When forced to hit a defensive lift, where is the best place to send the shuttle? Some would argue that it is best to send it to the corners where the distance is furthest, but what would Chen Long and Kento Momota do? Let’s analyse one match between Chen Long and Momota in 2019, the China Open semi-final in Changzhou.

This match is interesting as it is one of the tightly fought matches between Kento Momota and Chen Long. Chen Long went for the attack in this match and was not holding back like he usually does to hit on the counter attack. His aggressive play at the net forced Momota to do defensive lifts many times, and each and every time when Momota was forced to lift the shuttle from very low, he would place it in the central area at the back of the court.

The snapshot above is taken at 27:21 after Chen Long executed a very good spinning net shot. Momota was forced to take the shuttle very low, and he hit it right to the centre. Observe Chen Long’s position as he was preparing to hit the shot. He is standing near the baseline, at the centre of the court.

The snapshot above is taken at 22:14 after Chen Long executed a defensive lift. That was the result from an excellent net shot by Momota. And, again, the position of where Momota is taking the overhead shot is at the baseline, near the centre of the court.

The results from both defensive lifts highlighted above was that the attacking player could not get a point, despite his opponent executing a defensive lift. The position shuttle is the main reason, on top of the fact that the shuttle was falling straight down. Having the shuttle in the centre of the court limits the angles which the attacking player can attack and kill the rally to get an outright point.

Let’s look at it from a tactical view. In both the snapshots above, both defensive lifts were in the same general area. In the diagram below, the Blue circle represents the attacking player, the red circle represents the defending player. The large blue semi-circle represents the distance where the attacking players shots will land if the same amount of power was applied. What that means is the the distance from the attacking player is the same at the blue semi-circle’s perimeter. The red circle’s perimeter is the distance from the defender.

In this scenario, the attacker has 2 good options to attack, and this is represented by the 2 blue lines. If the attack chooses option 1, the shot will land close to the defender, and he can execute a block with relative ease. If the attack chooses option 2, the angle of attack is a bit more difficult for the defender as the shot would land further from the defender. This is a better option to attack as it is harder for the defender to reach it. But, the distance is still not too far off, and the defender can still reach it if he dives or stretches out enough.

What would happen if the defensive lift was sent to the corner instead of the centre of the court? How would the angles look like then?

In the diagram above, the defensive lift is now at the corner. And, let’s assume all things are equal to the first scenario. This time, with the same power/distance, the attacker can hit much better angles. If the attacker chooses option 1, the defender already has to reach further than the previous scenario. The shot will land outside the red circle’s perimeter and the defender will have to dive or stretch out more.

Now, if the attacker chooses option 2, the shot lands very far away from the defender. Even with a dive, the defender is going to struggle to get the shot back. And in the miraculous event that the defender can get it back, he will likely be in an awkward position for a follow up shot which the attacker can do.

This simple analysis of the angles showcases why the top players always aim for the centre when they have to do a defensive lift. There are numerous other factors in play, but in general this logic holds true.

That’s all for this entry.

Until the next update, eat well, get plenty of rest, and keep the badminton going!