Mid-court push/lift (upward) is actually a hand skill taught in formal training, and used in professional games (those top level games you may see in super-series, finals/semi-finals). I'm not sure if it's this shot the OP was attempting. Regardless, it's not an easy shot; touch needs to be good.
I disagree. If they can "smash" your shot, you have not played it well enough. You are either hitting it too softly, so that they can see it coming easily, or you are hitting it too high - in which case you need to improve the quality of the shot. Remember - if they SMASHED it at me, I could play a straight block and they couldn't get it (it only passes a few inches over the net - you can't smash that!). So the fact that they have not smashes it, and have only hit a fast drop (which I can take earlier with good footwork), means it is even easier for me to play the same or an even better block - which they will not be able to smash. If they are still getting the shot, it means that the front court player is standing very close to the straight tramline, and you should be punishing them by hitting a cross court drive or push. If you think the push is not a good counter to their fast drop, then you are not playing it properly. Good luck! Keep trying!
Either you have played the shot too high, and hence your opponents fast shot is coming down at you, OR, your opponent is hitting it slightly upwards at you - crouch down and take it with crouch defence! Once I have played the push to the midcourt, I wouldn't be moving backwards, I would be moving forwards to take the net! Good luck!
Yes, but it shouldn't keep going up so high after passing the net that it can be killed/"smahsed" right back at you... Matt covered some good points - if you play this shot well, then you shouldn't be back-tracking to base. The fact that op is back-tracking and getting ping-ed in the chest is symptomatic of the bad push shot.
Is there any video of this upward mid-court push/lift? When I look for badminton push, the only thing I can find are downward pushes (pretty much the same thing as a netkill) which is good if I am fast enough to get to it before it crosses the net, and the drop isn't so good that it skims the net going over it.
I would take the net if I could hit a downward push against a fast drop, but since I am hitting an upward push I move backwards.
Just out of curiosity, how close to the net does this fast drop pass? And how far off the ground are you taking the reply? In other words, what quality is this fast drop?
Unfortunately, you just have to pay attention to each doubles video you would watch, and see them when they're executed successfully. Other times, when they're not so successfully executed, you may not notice it, as they'd be picked up by the front player, and the rally usually finishes there.
But it's supposed to go up high(er) than the flatter (or downward) version that one can play if one can make contact at close to net top. Its intent is to just past front player's interception from above, but not giving enough time for rear court player to have big setup smash. It's almost like the "middle" shots placed between two side-side players, causing confusion. The touch required makes this a rather risky shot.
I would say its pretty good. By the time I can get to it, it is already below top of the net height. I didn't really measure how low I am taking it. The one memory I recall where it straight up just scored off of me, Is when I was the defender on the right side of the court, and the opponent is to the left of me on the rear side of their court. It was a crosscourt drop, the bird landed somewhere in the front right "box" ( in front of the short service boundry line and to the right of the singles boundry line ). The reason why it may have straight outright scored against me may have been because they had been rallying with my partner for a bit beforehand, and surprised me with that shot but I don't recall completely.
Perhaps then you should practice half court with your partner, where he's feeding shuttles downwards at you and you're pushing back, trying to keep it low and to the sides, or even blocking it low to the net if you can. Easier to learn on feathers. Higher tensions with thin rough strings help the feel and control of the shuttle on the stringbed. You don't want to hit the bird with repulsion, but want to feel the shuttle land sideways on the stringbed before you use a push action with your upper arm. Hand grip should be slightly relaxed, to allow some changes in racket face as needed, in order to change the angle and also to allow some deception.
I don't recall ever seeing this in a SS match if this is the same shot that you say is formally trained and 'played by professionals'. Do you have a links to show this?
It doesn't matter whether you push up or down, it matters whether your opponent can reach it above or below the tape. Otherwise no-one would ever follow in on a good smash reply since every smash reply must go upwards.
It could be hard to recall if you don't know that it exists. I suggest you either ask your coach, if you have one, or pay some attention looking for it next time you watch Doubles. Years ago, first time I came across this idea was right here on this forum. Someone brought this idea up. At the time, I thought it was a crazy idea. Until the last 1-2 years, my kid's coach taught this to my kid. I became aware of this technique, and saw it being used from time to time. In any case, it doesn't look like OP was talking about this shot on this thread.
please give us a link where a professional does that shot i cannot remember seeing it and i dont want to watch countless double games for a shot that i dont think i will find maybe amleto and I think about different shot than you are talking about
^^ exactly. It's also one thing to teach a 'cheap' shot to kids who are easy to lob. It's quite another to play a half court low lift on purpose against good opposition. I'm very sceptical. Your (@raymond) reasoning for not recalling a shot because one is unaware of it is absurd as well. No one ever said 'I dont recall gade's trick shots or lin dan's face-the-wrong-way-underarm-full-court-lift because I didn't know it existed'.
I don't completely understand how the bird can be hit without repulsion. Wouldn't that make for a very slow shot that can be easily netkilled? Generally when the opponent is at the net like that, I feel under pressure and my instinct is to hit it hard, fast, and/or high over the netman. I've seen these half court drills done in youtube videos. It always looked like the net player is holding back and not using their full ability to just kill the bird. I have even done these drills when I was getting coached but I have never been really good at them, except when I was the one hitting down at the net. The net player doing this drill can easily cock his racket back immediately after hitting the bird down and be instantly ready for the reply, making the second downward shot return even faster than the first. I was at the net doing this against a coach who was a certified pro, and even he had problems returning this. In a game situation, I don't know how I can have the time to hit these and feel the shuttle on the stringbed with relaxed grip when the opponent is just not going to give me time to do that.
Actually I have attempted that low lift several times against a drop shot. It works on weak opposition, the net player attempts to get it and misses it, or ducks and the rear court player is forced to lift or play a net block. But against good opposition, its a terrible idea. The net player can move backward and actually smash them, or the rear court player moved forward and smashed them.
I suggested to you another option - go and ask your coach. Apparently you didn't do it, did you? I'd written down more than the above on this post, but deleted them all. I'm biting my tongue now.
