in doubles lets say I serve, and they lift it to the back. Should I step back to about 100cm-120cm from the service line? (A badminton racket is about 66cm, so that's 1.5-2 rackets from the service line) If they'd do a short lift or poor lift then I suppose i'd move back less or even move forwards. Recently when playing I found that when they did an ok lift, I was too near like maybe 50cm from the service line, and I found sometimes my partner's smash would hit my racket, my racket was in the way.. or he smashed it and they blocked it then because I was too near, it was hard to tap it back near the net I think further is necessary though i'm wondering about those figures, 100cm-120cm 1.5-2 racket lengths from the service line. Also, if contrasting my stance straight after I backhand low serve and they might hit it flat, and I am ready for doing the third shot(Scenario A), vs my stance after I do a backhand low serve and they lift, and I expect my partner to hit down, and for the opponents to block it, I am ready for doing the fifth shot(or good choice of 5th shot), which would be tapping it to the net to get them to lift again(scenario B). Should my racket be higher in scenario A, than in scenario B? (Because in Scenario A, I want to get them to lift it, whereas in Scenario B I don't want my racket in my partner's way)
First off, if your partner hit your racket when smashing, you need to duck down more and keep your racket away until the shuttle crossed the net, regardless of how far away you are from the service line. When your partner smash, then the return can not be a precise net shot, so getting away from the net should be a saver option. But the best position depends on the position from where your partner smashes, and where your court opens up. He smashes from the left/right side, try to guard the other side more. He smashes from the rear court, you can move backward. He smashes from the mid court, you can move forward, he should be in a good position to take returns to his side.
Do you think 100cm-120cm 1.5-2 racket lengths from the service line is about right for when my partner is smashing from the rear court?
I fear, that there is no fix rule of where you need to stand when your partner smashes, the position is really dynamic in doubles (take a look at pro games where the double partner is often hopping around correcting his position all the time). What about your partner, is he someone who overcommits to smashes, leaving him in an unstable position, unable to recover at all. In this situation you need to cover almost the whole court. Or is he someone who is able to followup and cover the backcourt ? Then you only need to guard the forecourt and intercepts some drives. Or is he someone who will follow up to kill at the net, then you could rotate to the back court instead. Positioning in doubles is the real challenge.
Supposing he is someone who is able to followup and cover the backcourt . So i'm guarding the forecourt and intercepting some drives. Do you think 100cm-120cm 1.5-2 racket lengths from the service line is about right for when my partner is smashing from the rear court?
I can't give you a precise indication of distance as I've never measured it but this "seems" about right. However, where you stand depends on quite a few things. Such as your ability to move quickly and how well you anticipate. So if you're fast to react, you can stand slightly further forward and vice versa, but most people will not be standing too far forward as they need to apply pressure at the net to maintain the attack. It also depends on how good your partner is in the rear court. If they're covering the rear well and don't need to rotate, you can stay where you are, but if you're trying to help you may need to position slightly further back with your feet angled in preparation. The other point is how good your partner is in attacking. If their smash is quite flat, this opens up the possibility of counterattacks a lot more, so you don't want to stand too far forward.
