As the thread stipulates, this is tips for not so good players. So I would say that yes, cross is not always the best, but if we have to keep it simple, I would suggest to beginner - intermediate that they should think, most of the time, to play cross. Because their opponent won't, so the empty space would just be at that cross court space.
So why not just say 'hit shuttle at the space'? Then it's simple and dynamic. Saying 'hit cross' is dumb when your opponent just hit cross and hasn't moved very far - then you're just hitting back to them.
for beginner tactical tips: use shot variation hit the spaces follow up smashes return to base control the net - play net shots!
Because, accôrding to my experience only fairly advanced players play cross court. Newbies don't. Another thing I have notice is a thing such as "hit shuttle at the space" takes many years to fathom. Beginners not so easily see and analyse the play. Hit cross court is way more effective. but a better tip for beginners would be to master the clear. If they can be comfortable with good and fast clears,, they'll win their match.
I do notice this too..even though the terms should be "hit shuttle at the space" it came by experience and the more you play the better you are identifying open spaces (in seconds lol..you only have that much) but imo the most important is to keep the shuttle down as much as possible close to the net level and hit fast and accurate..again it came with practices but no matter how good your technique is if you keep "lob" the shuttle back it won't do any favor for you (it works for double too) Having said that few tips for beginners: 1. footwork 2. stamina 3. defense 4. control I tend to play defensive as beginners and let the opponent make mistakes. The more advance you are, the better your technique is, then you may start attacking..I find attacking is much harder unless you're taking advantage of their mistake i.e. easy smash or what not.
Im not sure I agree with that completely. Hitting fast and flat in singles is potentially dangerous unless they are very accurate (close to the lines) or there is a lot of space to hit into (opponent way out of position). If all your opponent has to do is stick out his racquet and block it over the net then you are in trouble yourself. The same applies to smashing. In singles it must be very good smash otherwise you could be handing you opponent a relatively easy point if they manage to block it back over the net. I would say a having a good clear is essential in singles. You must be able to hit from the back to the back otherwise your opponent will soon realise that you cant, then push you to the back and wait mid / front court ready to murder your reply. Use the high clear when you are under pressure and need time to reset, and a lower fast punch clear when you spot the opportunity to put your opponent under pressure. In doubles its different because invariably one of you opponents is nearer the back waiting to smash any clear or lob. Even then, fast accurate punch clears to either corner can still be effective as your opponent is unlikely to be in a position to hit a good smash. In singles even at club level pushing your opponent into the read backhand corner (even with a clear) is an effective strategy as they generally dont have a decent backhand or round head reply if they arent quick enough to get there early and take it on the forehand.
For new players playing Singles, the most important thing to work on are consistency and quality of shots. Footwork practice is implied. I'm not sure if stamina is important at this stage, as rallies tend to be short due to unforced errors. By keeping your shots more consistent, in this game of attrition, you'd come out ahead most likely. Understanding margin of error would help consistency (i.e. do hit away from the middle, but not necessarily looking for the lines on sides or back). Quality of shots need to be at least reasonable, but don't go after perfection, which would lead to unforced errors.
I'm not a Singles player myself. However, I attended all my kid's private lessons listening on the side. When you use fast and flat shots in Singles, you don't necessarily aim for the back line. The objective is to surprise your opponent, get the shuttle past him and deprive him of time to play a good shot back. If your flat shot is too low, of course, you could be creating troubles for yourself. There needs to be margin to ensure your opponent can't just raise the racket and block it. However, even in that case, there's still room for discussion and observation (during the game). If your opponent can't react fast enough (as in the case of beginners), even though they can reach your shots if they stretch, they won't be able to hit a good shots in return. So, in this sense, I think for this level of players, play more flatter shots would help, esp. when they only have limited power apparently, and shouldn't waste much of it on sending the shuttle sky high. In terms of Doubles, it's the same idea with the use of flat clear, as long as you don't use it all the time. In addition, an attacking clear to the middle could equally cause the confusion on your opponents' camp.
I would agree that if you dont have the power to clear properly then drives are the next best option as they cant be smashed. However, problems will occur if your opponent reaches it and pings it back just as fast. The shuttle is fizzing through your side again before you've had time to get into a good position on the court. I would definately say that drop shots should be a bit faster and flatter especially into the corners. Floaty drops give your opponent too much time to get there (and they are a lower percentage shot).
Broad question there.I Hope these help. 1)4 corners technique 2)Correct Footwork 3)Stroke Mastery/Mastery of Basic strokes 4)Returning to the center of the court after every shot made by you(quickly) 5)Correct reaction to opponent's shot 6)Visualization of shots 7)Deception 8)Physical fitness 9)Practice and Determination 10)Improving the strength and speed of strokes and footwork 11)Hit High and Stay Low(for offensive play) 12)BE HUMBLE IN VICTORY AND ACCEPT DEFEAT
Definitely not #4. After a clear, e.g. you don't use running steps (implied above) to return to the center quickly. After a net shot, you don't want to retreat "quickly" to the center. And where do you think the center is? Not able to understand #11.
Returning somewhere near the centre of the court is certainly a good start rather than being caught "ball watching" as many players seem to do. I think that is what is implied by point 4 rather than being directly in the middle. Exactly where you should move to after hitting the shuttle varies depending upon your style, speed around the court, reach, and where the shuttle has just been hit to, and how quickly the shuttle is likely to come back at you. This is something that has to be learnt through experience, but getting back someone around the middle and hopefully being ready to move in any direction is not a bad starting point.
Return to base. Yes, the different footwork for different play. And different base for different play. There should be a separate thread for forming a base, where, and footwork at different levels.
I think he means that you should take the shuttle as high as possible and keep your body lowered when moving. Bending your knees slightly, as in keeping a low position rather than standing tall, helps you get around faster.
