Help with Stroke Please!!

I think, that your partner should slow down the pace of the execise. There's not a lot of time for recovery and you are just pressed on to hurry to the next shuttle. You're not even allowed to leave the front court most of the time.

If you want to focus on technique first a slower pace would be beneficial, e.g. the pace in this video, maybe even slower if you need to cover the whole front court.

 

Looks good sofar, I think, that you need stronger opponents who are able to put you under pressure. Once you get under more pressure your weak spots will be revealed.

 

That might be true, but your partner counterbalanced it. He has a lot of potential, thought he looked bored later on and clearly started to play more careless. A good partner conceals your weak spots.

When I play singles my game range from "wow, I'm in total control of the rallies (vs weak opponent)" to "what the heck is going on, completely hecktic, chaotic, headless running around the court hitting bad shots all the time (vs strong opponent)". When I watch these games, I can clearly see, that the opponents often do not make direct points (they have mercy), but the increased pressure let me make a lot more misstakes. A good opponent will search for your weak spots and he will exploit them.

If you want to improve, you need to look for these weak spots and learn to improve them.

 

I'm no expert.. but..

So you're the white shorts ..

Your partner, mr blue shorts, when in the front position creeps back and is too near you and not positioned well for covering the front area. You're doing quite well at the back under circumstances.like this image (partner too far back). I'd be wary my partner would suddenly come back when he shouldn't and i'd be put off by my partner being out of position. A player that is good at the net helps the player at the back to look play goods shots. Your partner Mr blue shorts is quite quick.



Also I don't see any net shots by any player here.

And your partner is probably positioned wrongly when you return serve, ... so if you were to play a net shot for your return of serve then he's not behind you ready for if they lift it.

I have heard different things regarding how far back the partner should be when you receive serve, but I think maybe(and perhaps others can confirm, as i'm not sure), your partner is too far forward here so you wouldn't gain much from a net shot, Though nobody in this game does net shots! But if you did one as your return serve, and they lifted it then you wouldn't get much advantage from it and you may even be disadvantaged by it, because your partner is so far forward.

Most people i've spoken to have said that when receiving serve, the partner should be behind you and near the centre line. I have seen some people look somewhere in between that and side by side. But I haven't spoken a lot with people that do this so I don't really know what their thinking or footwork would be. Or if they're right in any way to do that. I don't know exactly how/if that changes depending on how far back the receiver is from the service line.. I have watched some more doubles videos and it definitely looks wrong where your partner is.



Also at 3:29, and other times, I notice that when you receive serve from the right hand side, then every time you hit it to your left. That might be because every time on that side you are using a forehand grip (though i'm not great at spotting grips from a distance).. Whereas if when there you had a backhand grip on that side then it'd be easier to hit it more to the right where the server isn't.or to lift it to their backhand side. But you are still catching them very well with it.


Look where you are standing when your partner is receiving serve, I think that is where you are meant to be. That's where most people i've spoken to have said one should be when partner is receiving serve.

I went to one club and a guy there invited me to play with some of his friends. Of the 8 there only 1 knew to stand there!



I wish more players at clubs were more like you and understood positioning like you do. But since you understand positioning maybe you should tell your partner what he's meant to be doing re basic positioning.'cos you know and he doesn't. Have you had a coach show you positions and he hasn't? He is quite nifty with his racket so maybe he has had some coaching but has he done more singles or at least not been coached doubles?

I know some people have natural talent and pick things up maybe those guys are the ones that have no clue re doubles positioning?

And I think a partner's positioning matters , partly because it affects what shots you can play.

 

I think, that standing near the center position when your partner received the shuttle, only works, if you pay enough attention to the serve. Most of the players in my club stand close to the center, but when my opponent play a quick flick or drive serve along the center line, I got really irritated by my partner standing so close to where I need to take the serve. When I see this position I often try to play a quick drive serve along the center line too.

I think, that the defensive position is more beginner friendly or for double pairs who don't play together very often, the attack position is more advanced.

 

At my club the "quick drive serve along the center line" you're referring to is considered very rude and frowned upon during training and social games. If we're caught doing these serves by the coach we're in for a good scolding.

 

Very interesting, because I think, that they are really annoying myself. Still I have been confronted with this kind of serve serveral times. There are several other kind of service types which are kind of annoying, so is there some kind of service etiquette ?

 

I don't think there is some kind of service etiquette when it comes to competitive games and probably not even for social clubs in many games. Still, even in competitive games I have seen players get angry when the opponent uses these fast flat serves directet at the body of the receiver.

I think our coach's logic is that we should train to perfect the "regular" serves (short serves, flick serves) first before trying anything fancy. The point of the training games being to improve our basic shots and tactics and not to score a point as fast as we can.

 

I strongly disagree. While "Mr. Blue Shorts" looks too relaxed to be ready for any shot, his positioning is good. That's where he should stand awaiting his partner's strong smash and, considering they're playing with plastics, even for a mediocre smash.

 

Just to make sure - is it common understanding, that this is ideed the correct and optimal positioning when Mr. Blueshorts is receiving the serve?

 

From the short service line to the long service line is 388cm




Here is where Peter Gade is standing (approximately)
And one area where I haven't got it quite right is I haven't taken into account the length of his foot but it's approximate. You can see it's nowhere near the middle of the 388cm. He is not standing 388/2=194cm back! The front of his foot is less than 100cm back from the short service line.




Mr Blue Shorts is standing closer to half of the 388cm distance.




Mr Blue shorts should be further forward. Like Peter Gade is.

And notice where Mason/white shorts stands.when the opponents lift the shuttle to the back. Mason/white shorts, gets it right.



I may be wrong but those are my calculations, you can probably do better, but unless you can show where i'm wrong, it looks like Mr Blue shorts is way too far back when at the front. You can use Peter Gade as the example for where is right.

 

I don't think where he stands should be used as an example of optimal..Also for where a person stands to receive serve, it's individual

The pro men stand with the front of their foot on(touching or as close to touching as possible, i'm not sure, but one of those two - not sure if foot touching/on it is legal or illegal?), the short service line. So a pro would stand further forward than mr blue shorts. But Pros react and move very fast.

Blue shorts doesn't tend to look that prepared, but he moves pretty fast sometimes.. Some people would have to be a bit further back than he is. With some practise maybe he could return serves well standing from there.

Professional men are further forward than he is. That would be optimal..but one needs to be able to react very fast to do that.

Also blue shorts doesn't move back well when returning serve As I understand it, if they flick serve you then you shouldn't need to take it on the backhand.

Assuming you can move well and react fast, then you should stand where the pros do. But you won't be reacting fast enough and moving well enough to stand where pros do if you are asking where to stand when receiving serve!

 

I didn't mean Mr. Blueshorts himself, but the position of @Mason while his partner was receiving the serve.