Am more of a mens doubles and singles player. I play mixed sometimes but am playin tomorrow nit in a club competition and I need advice on what are the best shots to play. I know in singles and mens doubles which shots to play and in what situations etc but when it comes to mixed, am really not sure if I should play straight or cross court, smash, clear, drop or what?? Can any1 give me any help
I think most of the same shots will still be effective. The most effective formation is usually with lady at the front and the man at the back (covering the back and mid-court). Obviously that means you want to maneuver your opponents out of this formation, and ideally get the lady pinned at the back of the court as much as possible. You might try pushing the shuttle out wide to the mid-court, so as to bring the man forward - hopefully allowing you to force the lady back with your next shot. If the lady has a weak smash, you could even serve high to her. Cross-court shots are still not really recommended, with the exception of smashes directed at the lady, if her defense is significantly weaker than her partner's. Attacking clears can be effective if they force the lady to the back of the court, but high clears are still only used if you're in trouble. You can still play drops, but a man smashing at a woman should be a mismatch, so I'd recommend smashing at just about every available opportunity. You might find this interesting reading: http://www.badminton.tv/sites/badminton/media/books/winning-badminton-doubles/chapter-7.pdf Good luck, and have fun - mixed is my favourite (shame more women don't play badminton...)
With my limited experience: if you attack a short serve, make sure it's a REALLY effective attack because your backcourt will be wide open. at the club level, always smash from the back... drops sometimes backfires when the girl opponent forgets to back up and you find her just waiting for your drop shots. Your play will differ quite a bit depending on your partner. If she's really weak, you're essentially playing singles tactics. If she stays up front and never backs up, attack EVERYTHING and let her finish any weak returns. If she has good defense, let her back up and play more doubles style. If she likes to back up but her defense is weak, tell her to stay in front, lol.
I think the key to mixed doubles is for the girl to control the net and the guy to allow the girl to kill the shuttle at the front. This means that the guy shouldn't give away the attacking play. Because that means that you are essentially giving your opponent to be the one who would control the play and if the girl has a weak defense, you would have a big problem. Plus, an attacking play doesn't mean you need to smash all the time. You just need to put the shuttle in a downward direction. Another thing that is a good place to put the shuttle in mixed is between the back player and the front player, at the midcourt area. If executed properly, this would result with a lift or a give away shot.
