Hi everyone I have a major problem with the girls on my university team. I'm the only girl on my team that plays doubles properly. I know the doubles movement well and I play well both in the front and in the back. Although I can do this well..the thing is that the girls on my team CAN'T play doubles properly..and they don't seem to care about learning the proper way to play/move either! It's very frustrating to play with them because all they ever do is LIFT EVERY SHOT!, and they never move around the court..they just stay on their side the whole time (THEY DON'T KNOW THE DOUBLES MOVEMENT AT ALL!!). I mean I understand that it's good to stay on your own side when you lift the shuttle because you need to defend right? But it's not a good way to play doubles because you want to attack..and it's especially bad against strong teams that know the doubles movement well... because they ATTACK..while we have to defend the whole time! I've tried telling the girls to attack more and then move into the attacking doubles formation..but it's like they don't understand it!! If i'm forced to the back and I drop or smash..all my partners do is just stay on their SIDE!! so the opposing team will either block my smash close to the net on my side or just hit a net shot!! ITS SO FRUSTRATING!! I don't really want to run all the way back up to the front after smashing a shot from the back because it's not a good way to play!! I'd just have to lift a net shot if I ran all the way from the back right?! How can I get my partners to play correctly!! I hate having to play defensive shots all the time (aka..clearing..clearing and MORE CLEARING!) because of my partners not knowing how to move around the court properly!! CAN ANYONE HELP ME??:crying: Also..the girls on my team do not move well (their footwork is seriously lacking..probably because they only practice once a week at most..that's 2 hours a week) and since they can't move all that well most of them cannot handle playing in the back..but then their net shots aren't very good either. I don't know what to do..i still want to play for the team..but I just can't play with them without getting frustrated. I want them to play doubles properly..not play doubles like they play singles..do you guys understand what I'm saying?
Sounds like you are ultra competitive and your skill is clearly way above your teammates. If your opponents are more like you rather than your teammates, then the game is pretty much decided even before it starts. Either stick with single games, as you can't expect your teammates to improve over night (whether they don't want to, or simple lacking of the basics), or you have to more or less do the "1 man" (or 1 girl ) show. If some of them at least have decent control strokes, and can move a bit, try to play the traditional mix formation. Overall, I see that's a typical problem as there are huge skill gap (and/or willingness) in between teammates. There's nothing much you can do, especially if you don't want to wait. Either give up on them (play single or find stronger partner), or you have to accept the current fate, be a bit more patient, and prepare to cover a lot of more than a well-structured team.
Well they I try and tell them but it seems like if I tell them to move into the doubles formation, it just goes into one ear and out the other. I don't think its that hard to move up to the front if you see your partner going into the back of the court or vice versa . But yes they do lack the basics..and are just stuck on playing the way they want to play and hopefully get "lucky" and win points by defending and clearing the whole time. I do enjoy playing with the guys on my team better rather than the girls because they know the doubles movement. So I usually play mixed with them...and right now I'm doing alot more cardio so that I can improve my stamina for higher paced singles games this semester
You need to play at a higher-standard club/group/team/whatever. If that's inconvenient, then tough. The world isn't usually convenient.
Stick them in the front, then do the rest of the work yourself. My friend did that when he had to get paired with a crappy partner. He practically played singles, while his partner just sat at the net. He ended up getting 1st place in some tournaments cause of his own skill.
Like we all mentioned, you are clearly way too good and competitive for your teammates. If you have to play with them, you have to lower your expectation. Using your own standard to judge them, will only frustrate both sides. For an experienced player, your advice is easy to follow or at least worth a try. However, your teammates are either too newbie to even understand your concept, or they are simply trying to have fun, rather than being ultra competitive. Relax, and lower your expectation when you play with them.
if your teammates are interested in learning how to play the right formations, which i gather they aren't, the best way to show them what you mean is by downloading a competitive women's double match (you can find plenty here in the forum) and watching it with them. you can then explain why and when to play sides and front and back. if they're not bothered, then well, too bad ....
If the other girls on your team are as bad as you describe them, then there is really not much you can do. You can't make people do what they don't want or are not motivated to do. Are there other clubs around that you can join? And how are the guys on your team? Maybe you can consider switching to mixed doubles? Or just play singles?
You can always get a VRC membership and play more competitive games and/or try C2/C1/RPRO/YUMO. I will probably be playing a competitive drop this Saturday night at C2, so if you would like to join us that would be cool as I would like to improve my mixed play. I normally go to VRC, and I highly recommend it if you are very serious about the sport. Cheers!
well sounds like it's all up to you to mentor them!! Play less games, conduct more doubles-rotation drills for them... If they're lacking in footwork/other strokes as well, drills are the best solution too. Tell your captain/coach what you think... sometimes we need to be a bit more thick skinned and take some initiative. Your friends probably wants to learn and improve too...but doesn't dare to ask. Even if their levels of commitment pales in comparison to you, you should try do what you can to help.
DivingBirdie: Well i've tried telling my coach to teach them some doubles drills, but the thing is he's not really a qualified coach. So he doesn't know many drills, he just makes us play games during our "practice" times. I practice 4 times a week plus I also practice at home (yes..I'm a loser and practice badminton in my basement!), but the girls on my team seriously lack dedication and at their rate they won't be improving much if they only come out once a week (our practices are only 2 hrs at the university). So getting them to practice the doubles rotation and doing attacking drills isn't really possible. So yes I mostly play mixed and doubles with the guys on my team..for some reason they know the movement and the girls don't. azn_123: I would love to come to vancouver some time and play at VRC, RPRO, etc. Vancouver badminton players are really good, and I find that I improve alot after playing in tournaments against them. Plus..the girls down there know how to play!! And well..they actually care about getting better . However, with school starting soon I really don't have the time to go down to vancouver until my uni team goes down in november. Man..I hate living in a smaller city!! TangentZ: There's only like 2 badminton clubs in my city, and most of the players are recreational players. So i'm pretty much screwed until I move away lol.
I try to relax when I play doubles with them, but I just don't understand why it's so hard for someone to understand the basic doubles movement. All you have to do is be aware of where your partner moves and what types of shots they hit and you either move into the attacking formation or the defensive formation. Sigh.. I even taught some highschool kids how to do it..and for some reason 19-21 year old girls can't figure it out...
Slow learner only means it takes longer. Simply refuse to learn (1 ear in 1 ear out) means it takes forever. I don't think your teammates are trying at all, but it's not their fault. You are a competitive player, but they are not. They consider this as social and only want to have some fun. Your guys are pretty much from different worlds. If you really tried, and find out that they look at you as a total stranger, then there's nothing much you can do. Maybe use such games to practice your own footwork and coverage. Don't take the result too seriously.
Ive been on both sides of the fence: being the crappy partner that wouldnt/couldnt learn, and later on as the decent player who knows the basics stuck with someone thats really crap. As Lazy mentioned you sound like your playing at the wrong level, and the fact your partners dont seem to care all that much, which is understandable lots of players are'nt that competitive (and they probably resent you bossing them around). My advice is try looking for a new team, either by moving up a grade or changing clubs. You cant force your team mates to improve if they suck and they're happy with that so who are you to change them. Failing that do what I did when I get stuck with noobs, treat it as singles practice or playing with a handicap - think of it as a challenge and a chance for self improvement.
Well I'm not switching universities anytime soon this year, so I guess i'm stuck playing with them for the rest of the season. I suppose I will have to play differently (not the attacking doubles game that I love) and hit different shots. What types of shots should I hit when I'm playing with a partner that doesn't know the doubles movement? I try and avoid hitting smashes and drops if I'm far away from the front (the girls won't move to the front, so they can't return the opponents net/block shots). Should I try to hit to the centre more often? Or should I just be patient and eventually win the rally with some shot that catches my opponents off guard? Also when I play doubles with my partners, I tend to move up to the front whenever they are forced to the back. I do this because my partner could smash or drop..and they do this sometimes, but most of the time it's either a bad drop or a weak smash. Since they're shots lack power/correct placement, the bird just gets returned high over my head (i'm in the front, my partner is in the back) and my partner(s) just keep hitting bad drops/smashes and they get really tired! I tell them to clear sometimes (especially if they need help/are running out of steam) but they're clears don't go past half court when they are in the back..and we just end up getting smashed at! I know people are probably going to say "find better partners, clubs, etc" but I'm stuck with the girls on my team for the rest of the season. Can anyone tell me of any drills, tactics, ANYTHING that would help me and my partners out??
Well since your stuck with them for the rest of the season it really depends on how bad your partners are. If they just plain suck and cant hit anything, your never going to win a rally because as soon as the opponent feels pressured by you they will just hit to her - and baring kicking her off the court there isnt much that can be done. In your case drills probably wont help you in the short term and not if they arent motivated especially. My advice is play tactically different - and this will depend on your partner. If they dont mind I suggest during doubles game try and stick close to your partner. Try to cover your partner as much as you can - try to get to the shuttle before them, odds are they will realise your the better player and let you have it (or they'll get pissed off). Try to play in the centre of the court - if your good at singles you should still be able to cover your side as well as theirs - it helps if your partner moves up to the net (on their side) when doing this, thus its more of a singles game and the only shot your opponents can do is drop to your partner who will already be in position to take it. Also I didnt suggest you changing Uni's I just suggested looking for a local club in your area which you can join you can still study where you are, or even play socially at the uni but with comps you can go to a more serious club. Thats what me and my friends did after playing a few seasons for the uni.
I completely agree with Dreamzz, try talking to them, perhaps one at a time and try to persuade them that it might help your game and then if they are willing to try then watch some games, it doesn't matter if it's women's doubles or men's doubles, and even in mixed doubles a lot of the principles are the same. If your are unfamiliar with a doubles rotation it can be really hard to get your head round it, but it really helps to see it in action. I did this with a female friend of mine to try and teach her a proper mixed rotation and it really helped. We watched some games and analysised the movement and look at the importance of getting the lift and then tried to put it into action. At first when we played I would have to shout out for her to tell her if we should be sides or front and back, but in the end she got the hang of it. Also as Diving Birdie says try doing some drills. It doesn't matter what your coach knows, if he doesn't know how to play a rotation then he's not a proper coach. If you can get the other girls or at least one of them to buy into trying to play a rotation then you can lead the practices. Then maybe you will find that if your result suddenly improve then maybe other people will start to listen and will be more willing to give it a try. And if that doesn't work I'm shaving my legs, putting on a skirt and flying out to Canada and we'll cream the lot of them together!
We used (back in the 80's) where we fixed the attacking and defending side. The attacking side can only smash or drop and the defending side can only lift, drive/push or drop. The net player (attacking) can kill off any loose shots. The drill naturally reinforces the offensive position. A few variations I can remember includes - the attacker rotation, where the attacking side rotates attacker - the attack/defense swap, where after a few (5 or 10) shots, the role of attacker/defender is swapped via a clear by the attacker - actual game within the drill, where the standard rule applies except that the attacking side loses a point also when they lose the attack
