Coaching

Back from holiday – many thanks to Joanne for covering in my absence.

We’re concentrating on mixed tactics, so read back to previous entries.  We practised the push shot, remember to keep the racket head about shoulder height, bend your knees to meet a dropping shuttle rather than drop your racket.  Remember that the trajectory for a push shot is relatively flat, so that it doen’t really give your opponents much advantage.  A lift gives away the attack, and should be used generally as a defensive shot, only really when you have to.

Keep practising the footwork drills, skipping as ever.

Concentration more on the tactics for mixed badminton.  Remember that you’re working together as a team to try and make your opponents lift so that your partner can play a winner.  That is, the man is driving to the corners, carefully dropping to the net corners, or punishing short lifts with a smash.  The lady is pushing just past the opposing lady, into the tramlines, playing a net-shot (to force a lift) or winning the point with a netkill.  You’ll generally serve low to the man and high to the lady (to drive her to the back and break up their formation). However, if the high serve is being battered back then think again !

Mixed Doubles is a game of accuracy, patience and consistency.  It lacks the power of level doubles, but includes a degree of thought and trickery not found in the level doubles game – definitely a team game !

Homework as normal.  Practise the cross-in-front or cross-behind step.