PARTNERSHIP IN MIXED DOUBLES OVERVIEW The key to effective partnership in mixed doubles is the clear understanding of the role of the man and the woman. Traditional mixed tacties in New Zealand have been geographically based - the short service line demarking the territory of the man Teverything behind the line is mine) and the territory of the woman (everything in front of the line is yours). This decision has invariably been made by the man! As a result, mixed doubles has necessarily not been a pleasant experience for women: «men have a misguided belief in their own obility because they are playing most of the shots «the role of the woman has been minimised, therefore women do not develop confidence in themselves o” in their on-court role + this lack of confidence is compounded by the frequency with which the man puts the woman in potentially life-threatening situations on-court through poor tactical play «the woman is often forced to play shots and make decisions under pressure « the forward position of the woman means that she cannot-be effective in covering the man..therefore the man does not learn how to come forward in mixed doubles «NZ mixed is based on attack / defend; the art of playing flat, of playing a dry, waiting game has not been learnt Phew! Roles Role of the man 1. Control the opposing man in the back court - fast shuttles deep into the corners 2. Control the opposing woman in the front court - turn her at the net 3. Play shots which make his partner feel comfortable - Role of the woman 1. Control the net - play the shuttle in front of the body. and hit flat or down 2. Avoid lifting - ie control the net 3. Return to the net from mid or back court - don't hang back aROLE OF MAN & WOMAN This is the ideal role - it will not always be possible or wise to play these shots Role of the man 1, Control the opposition man in the rear court (mainly used from backhand side to get to opposition’s backhand - when 2 right handers are playing) (a) Opposition man drop or smashes - take shuttie early and go cross court fust— (flat lift or drive to get into opposition male's backhand). With lift there is interchange between male and female; with drive female stays on straight. (b) Opposition male smashes - block straight or cross to make opponents move then lift fast cross court 2. Control the opposition female in the front court (a) Move her from side to side at net (must toke early shuttle) (b) From opposition male attack or half court game - drive to centre & follow in (c) Make opposition female take mid court shot and then turn across the net 3. Play shots to comfort partner Main point is to get shuttle below the net. (@) If the shuttle is above the net - drive down centre (b) If shuttle is below the net - turn across the net with a soft shot (must take shuttle early!) Role of the woman 1, Control the net Number 1 priority is not to lift, Drop, or push to mid court. Shuttle must be taken in front of body. If shuttle is behind female she should not play it. Park Joo Bong states the woman should be ciming to take 7 or 8 out of 10 net or push shots from the opposition! 2. Return to net area from rear court - already covered 3. Return to net from defensive position - already coveredMIXED DOUBLES TACTICS FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE PLAYERS (Based on a presentation by Park Joo Bong at the World Championships in Glasgow, 1997.) Patterns There are three important patterns in mixed - attack, defence and rotation. ATTACK 1. From a mid-court lift - male attacks centre of court or opposition female; attacking female “hunts” return. 2. Rear court hitting down - drop shot to centre to create attack: smash down centre with attacking female looking to intercept. s | z+ | =3. When male attacks female - female blocks into space and follows in. Female must cover straight net and half court straight but must also be aware of covering cross court net. More aggressive reply is to drive straight and follow in, M » yr a w | | | | ROTATION 1, When female is at rear court. 2. Changing sides - male straight (c) Drop straight followed by smash lifts followed by fast cross lift, down the centre and follow in. female moves across in front of male (b) Smash straight then drop to the centre and follow in3. Rear court clear - when ‘opposition female is forward use fast attacking cross court clear to create an opportunity to attack down, M w Ww M DEFENCE CHANGING TO ATTACK 1. When male attacks male - male 2. When female attacks male - blocks straight (and looks to take male drives back at female and next shot) or male blocks cross follows in to look for kil court (female looks to take next shot). IM WwRole of the woman 1, Control the net - play the shuttle in front of the body, and hit flat or down 2, Avoid lifting - ie control the net 3. Return to the net from mid or back court - don't hang back 1% 4 shots The unique combination of man serving to man, man serving to woman, woman serving to man and woman serving to woman make the 1* 4 shots in mixed slightly different to doubles. There are 3 zones for the return of serve in doubles and mixed - net, mid- court and rear court. As well these returns can be played straight or crosscourt. While all these replies can be used in doubles, the combination of man and woman and their respective positions on the. court make some replies more advisable than others in mixed TASK: Consider which returns of serve are good, average and poor for the following low serving situations. (The serve is from right court to right court with 4 right handers) ‘Manto | Manto | Woman to | Woman to if __man woman man woman Straight net Cross net Straight mid court | a Cross mid court | Push at server Straight rear court Cross rear court The woman getting flick-served in mixed presents a problem to most young players. The best returns in this situation are a cross court clear (fast), a straight drop or a straight smash. As in doubles, the 3" and 4" shots in the rally determine the course of the rally. Mixed varies from doubles in that the half court “dry” game is Badminton NZ Level 2 L