single vs double.

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by vince, Feb 15, 2001.

  1. vince

    vince Guest

    Single Vs Double, which one is more enjoyable for you?
    For me, I really have a hard time enjoying double, it always leave a bad taste in my mouth after the game but 1 single game with any skill level player will perk me up again. An easy solution for me is to avoid playing double but due to limit court space, either you play double or don't play at all, so there is no voiding it. There are many things I hate about double, first it very difficult to form evenly match teams. Once the team is form, you know the weaker player will get pick on, it very predictable, I do that myself. If I partnered with the weaker player who doesn't know about basic double rotation than I become a spectator and when I partner with someone who is better than me, that player is usually take the game too seriously and that also take the fun out of it. Hopefully after this thread end, I will have a more positive view in double.
     
  2. Byro-Nenium

    Byro-Nenium Regular Member

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    In my team, i play subsitute doubles only. I partner the no.1 singles guy. When we play, we make a great team but i prefer singles. Doubles has more team spirit but singles is more intensive. I guess badminton just was never supposed to be a team spirit sport.
     
  3. May

    May Guest

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    It depends, if ur partner is weaker, doubles is fine, but overall, I prefer singles, even though i am supposed to be a doubles player in my team.
     
  4. dp65

    dp65 Guest

    In my opinion, doubles is great fun, but only if a fundamental condition is met. You have to play with somebody who knows what to do. In this case, playing is a sort of dance on the court, and it's very rewarding when you move effectively and everything works smoothly. Unfortunately, where I play (Germany) hobbyplayers seem to have no clue about what they are doing, and normally they play a sort of single-like game based mostly on clears. Playing like that, is really tragic. But I prefer a good doubles against a good singles because singles is more a physical challenge, at my level, while doubles requires great skill, great sense of the court, tactics, communication, team spirit and relies less on your physical possibilities.
     
  5. Mark

    Mark Guest

    Where I live, we have a doubles league. Team of 6, 1 game mixed, 2 game levels.

    I love doubles, both mixed and levels.

    Rallies can be so intense. There is no where for the shuttle to hide. You attack and chance of finding empty floor can be very hard. One good defensive shot from your opponents and suddenly you picking up smash after smash. Excellent!

    When you start to work as a real team with someone, the feeling is great. My current mixed partner and I have beat pair much better than us, because we anticipate each other reponses, weaknesses, strengths, intercepting ability etc etc. It is a beautiful feeling to get it right.

    I also feel the games are more varied than singles. Singles seems like an art-form, when you find the right moves against certain opponent then you can get into a groove of moving them around in a way you know will cause a weak response and then finish them off time after time.

    With doubles, whilst the tactic is still valid, there is a lack of space to exploit weaknesses again and again, and you have two people who can talk to each other and change their positions, shot choice and strategies mid-game.

    Singles is better for a tough physical workout, but badminton is definitely as its best in a good games of mens doubles!

    Mark
     
  6. Bob

    Bob Guest

    not neccessarily mens.
     
  7. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    This sounds quite familiar to me as it was the same when I started learning the game. I think it boils down to how much you really want to win the game. It would be so easy to pick on the weaker player.

    But what's the point of winning all the time in matches which perhaps you can't learn much? If you play to the stronger player, the rallies may become a few shots longer. You could test yourself on your own shots. Practise serves, net shots to get to a lower margin of error and more consistency. Think about footwork.

    I understand that these are not the whole solution. Eventually, as your standard improves, you will have to find other groups of players with higher level of play and leave your old group behind.

    If I was partnering somebody who didn't know much about playing doubles (like last night) and lost, I don't let it affect me now. What's the point? It would just create a bad atmosphere. But then again, I get the opportunity to play quite a lot and have a good physical workout during other sessions so my ratio of challenging games to very weak games is probably better than yours.
     
  8. Q-man

    Q-man Guest

    The only kind of doubles i like is MIXED DOUBLES, where i control about 3/4 of the courts each time i play with my teammates. I guess doubles would be fun if i had a partner that they can't pick on all the time, but usually doubles is pretty boring for me.
     
  9. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    i like both singles and doubles. Yes, finding a balance players to have a good match. I take what i learn from singles to doubles and vice versa.
     
  10. vince

    vince Guest

    I guess the whole secret is not allow a bad d.game affects you, but it happen far too many time not to. Weaker player who lack the basic rotation of double always end up playing virtual half court single, and you end up watching him or her (mostly him) being pick on and you feel so helplessly. There are some people usually say "there is more than one person on the court, you know" but I don't say it, it kind of like begging them to hit it to you.

    So far the overall responds are in favor of playing single than double in this threads but at the place I play, there are only 3 or 4 who truely like single like I do. And we usually meet on Sunday around noon when there hardly anyone around. I know some people hate single because it require tremendous endurance especially when you lack the proper footwork but anyone out there who hates single other than this reason and like to tell us about it?
     
  11. marshall

    marshall Regular Member

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    I agree with Cheung's point of view. Also, if your partner is weaker than you, be encouraging and if you offer advice, mention *only* the most important point during the game. That's about all anyone can remember if they're struggling. Youo might suggest that your weak partner play more to the front.

    When you do concentrate your shots on a weak opponent, try not to overpower them, but just give them shots that challenge them a little. One method would be to refuse to smash, and substitute well-placed drops or flat mid-speed cross courts. This will improve your control and give everyone a better game.

    BTW, please don't get the idea I think I'm a great player. I'm not. I can beat some people in my club and a lot of people can beat me. I learned the above tactics by having a lot of good players play me that way, and I try to do the same for players weaker than I am. I hope I always remember the courtesy people showed me when I first began.
     
  12. Ricky

    Ricky Regular Member

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    I enjoy both single and double. To me, I can have different kind of training in different situation. Personally, I still find single too tough for me these days (but keep improving), however playing single is a very good practice for all kinds of skills (if you are weak on particular areas, your opponents will keep attacking your weakness). In addition, one thing I also like about double is I can have more chance to attack, i.e. smash, as I usually is not the net player in front.

    The most difficult situation to deal with is to play double with someone who have the basic skills on most strokes, but do not have particular strength (e.g. smash, net shot), and they do not know anything about positioning and tactics for double. Ask them to stay in front ? They don't like to do so, and they may not handle it well. Ask them to stay at the back to attack ? Again, they can't handle this effectively. I did find hopeless in some of these situations, perhaps I cannot give them "only" the most importance advice.

    In fact, I did a lot of as marshall said in double games, i.e. ask the weaker partner to stay more in front and cover the net, and tell him/her to play more net shot, but not lift up the shuttle. If you partner can handle this well, you can easily win two people whose can win yourself individually, but not cooperate well in double.
     
  13. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    as you may learn from my experience, some people can't or don't know how to take advices gracefully.
     
  14. Mark

    Mark Guest

    good comments marshall,

    I agree that the none smashing game against weaker players is both an excellent way to make a more enjoyable game and also a good training tool for better players to get some from these games.

    I use this technique all the time and it definitely makes the games less of a chore.

    Everyone should remember that they were all *rap at one time and that somewhere along the line better players tolerated playing against you and helped you get better. We all need to encourage more players to play and enjoy the game, and should remember that.

    I remember before I improved to the point of being one of the top players in my club, that the thing I wanted most on club night was to 'take-on' the best players. If I got such a game it make my night. Now, for me, there are players looking at me in the same way, and I (and everyone else) owe to these improvers and the players that have gone before us, to show a bit of a humble a wise attitude when having to play in 'easy' games.

    That my bit, sorry to waffle.

    Mark
     
  15. Kelvin

    Kelvin Regular Member

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    Doubles would definitely be more fun, because you're with more people, and you can get the opportunity to smash more.
    In singles it's a lot tougher, because you've got the entire court to cover...
    Doubles is more fun.
     

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