Hey guys, so im going to try to explain what i consider my biggest weakness in a match Details about me: male, 22, 168cm and lets say pretty good level (for the record im pretty fast) So do you know this low-fast clears that your opponent plays when hitting from the back of the court comfortably? My issue is that i feel i cant reach them, in fact when i "let go" and just make a little jump in place i cant reach it, and the shuttle goes in It happens with straight and cross clears, a lot of times even with pushes from the net Its incredible annoying, even little kids can hurt me because of this This problem completly dissapears when the shuttles/enviorement conditions are fast because giving it that speed and height makes the shuttle go out so when playing the back of my court either i can reach the shuttle due to its lack of speed to go in or i have time to move into the back due to its height Im wondering if this is a commom problem, how to fix it or if anyone could give some tips for a short player P.D: Sorry i cant post a recent video to show you
you mean the attacking clear? sometime I couldn't return that shot too if Im out of position. I usually jump thru the shuttle path to solve this situation.worst case I would try to reach it and use the wrist clear.
I have a similar problem amongst many others, and I've given it a lot of thought. A few things that it could be (but hard to tell without a video of your standard and what situations it becomes a problem): 1) inappropriate footwork pattern: often attacking clears means you cannot fit in full rearcourt footwork (chasse/crossover steps + scissor). Normally a step out or a pivot+jump are all there is time for, or a round the head shot if BH corner. 2) inappropriate positioning at contact: related to (1), but if your footwork brings you too close to the shuttle, against an attacking clear, you can often become 'cramped' and not have enough room for your racquet to swing. Similarly, if your stance is too square to the net, your racquet shoulder gets in the way and it becomes hard to play any shuttle behind your head. If you adopt a side on stance, you can still play a decent stroke behind your head. 3) racquet preparation: if your racquet is near the floor, then it's harder to raise it and swing it with good technique once you have got to the shuttle 4) racquet swing timing: if you have your racquet up but start your swing too late, you are likely to only manage a drop shot since there is no power available. 5) inappropriate positioning on split step: typically if you struggle against attacking clears, your base position could be too far forward. I have this problem as I am scared of drop shots and I'm working on my forward footwork. Unfortunately, if you fear drop shots, it's very difficult to move backwards in time as you may not want to move your base position further back. 6) inappropriate posture in split step: if you stand too upright, there is no muscle that can allow you to turn effectively. What you want is an almost L shaped movement, where you first pivot down the Centreline of the court, then step out/jump out to the sides giving you space. If you don't crouch enough, then it is incredibly hard to make the first turn before chasseing and you'll end up underneath the shuttle rather than alongside it. If you watch the pros, they generally don't step in the outer 60cm by the sides of the court as they use their outstretched racquets to make up this space. This allows them better balance and better recovery/coverage of court for the next stroke. 7) Just a side note really, but shorter players tend to struggle less from this problem - their increased agility means they can often pivot much quicker, whereas taller players more often get stuck in cramped/awkward positions. These are the things that come to mind. It could be none, one, some, or all of them that affects you - perhaps you can post a video of you in a practice game for us to have a look at and advise!
Few probable causes for this: - too much anticipation - the thought you can reach it by just jumping up to the side from the middle of the court - wrong footwork - wrong technique (racket skills) Playing a proper clear after you have been deceived by a quality deceptive punch clear is a very hard task. Better try playing a fast drop or drive shot first. But it seems, since you are unable to get them back at all, you should work on your footwork first, most importantly.
Anticipation of where your opponent is likely to place the shuttlecock is crucial to your chance of success in getting to it when placed in the manner you have described. This anticipation must be based on accurate study of his/her game play and pattern of return. In other words, once you can 'feel' where your opponent is most likely to return his low clear then you must begin your movement early so as to be able to be in the correct position to play it. Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk
The thing is, i even get in trouble (in most cases lose the point) when i know that my opponent is going to play that shot, but i cant still do anything. To be honest due to injury im not playing that many matches lately but this particular scenario has happened to me thousands of times. Even when i moved myself completly to right/left i could not get the attacking clear from my opponent even with him taking the shuttle at feet height from the backcourt, theres been some time since this last happened and my movement improved a lot
Problem on your forehand side, or backhand side? A few more factors for you to consider - 1. What's the quality of your shot prior to your opponent's attacking clear? That's, is it sufficiently high/deep? 2. Were you out of position to begin with? 3. This type of clear usually is most effective when played close to the side line. This means your previous shot has placed your opponent in this "ideal" position. Did you then bias base to this same side, or straddle over center line? 4. Were you trying to intercept it before the shot passed you? Or did you try to chase the shot going to the back like other clears?
