so im playing MD and we're on the offense. I play forward with racket up as my partner smashes in the rear court. which foot should i put forward? or slightly forward as a way to prepare myself for returns?
The important thing is making sure your not flat footed (i.e. on your toes). I would think your right foot should be slightly forward but it would also be determined by what kind of returns your opponents are making (flat drive to body, sides etc.).
+ 1 , yup right foot should generally be always slightly forward no matter wot, except the odd situation
I believe the reaction (tht leads to foot position) should comes automatically as you anticipate the return from your opponent. As long as you're in standby mode (like LT-Rulz said "on you toes") it doesn't matter if it's left or right foot. Some ppl have a more powerful sprint from left foot but to some others they may use right foot.
As a basic default, you should have both feet roughly side-by-side, but with the racket foot slightly in front (about half a foot-length ahead). This foot position is the most effective for moving quickly sideways to intercept drives, and for covering both net corners. If your partner is able to cover the rearcourt effectively, then do this. However, sometimes your partner will be under pressure in the rearcourt. For example, if he's just jumped out wide to play a round-the-head smash in his backhand corner, it may be difficult for him to reach a flat lift to his forehand corner. In this situation, you can try to cover his forehand corner for him. This is a more advanced positional scheme than the basic "I've got the front, you've got the back" method. In this scheme, your partner covers only one corner, and you cover the remaining three (he takes the middle). You can achieve this by arranging your feet to "point" towards the rear corner that you want to cover. So if your partner is in the left rear corner, your feet would be placed diagonally, with the right foot farther back than the left. This helps you to move towards the right rear corner. The downside to this feet positioning is that your readiness is reduced for net replies to your forehand, and drives to your backhand. It's a compromise; and if your partner is in position to cover both rear corners, it's a compromise you should not make. Use it when you partner needs help, and not otherwise. This method is a lot more demanding than just covering the front, and it takes some getting used to. It also takes some cooperation from your partner, who may not understand what you're doing!
ok thanks! i was flat footed, until some guy in my club points it out to me. he told me to always put one foot slightly in front for better maneuvering. however i wasn't clear on which foot to implement that to, so most of the time when i play i end up CONTEMPLATING about foot-positioning more than focusing on my opponent lol but thank you ill try to utilize that adjustment next time i play. and i have a partner who i always play with so ill brief him as well.
Yes Gollum's explanation is very useful for advanced tactical combinations for doubles play. If you type in Youtube - "Lee Jae Bok - Helping the rearcourt Player" their should be a very nice video explaining what Gollum is trying to say here. When incorporated into doubles , it helps a lot! But incorportating it as Gollum rightly said , needs a lot of compromise form both partners.
depend on your partner position. If he's on the right side, your front foot would be right. If he's on the left side, your front foot would be left. For running back to get the high clear the opposite side of your partner. Just to help him out, so you can always have the attack mode, rather than let your partner run all the way from the side to the other side and make a flat drive, drop or clear. These shots tend to have high chance that the play will be flipped from offensive to defensive. keep in mind we always want to be offensive, the control, as much as possible.
