badminton klub BIT

One point I have been wanting to raise with all you clever clogs is a basic difference in style between Europeans and Asians. This basic difference in style seems to have been reasonably constant throughout the last 20 years in mens doubles.

Your average European seems to be hell bent o­n trying to attack the shuttle at all times. Now whilst this is a noble task why is it that the Asian does not try to do the same. Quite simply the Asian is quite happy to lift the shuttle away from the net to the back line at first the sign of danger and then settles down to the task of defending against the lift.

This tactic does require that both players in the pairing have an equally strong and superb defense. Most Asians have this defense and they use it to good effect in the counter attack. During this counter attack the point is often won with frightening suddenness!

The European however spend most of the time trying not to lift and makes many silly mistakes trying shots such as “the hospital shot”. (some sort of double action shot played around the net which gets stuffed down your throat and could put you in hospital with a detached retina).

Quite simply o­n average the Asians defense is stronger than the European’s smash and the Asian smash is stronger than the European’s defense. Think of it another way – the object of the game is to get the shuttle o­n the floor. If you can’t smash through the Asian but the Asian can smash through you then you are going to loose.

This holds to the three laws of badminton

1) Get the shuttle over the net
2) Get the shuttle in court
3) Get the shuttle going down if you can

Countless numbers of players have left international badminton courts shouting "I couldn't get it over the net".

If you keep to these simple rules you are not going to go far wrong.

What’s the moral of the story – both partners must get a brick wall defense and at least o­ne half of the pairing must get a big smash.

Harping back to the old days for an instant I would like to recall that when Steve Baddeley (yes our Chief Exec) and I played together then I could be almost be sure that he could clout it o­n the floor any time any where. (in the far east this was worth a thousand shuttle runs). He used a heavy Carlton club and had upper arms the size of sledge hammers(being an ex swimmer and built like an ox). I simply had to do the definding bit when required,get the lift and he would “clout” it o­ne.

It is as simple as that. Get the lift and bash it o­ne! No tricky tactics involved.

Martin Dew-Hattens

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