hi all, In situation like the video shown here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QA2WUhrP90 8:56 when I have to passively hit the shuttle from the back court, I usually either miss the shuttle or hit it poorly. Would be nice if someone can kindly give me advice on how to improve, esp. how I should swing my arm and how to hold the racket in this situation. Thanks in advance!
There are three main areas you need to get right: Footwork Grip Hitting action The footwork in this situation needs to be a step-out: notice how his right foot stays on the ground until he's hit the shuttle. See my page on forehand rearcourt footwork. LCW is actually using an interesting variation of the step-out here -- he's using a chasse instead of a cross-over step. This is probably because he's moving from a forwards base, not a rearcourt base (Lin Dan's shot was played from the net). Since you are reaching behind your body to hit the shuttle, the grip needs to be adjusted towards a thumb grip: this will allow you to hit the shuttle straight. If you stick to the basic grip, with no adjustment, then the shuttle will tend to go out at the side. Because you're reaching behind your body, you won't be able to use much body rotation (turning of your hips/shoulders) to get power into the shot. This means you'll have to rely on arm rotation and grip tightening. This puts the quality of your overhead technique to the test! When attempting to play this shot, you need a good awareness of your own capabilities. You may need to play a flatter clear, rather than a high clear, since a flat clear doesn't need as much power. Even if you would rather be defending here, it's generally better to have a flat clear that reaches the back, rather than a high clear that only reaches the midcourt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I7aNKH_oro 02:34 02:45 (slow motion replay) I think he is not wise to return the shuttle to the opponents forehand.
