Hey guys, i was playing a match with someone and he is really good at placing the shuttle and he is quick on his feet. I cant seem to catch up with the pace he is playing and i cant do a good clear to slow it down due to the pressure. Before i can go back to base position he already placed the shuttle at the other end of the court and because of that i was only able to do a weak return. Any tips on dealing with these types of players?
Were you totally unable to keep up with his pace, struggling to return practically every shot, or was it just in certain situations and you could otherwise play him evenly? The most obvious way to deal with movement pressure is to improve your movement. Proper footwork to every part of the court is very important. Since you talked about your base position, I'm wondering what your footwork is like after you hit the shuttle. Are you trying to return to the same central base every shot, or are you able to change your base depending on the situation? The position of your "base" should be adjusting within the rally, depending on where you hit the shuttle and where you expect your opponent to hit.
Like realbacon said, you have to adjust your base depending on the situation. If you are unable to return to the preferred base before your opponent is already hitting the shot you have to stop your movement, otherwise you will get vulnerable to deception and shots toward the direction you are moving from. In singles these type of players are very hard to beat, because they are fast and don't need to have the upper hand tactically or technically (racket technique). They can just make you run all over the court until there is a huge gap. Things you could try are deception to keep your opponent from using his speed against you or trying to slow down the pace. But that's easier said than done, because fast players will try to force that kind of game on you. It's their preferred tactics, they like it fast. I don't know how big the difference between your speed and your opponents' speed is, but if it's big you'd have to be a tactical genius or have insane anticipation to win that match. Your options during the match are (1) using deception, (2) slowing down the game or (3) getting used to the speed while adjusting your base. But after the match you could always try to improve your own speed by doing footwork exercises.
Well, i usually change my base position twice, if i feel like the opponent will smash i move my position slightly back behind the court, if i feel like it is a clear, drop or any other shot, i just stay in the middle. I believe those are the only positions i do.
Our gap isnt really that big, i can keep up with him and beat him if i am able to be on the offense. The problem i have is that for example, he does a net shot, and i return it with a cross court net shot, and hes quick enough to do a good attacking clear which results in me giving a weak return. From evaluating our match i think that was his go to strategy against me.
Yes i can play him evenly usually, my dilemma though is when he does a good clear after i just returned a net shot. In that situation i can only give a weak return or cant catch up with the shuttle. I think that was my only issue on that match but he always did that tactic over and over and i cant seem to give a good return to it.
Sounds like he 'runs' you around, all to 6 corners (the 5th +6th r the mid-sides points). And he has good anticipations of yr return shots. He maybe 1/2 a level on top of you, in singles, n thus able to 'pressurize' you. My suggestion is to improve yr footwork so u can retrieve his shots early enough, n also also to 'run' him around as well. Thus limiting his return shots so u can deal w/ his returns
Dont return his net shot with one of your own and play the clear first? Or your return net shot has to be a lot tighter that way he cant play such an attacking clear, it has to be either a high lift giving you more time or another net shot.. P.s im not a coach, just what i would look to try in that one situation..
Thanks guys for the advice, I had another match with him again awhile ago and i won! I used more deception and changed my base on the court, i also found out that he is weak at his backhand area especially at the back court. Thank you guys for your advice it was really helpful.
