[transcript]
Hi everyone, in this video we want to cover 3 tips that will help you defend better in singles.
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I want to bring your attention to this rally. Pay attention to the shot Lakshya plays here and notice what he covers.
You can see immediately after he hits the backhand straight, he covers the straight. Notice his left foot is almost in the center of this halfcourt.
This is mainly for two reasons.
Number one, Lakshya Sen is covering the fastest shot. In this case, the fastest shot would be a straight smash down the line. This is because it has the least distance to travel.
Number two, it is difficult to turn on for backhand defense. If Weng Hong Yang smashes straight down the line here, and Lakshya stands in the middle, he must bring his right foot over and turn his hips. This will make it much harder for Lakshya to defend as the hip turn is one of the most difficult movements in badminton.
Generally, the most dangerous shot can be categorized by two features. One being the fastest shot. In most scenarios, the fastest shot tends to be the straight smash. Another category to think about is what is the most difficult corner to move towards in this short amount of time. These tend to be the corners where the player must turn their hips and body.
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Now, if we skip ahead a few frames you can see Lakshya doing his split step here. Notice his timing. He lands right after the Chinese shuttler has hit the shuttle. This will ensure he can move in the right direction.
Here, in this frame you can see Lakshya reacting and pushing off his left leg.
This is another reason why his defense is so good. The reaction time is insane from Lakshya Sen.
One more thing that goes into this clip is what shot Lakshya Sen is mentally prepared for. Earlier in this video we mentioned that Lakshya Sen’s body position is ready for the straight smash, but he is also mentally ready for the cross court.
This is because he notices Weng Hong Yang’s body position. From this angle, it is harder for the Chinese shuttler to hit straight as he needs to rotate, and it is more natural for him to hit the cross.
That is why he reacts so quickly. He is mentally prepared for the cross, because he knows that this is the most likely shot to come due to Weng’s body position.
It is very natural for players to hit the cross on their around the head corner, because their body is already facing that way.
Look how the shuttle hasn’t crossed the net yet, and he is already reacting.
Easy to say now, but much harder to do in game, especially after doing a full 360 on a backhand clear.
Here he pushes off his left leg and immediately makes the split second decision to dive, as the shuttle is out of his reach.
Notice his center of gravity here, extremely low to gain more power from pushing off.
His right knee hits the ground first and then the arms to help him recover.
And, he gets up smoothly in one motion.
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Now, this is all very difficult and must be practiced, but a way to immediately make your defense better is to focus on the shot quality before.
Many times it is easy to think you have bad defense, when in fact, it’s probably your shot quality before that makes it so difficult to defend.
A halfcourt lift is much easier to kill than a full court one.
If we go back to this clip, we can see that Lakshya Sen has enough time to turn around and prepare his split step because his clear is higher.
We also want to take a look at Weng Hong Yang’s feet position. If we look at where he is hitting, notice that his feet are all the way in the back between these two lines. This will make it so the shuttle has to travel a much farther distance, therefore giving more time to react.
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If you want to start defending like Lakshya Sen, Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan or other pro players, you want to start by understanding which shot is most dangerous. Understanding which shot is most dangerous starts by either watching more pro play, or playing more sparring matches in general and noticing when you get killed versus when you can defend well. Don’t be afraid to experiment when playing practice matches.
Second, is the reaction time. While you definitely can train your reaction time, it is more reliant on your focus during the rallies.
Probably the most important of them all is your shot quality before your defense. A lot of times we are mistaken and think we have bad defense, when in reality our lift or clear was terrible quality.
Focus on these three aspects and you will definitely find your defense improving!
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The three-minute breakdown in your article offers a fantastic tactical lesson by focusing on a single, high-level rally. I agree with you in theory that effective defense is not just about reaction speed but about intelligent positioning based on anticipating the “most dangerous” shot, but the actual implementation and the training required to be able to achieve this level is very intense and very specific at the same time. Still, what I like is that you have analysed Lakshya Sen’s footwork—how he lands his split step just after his opponent makes contact and pushes off his left leg to cover the cross-court, making an elite movement pattern easy to understand.
This angle is very important, and you have successfully hit a very important aspect when you explained that we often blame poor defense on our reactions, when the real issue is the quality of the shot we hit just before.
When you mention watching an opponent’s body position to predict a cross-court shot, what are the one or two most reliable physical cues to look for in the moment, aside from them already facing that direction?
Lakshya Sen’s playing is impressive and it is always good to study how these role models play and what tactics they use, as this can help. you to improve your own game.
I personally find it very difficult to read my opponents, as the game is played so quickly and they can change their position and shot at the last minute which totally throws you out. The worst is when you think they are going to hit across and they end up doing a 360.
Hi Kevin,
Great breakdown — I really enjoyed how clearly you explained defensive positioning and decision-making using Lakshya Sen as the example. The point about covering the fastest and most dangerous shot first really resonated with me, especially the emphasis on hip rotation and why backhand defence is so difficult when you’re caught too central.
I’ve played badminton for years and have always preferred it to tennis — I find it faster paced, more reactive, and actually kinder on the joints, particularly wrists and elbows. That low centre of gravity you mention, combined with split-step timing, is something I’ve found makes a massive difference not just for defence, but for reducing unnecessary strain when lunging repeatedly. You definitely feel it in the glutes after a long session!
I also appreciated the reminder that “bad defence” is often the result of poor shot quality beforehand.
That’s such an overlooked point, especially at club level, where half-court lifts get punished far more than people realise. It’s reassuring (and motivating!) to know that improving defence isn’t always about superhuman reactions, but about smarter preparation and positioning.
Really solid, practical advice — thanks for putting this together. I’ll definitely be paying closer attention to body positioning and shot quality in my next few games.
Cheers
Cherie
The video explains that effective badminton defense is based on smart positioning, anticipation, and shot quality rather than pure speed: by covering the most dangerous shot first, timing the split step with the opponent’s contact, and reading body position to anticipate direction, a player can react earlier and defend more effectively, while emphasizing that many defensive problems actually come from poor clears or lifts played before the smash.