Mixed Doubles Frustration!

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by MelvinMoo, Dec 4, 2007.

  1. MelvinMoo

    MelvinMoo Regular Member

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    I'm having a real frustrating problem with mixed doubles :mad:. I, being a girl and all, have to play at the front. Besides having to face my fear of the net, I'm now finding that I can't return anything :crying:!
    The birds keep whizzing past me to my partner (who has to run like crazy). How do I fix this?

    Are there any specific drills I can do to improve? I feel really bad that my partner has to run around so much and I want to help :eek: ! But every time I try, I end up either hitting a high shot, hitting it all the way out the back, or simply hitting it off the edge of my racket :confused:.

    Any suggestions would be great. Thanks :)

    -Melvin
     
  2. vip_m

    vip_m Regular Member

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    techniques at the net

    Some technique suggestions at the net:
    1. stance: you shouldn't stoop because you won't be able to jump up quickly when your opponent gives a high return at the net; stance is more like a squat with your back more or less straight;
    2. racket up and in front of you: at the net, your shots will be hitting down (this avoids hitting it out of bounds) so your racket should be up above your head;
    3. mental: if you're nervous, your nervous/scared thoughts can interfere with your strokes, like making you flinch just as you hit; to avoid nervousness, repeat some sound in your head while you're hitting your shot (say something like "tu-tu-tu-tu")--this prevents nervous thoughts from interfering with your stroke since no two thoughts can occupy our minds at the same time, so saying those sounds occupies it and prevents nervous thoughts;
    4. follow the shuttle path: don't just hit the shuttle ('cuz your racket might be misaligned), follow the shuttle's path slightly with your racket before hitting it--this aligns your racket correctly and helps you avoid mis-hits.

    For more tips, check out http://instructoons.com/book/
     
    #2 vip_m, Dec 4, 2007
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2007
  3. aznchopstix89

    aznchopstix89 Regular Member

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    the forte of the girl is net play in mix.. so lets find you some drills
    1. 1 step- 1/2 court smash drill
    I know this is not a net drill, but still a very important drill for mixed players, both the guy and girl.
    This drill involves one person hitting the birdy towards the alley with the birdy at a height where it just barely passes the height of a person holding their racket up in the air(at 1/2 court). This forces the person to jump in order to return the shot,a smash. So the drill should go: person servers birdy to alley, other person takes 1 side step(from around 1/2 court center) and jumps to return the shot that should be just over their racket if they didnt jump. start with just focusing on contacting the birdy at the right time when u jump, its hard at first. then work on getting the birdy over the net, then power of the smash.
    Alternate feeding the sides, say 1 forhand, 1 backhand...do this until the other person is so tired that they literally cant breathe.(around 20 shots if you really doing this drill seriously).
    Benefits of this drill - forces the girl/guy to cut off shots before they reach the back court where usually u wont have many options. For the guy, you never want to be pinned in that backhand corner...so make sure you do this drill well for your backhand side. Then they will be afraid to lift to your backhand because they know u can cut it off with 1 step/jump/smash. For girls, this drill helps by making you faster so you can start cutting off pushes/lobs after your serve. You want the person receiving the serve to be scared that their offensive clear/lob to the alley will come right back at them in their face. That covers not letting shots get by you...

    2. Net play
    have 2 guys stand on one side, you on the other. Start a full court drop war, except you will be running your ass off since your being double teamed. This will force you to play the net faster. Let anyone kill anyshots that are too high.

    any other questions? hehe
     
  4. azabaz_ipoh

    azabaz_ipoh Regular Member

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    i know that girls in mixed doubles should stay in front most of the time but when defending they do go square right? i mean position themselves side by side. so when defending maybe you could go side by side. i know at first we might not be able to handle those smashes and stuff but unless we learn to deal with it we will never learn to receive and return those shots. plus i think men should maybe have a little more faith in us. :D if you would bear with us initially it would make your life a bit easier later on since you wont have to run all over the court for every shot. :D
     
  5. glencomienda111

    glencomienda111 Regular Member

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    maybe the problem is not with you, maybe its your partner? i mean if he place his shots right, your opponent wont have a nice shot to begin with. maybe he keeps on lifting to the opponent thats why he has to run like crazy defending and the bird whiz by you. but if you think you need to do better and excel, anticipate where the ball will pass you and get the shot there.
     
  6. Lefty23

    Lefty23 Regular Member

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    I agree. If your opponents keep driving back all shots made by your partner, he's not doing a very good job. His smashes should be steep, if not powerful. His drops should have the opponents scrambling to lift it back to you.

    He shouldn't be lifting if your in the front-back formation, either.
     
    #6 Lefty23, Dec 4, 2007
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2007
  7. chickenpoodle

    chickenpoodle Regular Member

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    most of the time, when i see girls looking helpless in a XD game, its because their partner isn't letting them help. i'm sure most of them isn't doing it intentionally, but it always ends up with their shot selection not allowing the girl to help whenever they should be.
     
  8. Matt

    Matt Regular Member

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    Ball(s) don't exist in badminton. I am sure if a ball was used, a lot of badminton rackets would broken. :D It's shuttlecock, bird or birdie.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    When me and my mixed partner play, we can use the mixed stragety, but have tedency to use more of the men or women's double stragety instead. It's another way of practicing, if you're playing against men's doubles intentionally like us.
     
    #8 Matt, Dec 5, 2007
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2007
  9. Xinguy

    Xinguy Regular Member

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    Hmmm well just enjoy your game & watch for every shot, Do not move 1st till your opponent make the last move remember keep playing net or push try not to hit high shot. Sometime it nt be your problem it might be yr partner so just enjoy the game take shot by shot:D
     
  10. coachgary

    coachgary Regular Member

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    The lady would do well to practice the art of intimidation. This can be done by showing sharpness at the net, with net kills, net returns, pushes to midcourt or well aimed at your opponent’s body and always show them your racquet, ie early preparation with your racquet up. Force your opponent to make a difficult shot.

    Remember intimidation? If your partner plays a clear for no reason and you’re court close to the net, then after the rally, which you probably lost, turn round and suggest to him that he swaps places with you and stands at the net with a big target on his chest!! Seriously though, he needs to play shots that give you a chance, and in return you need to stand in a position that can cope with both midcourt and forecourt returns. That is, do not stand too far forwards, if you’re on the service line then you’re too close to react to the majority of returns other than those played to the net area. Net area in my terms would be a shuttle that if allowed to land, would land within two feet of the net. So now you need to consider the circumstances in which a shuttle can land here.

    1. Return of a net shot
    2. Low service return
    3. Return of drop shot
    4. Return of mid court push

    With 1 & 2 you can confidently commit further forwards forcing your opponent to play a tight difficult net shot or lift to your partner

    With 3 & 4, there are more options for you to cover depending on the success of your partner’s dropshot. Your opponent will need to play a) looping straight return to achieve a “net area shuttle” or b). crosscourt push/block to net. With option “A” you would be biased to cover the straight reply and have time to netkill for a winner anyway, in “B” if you’re too far forwards you will find it difficult to react in good time to cover the crosscourt with interest.

    With 3 & 4, these are shots that mostly would be replies to shots that your partner has played, ie smash, drops, drives etc. Because your partner is standing behind, you are unable to determine his shot. (but you can get a clue from your opponent!!) Therefore you need to stand in a position to cover the straight replies, net, midcourt and whip to crosscourt, drive returns etc etc. For this you must be able to react, effectively moving your base further back from the front service line.

    The best thing you can do to help you decide your best reaction distance from the net is to play half court 2 v 1. Where 1 is a feeder, you and your partner stand front and back .

    1) Feeder to high serve
    2) Rear player to play smashes or drops
    3) Feeder block returns to net or midcourt, lifts or drives with pace
    4) You try to hit net kills, net returns or drive back

    Do the above for a while and then discuss with your partner the different affects on your court position depending on the shots played.

    Now add in a little more uncertainty by allowing the feeder to crosscourt return drops and smashes.

    Good luck
     
  11. Sgbad

    Sgbad Regular Member

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    Actually, i feel being at the front of the net needs only 2 simple things, try to net as much as possible to set up chances for your partner to attack, secondly, be as alert as you can, tap if you see any chance, drives to your opponent's body is feasible too. Just act according to your instincts, dont think too much. Try to get a partner to feed you shuttles. That will help alot.
     
  12. Shifty

    Shifty Regular Member

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    don't stand too close to the net. "covering the net doesn't mean you stand very close. perhaps 1-1.5 feet behind the service T. this allows you to have time to react and cut off any mid court shots the opponents make. it's easier going forward, than moving back to try and take a shot.

    as for defense, try to go cross court from the lift, in the sides postion( side to side) which puts you the furthest away from any smash. you might not always have time to get cross court, but it's the best option usually.
     
  13. SaintDragon

    SaintDragon Regular Member

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    Just remember that a common mistake is that girls tend to stay too close to the front which makes it very hard to cut any shots. Try taking a few steps back from the net (around the service line) and you'll find it easier to hit stuff.
     
  14. MelvinMoo

    MelvinMoo Regular Member

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    Oh...I see...

    Wow! You guys respond quickly! Thanks so much! It'll take me some time to read all of your posts...

    -MelvinMoo :D
     
  15. alexfun

    alexfun Regular Member

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    I watch some good XD clips over youtube and found that the girl can equally play as good as the guy. So, if the girl has mastered the skill as same as the guy has, she can play in XD with strategy like in playing MD. The guy often cover the rear and girl in front is mostly due to the girl is not capable of doing smashes, drop or lob from the rear as good as the guy. So, what i am trying to say is that you may discuss with your partner in how you wish to play in the game. Whether sharing equally role like in MD/WD or guy-rear-girl-front formation. Should you wish to improve your skill you can suggest with your partner to play/practice more often in equally role in the court.

    Just my 2 cents...
     
  16. alexfun

    alexfun Regular Member

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    I agree... stand back from the net a little. Use footwork to cover your distance for net play.
     
  17. alexfun

    alexfun Regular Member

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    You might want to check you grip, the correct way. The grip will affect your control over the shuttle. As per the strength of your strokes, you gotta play more to get familiar with you own strength and practice to control it so you will not problem that you mentioned, hitting a high shot, hitting it all the way out the back.
     
  18. chickenpoodle

    chickenpoodle Regular Member

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    theres times where i find that even the service line is too close, even for us guys in mens doubles...
    standing 2-3 feet back from the service line is somewhat more effective i've seen, unless the lady is lightening fast.
     
  19. alexfun

    alexfun Regular Member

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    I agree... :) look at those experience players play, you will get what it means here...
     
  20. maron

    maron Regular Member

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    I have had the same kind of problem when I first started playing mixed doubles! I felt soooooo bad that my partner has to run so much, while I have to stand on the front doing nothing~

    I think strategy of your and your partner is also important. Try to hit more net shots~~
    In my case, most of the times my partner hits smash or drop. If he make drop shot, then it is likely that the girl who is on the other team makes net shot.
    I started practicing net shot intensively to increase my probability of winning whenever this kind of situations occurs.
    Throughout practice my mistake on making net shots drastically decreased and our chances to winning increased a lot! In addition, my partner does not run as much as before~~:)
     

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