I'm playing against this guy, who is really good singles player. I think he is beatable but I'm not too sure the right strategy to beat him. He does a lot deep clears to the corners. He has me really pushed back, what do you guy think I should do to try to beat this guy? Thanks, Justin
Deep clears as in deep and high (defensive) or deep but flat (offensive)? You would do different things depending on what kind of clears they are.
Both deep and flat... Mixes it up. But if forced to decide, I'd say more deep high clears than deep flat ones. Does that help? Thanks
Deep and high gives you time, so you have shot options. I would avoid the smash unless you're really confident. Try drop shots and clears, especially if you can be deceptive. How are your slices?
My slice shots are good. I just feel like I'm getting pushed around with all the clears to the corners. Sometime I think I should just get into a clearing war with him. And wait for him to drop.. Is that a good idea?
How're your clears yourself? Able to do baseline to baseline clears 50x in a row without getting tired? If not, then you need to train before you get into a clear battle with anyone.
For deep clears you might want to consider making an arsenal of weapons from the back of the court. Being dangerous (being able to play attacking clears, drops, slices, smashes, and deception) will stop him from clearing high and far.
There isn't enough info about this guy to advise what strategy to take. All you have told us is that he clears well and pushes you back. What other skills does he have or does he only clear all day long? lol If you're being stretched by his clears a lot, it may be that you're not getting behind the shuttle fast enough - in which case you may need to work on your footwork and strength. The other thing that a lot of people forget about playing people who clear a lot, is that quite often the clears may actually be out as in my experience, these players very rarely hit a short clear (i.e. doubles back service line). So always bear that in mind. If they are out, it may play on his mind and cause him to stop playing as many clears.
He's an all around good player. No glaring weaknesses. He just clears a lot as stated. what usual strategies can one employ against someone that likes to keep their opponent at the back with a lot of deep clears high and flat clears is essentially what I'm asking... I think I can beat him, but I need help employing the right strategy... Thanks!
you haven't said what you do when he clears, or how he wins most of his points... Also give us a clue as to what level of play we're talking about here!
When he pushes you far back footwork is essential you generally need it pretty stable to get behind it. I generally clear back or slice drop it very deeply to the corners in the front. If you want to be more deceptive make all your strokes look the same , sounds easy but isn't /:
Some brain-storming (and probing) ideas - 1. As R20190 suggested, watch for his deep clears being out - let one or two of suspicious ones drop, and check to see if he's bluffing. 2. Intentionally feed him somewhat shorter clears/lifts, to entice another clear, and see if he could adapt height/power of his own deep clears to keep them in. If he's other dangerous varieties, this may not work well, but at least worth a try once or twice in order to "understand" him. You may need to do this a few times, to gather/confirm data points. 3. Like everything else, if you find his clears the most troubling, try to deprive him of his option to play those shots. In other word, refrain yourself from playing lifts/clears that enable him to play those clears that bug you. 4. Your own clears might be hit too high (or short already). Check what happens if you flatten your clears, and see if you can cause him problems in getting behind the shuttle and generate enough power. Also check the length of your own clears by taking a peek of where he stands when he takes yours. If you lose experimenting with your ideas, you can always play another game with changed strategy, right?
Thanks for the comments and ideas guys! Will let you know how it goes today. Playing in a couple of hours
I'm also wondering where your base is on court (at this point in the rally). If high clears are putting you under pressure, then you might be standing too far forwards.
Hey guys, i lost 21-15,21-17.. It was very close games but he is really good.. My base was too close to the net Gollum, and I did best when getting into a clearing war then smashing one of his weak clears. Next week, will take video of is playing... Thanks! I have confidence that I will win him in the next couple of weeks. Cheers, Justin
Try adjusting your base position to be deeper, behind the T line. If your footwork is good enough and your clears don't go to the mid court, you should still be able to reach the net if he plays a drop shot. Do you find yourself reaching the shuttle quite late sometimes?
Yeah, his opponent sounds like a good player. He's probably clearing a lot because OP's base is too far front. Once OP has adjusted his base back, he'll probably play more drops.
OP, I wouldn't be too disheartened if you are still unable to beat your opponent. If he is a better player than you then you have to accept that and focus on improving your own skills. Judging from the scoreline, there doesn't seem to be a big gap between you two so maybe you can grind out a win if you get your tactics right otherwise you need to improve your shot quality, consistency and footwork.
Yap. I don't mind losing at all. I plan on learning from this. I will be posting a video of is playing in the next week. Keep in mind I'm not pro and never will be but love the game