Badminton Doubles – Net Player Shot Choice

Featured Image: Tom Page

Shot Choice Of The Net Player

The net player shot choice in doubles can be difficult. Do you risk going for the kill, or do you play a net shot and wait for a better opportunity to finish the rally? Remember the overall strategy in doubles is to be on the attack in order to win the point. So the outcomes from the front of the court from best to worst are:

1. Kill the shuttle to finish the rally.

2. Forcing a weak reply which can be killed by you or your partner

3. Forcing your opponents to lift, maintaining your attack.

4. Lifting the shuttle to your opponent.

With the above in mind let’s discuss the various shots the net player can employ from the front court

Kill

A kill is anything which you can hit in a downward direction from overhead at the net. This is the dream of every net player. Every time you have the opportunity to kill the rally from this position you should. The shot should be relatively steep and played straight to get it down as fast as possible. If you play it too flat it runs the risk of going out the back or being defended by the opponent as it becomes slightly easier to deal with. Most of the time this shot will be a clear winner.

Push

This is not a winning shot like the above but if effective can set you up for a kill.  A push into the midcourt causes hesitation between opponents. The rear court player hesitates because they expect the front court player to take it. The net player leaves the shuttle because they have not anticipated it correctly or the push is too fast for them. Usually, this causes the rear court player to scramble for the shot.

Alternatively, a push into the body of the opponent or down the tramlines may also cause weak replies which you can capitalise on. This is extremely common in mixed doubles as seen in the above clip.

Drive

Drives at the net require more control than drives from the midcourt. At the net, if you drive too hard it will fly out the back. This is why a push is often preferred as it’s a little safer but still effective to keep you in control.

By crouching low to the net you can actually drive shuttles which are fairly tight to the net with an overhead action. This is effective against an opponent’s drive defence as it comes back to the opponent just as fast. This would hopefully force an error or win the point outright as they are still recovering from their initial defensive shot.

Net Shot

Playing a net shot is a direct challenge to the opposing frontcourt player. For this situation to arise, the opponents may have played a net shot themselves or they have made a block to the net. A net shot should be tight to the net so that opponents cannot easily kill it. Many players are not confident enough in their net shots to play one in this position, even if the opponent is not threatening the net, preferring to lift. This is perceived by them as a safer option but they’ve given away your strategic advantage. By default, you should always seek to remain on the attack if possible.

A net shot should generally be played straight as this is the most direct shot. A good net shot will not only be tight to the net but also have a little spin or tumble to it. The opponent will have to wait until the shuttle stops spinning before they can hit it accurately. This tumble can only be applied to the shuttle when playing straight.

A cross-court net shot looks great when it’s pulled off. However, it requires an excellent technique. When played without this technique it becomes a little unpredictable. More often than not, a cross court net shot will go wide of the court or be killed by the opponent.

Net Kill

A net kill is when you anticipate the opponent’s shot and kill it off the top of the tape. This differs from the above kill as the shuttle is not taken from above head height. The net kill may be played in reply to a net shot or moving in to kill an anticipated shot to the net.

It’s not an easy shot and there is a tendency to hit these shots long or wide because of lack of control in the shot.

For net kills in response to a net shot from the opponent you have to be sure not to hit the net. If the shuttle is very tight to the net, you can employ the brush technique. This is brushing across the shuttle rather than hitting it dead on in order to avoid the net. This is very difficult but very useful once you’ve mastered it as your opponents will feel more pressured to play a perfect net shot.

Lift

This should be your last resort. If you have no other option because you’re late to the shuttle or the opponent’s shot is too good then you should lift the shuttle. Although you have given away the attack, it’s better than playing a weak shot and the shuttle being killed. It’s more about damage control at this point. Give up the attack now and regain the attack later.

Common Mistakes By Amateur Net Player

There are some common mistakes people make when playing in the forecourt. Some we touched on above but I will mention below for clarity.

1. Standing too close to the net. I already mentioned above why this is a bad idea. Unless you are waiting for a net shot reply from your opponent or pressuring them, at your closest you should be about an arm and racket’s length away.

2. Playing a net shot and then moving to the rear court. Some players will play a net shot and then move to the rear court to take the subsequent lift from the opponent. The whole point of the net shot is that you get the lift for your partner who is already positioned in the rear court. If you back off the net:

1. You have taken the pressure off your opponent to lift the shuttle. Instead, you have given them more space and time to play a net reply.
2. Because you backed off, you now have to change momentum and move forward again in response to a net reply. Possibly forcing you to lift the shuttle.
3. Confuses your partner who expects you to stay in and cover the net. Now you’re both in the rear court and the whole front court is exposed. If the lift is to a corner, three-quarters of the court is exposed!
4. Causes you to lose the point because neither one of you wants to clash your rackets or hit each other.

3. Trying to play a full power smash at the net. You just need the motion of your arm to make a kill at the net. As mentioned in my article on the rear court player there is a trade-off between angle and power. When hitting from the rear court the shuttle has the whole court to travel and therefore you can afford to lose a little angle. However, at the net, the shuttle has to only travel half a Court. Therefore there’s less time for the shuttle to fall in. So if you try to really smash it at the net you might find the shuttle flies long of the backline occasionally.

4. Too tight a grip. This also contributes to hitting the shuttle flat at the net. The racket handle needs to be able to move in your hand in order to effectively hit the shuttle downwards. Being too rigid will not give you the control required to play any shot at the net with accuracy.

5. Trying to cut out everything. You can’t intercept everything. Sometimes the shuttle is too fast or it is too high. Control yourself and play the rally. Play softer shots when you need to set your partner up to create a clear opportunity to intercept. If you try to cut everything out you’ll lose more points than you will win.

6. Playing too soft. It’s ok to play soft shots such as pushes and net shots to set up the rallies. However, when there is a clear chance to kill the shuttle, some players will play a soft drop to the net then put the shuttle away. While this can be a good variation, why not finish the rally with a shot which has a much higher success rate? If the opponents retrieve your drop you might have to replay the rally again to put you back in the same position. This is almost an insult to your partner who worked hard in the rear court only for you to go easy on your opponents.

In the same way, you should also be actively seeking to finish the rally. You can’t keep playing blocks to the net in the hope your partner will finish the rally from the rear court. It is very unlikely they will be able to achieve this at good levels of play. So if you can finish the rally, do it with authority.

7. Backing off from the net when your partner is playing a smash from the back. We will discuss rotation in my next entry. However for now. If your partner is smashing from the back trams of the rear court, You should not be backing away from the net. It’s a big ask for a partner to come from The rear court to cover the front court. It’s different if he’s smashing from the midcourt because there’s more pressure on your opponent at this point and their returns are likely to be weaker.

8. Expect their kill to be a winner. Any kill from the net is likely to be a winner. That doesn’t mean it has a 100% success rate. You need to be ready for a potential reply. After you have played it, get your racket back up at the net ready just in case.

Net Player – Summary

The net player plays a crucial role in the partnership. Setting up the rear court player to maintain the attack and killing any weak replies. It’s definitely an area you should consider improving if your game isn’t as strong in this department as it will find it easier to win rallies and build chemistry with your partner. Avoid the mistakes mentioned above and you will be on your way to dominating the net.

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