changing mindset (I just smash smash smash, and its not always working)

G

giant_q_tip

Regular Member
so I'm like the type of person who likes to smash and try to get the shuttle early so i can smash.

sometimes this works and sometimes this doesnt.

one of the reason i mainly smash (and drop sometimes) is because I was told in doubles that i should smash when i have the chance.

its like a fu-haifeng mind set sort of (im not saying I'm like him because hes a world class player and im just a 19 y/o local player!, but i smash most of the time)

so my partner told me today, people are starting to know my game because when im in the rear court, they brace themselves to defend, not expecting anything else.

and i have a hard time watching the opponent before i hit because i fear i will sacrifice valuable second of putting all my power onto the smash.

so can someone give me some sort of advice, like how i can remind myself to change my mindset.

i tried using a diary which i started like 2 months ago, but its still not effective as i hope it would be.
 
Do what Koo KienKiat does: shouts RAWRR... but does a dinky drop!:p:D

But seriously, 2 things to consider:

1. Accuracy of your smash. Make sure you aim; either down the middle, into empty spot, or at the racket hip. The worse would be to power smash directly at their racket face in their defensive position; all they need to do is flick it back high or guide it gently for a drop.

2. Once in a while, if you notice your opponents quite far back in their defence expecting a smash from you, you can suddenly slow down your swing and do a fast drop over the net just in front of the middle T. This will also serve to confuse them as they hesitate not knowing who should get it.
 
visor said:
Do what Koo KienKiat does: shouts RAWRR... but does a dinky drop!:p:D

But seriously, 2 things to consider:

1. Accuracy of your smash. Make sure you aim; either down the middle, into empty spot, or at the racket hip. The worse would be to power smash directly at their racket face in their defensive position; all they need to do is flick it back high or guide it gently for a drop.

2. Once in a while, if you notice your opponents quite far back in their defence expecting a smash from you, you can suddenly slow down your swing and do a fast drop over the net just in front of the middle T. This will also serve to confuse them as they hesitate not knowing who should get it.
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yea i was told to do #2, but i just cant remind myself that.

and i cant judge distance of where the opponent is from the base line. im not sure how i can train this in a game.
 
From what more experienced players have told me, the defensive position that players take when they are preparing to intercept smashes will tend to move back towards the back court line as the more you smash, the weaker you get and the less acute your smashing angle becomes and can sometimes even go flat. Thus to add on to point 2 as listed by visor, it is always a good habit to break the rhythm of your offensive shots and suddenly do a fast drop when your opponents are far behind waiting for your next smash.
 
From my experience, it depends how strong your smashes are. If they're powerful enough to push your opponents towards the doubles service line, then I would say you can keep smashing and throw in a good drop and that should finish the rally. However, if your smashes aren't that powerful, its best you keep mixing things up to keep your opponents guessing. I say this because if you always smash, your opponents don't have to move while they can move you side to side with their returns.
 
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LOL, smash is good. But the winning point is unpredictable shot.
You need to mix your smash and drop shot. There are 6 points to attack: left and right of front, middle and rear and of course the middle for double too.

If you can kill your opponent at 1 smash, means the level is too far.
There is no point to discuss.

If you are same level with your opponent, you definitely expect the return from them. Else it will be a boring game.

Smash can be full or "half" power, mix it around and let your opponent return a lose ball which you or your partner can kill.

Never expect every smash from rear court can kill if you play with same level player. :)
 
ralph_lee said:
LOL, smash is good. But the winning point is unpredictable shot.
You need to mix your smash and drop shot. There are 6 points to attack: left and right of front, middle and rear and of course the middle for double too.

If you can kill your opponent at 1 smash, means the level is too far.
There is no point to discuss.

If you are same level with your opponent, you definitely expect the return from them. Else it will be a boring game.

Smash can be full or "half" power, mix it around and let your opponent return a lose ball which you or your partner can kill.

Never expect every smash from rear court can kill if you play with same level player. :)
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agreed with him, Try to mix everything make you unpredictable. ;)
 
giant_q_tip said:
so can someone give me some sort of advice, like how i can remind myself to change my mindset.
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When my partner and me get in a "rut", i.e., we're starting to get predictable, or our routine just does not cut it anymore, we sit down and do something crazy. Like, we agree to "not smash a single time" during a game. Literally. We then make it a challenge, that is the first of us who does smash in that game, "loses".

Of course, this is not something to do in a tournament, but during club play.

This works quite well. It can be incredibly fun and liberating. It forces you to think out of the box.

For your particular problem: when I'm in the back position in doubles, I always either smash or drop. I do change my pace regularly though. I.e., I will have streaks where I play 5 drops right after each other in a single rally, even if they would be perfect smash opportunities (they should not all land at the same spot of course, the front guy of the other team should be chased around quite a lot). This can be quite unsettling for the enemy, as he is wondering what kind of fool I am to do that. ;) Of course, this is only advisable if your foe is not strong enough to just net-kill anything you drop at him, or if you get a very close drop consistently.
 
Well, I think you miss out on a wide variaty of shots in between full-powered-smashes and slower dropshot.
You can try stop-drops, where you start off your swing at full power and just 'dink' the dropshot (suddenly hold you rackethead).
You can try slicing/reversing your dropshot (if you like watching the pro's, watch Jung Jae Sung do this).
And then there's a whole scala of sliced smashes, angled smashes, hard dropshots. The more you vary these types of in-between shots with 'real' smashes the less your opponent can anticipate. (For a lot of good examples you can look at Lars Paaske in the rear court, I have suspicions Lars hasn't hit a shot at full power in years)
 
Get your partner to remind you. ;)

If you are experience enough, you should know your opponents weakness when you smash. Should be able to anticipate them. Power is good as long as you don't drain yourself before the game ends. ;)
 
One thing to keep in mind as well is that while a smash can win you points, the main concept of a smash or attack is to force a weak return which will then turn into the winner. You smash hard at the hip of a player, if he's good enough he gets it back anyway but it's weak allowing an interception by your partner for the kill.

Smashing is not just about power, there must be some tactics involved in how you play them. I've even won points by playing an unexpected fast clear which is returned poorly ending in a kill.

If it's social play I'd suggest you play an entire game where you only drop, fast drop, tight drop... whatever. Then the next game you alternate, smash, drop, smash drop. I don't expect that you win the games, this is to get you used to doing drop shots.
 
smash with a purpose. you have to force ur opponent to react. if smash 20 smash at his racket, they wont blow a whole thru the strings
 
giant_q_tip said:
so I'm like the type of person who likes to smash and try to get the shuttle early so i can smash.

sometimes this works and sometimes this doesnt.

one of the reason i mainly smash (and drop sometimes) is because I was told in doubles that i should smash when i have the chance.

its like a fu-haifeng mind set sort of (im not saying I'm like him because hes a world class player and im just a 19 y/o local player!, but i smash most of the time)

so my partner told me today, people are starting to know my game because when im in the rear court, they brace themselves to defend, not expecting anything else.

and i have a hard time watching the opponent before i hit because i fear i will sacrifice valuable second of putting all my power onto the smash.

so can someone give me some sort of advice, like how i can remind myself to change my mindset.

i tried using a diary which i started like 2 months ago, but its still not effective as i hope it would be.
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The bolded above is incorrect. It's not 'Smash' when you have the chance, it is take every opportunity to make an offensive-oriented shot (ie Drives, pushes, drops. Even this in itself is not entirely correct. Being unpredictable and forcing your opponent to make a mistake is main task when you're playing doubles. What shots to take depends on what kind of opponent you are facing.

The next mentality you should have is when you hit a shot, even a smash, expect a reply. Do not stop until you clearly see the bird hitting the ground. If you hit a drop (assuming you don't make a bad shot), you can narrow down what kind of reply your opponent will do. They will either drop or lift it back (or if not tight enough, it can be driven/pushed back). Knowing your opponent's tendencies help you anticipate and thus get ready for the next shot.

You don't necessarily need to watch your opponent, but quick glances help to know what the general location of your opponent are. Noticing and testing what your opponent's weaknesses are then exploiting them are much better tactically then smashing whenever you can.

As some have said, Smash with a purpose. Place a smash on the person's backhand so that you can force a bad lift for your partner to finish it. Place a smash at your opponent's body because they are bad at returning body shots are examples of placing your smash at effective locations.
 
There's nothing wrong with smashing a lot - but just remember that a smash from the back of the court is a setup shot, not an outright winner.

When you say it's "not always working", what kind of replies are you getting?
If your opponent is simply blocking to the net, then maybe your partner needs to be quicker / more aggressive / better positioned, as they should be able to kill these shots (or play a tight net shot at the very least).
If your opponent is able to play flat drive / push returns, then maybe you need to hit steeper smashes, so they are forced to hit upwards instead.
If they are just repeatedly lifting to the back of the court, then you should still be smashing most often, but you should also mix in the occasional drop to keep them honest.
 
giant_q_tip said:
so can someone give me some sort of advice, like how i can remind myself to change my mindset.
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Lets stick to the question asked... For training, play a game and make the rule that smashing is banned or only alowed after x strokes! That will force you to think tactical and to be aware of the different possibilities as already mentioned in this thread! You will be running around much more, so dont play a full game or for single with three players, two plays for a few minutes then one exchange...

Mentally trian patience (and perheaps control) in everyday life situations and think some steps ahead of things, a good idea also outside the court :)
 
hey guys thanks so much for your advice

in fact, yesterday i played a couple of practice matches without smashing and only using drops and attacking clears. i did a couple of drives as well but did not smash at all.

it feels so satisfying to win a rally with an attacking clear that lands on an empty space on the court.

i didnt feel as exhausted or as heavy as i would be if i were smashing constantly.

however, im very sensitive to change so im smashing less and sacrificing aggressiveness for tactical thinking and control.

ill try to balance the two or adjust my mind so i can be a tactically aggressive player (if that makes sense haha)

but in any case thanks everyone!
 
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