Situation: Opponent do a lift to our deep forehand corner, we do a front-back formation, my partner take the shuttle and either drop it straight or cross. The question is, for the next shot who cover what and where do I stand? Obviously the backhand net is mine to cover and the forehand corner is my partner's. But who cover the forehand net and backhand corner? Some partners I had say the front player must stand back a bit and cover both. Some say stay at the front and let the back player cover the rear. Some say the front player cover the backhand rear and the partner will move up a bit to cover the forehand net. Lets say this is level doubles and both players are equal at mid intermediate level.
If you were already in front-back before the drop, I see no reason to come out of that, meaning you should stay front and your partner stay back. It’s a drop so there should be plenty of time for your partner if the opponent lifts to his backhand back corner. And if the opponent plays a net shot, that’s the reason for you to stay at front to deal with those. Cross drop seems more risky than a straight drop, if your partner does that, he needs to be ready to cover his backhand corner. Again the premise is that you are already in front-back. If you weren’t, then you should remain left-right, because you won’t necessarily anticipate the drop and he would be in a better position and better prepared to cover the straight net return if it happens.
Poor choice of shot by your partner which puts you in a difficult decision making position. A better shot by the partner would be to play the towards the centre slightly in between the two players on the other side of the court. Then you definitely know you have to cover the front court area.
