Effective Badminton doubles serve and return strategies require effective communication, practice, and time. Players need to practice accuracy when returning a shot.
For best results, it is wise to vary your returns from straight down-the-line shots to cross-court or drop serves – this will make it harder for opponents to predict and plan an attack upon your return.
Defensive Tapping
As a doubles player, it’s essential that you understand that the most effective way to return opponent serves is to put pressure on them by threatening attack. Tapping your shuttle at just the right spot on court to force an opponent to lift and give yourself an opportunity to strike back with an offensive smash requires excellent judgement, agility and timing for maximum effect.
Defense Tapping involves placing the shuttle so as to deter your opponent from attacking by placing it into deep corners of their court. This method is commonly used as an effective return strategy and often serves to win the first point in rallies. You can utilize this technique for low clears, drop shots, and drives with this strategy.
When returning a serve, try to vary both your shot selection and positioning in order to keep your opponent guessing and make it hard for them to anticipate your next move. Doing this may also ensure they stay off balance for longer and increase chances of victory for yourself.
One way of doing this is through playing a steep half smash, an effective response strategy when receiving short serves directed toward you or your front court’s centerline. As it requires quick and accurate reactions from you, practice this move regularly to improve both coordination and timing.
Another effective way to vary your return is with the flick serve – an extremely fast and high-risk shot designed to surprise opponents. But be careful not to overuse this type of serve since more experienced receivers could easily beat it!
Communication is of utmost importance when returning a serve, so prior to starting any match it’s crucial that both you and your partner discuss tactics together and create a plan for each service provided by an opponent. Doing this will allow both of you to better prepare for each opponent’s serve or return shot and execute more efficient attacks against your opponents.
As a doubles player, effective communication between partners is paramount to your performance as a team. Achieve this through clearly identifying who covers which areas on court and coordinating their movements.
Attack Tapping
Badminton is a fast game that depends on speed and movement to create a rhythm between opponents. Therefore, it is wise to change up your return strategy in order to disrupt their timing and keep them guessing.
Attack tapping can be one of the best ways to achieve this objective, consisting of short drops and net shots used to force an opponent from moving from front court to back court in long rallies – something they may find tiresome due to needing effective footwork and traveling greater distances throughout a match. As it requires effective footwork and travel over extended distances, your opponent will quickly exhaust themselves.
To execute an attack tapping shot, first position yourself and racket as if attempting a straight return down the line, before hitting with a quick swing to create forward momentum and accelerate through your shot. This may catch your opponent off guard when they prepare a flat drive return shot, giving you an edge in rallies.
An alternative return strategy that may prove effective in creating balance in a rally or setting up an attacking shot is the cross-court shot. While practicing it takes practice and coordination with your partner, this type of return shot can help create a balanced defensive stance or set up an attacking shot. To perform one yourself, start by positioning body and racket as though for a back court serve and pinch thumb and fingers together before dropping shoulder for last second rotation and hitting cross shot towards center of opponent court.
Counter an aggressive drive with a lift return by hitting the shuttle high into the back court. While it can be challenging for beginners to execute successfully, this shot can help gain control of the rally and prevent opponents from making strong drives down the line.
As soon as possible, players should acquire knowledge of various badminton shot types. Relying solely on one or two basic shots could soon find themselves outmatched by opponents with an arsenal of offensive and defensive shots at their disposal.
Deep Corner Tapping
One of the best badminton serve and return strategies is tapping deep to your opponent’s side tramlines, creating an effective deceptive net shot which forces their opponent into hitting an erratic lift that opens up for powerful follow-through smash. Even pros use this trickery to surprise their opponents and put them on defense.
Remembering to return a deep corner serve requires both precision and timing, as the shuttle should land close but not into either tramline. Precision of control also plays an essential part, which takes practice.
To practice badminton service and return strategy, start by serving to the front line of your opponent’s service box with a deep touch. When comfortable with this, work on hitting close to the net. Make it fun by setting yourself the challenge of hitting twenty consecutive shots that both hit close and are good before moving onto another drill.
An integral component of badminton serve and return strategy is mixing up your shots to keep your opponent guessing and from anticipating your next move, essential for improving your badminton skills. Try different kinds of drops, straight drives, cross court shots to keep their opponent guessing!
Finally, communication with your partner when returning a serve is key for planning ahead and taking advantage of every attack opportunity that arises. Make sure you communicate before each rally by calling shots out or informing your partner when one goes out-of-bounds; this will enable more efficient team play in general and allow both of you to work more closely together as players in a match setting.
Up and Back Tapping
Badminton receiving teams have one primary objective in badminton: returning the shuttlecock over the net and into their opponent’s court, forcing them to play a shot. To achieve this objective, effective communication, positioning, and shot selection must be used; great badminton players have perfected this art of returning serves and placing pressure on their opponents with their choice of shots.
In doubles, having a consistent serve and return strategy is critical to success. Doing this ensures both you and your partner are properly positioned for a return and can cover each area efficiently; furthermore it prevents being overshadowed by your opponent’s superior skills and attacking power.
When serving, it is recommended that you send diagonal shots from your side of the court towards your opponent’s side of court in order to gain an advantage in intercepting both forehand and backhand attacks from your opponent. Doing this allows for a strategic advantage which may allow you to intercept forehand and backhand shots by your opponent and prevents their counter attacks from succeeding.
As part of your serve, it is crucial that you utilize a consistent backhand grip. This will enable you to keep control over the shuttlecock and prevent it from flying off at high speeds, and also increase power when striking it with your hit.
An essential aspect of a good serve is having the correct ready stance, as this enables you to react and make quick decisions during rallies. A balanced ready stance should see one leg forward while keeping the racket close to your body.
Finally, when returning the shuttlecock it is essential to mix up your shots in order to keep your opponent guessing and reduce predictability of shots such as drives, drops, or lifts. Some options for variations could be drives, drops, or lifts.
Communication and having an effective strategy when returning serve are of utmost importance in doubles tennis. Proper tactics will increase your odds of winning rallies while simultaneously improving overall game play.