Hi there, today I have played with a friend that is in the national level, apparently whenever he serves the to back corner, I cant seem to get behind to shuttlecock to get a good smack. From the center I quickly move my body sideways and step at least 4 times to get to the shuttlecock. Is there any video or reference to follow to achieve quickness? My friend said I had the right technique but I does not seem like it.It happens to both back corners. Even scraped my knee right after he did a net shot.
Just out of curiousity, what else did your "national-level friend" say? I'd much rather have one of those as a resource than a pile of youtube links.
Practice my footwork and try to find movements that makes me move from point A to point B fast. I'm most likely going to get him to do training with me as I want to go beyond rec level. I have some high standard leveled youtube videos that i sometime refer to.
Try peter rasmussen rhythm footwork drill, that video will improve your speed tremendously. The first step is the most important step in badminton. then again, you need to be familiar with the standard footwork before practicing that. ^_^ here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up5M-mirAcI
Lucky for you, I just made a whole video series for footwork. Check out this playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2078E0C68066EA67
thejym above has a whole bunch of very nice videos showing amongst other things, split step, step, cross over, chasse, block jump, etc to the corners also Gollum has a few articles on his excellent website : http://www.badmintonbible.com/articles/footwork/
If the technique is right, then I think you might just have to hit the gym and strengthen your legs for more explosive power and maybe you can cut down on the steps.
First step is the most important and you need to think explosively to get to the shuttle. Practice makes you better. also if you are receiving a serve you need to have the correct weighting on each foot. Look at some matches on bwf and you'll notice they all stand a little differently. Find the stance that works for you. A good start would be 50-50 and then try different combinations 60-40 40-60 etc.Good luck
One more thing your stance will also be affected by how good your opponent is at serving, how much they flick and how good it is and what you want to do with the shuttle. when you line up to receive you should be ready for a short and flick unless you are going to put pressure on the short serve.
Four steps is too many. First of all, are you sure you're standing in the right place when he serves, not too close to the front?
If your friend says, the footwork is okay, then the footwork is okay ... getting your body behind the shuttle is not the thing you need to, though this certainly helps. Getting the racket head behind the shuttle early is what you want.
Hmm.. need to look at your court movement to tell. I suspect your sideway footwork may not be correct. Most common mistake in rear court footwork, is stepping backward with the chest facing the net. You need to rotate your body to the side (i.e. parallel to the direction you want to travel) and shuffle. Try this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okX3Qj86ZqU for lee chong wei rear court, forehand clear.
Ahh, never knew what was Gollum's website :S It really is great though, I've learnt a lot from it. Thanks Gollum
