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Crossminton-Handbuch

Setting up the smash

Tactics · Advanced

Explanation

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The smash is your hardest stroke — but it only wins the point when it comes from the right situation. A smash from a bad position puts you yourself in trouble. This module shows how you create the moment in which the smash is on.

The key is the ball that opens the chance for you. A good smash rarely comes out of nowhere. Usually it's preceded by a stroke that forces the opponent to play the Speeder up — a deep clear that drives them back, or a ball that throws them off balance. Exactly this high, weak return is your invitation to smash.

So: recognize the switch moment. When the opponent, under pressure, plays a high, short ball, that's your signal to change from build-up to finish. If the ball stands too low or too far away, you'd rather hold and keep building, instead of forcing a bad smash.

And as with the technique: consistency beats maximum pace. Two or three placed smashes in a row wear down the defense more than a single hard one that misses. After every smash you return immediately, ready for the return.

The smash is the nail, but the build-up is the hammer swing. Without the swing — the ball that opens the opponent — you hit thin air. Whoever only stares at the nail and bashes wildly misses it.

1 push deep 2 3 push → high → smash
Key graphic: setting up the smash

Exercise

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Finish from the build-up

Goal

Set the smash from a prepared situation, not force it.

How to do it

  1. Play with a partner who feeds you balls.
  2. Start with a deep clear that drives the partner to the back.
  3. Wait for their return: if it comes high and short, attack with the smash. If it comes deep, keep building.
  4. Deliberately practice both decisions — finishing and holding.
  5. Return to the central position immediately after every smash.

Progression

Let the partner return freely. Train your eye to recognize the one high, weak ball among several and attack only that one.

Self-check

Do you smash only from good positions, or do you force the finish from bad ones too? A held-back smash from a bad position is a better decision than a forced one that puts you yourself on the defensive.

Wrap-up

The prepared smash is the yield of the whole build-up. Patience in the build-up and decisiveness at the right moment belong together.

Classification
Playing goals
Answer to defensive players, Switching solutions, Recognizing the switch moment
Prerequisites
Building the point — long and short, The smash