Playing doubles

The best way to get better is to just play doubles if you want to get better at it.

The low serve will usually be returned with a drive down the side and you really dont need to go for the long serve unless you know for sure you will trick your opponent.

In returning the serve there are a lot of possible shots you can take. i say your best shot is a push to mid court on the sides, other than that just clear it back and high and be ready for the smash or a drop.

All around play you should be ok since you do play singles. your footwork should be good and be able to move just fine. when clearing in doubles i find that its best to clear diagnol corners. crosscourt shots are always helpful. you shouldnt have to use so much backhand clearing or dropping in the back it should all be forehand. just think backhand in doubles is like a last resort. only if you really have to, then do it.

if you are bad at drives then dont do them, and if they drive it at you just return it with a drop so that they will most likely clear it back to you and give you the chance to attack and score.

 

remember to keep your racquet up when driving. service returns can be, net shot, but one's which are always taken by the opponent below the net. doesn't have to be tight. they just have to hit it below the net. that goes for most returns actually. drives are good, but get your racquet up. i wouldn't recommend a mid court shot actually. they're ok for variation, but good opponents can do really flat, fast lifts which, unless you can cut them off, are more dangerous than good.

 

You are right -- the difference between singles and doubles can be like night & day (or yin & yang). At times, the 2 games are almost like playing 2 different sports. In doubles, you must realize that your shot selection and shot placement has an effect on your partner as well as you. Whenever your partner moves to play a shot, you often (usually) must also move -- move to balance the court or improve the coverage, move to support your partner's shot, move to make your partner's attack more effective, etc.

I agree with Craig -- if drives are not your forte then don't feel compelled to use them all that often. Use them judiciously. Since I'm well past 50, most of my opponents are younger & quicker than I am. Many/most of them are also shorter than I am. All these factors give them the advantage in a "drive war".

My solution is not to get caught up in "drive wars" with these opponents. Instead, I will use often use placement shots to try to gain an advantage by forcing them to lift to me or my partner. I'll often employ mid-court push shots, drop shots or flick shots (quick, offensive clears) deep to the corners.

Try to develop a flat, low-trajectory short serve using a backhand service motion. The backhand serve makes it easier to hit a serve near waist level and have your short serve travel low/tight to the net. Also hit 2/3 (or so) of your serves low & short to the inside corner (near the mid-T). This should cut down the angles that the receiver can hit and can make it more for them to drive the return down the side lines.

One service alternative is to serve to the armpit of the racket arm. Some, but not all, receivers will have a difficult time with this service placement. Don't hit very high serves unless you find that your opponent doesn't handle them very well or very aggressively.

If the receiver plays somewhat close to the front service line then hit some flick serves over their head -- don't hit them so high that they have a lot of time respond. Make sure that they are rushed when you hit a flick serve. If the receiver plays deep in the service box then you should feel less pressured to hit a low/tight serve -- allow yourself a bit more margin for error by hitting a little bit higher over the net (if a high % of your service attempts hit the net).

Like Craig, I employ a lot of mid-court push shots toward the singles side line or the alley when receiving serves in doubles. The intent here is to get the shuttle past the server but short enough so that the rear player must move forward and hit the shuttle upward. This can often be more effective than a drive return because it can keep the serving team from getting control of the rally (or keep them from going on the offensive).

However, if the server's partner in the rear is playing shallow (close to mid-court), then the mid-court push serve return might be less effective (or you might need to be more precise in placing it). If the rear court player is playing shallow, then perhaps a quick flick deep to a rear corner might be a better choice. It is usually best to send it deep to the backhand corner (unlesstheir position if favoring that corner).

Again, make sure that your flick returns are deep but not too high -- don't give your opponent a lot of time to get to the shuttle to hit an aggressive response -- try to rush them to limit their options. If you make your flick to the BH side quick enough, then you can sometimes force them to hit a BH shot rather than a more aggressive 'round-the-head shot.

If you can reliably hit very tight net drops, then use them as a service return option. Except for "off" days, the net drop return is my favorite reply to the serve. Sometimes, I'll drop it to one corner or the other. Quite often, I'll drop it straight to the middle -- this cuts down the angles that the server can play. If my drop return is hit well, the server is forced to hit the shuttle up to my partner. However if your net drops are not that tight/reliable, then these types of returns can be suicidal.

 

Meant to say -- This should cut down the angles that the receiver can hit and can make it more difficult for them to drive the return down the side lines.

 

Here is an article about Offense in Doubles:

The Offense in Doubles

The offense in doubles is more than smashing and dropping your way to victory. There are things the attacking team can do to minimize their vulnerability to counter-attack and induce the defense to hit a weak return. Gaining the offense while shots in the rally are still low and flat is also an important part of playing attacking doubles. This article will focus on tactics in doubles offense rather than on how to develop rally-winning shots.
Gaining the Offense
The first team that controls the net has the best chance of seizing the offense. The attack-minded team controls the net by hitting a shot that the opposing team cannot smash, then following the shuttle to the net. Claiming the net on an unsmashable shot forces the other team to clear. The unsmashable shot can be any shuttle that is too low, such as a net shot or a half court, or is lifted or driven behind an opponent or to his backhand. One can anticipate a net shot also by hitting a quick drive to the eyes, so that the opponent doesn't have time to hit it back hard. The player who claims the net should be ready for half-court shots and both cross-court and straight drops.
Shot Location
Once a team is on the offense, the shot of choice is the smash. Once the smash is established, other off-speed shots become more effective. Even if the defense is impermeable and counters the smash with outright winners, the smasher has options that should be tried before dropping or clearing.
Since about 90 percent of the smashes are directed at the defender directly in front of him, the first thing the smasher should do is to study how the opponent defends. If he is a backhand defender, the smasher should aim anywhere on the defender's forehand side from knee to shoulder. If the defender waits on his forehand, the smasher should hit to the defender's body or backhand. Frequently too a forehand defender backs up against a sideline (or the center line) so that a wide smash out of reach is also effective. There is no sense smashing to a defender's strength.
In general, the smasher should try to cramp the defender by hitting close to or at his body. Hitting away from the body allows the defender to take a fuller swing; it is then easier for him to drive the smash cross court. Flat or high smashes are also easier to drive-return for the same reason. The effective smash is one that results in a return that is weak enough for the partner at net to smash. These are induced by overpowering velocity or by cramping the swing of the defender by smashing at his forehand hip.
It is usually a bad idea to smash cross-court, even if the smash is directed at the defender's weaknesses or at a weak defender. The cross-court smash is not as effective since it travels farther, and it gives the defense a wider angle to attack. The cross-court smash and the down-the-line return would travel faster than the smasher can run. Since a cross-court smash induces the net man to stay wide and even vacate the net to cover a deep down-the-line return, the defense can safely hit any cross court return which often surprises the offense anxious to cover the vulnerable down-the-line court. Cross-court shots that expose one's own backhand are particularly ill-advised.
The wider the smash is, the riskier it is. The safest cross-court smashes are those from the smasher's backhand court (assuming everyone is right-handed) to the body of the cross-court defender. They must be steeply angled so that the shuttle has to be lifted higher, giving either the net man or the smasher time to cover the forehand court.
Smashing down the middle between the two defenders is best when they stand far apart or when the shuttle can be smashed from the center of the court (so the smash does not have to travel cross-court much to split the defense). Each defender may depend on the other to return the smash, afraid of clashing racquets. Placing the smash in the middle, across the net in front of the net man, also reduces the angle the net man has to cover, thereby increasing his chances of cutting off the smash return.
Shot Selection
The offense is not all smashing, although smashes "set up" other shots. Drop shots and half smashes are effective against quick defenders or those who play deep. Drop shots are most effective to the middle: the defense has more time to be confused, and the offense has to cover less angle on the return. Cut smashes throw off the timing of the defender so that the return is frequently wide. Quick attacking clears may also be effective, especially against players who defend closer to the net, crouching and waiting with the racquet head up.
The net man
The partner at net is crucial to the offense. He protects the smasher, wins the rallies, and forces the defense to continue lifting. To accomplish this, the net man must do more than stand in one place at net with the racquet up, bent over from fear of getting hit in the back of the head.
The net man's position in front is fluid, depending on where the smasher is and what type of shot the defense favors. In general, if the defense returns smashes with drives, the net man should play deeper, almost as if he is playing singles. Conversely, if the defense is softer, the net man can play closer to the net but still a couple feet behind the short service line. He should still be able to get to net returns of smash before the defense gets to the net, so that he has the advantage in a rally at net.
The deeper the shuttle is lifted to the back, the deeper the net man moves away from the net, though still staying in the front half of the court. The net man also stays on the same side of the court as the shuttle is on. He is anticipating the smash straight ahead to the forehand hip and so stands in a position that reduces the angle of the likely return. If the smasher drops, the net man moves forward to cover a possible net return, intimidating the defense into lifting the shuttle. When the shuttle is lifted, the net man moves back againcould be tiring for the net man to play with a person who continuously drops. If the lift is weak, only to mid court, rather than play in front of the smasher, the net man should move out of the way to the vacant side of the court. The smasher can cover the net for weak returns, while the net man covers the empty court.
When the net man does get a shuttle to hit, he should try to maintain the quick attack by driving the shuttle to the body or face of the closest defender. The net man is much closer to the defenders than the smasher, and so does not have to hit hard or take a big swing to make the defense hit a weak return. Merely blocking the shot to the net may be effective against deep defenders, but usually it gives the defense another chance to clear deep.
Many players at net move to the back if the smash or smash return is hit cross-court. This is fine if the net man is a stronger back court player, or if the smasher is tired, or if the net man can get to the shuttle in a better position to smash than the erstwhile smasher. This type of rotation underscores the importance of proper positioning of the net man ( i.e., not too close to the net) and a steep downward angle of the smash.
The ideal offense
The smasher should be behind the bird, properly balanced so that his mass should be going forward when he strikes the shuttle. Against a good defense, velocity is not as important as angle, both in terms of the steepness of the smash's angle, and the lateral angle of possible returns available to the defense. Some smashes are safer than others and some smashes are harder to return than others just from the location alone. The offense does not have to hit smashes until arms start falling off, but usually they win the rally faster. If the smasher is in trouble, or off balance, the shot to try is a drop or a half-smash to gain time and to set up the next smash. The net man should be aware of what the smasher is doing, whether he is out of position or out of balance. Being aware of the smasher helps the net man to anticipate return shots and cut off potential winners. The net man is not passive, just looking for the weak return he could put away; he is constantly moving and thinking. He should stand tall, taking up space, scaring the defense to clear the shuttle away from him.

 

The stance position for the recieving of a serve in doubles is much farther forward to the T-line (touching or almost) than in singles. This allows you to return serves quicker and into open spaces, decreases the time the opponent has to react, and to kill any errant serves that are slightly too high above the tape. However, don't always assume a low, short serve is the case as they can easily flick it over you.

Lifting, as the others have said, is something you try to do as little as possible in doubles. Instead, try to hit to the open spaces, the front opponent's body, and hit flat drives.

 

on that mid court shot, i think it's ok if you play against some people. i use it a little as well, but here's why i don't like it too often. IF, the back court player can move to play the shot before it has dropped too much below the net, i.e., relative to the net, he is taking it less than 1 foot vertically below the net, he can drive or flat lift the shuttle to the rear court. this is dangerous for two reasons.

one, is that the shuttle has to only travel HALF his court before travelling to your court. if he were to take it near the back of the court, his drive/ flat lift will need to travel the FULL length of his court before travelling to your court. that means your reaction time is cut down a lot if he plays from the mid court rather than the rear.

two, the opponent, if he takes it fairly high( no more than 1 foot below the vertical height of the net, he has a whole range of options. he can hold and flick cross court, much more effectively, or cross court net, cross court drive, etc etc. but by driving it at them, you are giving them less time to react, less time to play the shot, and giving yourself more time to react to the next shot. alternatively, you can play to the net. most doubles players don't guard the net very well. start by driving the first 4 serves. then start dropping. that works wonders. against most people, it's a free lift.

of course, if the opponent takes it low, then his trajectory needs to be going upwards, in which case this makes a fabulous shot. but when will you be playing a mid court shot that is going downwards? when you take it above the net, which is usually not likely, unless they have an average serve. if they do, you should be aiming to drive it straight at them, as you can make the drive go down. if you take it at any stage below the net, even slightly, you are running a big risk of the playing the mid court shot before it has fallen too low. and then you end up in all sorts of trouble.

it's good as a variation. but don't rely on it too much.

 

the best way to improve driving is to just keep doing it. keep a slightly panhandled grip when driving forehand. it makes movement easier. two drills, one is that you play a half court game which encompasses ONLY the doubles service box. meaning no net shots forward of the front service line, and no shots past the rear service line. this practises your skills of keeping the shuttle flat, and not giving the lift away. another is driving with tow shuttles at the same time. this cuts down your reaction speed, and makes your movements more quick and snappy.

 

1) Firstly, hold your racket up and prepare to shield your face to avoid cases of disfigurement.
You may want to move back slightly to heighten your chances of defending the smash.
Now you can take a shot at defending---just stay postive and tell yourself that it's still possible to defend it!!

 

The above responses are excellent, but I'd like to add a little more.

In doubles, there are seven 'targets'... places you want to put the bird.

1) Front left corner, as close to the net and sideline as possible.
2) Front right corner, as close to the net and sideline as as possible.
3) Mid-court left, achieved by a flat to downward angled 'push' shot or kill
4) Mid-court right, same thing
5) Back-court left, achieved by a flat drive (or a clear in LADIES DOUBLES ONLY)
6) Back-court right, same thing
7) Smash at the body of the opponent


Sounds like your problems are the kind that will be rectified by practice. Spend time on your short serve to have it pass lower to the net. You'll figure out the game pretty fast, as you sound very introspective and intelligent. Good luck!

 

Also, if you're on the offensive and in front, be prepared to make them pay for going through the middle in front of you.

 

Green72(CAN) i can agree with you that there are differeneces as you i play alot of singles and well doubles isnt my strong point i must say. But yes there are many things that you can do to improve your doubles such as drills. Do drills to work on rotation, attack, defence, cutting off shots at the front as well as many others just to mention a few.

When your actually on court i knwo what you mean when you play with a singles mentality i have done that before but just keep an eye out for openings and when the opponents are out of position and try to play shots that can set up your partner to finish the rally. Also try rotation and make sure to move to the correct places when yoru partner plays a shot and all that it will take time for sure to get use to but work on it.

All in all make sure to keep your racquet up and stay on the balls of your feet you nevere want to be caught flat footed in doubles but that goes for all 3 areas (doubles, singles, mixed) but yeah keep working at it and you will get better i have to agree with my coach when he says "Improve your doubles game and you will see an improvement in your singles game as well" its true i find.

Well best of luck and hope that you have success with it.

 

well said smash_master well said

 

here is the article about the defense in doubles:


Few things in badminton is as impressive as the sight of a doubles team thwarting a leaping, yelling smasher by calmly returning the hardest smashes high in the air, daring the smasher to hit through them. However good this looks, the defenders are at the mercy of the smasher. Since hitting downwards is the most likely way of winning the rally, doubles players should avoid using great defenders as role models and instead play doubles aggressively.
The first aim of the doubles rally is to force the opponents to lift the shuttle up in the air, even when you have to hit upwards yourself to get the shuttle over the net. Once the shuttle is lifted to your side, your aim is to maintain the attack until the rally is over. Every now and then, however, your side may be forced to lift the shuttle: you are now on the defense, and now your goal is to regain the attack. The successful defense is one that meets and reverses the opponents' attack in one shot.
Physical skills and quickness are necessary but not sufficient components to a great defense. The most important factor is the ability to recognize the weaknesses in the offense and adapt the defense to maximize the chances of regaining the attack. The point of defense is not really to develop a "brick wall," although this may demoralize or tire the opponent, but to regain the offense. Playing against an unidimensional defense that strives only for consistent deep clears to the back, for exampleeasier to attack because there is no threat; attacking shots only have to be varied and do not have to be well-executed to maintain the offense. Instead, you should incorporate a variety of shots in your defense and use them depending on the position of the offense. In order to make effective shots, however, there are a few fundamentals regarding positioning and stance that need discussion.
Position
Once you lift the shuttle into the opponents' court high enough for one of them to smash, you and your partner must wait side-by-side and square to the direction the shuttle is coming from. Being square means that the cross-court defender is slightly closer to the net than the down-the-line defender, because the shuttle has to travel farther going cross-court.
Moving From an Up-and-Back Position to Side-by-Side Move straight back if you lift from the net, no matter where you hit the shuttle to Your partner can see you choose the side, and since your partner is already deep, he or she is less vulnerable and so can take the time to move cross-court to defend.
Move back so that you will be cross-court from the shuttle if your partner clears from the back
This is safest. Moving back from the net into the teeth of a down-the-line smash is suicide. If you are in the habit of clearing from the back while your partner is at net, you are not considerate of your partner's health and safety. Clearing cross-court from the back is even worse, because your partner's first reaction is to move back cross-court away from you (and be highly vulnerable to a face-high down-the-line smash).
Taking Court Position The most important factor of defense positioning is that it is fluid - the defense moves around in the court depending on where the shuttle is on the other side of the net.
Stay close together, and protect the alley Suppose the opponents are about to smash the shuttle from one of their corners. The down-the-line defender moves over toward the sideline, using it as part of the defense, and stands almost straight in front of the smasher. The cross-court defender should sidle over too, to right around the center line, so that the two defenders can graze each other's rackets when they take a normal smash return stroke. Suppose the smash return is directed cross-court to the attacker's opposite corner. Now the two defenders shuffle towards the other sideline as a unit, much like a zone defense does in basketball, maintaining their tight spacing.
Move forward and backwards together as well, depending on how deep or shallow the lift is
If the lift is right to the back line, the defenders could move to half way up the court, as close as possible to the net and still return the smash. This allows them to meet the smash as high as possible so that they don't have to lift the shuttle as much, and also allows them to return the smash as quickly as possible to give the opponents less time to recover. If the lift is mid-court, the defenders should move back, almost to the doubles long service line. Defend deeper (from the back third of the court) too if the opponents have an above-average smash. Defending deep is less preferable because it is harder to regain the attack. The defenders have to hit the shuttle farther, the net man has better chances of cutting the smash return off, and the defenders are more vulnerable to a varied attack where the offense mixes in drops and half-smashes.
Defending closer together seems to invite the smasher to hit wide cross-court, since it looks to be undefended (the "wide" means that the shuttle goes wide to the outside of the cross-court defender, away from the body). As the defender, you are hoping for the wide cross-court since it gives an opportunity for an outright winner. The shot has to travel farther, it takes the smasher's partner out of the rally, and exposes the smasher's down-the-line court. The only advantage such a shot has is that it is unexpected; the cross-court defender therefore has to "look for" the shot. Against a properly positioned defense, the attacker really has a limited range of where to hit the shuttle: from the outside shoulder of one defender to the outside shoulder of the other defender. Any other spot is risky for the smasher (attacking in doubles will be the subject of a future "Play Better Badminton" article).
Stance
Once the defenders are in the correct side-by-side position, both have to get ready for the smash by getting the racket out in front of the body and moving your hips back out of the way. Jut your shoulder forward, get the elbow in front of you, and cock your wrist. The point here is to give the racket head room to swing so that you can meet the shuttle in front of you. The impact is both a snap or a flick at the shuttle with your wrist, as well as a push outward with your whole arm. Some people turn the racket head over (pronating or supinating the forearm) at impact; others use their thumb and fingers, snapping them against the grip to move the racket head.
Many players choose either a backhand or forehand stance when they wait for the smash. If you do choose a side, the backhand defense is much stronger than the forehand, which is like an open stance of a baseball hitter. If the pitch is thrown at the batter, or slightly behind him, there is nothing much the batter can do except try to get out of the way. So it is with badminton player smashing at a defender waiting on his forehand. The attacker can smash from the defender's outstretched elbow to anywhere on his body to anywhere near the backhand. At least with the backhand defense, the defender can protect his body.
A doubles team can play a strong defense if both coordinate their waiting stance and assign responsibilities. The aim is to both protect the body and the middle of the court, leaving the wide cross-court smash relatively undefended. The following set of diagrams assume both defenders are right-handed.

• Double backhand defense stance The down-the-line defender doesn't bother with smashes to his forehand, his partner will get them.
• Cross-court defender uses forehand defense stance The two rackets should barely meet each other. In this scenario the cross-court defender is reasonably anticipating that the smash will not go too wide cross-court, and wishes to defend the more vulnerable middle.

Waiting for the smash on a specific side, however, exposes your weaknesses to the attacker. You are inviting the smasher to hit at your strength, like the batter who anticipates the ball going somewhere near the plate. You may wait in a neutral stance, like a tennis player receiving serve, and change your grip as you start your stroke, but getting the racket on the smash takes longer. Against a hard smasher you may be forced to wait on your backhand as well as stand deeper in the court.
Grip
For the smash return, I believe the grip is a matter of preference. I like to hold the racket loosely. Many players choke up on the handle, which increases maneuverability and racket head quickness. The return of smash is mostly done with the fingers and wrist. For the backhand, I like to snap my thumb against the back bevel. For the forehand, I hold the racket using a flatter grip, and snap the wrist while quickly squeezing the grip with my fingers.
Shots
The purpose of the smash return is to return the shuttle is such a way so that the offense cannot smash effectively a second time. There are several shots the defense can do:

• straight or cross-court block - Useful if the smasher's partner stands back from the net. If this shot is effective, the defender who executed it follows the shuttle to the net, trying to force the net man to not play the net and lift.
• straight half court - The shuttle should travel behind the net man, but land in front of the smasher. Again, if this shot is successful, the defender who hit the shuttle follows it to the net, forcing the other side to lift.
• straight drive - The aim here is to flatten the smash out, and to attack the smasher before he recovers from his smash. It is risky going cross-court because the shot has to pass through the net man.
• cross-court lift over the net man's head - Sometimes this shot is effective when the smasher is near a sideline or is off-balance. Also, if the smasher does reach it, the shuttle may be too low to smash.

Which shot you do depends a lot on the positioning of the smasher's partner. Traditionally, the net man puts away weak returns of the smash and protects the smasher against net returns, so he stands near the short service line. Against this type of partner any half court or shot to the back court is effective. Other partners, usually the singles players, the tall ones, or the better smashers, play several feet behind the short service line, hoping to protect the smasher by cutting off drives and cross-court lifts. Against this type of team the drop block is effective.
Cross-court returns are fine only when the net man shows signs of anticipating the straight return. In general, players should establish their down-the-line shots first, and use the cross-court shot as a surprise. The cross-court is not ideal since it surprises and puts pressure on your partner, as well as leaving your side open to a wider angle of attack. There is no point in abandoning an effective down-the-line shot while it is still effective. If you are winning rallies returning the smash half court by the net man, eventually, the net man will adjust and back away from the net and anticipate the return. The next time, block the smash short and cross-court.
The Ideal Defense If your side has lifted, take the next shot seriously and be prepared for anythinglear, a flat smash at your face, a slow drop, the shuttle ticking the net. Get to your court position as quickly as you can, staying close to and moving with your partner to eliminate gaps and force the smasher to hit where you are strongest. Stand still when the opponent is about to hit, squatting slightly with your hips back and your racket in front of you away from your body. If the opponent has met the shuttle late and can only hit a drive, get your racket head up. If you prefer a particular defensive stance, don't commit early since sometimes smashers take a quick peek at the defense before hitting their next shot. Be prepared to moveward, backward, or to the side to get your body out of the way Study the net partner and take advantage of his positioning to return the smash so that the opponents do not have a second chance at smashing. You want to reverse the attack. Remember, if you lift, you lose.