Hi guys, I was playing a guy today and all he ever did was Drop shot's... and I kept losing to them but i know he was going to do it. Every time I served long or cleared it all the way to the back of the court he would either drop me or smash (but his smashes are very weak same with his overhand clear so thats where i mostly get my points). Is there any other way to play him more effectively since he is very good at placing his drop shots??? THANKS for the help!!!
His shots usually land need the net, and hes good at placing them on the sides close to the net, I have to say he's pretty skilled at that.
Okay, so he plays tight slow drops to either side, which land near the net. That's great news, because you can exploit his shots. If he plays a slow drop from the back, you should have time to move in and play a tight net shot (ideally spinning). It's vital that you reach the shuttle early. If you're having trouble getting there in time, you could shift your base a little closer to the net -- since you say his clears are weak. Make sure that your clears and lifts have good depth. If he were playing fast drops, however, life would be more difficult for you. For more details, see the drop shots page from my singles tactics guide.
Thank you so much for the help!!! Yah he does have slow drops so i guess i should just shift more towards the front. Thanks
Gollum, since your articles on badmintonbible seem so popular and helpful, why not get one of the admins to pin it onto the techniques and training sticky? they are thoroughly written and great help, so it'd be a good idea.
Glad to help. Good luck! Thank you. I would be very happy with that, but I don't want to be too pushy. What do you think, guys?
In singles, the dropshot and the attacking clear are the main weapons used to employ the most basic tactic to send the shuttle to all four corners of the court. If you don't have a good attacking clear your dropshot will be ineffective. Employing this tactic will eventually be rewarded with a weak return from your opponent, which you can then smash for the coup-de-grace. The slow drops and the fast attacking clears in the hand of a deceptive/control player will stretch an opponent to his limits because his shots to the 4 corners of the court are extreme. But the slow drops may not be suitable for a fast, attacking player, in which case fast drops like chops (cut smashes), ala Misbun Sidek, may be more suitable. If exforce's opponent can score points from dropshots despite having a weak clear or smash, then the problem may be in the quality of your high serve and clear or that you did not observe closely why he is not capable of executing a good smash or clear. If you still cannot handle his dropshots then don't serve high or clear too often to him. Play a more flat game.
I have to echo taneepak's assessment. In any game, if you lose a point consistently to one type of shot, you are going to have to look at the bigger picture. If the your opponent's dropshot is his strongest weapon, you are going to have to apply some different tactics and reduce the opportunities given to him for playing that shot. You have to look in your own game why he is able to play the dropshot. Can you not clear to the back of the court effectively (the further back the opponent is, the less effective his dropshot becomes)? If so, why not? Is it your stroke technique? What shots does he play to set up his dropshots? Many people think they play a good clear but the effectiveness of the high clear can be judged by the feet of the opponent when he strikes the overhead shot. If your opponent strikes his dropshot with his feet in front of the rear tramlines, your clear is too short or too low. You may want to read this poston positioning yourself on court and how to control the opponent.
Wow.... Thanks for all the help, I will be playing him again this Monday and I will tell you the results!
Do you all find that a drop shot is much more effective with feather shuttle than it is with plastic shuttle?
Yah for sure, its wayyy easier to do a fast drop with a feather shuttle, I dunno why though.... Plastic birds aren't great for tournaments, you can't really do what you do with a feather bird.
Plastic shuttles seem to me as if they have a little more air resistance and the plastic skirt doesn't have the same sensitivity as feathers do, possibly because feathers are more delicate. This is probably why feather shuttles generally fly faster and are easier to hit net and drop shots with.
After positioning yourself slightly forward also keep reminding yourself to take the drops as early as you can...take them high up, and avoid delay-and-flicking in such situations where you have already reached the shuttle earlier due to good anticipation. This is to suddenly speed up the pace. Sometimes people habitually take the shuttle lower when they're actually capable of taking it higher.
Not really... hold and flick is effective in getting ahead of your opponent too. It breaks your opponent's rhythm with the added benefit of possibly sending them in the wrong direction. Raise the pace only if you can really handle it.
