Featured Image: Antony Stanley
The smash in doubles is probably the shot you think of when you think of badminton. It’s the fastest, most athletic and exciting shot in badminton. It is performed most commonly by the rear court player in badminton doubles. However, too many amateur players assume that a fast smash is going to win them the point. At lower levels of play, this is likely to be true because players tend to be less consistent in their defensive play.
Misconceptions Of The Smash In Doubles
There are two major misconceptions about the smash
- It’s A Winning Shot
- More Power Is More Effective
Winning Shot
Firstly, the smash is only a winning shot in certain situations. If you play against weaker players incapable of returning it, you might classify it as such. However, if you play stronger opponents who are able to consistently return your smash, it no longer becomes a winning shot.
At high levels of play, the certainty of the smash becoming a winning shot increases the closer the attacking player moves to the net. It only truly becomes a winning shot if the smash is closer to the net. And even then there are no guarantees! For the most part, it should be considered instead as a set-piece.
The smash is used primarily to pressure the opponents into error or to force weak replies for you or your partner to finish the rally. So in essence, it’s used to set up the rally and create point winning opportunities. Of course, sometimes smashes from the rear court can win points outright but actually, this is quite rare.
Once you view it as a set piece you will start to think about your smash more than simply trying to power through opponents. It will open your eyes to set your partner up and how to create winning opportunities in the rally using your smash.
More Power Isn’t Always More Effective
Secondly, more power isn’t always better. Having more power in your smash is an advantage in
The issue is that many amateur players, who lack the correct technique, often seek out more and more power. This comes at the expense of another more important component. That is the angle. Having more power will be beneficial when you can combine power and angle.
Components Of An Effective Smash
As we discussed above, power is one component. However, a more important component is the angle. Combining the two requires good technique and control.
Steeper smashes are much preferred as the staple attacking shot. This is because the shuttle falls below the net much quicker. Assuming a steep and powerful smash, the defender’s options are to lift the shuttle back or play at an upward trajectory through the frontcourt player. Remember the idea of the smash is to set up weak or favourable replies. Professional players perform jump smashes not to increase the power in their shot, but to increase the angle of their smash.
Flatter smashes are an important variation in your attacking play, however, they should not be the basis of it. The reason is that they are more susceptible to counter attacks by the opponents as they can drive the shuttle back with pace, putting movement pressure on the rear court player.
How The Smash Is Used
We already know that it is used to set up weak replies from the opponents which can be exploited in an attempt to win the rally. However, there is more to the smash than forcing weak replies just through power and angle. Otherwise we wouldn’t get such long rallies at the top level of the game.
The expectation of the opponents is that you will play the smash as the default attacking shot. As mentioned above, it’s likely to be the smash played with a steep angle, in order to set up winning opportunities. Because of this, opponents will adjust their position to deal more effectively with that smash.
When opponents become used to your smash, they tend to get into a defensive rhythm. They are used to your attack and are able to return them more easily because they have adjusted to the pace, angle and direction of your attack. This also has two other effects.
Firstly, opponents tend to become rooted in their defensive position as they believe this is the best position to deal with your smash. This is particularly the case in extended rallies where you are on the attack for
Secondly, if your smash is powerful, opponents will stand a little further back in court. This gives them more time to react to your shot. However, it also opens up the
Variation
When you combine these two effects, it makes variations of the attack much more effective. Particularly to changes of pace in the rally. Deceptive drop shots are a common change of pace that exploits both the above effects.
Praveen Jordan used the smash in doubles to great effect. Because of his power, opponents often fear his attack. As a result he is able to vary his attack a lot more, as in the above video.
When you notice the opponents are in a defensive rhythm, this is the best time to vary your attack. It’s almost like getting them used to your attack before you hit them with something different. This can cause them to miss-time the shot, force them into a weak reply or win the point outright all together. Hitting a flatter smash, changing the pace or changing the direction of the smash are all effective variations of the attack.
Conclusion – The Smash In Doubles
The smash in doubles is not a winning shot in most circumstances. It’s a tool which is used to force weak replies. Steep angle and power is the foundation of a good smash. It should form the basis of your attacking play. However, against higher-level opponents, variation is key to force opponents into error and create winning
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