1) From what I have heard, you shift your base position slightly towards the side you have hit the shuttle to cover for the straight (down the line) shots - this makes sense. However, I don't understand why you shift your base backwards a little when you hit a clear, can someone explain this? Would this not make it more difficult to answer drops? 2) I am not sure what grip to use when you play the forehand drive or net kill, would this be the basic grip rotated more towards the panhandle grip? 3) When doing the split step or when you are in your base position, your racket leg is usually slightly forward compared to the other(I think). However, while I was watching some professional matches on YouTube, I've seen the players stand almost with their two feet almost in front of each other, why do they do this? Clarification on what I mean by with two feet almost in front of each other: where the line connecting the two feet are (almost) perpendicular to the net Left-foot (space) Right-foot ( SPACE ) Net OR Right-foot (space) Left-foot ( SPACE ) Net 4) Also, a slightly unrelated question, I'm having my nice racket restrung for the first time, how would I know if the stringing job was done well? Thanks everyone in advance!
1) To defend a smash if it comes at you, giving you that extra bit of time to react. Drops even though can be tight are easier to get back forward to because they are a slower shot compared to a fast smash. 2) Correct, its like a basic grip but you open the racket face out so it allows you to use finger power to perform the drive or net kill. 3) Depends what shot the player is doing the split step for, I need to see a video of what you mean as I don't quite understand. 4) When you get the racket back, inspect the frame making sure he has not left any dents or marks at the 12, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 o'clock positions where people normally clamp the racket. Also check that it is either 2 knots for a one piece stringing or 4 knots for two piece stringing, if there are more than 4 knots, he has done a poor job. Just inspect the frame and make sure it looks symmetrical and not too oval or long. Hope this helps. Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day Nothing happens until you move.
(1) Think about where you contact the shuttle for a clear vs. a drop shot. With a drop shot you can (should) reach a long way in front of you, whereas clears become very difficult once the shuttle has travelled behind you. Drop shots will normally land around the service line. If the drop shot is landing much closer to the net than this, then it will be very slow, which gives you more time to move in. (2) Assuming the shuttle is in front of you, then a panhandle or partial panhandle grip is suitable. (3) The split step can be different depending on what's happening. While it's common to teach it as a neutral split (sideways, with racket foot just ahead), this is a huge simplification. In reality, it depends on what's happening in the rally. By changing how your feet are "lined up" when you split, you can preferentially cover different parts of the court. In your example, the pro players are probably looking to attack the net while still being able to get back if the opponent lifts it. If you always do the "standard" side-by-side split step, then your court coverage will be very "neutral" or defensive. This would be more a problem in singles than in doubles. (4) The racket should not be distorted or damaged. Other than that, it's up to you to decide how the strings feel and whether you like them.
i m curious too .. occasionally I'll b late for cross court drops although my clear is pretty decent (the opponent may likewise lose his balance), and i'm anticipating one (a ccdrop) .. but most of the time my recovery will b stagnant for a moment .. how to recover faster in such occasions?
Its mental here, you have to be positioned to anticipate the cross court drop first, then if it is a straight drop or drive, you will get it. The other way round, you will miss it. I hope that makes sense. Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day Use soft words and hard arguments.
thanks can you further elaborate on this ? since its suggested to have my base slightly behind .. how do i position myself and likewise anticipating a ccdrop at the same time cause having a base further behind means i need to cover more distance for ccdrop
I just take LJB 60:40 advice: In position, 60 on the straight, 40 on the cross In mind, 40 on straight, 60 on cross. This means you must position yourself to get the straight first, as it will come fast and just be reflex you can return it. The cross will be much slower because it travels a longer way so you will have time. As by reflex and positioning you will likely get the straight, , make your mind more towards the cross.
oh thanks... sounds easy but rather hard i guess .. hahaha .. 1 more thing.. when recovering are you on ur toes or flat footed? cause occasionally I'll land on my toes and i do recover faster.. but when i'm flat footed ill recover slower (a delay perhaps)... is it a psychological effect or landing on toes does make a diff?
Sounds like one of those coordination tests where you draw a circle with one hand and a triangle with the other...
Regarding (3), the positioning of your feet plays a large part in how easy it is for you to move to different positions. You are quickest on the line your feet create, so assuming you place them parallel to the net, you'll be very quick to move to the side, e.g. to cover a smash, but slower in your movement forwards and backwards. Depending on the situation in the rally, you'll change the positioning of your feet in accordance to what shots you expect next. If you play a net shot, you'll probably need to move quickly forwards or backwards, so in that case you'll have your feet almost parallel to the side lines in order to either pounce on a return net shot or move back quickly to get behind a lift. How far up the court that position is depends on the net shot itself, i.e. placement (close to the net? Flatter, slightly into the court?) and quality (Did you get it tight, did it maybe even touch the net? Or did you mess up slightly?). In short, the more aggressive (shorter) and better executed your net shot is, the closer you move to the net, and if you messed up, you'll have to stand back a bit to cover a possible flat lift, even if that makes it more difficult to dig out a net reply and may force you into a lift there. If your racket or non-racket foot is in front depends on the shot and situation as well as your personal style. Usually your racket foot will be in front, although sometimes it makes more sense to have your racket foot back when the shuttle is on your forehand side, as you won't need to turn to take the straight lift into your forehand. Otoh it makes you vulnerable to a lift into your backhand, so you'll have to judge whether your net shot was of adequate quality to make a crosscourt lift difficult enough for your opponent (crosscourt lifts are harder since the shuttle needs to travel a longer distance, which means you'll have to play it with a slightly flatter angle which is only possible if the shuttle drops far enough from the net). Some players have very aggressive footwork in their forehand net corner (Peter Gade comes to mind for me), while others have slightly more neutral or even defensive positioning (Son Wan Ho, for example).
Captivated this is what I meant, yes it was in a LJB video but I cannot seem to find it right now, its on his Youtube channel somewhere. Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day Use soft words and hard arguments.
Thanks for the input everyone!! I have another question: When exactly do you go for a backhand? I've been told you should always play a forehand if you can, but sometimes you see the professionals playing a backhand even if they had time to do a forehand - why do they do this?
Pros have great backhands because they have been training ages on them. However most of social and even club players have weak backhands so it is advisable to play over the head clears etc if you can, you need fast footwork and a strong back as you are arching back. I do this as my backhand is not the best. The obvious answer is you go for a backhand when it takes less time to execute as opposed to the above I have explained. You cannot compare pros to the average player as they hardly have weak shots. Kindest regards, -Ajay- Quote of the Day Use soft words and hard arguments.
Re backhand vs round the head forehand, it'll also depend on the quality of the attacking round the head shot and how well your body and legs can recover for the next shot after doing the round the head shot. It not well, then do the backhand. And if your backhand is weak, practice it. Usually this is the weakest point for levels up to intermediate.
it's not that hard. Just look at a singles match where in defending, the player will tend to be more on the side where the shuttle is. if on the left, he shift to the left, if on the right, he shifts to the right. A little bit from the middle. you can also see it in a doubles match where the front player always stand more to the side the back player is. Cai Yun-FHF videos are good examples. it's one of his oldest videos, you must press "load more" untill it appears. I also think it's a part of a video, not a individual video about the 60-40
