Being in the front

hold ur racket face up

 

First, hold the racket up, instead of dragging on the floor will definitely help. Second, maybe setup frequent drill sessions (drive, smash recieve, etc) to overcome the mental issue, and improve the skill and response time.

 

i have the same problem as u in the pass...but...i have overcome it...when ur reaction is improved...u will just return the shutter instead of dodging it...

 

you actually have to be careful. one guy at our club got whacked in the eye by a net kill and now he wears a visor.

check where you are standing. it should generally be one step or so behind the service T. too far forward means that the shuttle literally comes too fast and you have no choice but to duck. staying back a bit means you have time to react.

finally, it's probably been said, but confidence in your abilities (applies in defence also) is really the key. you don't have to be super aggressive, but having the trust in yourself that you can nail the next shot is vital. this comes with practice. so i suggest you practice driving and attacking from the net more often. don't avoid it.

 

Best advice I can give you is to find a new partner - one who doesn't keep setting you up to get smashed at in the first place!

Standing further back should help, like Shifty says.
If you get do stranded right up at the net and the shuttle is high in your opponents front court, then just duck below the net even before they hit it - the point is effectively already lost, and doing otherwise is just inviting them to smash at you, putting you at risk of serious eye injury.

 

Analyse the situation. If your at the front and your opponents are attack(driving downwards, smashing), then you probably shouldn't be at the front.

If it still happens, hold racquet up and crouch down a bit so the net acts as a shield

 

you should definately dodge in such situation !

When your are in front-back attacking position how can your let opponent be such position to whack the ball at you ? I agreed with others it is likely your partner's 'mistake'.

If he cant play back position properly, just stick the side-side position.

 

Just playing a strict Side-Side position is not going to work as you'll get picked on & your partner starved out of the game.

Your partner needs to learn mixed doubles tactics & keep the shuttle low. More drops against the lady, pushes down the tram lines just behind the lady & draw the man in. Flat drives, punch clears into open spaces when they appear.
If he keep lifting it & insists that you stay front then get a new partner.

If the shuttle has to be lifted it's best for the lady to step out to the opposite corner. This requires the man to lift straight & the lady to lift cross court. After that you both have to work out how to get back into attacking formation. If the lady gets the clear that's normally a straight fast drop & rush in.

It really does boil down to trust with your partner. If you know he's not going to lift then you'll start standing taller at the net looking to cut the shuttle out & kills rather than cowering from smashes.

 

If a point blank free kill by the opponents, I think almost everyone will dodge then try to make a play.

Things you can do on your own part:

1. Get is visor, if you are really worried about being hit in the eye.
2. More drills. The better reflex and response time you have, the more confidence you get.
3. Always racket up. As long as the face not being hit, you have 99% less issues already.


Things a bit out of your own control:

1. You partner. If s/he is not able to play the back role in an effective way, then you either have to pick less competitive opponents, or need to change a better partner. Setting up BBQ shot for opponents, or whacking partner's head can make the game less interesting and dangerous.

 

Emertion therapy, brutal but it works. Get a friend to smash shuttles into the net whilst u crouch behind the net. It desensetises your mind to shuttle smahses. It's what the coach does where i play, with slight variation ofc.

 

What's the point of that though? Just teaches you to make yourself small, low & hide.
Better to just drop back diagonally & learn how to defend cross court smashes. Plus your friend doesn't practice smashing into the net. . .

 

In doubles playing in front actually allows you to initiate moves or shots that will determine the outcome of any rally. The frontman is more the brain or general and the backman the chap who finishes off the move initiated by the frontman.
I love playing the frontman because it allows me the opportunity to force the opponents to lift. When in front it is much easier to kill off weak or short returns from your opponents. But a good frontman must have an aggressive backman, otherwise all the good ground work of the frontman will be wasted.
In doubles the frontman is the king.

 

Duobles is a very fast pass than single so u need to be always on ur toe and focus on the opponents next shots. I doubt it that any of the BC's member never been hit by a birddie either on the face or to the body, but that's part and parcel of the game. The opponents aim is to score point by any means and the other side to prevent them. Sometime mistake do happens like ur backman hand over a opportunity the them to smash, u need to be a ready position to either received or dodge the smash. I do sometimes dodge smashes, but then u need to analyse wether the birddie is a straight smash towards u or it's save to retrieve it. It ok to be afraid, it'll teaches u to be very cautious but don't over afraid as u might make a lot of unforseen mistakes. Don't worry u will over come it. Cheers

 

No, the frontman is the Dink(er)

 

wear goggles, practice, and kill =]

 

If you are the frontman and you get smashed in the face often, then you are no frontman but more of a non-frontman who happens to be in front without realizing why.

 

kind of related to this, can someone show me the correct technique for doing a flat push when the bird is close to the net for the front man?

i feel like my weakest point is when my partner smashes, and the other side gives a weak return to the front that's low, im unable to use that to our advantage and would have to do a drop to keep attacking. it would be ideal if i can do a flat push that would either end the rally in one or two hits?

are there any guides on this?

 

First of all, move forward to hit your shot so the bird has less time to drop below the net. Many players tend to stand in place waiting for the shuttle to get to them, but when your opponent takes aways speed on his/her shot to make it drop, you need to increase your movement speed to compensate.

Also, when the shuttle is just below the tape, you can hit it slightly upwards and have it drop below the tape just after it crosses the net. To do this you have to hit the shuttle more softly than you would with a typical drive.