Singles – Strategies & Tactics – The Base Position

Hey guys! Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve uploaded anything on here. Life has just seemed to have gotten in the way! But I finally found some time to write a new article. Continuing with the subject of singles, we will focus on the base position in singles.

The Base Position

This is where you position yourself on the court in order to retrieve your opponent’s shot. In a way, it’s sort of unique to singles. Unlike in doubles, you don’t have a partner who is able to cover one half of the court. Therefore it’s up to you to place yourself to be in the best position in order to punish weak shots by the opponent and be able to defend against their attacking shots. Therefore we can define the base position as “the optimum position on the court to retrieve the shuttle.”

Where is the Base Position?

This is not a straightforward answer. The default position is in the centre of the court.

This gives you the best opportunity to reach all opponent’s shots with minimum effort. If, for example, you play a shot from the rear court and stay there, then your base position is too far from the frontcourt to adequately cover shots to this area. It’s all about situating yourself so you can take the shuttle as early as possible.

Importance of the Base Position

So we have established above that having a good base gives greater opportunities to retrieve more of the opponent’s shots. This is the most important aspect of the base position.

Another important thing to note is that you are able to reach the shuttle with the least energy. By taking up a good base position, generally, you are never more than a couple of steps away from the shuttle. The professionals make moving the court so easily, due to their amazing footwork, but also due to their knowledge of their base position. This is why when you watch the likes of Momota and Lin Dan, they never seem to be in a rush, often seemingly not moving but somehow always in the right position.

Recovery And The Split Step

In order to use the base position effectively, there are two other factors which need to be considered and which go hand in hand with the base position

Firstly we will discuss recovery. This is how well or quickly you are able to move into your base position once you’ve played your shot. If you are unable to quickly move back into the base position then you risk being late to the shuttle and therefore the ability to apply pressure to your opponent or respond to their shots effectively. Recovery to the base position can be improved through training, particularly strength training

The split step is the most important aspect of your footwork in badminton. It is the first movement which precedes any footwork movement.

While I do not want to go into much detail here regarding footwork, the important thing to remember is that when you perform the split step, that is effectively your base position. So ideally you want to be performing the split-step in the optimal area of the court. This is why both recovery and the split-step go hand in hand.

Variations Of The Base

So far we have assumed that the base position is the centre of the court. However, this is not always the case. The base position will move depending on your shot of choice, your opponent’s position on court and also their ability or inability to play certain shots.

Different shots will give you varying times to recover to your base position. For example, a high lift at the net will give you much more time to recover back to the base than a smash.

With a net shot, you’re more likely to have your base closer to the net. This is because the opponent only has the option of a net shot or a high lift. The high lift gives you much more time to move into the rear court to cover that shot, so, therefore, you can afford to bias your base a little closer to the net. This also allows you to threaten the net more and reach the shuttle earlier, a critical component of net play.

Likewise, if you play a lift, you may choose to bias your base slightly to the side that you lifted. This is because your opponent’s likely reply is to be a straight smash as it’s the fastest and most direct shot. So the base should be such that the straight reply is covered adequately while also being able to cover the other side of the court. This is normally just to the left or right of the centre line – depending on your lift.

Reading Of The Opponent

A big part of badminton is being able to read the body language of your opponent. This is why players work so hard on their strokes and deceptions. However, if you can read the opponent’s shot before they play it, or you notice a pattern in their play, you can move your base position to reach the shuttle earlier and put more pressure on them.

For example, if you see your opponent is late to the shuttle, it can be easy to read their next shot. Often they will play the same shot in these situations. Many people opt to play a drop to the net. Therefore if you recognise this, you can have your base position closer to the net in order to take these shots earlier.

Conclusion

The base is one of the most crucial aspects of badminton singles. Being able to traverse the court efficiently using the base position will give you an overwhelming advantage over a player who lacks this knowledge.

The objective of singles is to move your opponent away from their base in order to create gaps on the court that give you opportunities to play shots which create weak replies from the opponent. This is why recovery after your shot is such an important part of the base.

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