When playing doubles it’s essential to keep the shuttle low – this forces your opponent into using lift shots, giving you more opportunities for powerful smashes or fast net kills.
Communication between partners is also vital to winning at an elite level. Without clear lines of dialogue between you both, victory could become impossible.
Attacking
Badminton is an extremely fast sport and it is essential to always look out for attacking opportunities. This means focusing on both attack shots and net kills as most rallies can be won through these types of shots at higher levels, so making sure that you put yourself in the best possible position to take them is paramount to being successful in winning rallies.
When playing doubles it is essential to possess an in-depth knowledge of how to play at the net. This includes knowing how to approach it and what should happen when your partner cannot reach a shot. A great strategy when approaching the net is staying one foot back from centerline while remaining positioned so as to cover all areas around shuttle – this prevents your opponent from hitting over your head for a net kill!
Attack plays require good positioning and volley technique. When hitting the shuttle, make sure that it hits low and not too far back – this ensures that if you need to poach, your opponent won’t be able to quickly volley back over your partner, giving you time to prepare yourself for another shot!
As important, it’s also essential that returns aren’t hit too high, which can create major difficulties for your team if playing against an opponent with superior net skills. A high return can allow an opponent to attack with smash or net kill shots – an action which could prove very costly to your side’s success.
Another effective way of increasing your attack is through practicing various types of half smashes and lobs. By practicing such offensive shots regularly, they’ll force their opponents to lift more often, leading to heavy hits from your opponents. Furthermore, working on rotation and movement skills are equally as crucial – as doubles is a team sport and communication is key if success is desired; you must trust and communicate with your partner about where they plan to hit the shuttle and when to move depending on their decisions.
Defensive
Badminton requires an effective defensive strategy in order to control a rally, forcing your opponent to lift the shuttlecock so they cannot attack or clear it easily, giving you time and space for more defensive shots to wear them down and potentially win points.
When it comes to Badminton defense, having your partner on the same side is beneficial in terms of communication and coordination of defence. Player one should be located near the singles line to intercept straight shots while player two should stay closer to the middle court to block slash shots from opponents.
A basic defensive strategy involves quickly and lowly catching shots in front of the court to provide more choice when shooting offensively, such as quick control lifts, pushes or tight or long net drops.
If you can execute these types of defensive shots quickly, your opponent will find it harder to intercept and will need to smash to get back into the rally, providing an opening for you to attack and win points.
An important defensive strategy involves knowing when and when not to dive. Here, fitness and conditioning play an invaluable role – masterful defensive players know when diving is necessary to save the rally or risk dropping points.
An exciting element of Doubles strategy and key to winning games is developing defensive technique through training sessions. When your opponent thinks they’re about to score a winning smash, only for an unexpected deep lunge or last-second dive to throw their game off track, defensive play can be extremely satisfying and could make or break your match! For this reason, taking time and effort in honing this strategy during training sessions is absolutely vital to ensure victory and is therefore essential.
Rotation
One key to winning doubles lies in your ability to rotate opponents around your court, both to disorient your opponent and increase time spent playing attacking shots. For example, if your opponent excels at backcourt shots, hit down into their court for more attacking space; doing this also puts more strain on their energy reserves in terms of trying to return your shots!
To achieve an effective rotation strategy in badminton, one needs to possess great footwork and speed. This is particularly essential when defending – you should strive to remain level with your partner so as to cover every area of the court without leaving gaps for opponents to exploit.
Keep this in mind when shooting: Always aim your shots towards the weaker player’s side; this will minimize their chance of blocking, and may even result in a net kill! Also try not to apply too much force as this usually causes errors and mistakes.
Finally, always aim to keep your opponent’s front players on the back court so as to limit their ability to net kill. One way of accomplishing this goal would be hitting their backcourt shots to their forehand side – this will force them to expend extra energy blocking, thus fatigue them quicker.
Doubles requires having a team with strong communication and trust between members, to avoid mistakes or miscommunication between players. Furthermore, having an optimistic and winning mentality will motivate teammates and make them more aggressive on court.
As well as following these tips, it is also vital that you practice and master the correct techniques of badminton doubles. As your skill improves in this aspect of play, the more likely you will be to win matches.
Communication
Communication between partners in doubles is paramount to its success, whether through verbal exchanges or non-verbal cues based on body language. An effective team will be able to read their opponents and anticipate what shot they will play resulting in increased accuracy while decreasing unforced errors such as hitting each other or breaking rackets.
As part of an effort to enhance communication among players, it’s advisable for teams to discuss strategies prior to each match starting – this can take place during warm ups or between points – or simply between sets. Doing this will allow the team to stay focused throughout and work towards one common goal together. It is also beneficial for them to discuss defensive tactics beforehand so they can gain a better understanding of each partner’s strength and weakness and work more cohesively when defending.
As an attacker in doubles it’s best to opt for shots that are relatively flat and fast in order to disrupt an opponent’s defence and make returning the shuttle more challenging. Also try hitting it through the center of the court in order to test communication amongst your teammates.
Clearing the net efficiently is also key. This can be accomplished by playing drop shots that fall just above or below the net, half smashes, and drives that keep opponents off balance and off balance with each shot taken, half smashes to force opponents off balance, drives to keep them guessing at what their opponent might do next, half smashes, drives that keep opponents guessing – as well as not going for every kill with every shot as this will exhaust players and cause unnecessary errors to arise.
As a coach, it is key that you remain supportive of your players no matter the outcome, even when they lose. At the same time, constructive criticism should be delivered in a calm and respectful manner. Also try limiting how much advice is given per player as too much advice can cause confusion; focus instead on one or two areas that will increase confidence while emphasizing positive aspects of their game.