{"id":124929,"date":"2024-06-19T16:45:14","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T16:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badminton-insight.com\/?p=124929"},"modified":"2025-04-11T16:20:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T16:20:55","slug":"how-to-intercept-shots-at-the-net","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badminton-insight.com\/how-to-intercept-shots-at-the-net\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Intercept Shots At The Net In Badminton (7 Rules)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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How To Intercept Shots At The Net In Badminton (7 Rules)<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A net interception in badminton is when the opponent hits a hard shot<\/span> and the net player is able to hit that shot<\/span> before it goes past them.\u00a0<\/p>

Intercepting these shots will\u00a0not only help your partner out, but it will give your opponents<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>less time to react\u00a0<\/span>and put them under more pressure, helping you to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>win more points as a result!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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But sometimes it can be hard to know when you should intercept a shot or leave it for your partner. <\/span>Or to know how to play a good shot when you\u2019re intercepting.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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But if you can learn this you will be a much better badminton player!\u00a0This article will help you learn everything you need to know about intercepting shots at the net in doubles.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The 7 rules for intercepting shots at the net in badminton are:<\/strong><\/p>

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  1. Stand in the correct position<\/li>
  2. Be aware of where your partner hits to<\/li>
  3. Watch what your opponent\u2019s are doing<\/li>
  4. Have the correct racket positioning<\/li>
  5. Improve your reactions<\/li>
  6. Practice<\/li>
  7. Take risks<\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    We\u2019ll now go through each of these rules in more detail, so you can gain the knowledge and confidence <\/span>to take your net interceptions to a whole new level!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Rule 1 - Stand In The Correct Position<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    How Far Back Should You Stand?<\/b><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    A very common mistake we see is that people often stand too close to the net! Being too close to the net makes it more difficult to react in time, leading to you either mistiming the shuttle or missing it completely.<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    We\u2019d recommend standing around here to be able to intercept almost every shot:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    What Side Should You Stand On?<\/b><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Now you know roughly how far back to stand, which side should you stand on? Let\u2019s go through two scenarios to help you understand this better.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Scenario 1<\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    When your opponents have lifted and you know your partner is in a good, threatening position at the back,<\/span> you should stand slightly further over to the side that your partner is on<\/span> (we\u2019ll go through why you should to do this in the next rule<\/u><\/b><\/a>).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Positioning when the rear court player is in a good position where R represents the rear court player and N represents the net player<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Scenario 2<\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    When your opponents have lifted but this time your partner is off balance and in trouble at the back, <\/span>you would now stand slightly to the other side. <\/span>This is because<\/span> your partner is likely to play a worse shot and your opponents will want to hit into the big gap on the other side of the court. Standing slightly to the other side means you\u2019re more likely to be able to intercept this shot!\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Positioning when the rear court player is off balance where R represents the rear court player and N represents the net player<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Bearing those 2 scenarios in mind, you should almost never be stood in the middle of the court, <\/span>and this is a very common mistake people make!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    If you only ever stand in the middle, it makes it difficult to intercept<\/span> any shots to the sides – unless your opponents hit it straight to you. It also makes it difficult for your partner <\/span>to know which side to cover, resulting in them having to cover BOTH sides!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Another bonus tip<\/span> is to have your feet at a slight diagonal <\/span>in line with the corner that you think the shuttle is going to go, as this will help you be much faster and therefore more likely to intercept the shuttle!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Rule 2 - Be Aware Of Where Your Partner Hits To<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Being aware of where your partner hits to is important so that you can calculate the likely reply, and adjust your positioning accordingly! Here are 3 tips for mastering this:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    1) If your partner is playing lots of soft drop shots and your opponents are taking it late<\/span> then it\u2019s almost impossible for them to play a flat lift, and the most likely shot is either a net shot or a high lift. In this scenario, you should be much closer to the net!\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    2) Add in some \u2018set plays\u2019 to create an interception opportunity. <\/span>As mentioned earlier, if your partner is in a good position and you move slightly to the same side, your partner could hit a straight smash down the tramline because the most likely reply is a straight shot, which you can then intercept!\u00a0<\/p>

    This is called a ‘channel attack’.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Channel attack positioning after a good straight smash where R represents the rear court player and N represents the net player<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    \n\t\t\t\t\ud83d\udca1 There\u2019s 1 common mistake that prevents you from doing these set plays - a lack of communication with your partner. You can\u2019t get angry at your partner for smashing down the middle and not setting up your amazing interception, because you haven\u2019t told them to smash straight!\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    3) Listen to the sound of your partners strings as they\u2019re hitting <\/span>as this is the best way to figure out what shot they\u2019re playing! To keep it simple, a louder sound is typically a smash,<\/span> which means the shuttle is more likely to come back harder so you can intercept it, and a softer sound would typically be a drop shot<\/span> where you then might move your position forward slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    A lot of people tend to turn around to see what shot their partner is hitting, but we wouldn\u2019t<\/span> recommend this as it\u2019s dangerous and you can\u2019t keep an eye on what your opponents are doing, which leads us onto the 3rd rule\u2026<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Rule 3 - Watch What Your Opponents Are Doing<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Watching what your opponents are doing will help you decide how far back to stand, and also where to stand<\/span>.<\/p>

    Let’s go through 3 examples:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    1) If you see your opponent coming in with a straight arm and one slow motion,<\/strong>\u00a0they\u2019re more likely to block the shuttle so you\u2019d want to be stood closer to the net.<\/p>

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    2) If t<\/strong>hey look like they\u2019re preparing with a big back swing,<\/strong>\u00a0this means they\u2019re more likely to hit the shuttle hard and you can then be ready to intercept it.<\/p>

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    3) <\/strong>Or, if you hear your partner smash and\u00a0your opponent on the straight turns to face cross court <\/strong>you know the smash is going cross court, so you can start to move over!<\/p>

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    Seeing these cues from your opponent\u2019s body and racket positioning <\/span>will really improve your ability to intercept shots.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Rule 4 - Correct Racket Positioning<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    We\u2019d recommend being in a relaxed <\/b>forehand grip<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span> for almost all interceptions, no matter which side the shuttle is on.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Forehand grip<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    This is because you should try not to change to a backhand grip to intercept a shot<\/span> as it takes too long! This means you wouldn\u2019t be taking the shuttle as early, and therefore wouldn\u2019t be able to play an aggressive shot.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    So, where exactly should you have your racket?\u00a0<\/b><\/h5>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Well, this is up for debate and we\u2019ve discussed this in a lot more detail here<\/u><\/b><\/a>\u00a0but in general, we\u2019d recommend:<\/p>

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