Adult Class

• 1. Mental Toughness & Match Preparation – these are discussion points that are incorporated into each of the drills described below.
  
  • The ABCs of Badminton
    • Adjust, Balance, Calm, Defense, Exploitation
  • Improving Your Warm-up
    • Three-minute drill. What did you miss?
    • Hit all the shots you plan to use, Serve/Return, Depth perception, Targets
    • Raise your body temperature to avoid injury if no stretching
  • Fulcrum point of each Rally
    • Each rally starts balanced. Tip the rally in your favor. Stay on offense.
    • Large swings across the fulcrum are risky. Go from defense back to balanced
  • Expanding The Box
    • What can you cover? Where can you hit consistently?
    • Moving outward from Beginner to D to C to B to A
  • Reading Your Opponent’s Menu
    • It’s fast game, so learn how to slow it down
    • Recognize tendencies, abilities and options
    • Narrow their options, shorten their menu of choices to increase anticipation
    • Exploit their weaknesses
  • You’re not the President
    • No media, no headlines, no consequences for failure
    • USE practice time to get BETTER
  • The W.I.N. Concept
    • What’s Important Now? Don’t waste energy
    Evaluate, Reset, Prepare
  • Stopping Streaks
    • No more than four points, 25c to 50c to $1.00 to $2.00
    • Serve & return error streaks are killers
  • Endgame Situations
    • Practice these at 17-17, 14-14. Keep track of success/failure rate at practice
    • Find ways to add pressure so that you can get used to it. Bets, penalties
• 2. Doubles Basics
  
  • Serve & Serve Return
    • The Most Important Shots. Short rallies increase their importance
    • You’re in control. No movement adjustments necessary.
      • Find your comfort spot. Consistency and calm. Eyes closed.
      • Ten serves with penalties. Practice being under pressure
    • Pick a target. Balance between Variety and exploiting patterns
      • Drops, pushes, mid-court, rushing, flick serves
      • Quality determines whether you’re on offense or defense right away
  • Hitting Straight
    • Don’t hit cross-court unless for a winner or exploiting weakness
    • Adds depth and time
    • Benefits partner preparation at net and for defense
  • No Unnecessary Lifting
    • FULCRUM POINT – keep the balance in your favor
    • Playing from defense is tiring, hard and usually unsuccessful
    • Use your peripheral vision to find place to hit soft and low
      • Drill with someone moving at net
    • Short court game with 2 people or full court with 4 people
    • Repeated net play requires patience and calmness
    • Lifting sometimes necessary, but too often not
      • When it happens, still pick a target – width, depth, weaker player
  • Rotating with your partner
    • Moving as a team to protect the space. Sliding side-by-side & recover
    • Stepping forward when your partner is being attacked
    • No backing up unless necessary – more later
    • Rotation drill – five points, clockwise and counterclockwise, variations
• 3. Transitioning from Defense to Offense/
  
  • The Three Time Blocks
    • Your shot to their shot
      • Target your shot, give yourself more time
      • Position yourself – face hitter for better vision
      • Evaluate options and possibilities
      • Don’t be passive if they’re attacking your partner
    • Their shot to your shot
      • Evaluate opportunities
      • PICK A TARGET & EXPANDING THE BOX
    • After your shot
      • Move to offense. Coordinate with your partner
  • Lifting
    • Height vs. depth to maximize preparation and balance
  • Attacking Drops
    • Get in an offensive mindset
    • Move in balance with racket ready at height
    • Execute and finish calm with no pullback motion
    • Drill with tossing, then hitting, then rallies
  • Targeted Smash Returns
    • Importance of width. Cross-court only for winner
    • Depth placement to get lifts
    • Know your opponent – drives vs. lifts
    • Drill for width and depth targets
• 4. Staying on Offense
  
  • Being Patiently Aggressive
    • Not every shot has to be a winner. Remember FULCRUM
    • Pick best option given your balance, skills, partner, and opponent
    • Dropping, soft or angled smashing until opportunity to finish
    • Net player needs to apply pressure. Watch opponents and mirror movement
    • Beware overdoing it though. Mea culpa
  • Targeted Smashing
    • Changing your height and location to exploit weaknesses
    • Precision trumps power
    • Practice this in warm-ups
    • READING THE MENU
    • Drill with targets
  • Timing Your Rotation
    • Allows rotation to stronger team balance
• 5. Mixed Doubles Specialties
  
  • The Nine-Square Court
    • He covers 5, she cover 4
  • Unbalancing Your Opponent
    • Using width vs. middle attack in MD
    • Get her to cover 5 or him to cover 6, then attack
  • Protecting Your Weaknesses
    • Lifting away from the woman
    • Rotating ASAP
    • Drill with her retreating
  • Sharing the Glory
    • If she’s finishing, then everything’s good