I actually think that it is an activity that can really bond and improve your relationship with your partner. Too bad if your partner do not enjoy playing this game, but you still can always partner someone else and enjoy the thrills of mixed doubles for badminton.
Of course, if you just want to get some fun and laughter out of it, you only need to know the rules. The rules of mixed doubles for badminton are the same as the rules for level doubles. But if you want to play it at a more competitive level, it is best that you learn some of the strategies that I am going to discuss below.
In mixed doubles, the women will normally always try to play in the frontcourt area. Her partner will then cover the mid and backcourt area. This is assuming that the woman is not as strong as the man.
If the woman is as powerful or more powerful than the man in the backcourt area, then a level doubles strategy can be adopted. For further discussion purposes, I will assume that women are better players in the frontcourt area.
Service Positioning
The man shall always stand behind his partner regardless of which partner is serving. This is to facilitate faster coverage of their respective positions. The woman when standing in front of her serving partner shall not in any way obstruct the view of the receiving opponent on the shuttle.
If the man uses a right forehand serve, the woman shall stand to the left side of the 'T', no matter which court the man is serving to. If the man uses a left forehand serve, the woman shall stand to the right side of the 'T', no matter which court the man is serving to. If the man uses a backhand serve, right or left handed, the woman can choose whether to stand on the same side as the man or on the other side.
Serving
As a general rule, serve it low to the man but serve it high and deep to the woman. This arrangement will force your opponent to disband their preferred formation. Now, the man will have to come forward and cover the frontcourt while the woman will have to play from the backcourt.
Of course if the woman's attacking prowess is as strong as the man you will then need to serve low to both of them. But don't forget to throw in some flick serve to spring some surprises...
Strategies during play
During the rally, the man should try to hit downward shots or horizontal shots, while the woman should play net kills and tight net shots. Both players should be in a good position to push the shuttle low over the net to the mid court area, just past the front player's area but in front of the back player. You should also play shots to the centre of the court in between players to create confusion.
The man should also try to play straight shots whenever possible while the woman should play across court when clearing or lifting. This is because the shuttle travels longer if across court and the power of the stroke will be reduced. So the woman will have an easier task when blocking opposition's cross court smashes.
As I said previously, the woman should always assume a front position in an attacking formation (Front-Back) unless forced to move to the back.
When defending, the defensive formation (Side-Side) is used.
It is tactically sound for you and your partner to play shots that forces your female opposition to move to the backcourt while her male partner comes forward. Be flexible when deploying strategies in mixed doubles for badminton. When one tactic is not working, try something different. Play to your strengths; exploit your opponent's weaknesses.
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