
     
  2. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    kwun, i believe there is one correct stance to receive serves in badminton, that is foot in offensive stance.
     
  3. Joel

    Joel Guest

    Hey Kwun:

    I think what you meant is that you stand the same way your coach said to stand, but you just move your left foot forward to return the serve, right? Well, there's nothing wrong with that. If your opponent doesn't make a quality serve, you can usually step quickly with your front foot and cut it off. You have to read that the *** instant*** the bird is contacted by the server. You should know if it's a flick or short, and if it's short, how short it is. Only if they make a perfect serve should you have to lunge forward with your right foot, which of course is slower. On another note, the pros barely have to move, because their left foot is touching the service line. Try to get close to the line as well...
     
  4. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    Joel,

    yeah. i wasn't being clear. i was interested in the trade off between moving forward with left foot and moving forward with right foot from the same starting point.

    how far do you usually stand? i am never too comfortable with standing all the way to the service line.
     
  5. Joel

    Joel Guest

    Hey Kwun:

    Well, here's some things I've learned from experience and from a few coaches:
    - if you're a shorter player, you may stand with your left foot about one foot away from the service line. This is just because you have to do more work than a taller player to get back for a flick. I am REALLY short (only 5'7") and a coach once said that even I should be no further than a foot or a foot and a half away from the line. Chances are you're taller than me, so you should basically have your left foot within a foot of the line. Practice returning flick serves LOTS until your legs are sore. Stick your foot ON the line (illegal in a game, but good for practice), and have a partner flick serves to you (high at first, then lower and faster for more pressure), and practice taking one or two shuffle steps and making a huge leap. You must be able to hit down whenever you are flicked. If they "drive" serve you, learn to cut it off. Once you hit somebody in the face when they try to do this to you, they won't try it again =)
    - I played against a former club player who is even shorter than me once! He's about 5'6", and he waits for the doubles serve with his left foot almost touching the line. I can't flick him though, he always comes up with a hard smash. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that once you get your backward leaps down pat, you won't have to worry about flick serves. This does take lots of practice. Time to get started now!
    - you may have seen this hint elsewhere, but try to "lean forward, but think backward." In other words, look like you're going to be aggressive, and if you get flicked, be ready to leap.
    - the long and the short of it is that your left foot should probably be within a foot of the line, because I'm willing to bet you're not shorter than me... Sorry for the long-winded reply. Hope this helps...
     
  6. marshall

    marshall Regular Member

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    I used to stand the way you do, but about 2 1/2 feet behind the short service line because I have trouble moving back quickly enough. I can still rush many serves from this position, but I have to push them to an open space or right at an opponent since I'm not there soon enough for a net put away. Now I am experimenting with a new position suggested by a friend who got it from Han Jian's badminton book. My left foot is still forward, but the right foot is only 6 inches back. The idea is to move back for the flick in two big leaps, maybe with a shuffle at the end if you need it and have time. The foot position allows you to push off with both feet for more start power. I am practicing flick returns with my practice partner because I can't apply the theory correctly yet.

    I have to learn cutting off drive serves down the center line from this position also. I try to push off on my left foot, push to the left with my right foot before the left foot lands, and make an around the head shot.

    Does any of this sound right?

    Thanks,
    marshall
     
  7. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    I would have thought that bringing both feet closer together raises the centre of gravity of your body and therefore makes it easier to move the whole weight of the body.

    That's interesting footwork for receiving the drive serve (presuming you are right handed and receiving on the right hand side of the court). Why do u need to make the steps? The drive serve should be so fast that your feet don't even have time to move. I just bend down a little more, stretch my back and reach right around with my round the head shot. Only then do my feet move. ( I stand about a foot from the service line.
     
  8. marshall

    marshall Regular Member

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    I think my feet are the same distance apart side to side ( or maybe a little closer), only the right foot is not so far back. I'll have to check this out.

    Probably I haven't seen really fast drive serves. I try to move back on my left foot to keep the shuttle in front of me longer, which seems to work against the guy most likely to use drives (when he's behind in the score). Don't know how this would work against really fast ones. Thanks for explaining your method. Also, thanks for making it clear I am right-handed and was receiving in right court.

    marshall
     
  9. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Hey Marshall,

    Forgot to mention a couple more points:

    when receiving serve, I stand quite close to the center line as well prbably about four feet away so that my round the head can reach it with a some bending of the back.

    Also my racquet head is amost directly above my head with my elbow about the same height as my shoulder. This also helps get to the drive serve with the racquet head not needing to travel so far and less ebow movement than if the racquet was held mainly over to the forhand side.

    Wrist movement is important to vary the returns - block, drive back, clear.
     
  10. Dude

    Dude Guest

    Foot Placement - for good level player (good footwork, 10-20+ stroke rallies).

    Left foot forward right foot 1-1 1/2 foot back, bent knees, chest facing server, racquet in front of you pointed at the server, standing close (at the line ~2 in from front service line).

    When receiving serve, you should be ready to *immediately* move(lunge/jump/etc) using BOTH feet to initiate your momentum. There is no time to initiate receive of serve with 1-2 or 1-2-3 footwork pattern, unless high flicks.

    As for standing so close to the front service line, if they flick, it should be high enough to get to it and attack. If it is a quick-flat flick : 1. most of the time these serves are illegal anyway; 2. as long as you are alert and have racquet up & in front of you, you can cut it off and send it directly back to the server before they recover from the serve. Remember, the quicker the serve, the quicker they can be intercepted and returned before the server has the time to recover from the serving stroke.

    Most important thing in service return is being alert and quick reactions.

    Been doing this since my beginner years and never understood so called "good" club players standing 3 feet behind front service line to receive serve.

    Many players have problems with quick-flat flicks. I suggest standing in the position I described above and practice to see if you can indeed cut off these flat serves with your reflex and good racquet preparation when receiving serve.

    gluck
     
  11. justin

    justin Guest

    I used left-foot stand and "backhand" hold, and mainly return it flat to either corner. I find it more natural than "right hand" hold.

    In order not get "flat footed" by a flick serve, I stand about 1.5ft behind the line. I am not tall enough to stand very close to the line.

    Incidentally, I pull my culf musle while transitioning to this stand (going all our for backhand tap down the line), and discovered that I need to stand on my toe instead of the heel. Ouch, that hurts.
     
  12. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    getting back to beat a dead horse..

    how is it working Kwun??

    i do the same thing, a bit varied.

    i step left 80% of the time (right-handed) but when the sevre is very slow i cna afford to step right and get further,

    the basic trade-off:

    left=faster
    right=further.

    me being tall, i have enough lenght with left..
     
  13. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    An interesting topic :)

    Unless you toe the service line, you must step forward with your right (racket) foot. Stepping forward with your left foot will give you too little reach, so you will not be able to attack the low serve.

    If you toe the service line (your left foot is just behind the line), then you have a choice. You can step with either left or right. Try both, and see which you prefer.

    Some world-class players prefer stepping with the left foot, and others prefer the right. Most will vary which foot they use, perhaps depending on the quality of low serve. Some show a strong preference for left or right, to the near total exclusion of the other foot. Very tall players (eg. Danes) tend to prefer the left, whereas shorter players tend to use the right foot more. I don't believe there is much connection between the height of players and the quality of low serve returns.

    Lee Jae Bok, in his videos on www.ibbs.tv, says that you must use the left foot.

    In my experience, stepping with the right foot is more effective. I find that, on a good night, I can take the shuttle almost from the net tape. I also feel unbalanced when stepping with the left foot, and my returns are often less effective because I am stretching too far to reach the shuttle.

    I sometimes find, however, that the left foot is more effective when a serve is hit slightly too fast. These serves, if left, would fall somewhat beyond the service line. In this case, a big lunge forwards will cause me to get too close to the shuttle. So I need a smaller lunge (or sometimes, if the serve is really poor, no movement at all). For a smaller lunge, I use my left foot.

    Note that, whichever foot you land on, you can start with a two-footed leap instead of a one-footed step. Kim Dong Moon does this to great effect: when he hits the shuttle on service return, his feet are often together in a leap. He then lands on his right foot.

    For all service returns, your knees should be bent in preparation. A small push downwards before moving will increase the speed of your response.
     
    #13 Gollum, Oct 4, 2005
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2005
  14. Iwan

    Iwan Regular Member

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    Kwun, I find that when receiving a serve, stepping out with the right leg is fastest. It is awfully unnatural for me to lunge out forward with the left foot. Another thing I'd like to point out though, when stepping out forward with the right foot, it should be your left leg pushing you forward and your right leg just lifting off the ground and rotating forward. Just like the start off of a sprint. Your right leg does not have to land before you strike the shuttle, so you can very effectively drive the shuttle back if it is a little higher than the net this way. About 80% to 90% of your body weight should be on your left leg, when standing to receive the serve. Hope this info helps.
     
  15. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    i dissagree, so does LJB.
    when standing, evenly distribute teh weight..this helps you stepping back faster for a flick.
     
  16. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    No, that's not what Lee says.

    Lee says that about 60% of your weight should be forwards (left foot), 40% backwards (right foot).

    For singles, Lee suggests even weight distribution.
     
  17. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    60%, ok. thanks..
    still no 90%...
     
  18. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    Indeed. If you put too much weight on your front foot, the flick serve is a problem. Also, you will probably be slower for the low serve, because your back foot can't help push you forwards.
     
  19. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    so i'm gonna get 2 scales..place em good.
    i'm 65kg, so on my front foot there should be 39kg, and on my back foot there should be 26...
    damn..no second scale..and the one we have is digital..
    EDIT: silly me, i scale is enough...
     
    #19 jerby, Oct 5, 2005
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2005
  20. Iwan

    Iwan Regular Member

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    Ok, sorry it is true that 60% sounds more realistic :eek: Just tested it out :p Anyway yeah, getting to the front would be much faster if you moved your right leg forward cause you are actually extending your reach forward which adds speed to the movement of your racket. Do remember that the right part of your body is actually in motion when you rotate to move it to the front, so it makes sense that the speed of your racket getting to the net should logically be faster.
     

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