Who takes the middle?

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by opikbidin, Nov 8, 2014.

  1. opikbidin

    opikbidin Regular Member

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    This is something I often came across and is the main source of fight between me and my partner (and it happens to other pairs too)

    Who takes the shuttle that is aimed at the middle? not only when defending smashes but also who takes the lifts and drives done by the opponent aimed at the middle. And how about left-right hand combination?

    This is what I think, is it right?
    1. for high hits like drives or lifts, the one who has the forehand (means the right hand on the left or lefty at the right) must take it, not the one with the backhand
    2. for low hits like drops and smashes, it should be discussed first who takes it. But If there is no discussion, I usually go, the front one is the backhander, and the rear (the one who tries to take it if the shuttle goes beyond his partner) is the forehander.

    And then there is the left and right combination, this is where I am stuck. What I just do is discuss who has the priority to take the shuttle in the middle, or position our selves, close if the right is on the right and the lefty is on the left, and a bit far away if the side of court is opposite to the hand (right on left and lefty on right court)
     
  2. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    usually the stronger player takes the middle if possible, so that the shot will be of a high quality
     
  3. opikbidin

    opikbidin Regular Member

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    Usually, but it's not the case. My friend who is a much better player me told me that the one at the left should take the middle (we are both right handed) for high shots because a forehand is, most of the time, more powerful than a backhand.

    And I think that's true. For rather equal or even most weak-strong pairing, the forehand of the weaker player is usually better than the backhand of the strong player and there is also the time to turn to do a backhand.

    For example, the enemy makes a short lift to the middle, that friend of mine always say to me take it when I am on the left (to smash it), but when he is on the left, he will take it.

    Of course it's ideal if the stronger player is on the left, but it isn't always the case.
     
  4. gabz001

    gabz001 Regular Member

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    From what I was taught, when doing side to side defence one guy's base should be slightly closer to the middle. This depends on one thing, which side the opponents are attacking from.

    If the opponents are attacking the left side, the defender on the right side should be positioned slightly closer to the center, and vice versa. This is so that the person doing the straight defence has less room to cover thhus will have more time to react since he has to reach less. The person doing the cross court defence can cover a much larger area since the shuttle will take a longer time to get there.

    If the opponents are attacking the middle of the court, the person whos backhand is closer to the middle should be doing the smash defence as the backhand is considered the best store in defending. So for example if two players are right handed, the player on the right should be slightly to the left as his backhand will automatically cover the center line. On pairs of left and right handers this will automatically adjust depending on whos backhand is where.

    Hopefully my wall of text made some sense
     
  5. captaincook

    captaincook Regular Member

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    When defending (smash/drop/attacking clear), cross court player takes the middle. Straight court player needs to watch up for the sideline. The cross court player should have 1 foot either touching or within inches of the middle line when defending.
    When getting a clear/lift, get in your favorite formation. Let the net player goes to the net, and the smasher takes the high loose bird.
     
  6. iceananas

    iceananas Regular Member

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    Agree on cross court player defending smashes in the middle. I can recall FHF said this in a chinese television show.
    For high lifts there is enough time for the stronger player to get behind.
     
  7. raymond

    raymond Regular Member

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    Vote for captaincook's description. This is also what I heard from a few high level coaches here.
     
  8. amleto

    amleto Regular Member

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    ^^ Captaincook's description is what I've heard, and what I do.
     
  9. MSeeley

    MSeeley Regular Member

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    You have received the answers from other people already. In summary:

    When defending, its the cross court defender (positioned close to the middle anyway) that takes the shot - it is easier for them to counter attack using straight defence.

    When it goes down the middle, the player thats closest should go for it OR if there is a tactical advantage to one player getting it, then you could do that. However, thats not always true. You need to cover the court as a pair - there is no point worrying about who is strongest where if you end up getting to the shot too late to play anything worthwhile.

    So, the simple answer to you question, is always the correct answer: whoever is closest should play the shot.

    Good luck!
     
  10. |_Footwork_|

    |_Footwork_| Regular Member

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    The general advice has been given above. That's a good starting point!

    It really depends on level of play. And level of knowledge of your partner. And strengths and weaknesses.

    For example: I play on a relatively high level. We are all fast enough to cover a high lift to the middle and both use the forehand in the middle of the court and play every shot from there. So using the backhand is never an option after a lift. And we are capable of smashing, dropping from there. So being 20cm nearer or faster is not the main point...
    On the other hand, I'm a moderate smasher, but quite decent at the frontcourt. My partner is moderate at the net, but has a hell of a smash. So on high lifts to the middle, where we both stand adequately well, he usually smashes and I move to the front. But again: These are more subtle things on a higher level. The bread and butter rules have been explained by other posters.
     

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