Defensive positions, in singles do vary but the basic defence position is to be standing in the middle of the court so there is more chance of you being able to get to all of the corners of the court. In doubles the defensive position is very similar but each person only needs to cover half the court. Defending normally occurs when the shuttlecock is lifted or cleared; this giving the opponent the chance to attack. The principle of defending in level doubles is practically the same as in mixed doubles; as the lady should come back to defend as the opponents start to attack. As soon as the lady starts attacking she should be attacking at the net as the man generally covers the back.

 Hi   Hi       

This image  shows what an attacking position should be like and shows that the point is easier to win because they are putting more pressure on the defending pair to keep it away from the net. This making them play shot like dopshots and clear which are giving the defending pair chances to play smashes and drop. Playing these type of shot means there's more chance of them wining the rally.

Here this image is describing  the defensive singles position which is that the player should be positioned just behind his/her base. This is because the player will, most likely, be attempting to return smashes. However, they need to still be able to get to the net because the opponent can still play drop shots which can catch the player out if they are too far back.

This image shows the attacking position of a singles player. This position gives the attacker the option to put pressure on his opponent and hopefully get them to give him/her a easy shot to kill. However, if the opponent lifts it to the back of the court then they will haven to move back to continue the rally. This is why the position is not right up at the net because the shuttlecock would most likely be hit over their head and he would risk losing the point.