I usually play XD with my girlfriend. Bad idea, I know. But usually we get over any on-court arguments quickly. Anyone who's been in a similar situation will agree that giving tactical advice to your girlfriend is very tricky. So my question to everyone is: how can I play so my GF doesn't get isolated and picked on by the opposing team, without asking her to do anything new? We do pretty well as a XD team, but sometimes the opposing pair will set up a channel or wedge attack against my partner and I won't get a chance to hit the shuttle to counterattack. Compared to other pairs we are unorthodox because we adopt a level doubles type of rotation, not the classical mixed style where the lady stays in front. Thanks!
^^Just my 2 cents-You can try..^^ ..the unclassical XD style approach, one that has been recently employed with some great success by the KOR's XD pair of Lee YongDae (also known as SunDAE Lee) and his partner, Lee Hyo Jung. The approach is simple; that is, instead of the lady partner playing in the front, or putting her in the line of fire in a side-by-side formation, SunDAE Lee has been taking risk and putting himself in the line of fire by covering the front/net, sides and middle. Yes, that's correct, he has been covering for his partner. His lady partner, who often times commits unforced errors, would then end up staying at the back. Of course, in order to have some success with this, the guy partner must be quick and fast enough to cover the sides, as well as the front. Add to that, stamina is definitely a must... Anyway, you can read more in this other thread (or you can do a search for mixed doubles; plenty of threads on this): http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7456
I'm no pro, but i'll give you some basic ideas. Firstly, there are many good strategies when playing Mixed. If the girl is weaker than you, then you should avoid playing cross courts unless you are given good opportunities to do so. Always stay on attacking mode, with you playing the back & the girl at the front. Your job is to keep the advantage of attacking (smash/drop) & the girl's job is to set up a lift for you, the front is easier to play because you do not have to swing. The player at the back usually gets more shots to play. Keep this formation & only lift or clear in desperate situations.
Thanks! I'll try to find some videos of them. I've scoured the mixed doubles threads, so far the best one I've found is named "Will you play together with your gf/bf?". Hahaha! Some funny stories there. I already know not to lift crosscourt, but sometimes I would smash/drop/drive crosscourt if (a) that's where the opposing lady is, and (b) she is slow moving backwards into sides defensive position. The situation I'm most concerned with is when the lady opponent is near their T and the male opponent is in the backcourt opposite my partner, and they tag-team drive/smash her till she makes an error (aka wedge attack). Can I jump in to save her? Wouldn't that open a hole in my side of the court?
Playing with your gf against more balanced team requires more than just your contribution to protect her. She has to learn to protect herself and expect those kinds of channel attacks against her. When the other side could channel attack her, you have to ask yourself how they manage to get the opportunity in the first place. What preceding shots forced the lift on your side to allow them to open barrage on your partner. First things first, practice with her on her defense by doing drives with her and having her defend tap-ins from the forecourt. When your lady partner is capable of holding her own to some extent, that's when mixed doubles get interesting. The most important part for the lady partner is the ability to recover fast as she's most often in the middle of a crossfire between you and your opponents. Once she could deflect pressure from herself, your offensive opportunity will increase significantly. As for adopting new tactics from the pros, I don't think that's a good idea since the pros are 10 times the level of recreational players and thus could seemingly do many things with ease. Having the lady partner at the back is a recipe for disaster as most often she is the weaker player and could easily be moved out of position forcing her to lift or, even worse, pop up a midcourt gift for your opponents. Get inspired by the pros, don't copy them.
Regardless what formation you play, rotation is the key in doubles. Even if you put your partner in the front, if she stands still, sooner or later, an experienced opponent pair will find a way to isolate and attack her. Effective rotation will hide your weakness, which also lead to your effective team attack. If your gf prefer to play side by side at times, i assume she should have at least the basics (strokes and footwork) and strength. If possible, an effective "run and gun" style can be used, if she's fairly fast. Means, you can start with the level double formation, and once she's in trouble, hit a deep stroke, and get back to the traditional MXD formation, if you believe that's a safer approach. Of coruse, such strategy can be back fired, if the opponents have superior attack (especially if the guy has an effective smash from the back), and/or your own team formation is flawed. Overall, coverage is the key, and that really depends on the understanding within your own team. In a bad way of speaking, gf might prefer to learn the lesson the hard way by herself, rather than listening to you.
For entertainment purposes.. ..here's a link to their(SunDAE Lee & Lee Hyo Jung) match's videos, taken at this yr's Korean Open SS XD Final. I believe they used this approach as a last resort/change-up strategy (i believe towards the end of the match, part 5 and 6). Again, this is a risky and unorthodox/unclassical style.. http://youtube.com/watch?v=8rwuShlVo1M&feature=related
Yup, as I understand it, the guy partner can play the net more and challenge/cut off most replies from there. Good thing LYD had the quickness and touch to take charge in front.
I would advice that your gf should be playing the classical style. Unless your opponent is below your level of play. To be able to play the unclassical XD style approach (one that has been recently employed in high level play), the girl standard have to be very highly skilled. If your gf is of high standard then by all means try the new approach. But i doubt that girls can do (it except for a few). Unless they are really trained for competitive play.
hey lefty how has your progression been /w playing the mix doubles? would like to hear your update since i'm also playing mix'd /w a women parter. our peculiar situation is although she is the weaker player, she actually is more naturally inclined to play backcourt and i am naturally an aggressive player and end up in the front court pretty often. Our biggest weakness is definetly also the channel attack against her and if i try to creep closer to her side i'll get a fast aggressive cross court clear which is even worse because then she'll have to hit with her backhand half the time.
vipjun, that's the same situation with me. Her wrist isn't as strong atm since she's having some pain on her backhand so I always leave a hole up the dropline mostly on the right-hand side to cover the backhand clears for her. They never end up going to smash with me unless it's about half court lift which my partners usually does in a wedge situation or mostly at her. Maybe I should start aiming for mixed doubles instead of having my partner going at it with 2 male players haha.
