Random Gameplay doubts

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by dnewguy, Sep 14, 2020.

  1. dnewguy

    dnewguy Regular Member

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    Hello Everyone,

    Picked up racquet again after about a year due to a knee injury + lockdown.(still bit sore but playable)
    Im a recreational player, never took coaching, 35yr male, athletic build, 5.5 ft, we play men's doubles 99% of the time and with Mavis350 / 2000 plastics.
    I have a change of location & the current badminton peer group is not really able to push my game to its limits unless I pair with a weak partner.
    But last few days we got to play with some more experienced players and hence this thread.

    1) If the partner is making unforced errors then I feel more pressure and try to play a winner every time i have the shuttle, making extra errors myself. How to handle this situation?
    Should I ask my partner to just play defensive/neutral shots ?
    Or simply keep him to guard my deep backhand corner ?

    On the same topic of unforced errors:- when I play with opponents I know are technically weaker. I play more confidently and all my soft touches and net exchanges are sharp and consistent. But against really good opponents i play less of my favorite net shots and even the easiest of the crossflicks will land out of the sidelines.

    2) I have noticed in the past also that I make more mistakes if I try and match my opponents aggressive game/playing at fast pace. How can I play fast and still maintain my accuracy or keep a cool head ?
    When exchanges are happening fast with lot of front and back rotation then i save the rally but tend to mishit the final easy winning shot.. !!

    3) How many successive smashes(jump/no jump) would you follow through ?
    Sometimes I hit the first smash only half power and then my 2nd or 3rd being full power.
    If I have put most of my power in the first then I do a drop shot from the back next and my partner would complain that "Why didn't you smash ?"

    4) Is doing a drive battle wise ?
    I lose half of them.

    5) I used to play more aggressively (singles) say 5yrs ago. I have become bit sluggish with a few injuries and extra lockdown bodyweight(10kg).
    My court coverage is still decent. I can jump smash at the back and still catch the netdrop. Should I still try to improve my attack ? Or work on my slow game and defense ?
    I'm asking this because eventually I will start losing speed and power on my shots so may be I should work more on refinement and strategic play.


    6) When the shuttle is in the air, be it a serve or rally. Do you call out for your partner in/out, short serve ?
    Do you listen to your partners call ?
    How can we improve our judgment?


    7) I intend to participate in local tournaments after the pandemic. Sometimes they keep it feather shuttles only.
    Is it a big setback to directly play with a feather for someone who has always played with plastics ?
    Does it affect my game negatively if I start playing with both type of shuttles ?


    That's all I could think of for now.
    Thanks.
     
    #1 dnewguy, Sep 14, 2020
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2020
  2. phihag

    phihag Regular Member

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    This may be the correct strategy: If your side (no matter whether you or your partner) is making many unforced errors, then you want to finish the rally quickly. However, if finishing the rally quickly incurs many more unforced errors, then play a bit safer shots.

    If you are in general stronger than your partner, you can also play more to your side, so that it becomes harder for the opponents to play to your partner. You should also strive to get into your partner's favorite formation. Maybe their netplay isn't all that bad, so you can cover the backcourt?

    Mindset training may help, but the easy answer is technique training, so that your hard shots work even under (mental and shot) pressure.

    You should work on your stamina. If after a smash you always drop, that becomes predictable, and your partner is right to complain. 4 consecutive smashes should be no problem, especially when you're not put under much movement pressure. Note that you can also drop instead of smashing at the start, if the drop is not visible in your technique and the opponents expect a smash. Also, half-smashes (more angle, less power) are perfectly fine, since they maintain the attack.

    Assuming you win half of them, then that's fine. A drive battle is good if your reaction is better than the opponents. You can also exit by playing a short or – higher shot.

    Generally the receiver's partner should be the one calling you or out, the receiver should just follow that instruction and not second guess. If there is any doubt, talk to your partner beforehand and arrange two words that are short and clearly distinguishable.

    There is no need to distinguish between short and out. Oftentimes, the word used to indicate that the partner should take the shuttle in game (e.g. when the shuttle goes in between you) is also the same as the one for the receiver, so there's no need to have in, just use you.

    Some doubles also have a third word look to indicate that the receiver's partner is unsure and abdicates responsibility to the receiver. However, I would recommend this for advanced players only, as it requires trust into your partner and discipline to not always say that.

    Feather shuttles allow for a much more nuanced game, and thus are the standard in every serious badminton competition. The technique used with them is also safer; overtraining with plastic shuttles can lead to injuries.
    In general, it's easier to switch from plastics to feather than the other way around, because you can suddenly use more and correct technique is rewarded a bit more. In general, it shouldn't be extremely hard to switch between the two, you should be perfectly adapted after an hour or two of warmup.
     
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  3. Budi

    Budi Regular Member

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    1. Whatever you do in this situation, never shout or yell at your partner & blaming your partner. Whatever the cause, bad mood will makes it worst than what already bad. Keep calm & also calm your pal. Finish the rally if you can or if not play abit long rally to give your partner some little bit of time to get back to his focus.

    The 2nd matter i think is just mental play. I remember my 1st unplanned tournament in my company. My friend put my name to join the games represent my company without my knowing. Its group tournament with 3 double team format. On early match where there is not quite challange there, with my skill i cant win smooth or to slaughter my opponent. Many thing in my mind showing up. i had to win, i cant makes mistake, i had to be carefull on my shot. I always doubt on every my stroke, think twice or 3rd before i perform an action which makes my games really bad. On the final we meet strong team, where 1 of them are ex national player. As whoever meet him is considered lose, i think that time. Im new guy, obvious bad teamwork with anyone that i just meet, so i will take the ex champ & give me anything left but strengthen the 2 team. Funny without any burden i can play much smoother. True i still lose but not totally crushed & i can still give a good fight to the ex champ.
    So relax your body & mind, dont think about winning but think to give your best.
    Winning is your prising for your hard work while losing is a kick in your ass for you to push yourself higher.

    2. There is thing called hitting consistency. The more you hitting & running you will starting to feel tired, out of breath, lose focus, & finally lowering your consistency on many aspect like mobility & accuracy. So practice will makes you better i think. But 1 thing i notice on fast games, the one who can stay focus, calm & initiate pace change are the winner. But if you get hot blood by your opponent challange on fast games, then its endurance battle of who losing his focus 1st.

    3. There is no best answer for this. Its all depend on the situation which mean your observation skill. As for me being known for my deadly smash, most of the time my opponent (friend) always think that i will smash hard (tho its true that long ago im super agresive player that will smash any high shuttle.). But with that in their mind, simple drop shot would slip through their defense. Agains new opponent i will play their mind to, i play more smash then do drop. Or i play more drop thinking im only good at drop then do fast clear to the back when i see them getting closer to the net expecting to cut my drop. So i guest this part is just an experience, play more & more & you will be able to know when & what to do. Tho what i said sound easy but it not always work as i want to, so i had to come up with Plan B & if B still fail, well you still had more than enough alphabet to try another one.

    4. Similar to point 2

    5. There is nothing wrong playing offensive or defensive. You can play anything you enjoy the most along with your partner. Even now due to pademic that force all of us having long break, my games turn into more placement & rally base games where before when im partnered with my best friend, i can become a blood thirsty demon that agresively attacking my opponent. So, as long you enjoy it, nothing wrong with any path you want to choose.

    6. 1 thing, if you have a doubt, just hit it. Late recieve would put you in disadvantage. On how can you improve your judgment, experience i guest. The more you play, your body will unconciously memorize the court.

    7. Never play with plastic.
     
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  4. ralphz

    ralphz Regular Member

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    I think you have to speak to your partner about this.. if it's not working..

    I've had to tell a partner not to shouting "in" when i'm about to swing my racket, as it's off-putting for me.. If they shout "out" then even if they are late with the call, and even if it's off-putting it's not so bad because i'm expected not to hit it anyway.

    It's also good if it's an agreed upon word, 'cos some say "yes"/"no", some say "in/out", some say "leave".

    Some want it said louder, some want it said quieter..

    There's no question that if a bunch of serves are short or a bunch of serves are long then one partner should tell the other.. between rallies.

    Calling out the "elephant in the room", is important.

    As for how to improve judgement.. Let's say somebody hits a bunch of serves long and you hit them when you shouldn't have.. So you note that you are judging them poorly, your partner may tell you between one rally and another, that a lot of those serves are going long.

    So then you have a partner or coach feed you some serves, You be consistent with where you return the shot from, and your footwork getting to the shot. And you get an idea how far is in and how far is out.

    When it comes to judging in vs out, there can be big differences between feather and plastic, and even between plastic and plastic. A Yonex 600 plastic might closer to the flight path of a feather shuttle, than Yonex 300 plastic. .And if you treat a plastic one like a feather one not adjusting for the flight path of the shuttle, then you will get the contact point wrong , hitting the shuttle on the wrong part of the racket. Or e.g. you hit it as you would a feather one but it's a plastic one with a more horizontal flight path and coming down, and end up hitting it closer to you and flatter! Even the size of a hall can change the speed a shuttle comes down and one has to adjust the timing of the swing. At a high level, some will even practise in that hall or a hall like it! It's a difficult sport!
     
    #4 ralphz, Sep 14, 2020
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2020
  5. dnewguy

    dnewguy Regular Member

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    Thanks for the quick reply.

    # The technique/mindset training, it will require dedicated time or can i increase my actual playtime and hope to get results ?


    # I can churn out 4 consecutive hard smashes but if the birdie still comes back then it feels like so much wasted power & stamina. Plus it can happen every other rally, so that's why I switched to 1-2 power smash per rally, interspersed with disguised drops in the middle. But my partner wants me to smash everything.


    # I usually lose the drive battle when the opponent breaks it by either pushing it towards my unsuspecting partner, or he misses and It goes out, or he plays it deep while I'm advancing and on the verge of winning it... that makes me think why I got sucked into it in the first place or why I didn't try to break the drive earlier ?!


    # Which feather shuttle would be decent enough to start training?
    I can't stop playing with plastics altogether but will definitely start having a feel for the feather ones now.

    Cheers.
     
  6. dnewguy

    dnewguy Regular Member

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    Answers in BOLD.
     
  7. dnewguy

    dnewguy Regular Member

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    The shouting just before the shot also messes with my head.
    Some partners will shout "kill" "smash - smash" as soon as the opponents lift.
    Plastics also get faster as the number of games increase making it more difficult to judge.
    The flight more flatter.
     
  8. llrr

    llrr Regular Member

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    Most of your initial questions have the answer "it depends".

    As an example of why "it depends". Take your Q1 for example - your partner makes too many mistakes and you feel forced to attack more.
    Your decision to play more aggressive depends on:
    1. Are your smashes strong enough to penetrate the opponent's defense?
    2. What types of errors does your partner make? If they tend to make errors at the net, do you want to smash and let your partner cover the net?
    3. Can you smash multiple times in a rally? Can you smash all game?
    4. What happens when you run out of energy?
    5. What happens if your opponents never hit to you and therefore you don't get to attack?
    6. Can your partner attack from the back and let you cover the net, reducing some energy output from you?
    7. If your partner can attack, can your opponents defend well enough to keep lifting to the back to keep you out of the game?
    etc
    etc

    As you can see, it depends on many things and you have to evaluate all of these + 100 more constantly every game.

    The same goes for Q3, 4, 5, 6

    Q2 has a straightforward answer - training.

    Q7 - Never use plastics if you intend to compete using feather shuttles. It will totally throw you off your game.

    You should tell your partner to not shout before your shot. As much as they want you to smash, you are the one playing the shot and you need to decide what to play. Your partner needs to react to what you play.
     
  9. Budi

    Budi Regular Member

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    overall i think everything is just a matter of experience. The more you play, the more your body used to it, & you can instinctly multi task other thing.

    Right now your action require you to have all your focus. So when on fast pace you dont have time to think anything. Like how you walk & run. You dont need to think anything or get your focus on your feet. Your body memorize it & unconciously move by its own & while you do yo can focus on other task like making a phone call or texting.
     
  10. phihag

    phihag Regular Member

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    Like all improvement, some people have amazing capabilities to learn from just playing and seeing other people, but most people need structured training to significantly improve at all.

    Don't worry about wasting stamina during the rally. Worry about winning the rally. Ask your partner why they want you to smash everything, pros vary significantly. Are you winning the rally once you drop?

    Yeah, so try doing that yourself, and be ready for it. As long as you win 50% and lose 50%, then going into drive battles is fine provided the score is even or advantageous for you. If you notice that you lose a majority of the drive battles, then you should focus your training on that, and avoid them / exit early in game in the mean time.

    Anything that flies straight. In contrast to plastic where there are huge differences in flight path, feathers should only vary in speed. Here in Germany, the most common shuttle in Training is probably the Yonex AS-10 or AS-20.
     
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  11. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    First of all, thanks for starting this thread. I think there's many players with those or similar issues, so this can help many others as well.

    You've already received some very valuable answers, but often,
    so I try to give my answers as well.

    Like @phihag pointed out, it might be the correct strategy, trying to win the point early, but that seems to lead to more unforced errors on your side. It might be a focus problem, but I'll get to that when answering "2.", so for now another suggestion. Doubles are rarely won by one player alone, even if one of the players is weaker/makes a lot of mistakes.
    What can you do to get your partner back in the game? Blaming won't help, like @Budi (I think) pointed out. But helping to get the focus away from the mistakes, back to the next rally might help. Additionally, it might show your partner that you still trust him, giving him back some confidence. You might talk simple tactics/changes, suggest to focus the attack on the weaker player, remind him (and yourself) to remain patient and that not every shot has to be a winner, or you can say things like, "get the it [the shuttle/service] back" when he receives.

    I think @phihag suggested here that practice/training might help. I agree. On top of that, it might (again) be a focus issue, pressuring yourself to play higher quality shots, because you're opponents are better. That's generally not true. Just play the same shots and if that's not enough against those opponents, you'll have to practice.

    More common (in lower levels) than you might think. The problem here is that as soon as the pressure is off, you think that's a sure winner, the focus is lost.
    You need to learn to focus until the really is actually over.
    It's the same when getting a big lead and suddenly you let the opponents catch up.

    It might help to just remind you of that constantly, it might also help to practice focusing on the shuttle. I know I suggested some exercises for that before somewhere... but just to mention one:
    You play this on a half court.
    • You serve high, get to your ready position, close your eyes.
    • Your partner is allowed to either smash or drop
    • When you hear his shot, you open your eyes, play a short return
    • You partner plays short
    • You lift, get to your ready position and close your eyes
    • ...
    You could also the partner the options of a smash and a clear, so it's harder to hear the difference.

    It doesn't always look like that, but doubles is a game of patience. You might need to be patient to get the attack, but even when you have it, you need to stay patient. Play fast drop shots and half smashes (and rarely attaching clears) to move your opponents whole waiting until you're in a good position to full smash. Chance the pace and the placement to make it harder for your opponents to anticipate. When you are in a good position to full smash, do it to set up your partner at the front to finish the point. Don't expect to directly score from the back court. Keep that in mind for the placement of your smash!

    50% sounds like a gamble. My assumption is that (unless it's very unevenly matched) you will not win a doubles on defense. Attack and defense are two phases of doubles. The flat game and net play can be seen as the third one. The transition (phase).
    The goal of that is too get the attack. You'll "fight for the lift". It's not uncommon that the rally ends in this phase, especially the first 3 to 5 shots (including the service), but it shouldn't be the goal. The goal is to get the attack, to get your opponents to hit the shuttle upwards. You want your opponents to get to the shuttle late. Often, both teams will be in attack position during this phase, so the net and drive shots are fairly well covered. A chance of pace can do wonders. It messes with the rhythm of your opponents. Just gently pushing the shuttle slightly behind the front court player instead of paying faster drives will often force a lift or at least an upwards trajectory of the next shot. Obviously, you'll have to get past the front court player with a slower shot, but there'll be chances during a "drive battle".

    I suggest to try to lose those 10kg again. It'll do wonders for your speed while being more healthy for your joints (hips, knees, ankles, and due to better positions for shots maybe even shoulder, elbow, wrist...)
    I don't necessarily suggest to lose all of the weight, if you build up some leg, core and back muscles instead, I'm fine with that, too.
    No need to do much (any) cardio only training, just make sure to eat healthy and maybe work on your stability in addition to playing badminton. (Interval) footwork drills won't hurt, on court drills for your attack with a partner will give you the chance to work on your defense when switching it around. Do you work with a coach? That would best, of course, but if you want to train alone, feel free to check out my YouTube channel. Every view, like, comment, suggestion is much appreciated and I'll upload be videos starting in October again, at least that's my plan. Including some shoulder and back exercises and also some doubles tactics...

    If you want to get to the next level, you will probably want to work on all of that.

    I don't think I have anything to add to what @phihag said.

    Once you go feather, you'll never go back, unless you're @Alex82

    Again, @phihag said it all. The game is different with feathers, but it'll give you more options, more feedback, ... just overall more enjoyment.

    I don't see any harm in changing between both, I just don't think you'll want to do that after getting used to feather shuttles.
     
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  12. dnewguy

    dnewguy Regular Member

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    I have been playing badminton for about 8 yrs now more or less with random injuries and timeoffs for work/travel etc. But as much as I have improved I still haven't developed that game sense that we talk about. I.e. I can't think about 2 strokes ahead, only the current point.
    Singles being relatively slow i can still try to think on my feet but MD gets too chaotic.

    Cheers.
     
  13. Budi

    Budi Regular Member

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    dont worry bro:D
    Everyone is different, some are so talented toward sport while some other really good at science. No one perfect on everything. As long you enjoy the games, then enjoy your life while growing slowly & steady. Afterall you didnt aim for become an international player right.
     
  14. dnewguy

    dnewguy Regular Member

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    Hello,

    I will try to simplify and and put it differently.
    If my MD partner is having a bad day and not able to maintain the attack then should i try to be aggressive and take most of the shots and try to play shots which are hard like smash from baseline, tight netplay, intercepting the shuttle going to my partner etc ?
    Or play more defensive and neutral and ask him to do the same.

    Thanks.
     
  15. dnewguy

    dnewguy Regular Member

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    Hello,
    Thanks... your reply did make a lot of things clearer.

    I will try to keep motivating my partner throughout the game. Usually I'm too focused to keep my frustration capped that I try not to say something i can't take back when unforced errors happen.

    I will definitely try the focus improvement drills, may during the game when the opponents are not fast.

    I can relate to the "lifting of pressure" feel during an intense rally when the opponents lift high near the net, it gets hard for me to keep my feet on the floor and 'back I will hit it flat and out of the baseline.

    # Do you think looking at a point (empty space) on the opponent court helps us to hit the shuttle right ?
    Or its just the racquet and shuttle angle at play here.

    I'm trying to lose the extra kilos but so far(2 mths) only managed to stop it at 78kgs.


    Thanks again for all the help, I recalled two more doubts yesterday.

    Cheers.
     
  16. dnewguy

    dnewguy Regular Member

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    2 more doubts


    Hello Everyone,

    Lets get straight to the point,

    1) In MD, I'm usually fast and so I can catch most of the serves and kill them instantly if they are not the optimal height. And yes if the opponent flicks the serve then I'm able to retract and push it to the baseline.
    So my question is that how often should I charge the serves ?
    I do it only in the beginning of the match to get quick lead but I get too nervous about making an error if we are chasing or near gamepoint. Should i do it every serve ?
    Because here I also run the risk of losing the point if I'm not able to kill it instantly (we start standing parallel while receiving).
    I pounce right after the shuttle leaves opponents racquet, should i wait some more to be doubly sure or thats how its done ?
    Should I stand right at the short service line or further back ?
    Should I have my racquet leg forward or the non racquet leg ?



    2) We all miss having a hawk eye at our local clubs don't we ? Lol
    I'm talking about calling out the shuttles in/out, short/long. (We don't have a lineman, referee, service judge etc)
    So who has the right call here ? The person who is receiving? His partner? The one who hits the shot? Those standing/sitting/watching outside the court?
    I understand parallax error. And that its not humanly possible to be 100% sure even if we are standing right above the shuttle and it falls right at the edge of a line.
    Who gets that benefit of doubt ?
    I don't like fighting over it so most of the time I give my opponents the point. If its a gamepoint then I will offer a redo but mostly I just concede.


    Similarly you can always find someone serving way above their waist shooting right at your unsuspecting face. How do you handle it ?

    Cheers.
     
    #16 dnewguy, Sep 15, 2020
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2020
  17. Budi

    Budi Regular Member

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    1. Depend on my partner, if my partner are in good shape & good skill, i would do quick games like cutting the serve as soon as it pass the net. But with beginner i tend to play slow as its useless coz my partner would be surprise himself with the fast return. Then about charging the serve, also think about placement. Back corner, side middle, front, or direct it to opponent body. Its not always about quick & powerfull, but quick charge with little tap to the side work really well to.

    2. On tournament we had the judge. But on club/casual games, we judge our own. You can ask your other friend that not playing to be the judge or if not judge yourself. As for me, normally i wont argue & let the other make the call afterall i didnt aim for winning but rather the games quality itself. Even if im being cheated, i will say to myself "lets win this & it will look cooler to win when you are cheated".
    But be sure to talk to your club on how thing called in or out. It may sound stupid but here in my club, some thinking that the call made after the shuttle stop moving. So, even if the 1st contact are still inside the court but if it bounce out then its called out.
     
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  18. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    I don't think that taking away the focus from the shuttle will ever improve the shot.

    Most of those questions really depend on your abilities. Non-racket-foot in front, so you don't have to turn for a flick serve. You can then either take a quick step with the non-racket-foot towards the shuttle or turn and lunge if you have the chance to get it even earlier.
    My question would be,
    "Why would you change things mid-game, that work?"

    All the rest is impossible to answer without ever seeing you play.

    The people outside the court should keep their mouths shut unless all players agree to ask them. More often than not, their neither focused as much as the players, nor have a better angle.
    The best angle to judge is not above the shuttle, but in line with the line. The person with the best angle should get the benefit of the don't, but if you disagree, just play a let. If it's on your opponent's side, your vision is also hindered by the net. Vision is not only your eyes, but a lot is the brain and that plays tricks on you quite often, especially when contrasts are involved.
    PSX_20200917_114341.jpg
    It's whereever you're not focused on, where you'll think there is movement. Source

    I was about to ask this before... but do you want to complain or enjoy playing? And... are you sure about this?
    You could ignore it, which might be the best if they're not having a real advantage. Since it seems like you can attack most serves, they don't seem to be too great.
    You could make a joking comment and maybe offer them to work on serves. since it's not a competition, you could see good serves as a chance to practice for opponents with better serves.
    Don't forget to enjoy the game! That's what fits the question above as well.
     
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  19. dnewguy

    dnewguy Regular Member

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    Hello Everyone,




    01.) I'm roughly 5ft 5in tall, and right handed player. Last few weeks I got to play fast MD with a lot of new club members who are mostly taller than me with 1 senior member who is 6ft.

    1.a) I sometimes lose sight of the shuttle while standing at the back when we are receiving service or tall partners block the vision standing close to net and not crouching enough. Especially the 6ft guy loves to be the front player and likes to dominate that area. He prefers to simply move a step back and hold his front position even if the opponent is about to smash (from backcourt).I don't know if it is an issue with other players too but It definitely impacts my rhythm and timing and therefore shot quality if there is any break however small in the continuity of me watching the shuttle.

    1.b) When im in front and in my crouched ready position then also its hard for me to see the shuttle through the net and therefore intercept. I feel my role is reduced to just block slow returns and tap weak drops. I want to actively participate more and help my partner. Should I stand tall so I could see and react faster ?

    1.c) Sometimes when im in front and play a hair pin drop and the opponent reaches it and places it cross net then I feel that I'm not able to see 'when' he made the shot. I see the shuttle when its crossing over the middle of the net. It makes me think if im actually losing sight of the shuttle again behind the top opaque border of the net ?!





    02.) When im playing opposite to the 6ft guy. The opponent when smashes and I lift, then this person being tall catches it near the mid court and taps it. It gets really frustrating. How can I bypass him ?
    Should I lift back towards the smasher ? But that would be asking for an even stronger smash, rite?

    2.a) I defend the smashes on my backhand and forehand side with respective grips unlike we see the pros doing it in MD. I saw this video of a coach (Lee Jae-Bok) advocating the same to defend with forehand on the FH side and BH at the BH side.
    I would like to know your views on this. If there are true merits in defending a smash with backhand on the forehand side too ?




    03.) I play with low budget racquets usually.
    I use a 4u flexible carlton racquet during doubles which allows me easy maneuverability and successive smashes in most MD games, and also helps me keep my elbow/shoulder pain in check. But sometimes when I face strong opponents then I play with my 'Carbonex 21 special (2u)' which really helps me score more with my smashes and also defend effectively by easily lifting to rear court. But I also feel that it results in more framehits owing to the oval head shape and it also takes me sometime to adjust my swing timing with the increased weight.

    Would it help If I train my arm muscles (forearm/shoulder) with upper body workouts?
    I'm bit skeptical with this approach as I see lean upper bodies of the pros single/doubles.

    Or should I stop using 4u racquets and search for something more suited to my arm strength ?
    I cant tell you how many times I have curbed my impulse to buy a new racquet by going back to the thread, "best way to improve your game, not racquet nor your smash....". :D



    Cheers.
     
  20. speCulatius

    speCulatius Regular Member

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    My size, I'm on the shorter side here. My doubles partner is 6'6" (if I did the math correctly; 197 cm), in my younger days, there were even taller people.

    My partners always favor the net more than me, so I can kinda relate here, too. It's not their job to get out of your sight. Just shift your position slightly to the side where the shuttle is served to when your partner serves. That's a good idea anyway.

    Well, that's an issue anyway. In defense you need to be able to cover the entire width of the court. That's why you should be in side-side-position in defense.

    How low do you crouch? How close do you stand at the net?

    This sounds like something that's probably rather simple to solve, too, but a video would help a lot! Have I mentioned this before in this thread?

    There's no excuse for this. Maybe there's something obviously wrong again or you have problems to actually focus. Do you wear glasses?

    Play higher! I'm getting the feeling, I'm wasting my time here...

    If you can change the grip quickly enough, there's nothing wrong with that... I highly recommend a backhand bias though, since you can defend a much larger area with the backhand.

    Nothing's wrong with that. Choose whatever feels comfortable and stick to that. No video needed here. Power comes from you, not the racket. Also, I have the feeling that at your level, you should work on a lot of things before thinking about the racket.

    Just upload a video of you playing doubles and share it here, please.
     

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