Cheung
04-07-2002, 07:03 AM
After all that's been said about 5 x 7, here's a couple of twists.
Personally, I'm not the hottest advocate of such a system. However, I do have to admit, yesterday was the first day I actually had a tournament using this scoring system. I played a men's doubles tournament.
The inital stages of the tournament were 3 x 7. The games were real short. In fact, We did have to start concentrating very early on. Our aim was to keep the shuttle low and always catch at least one point on a service rotation(isn't this always the aim?). Two matches we played of 3 x 7. The first game of each match was always more tricky, but we really pulled ahead in the 2nd games. It is very difficult to come back from a deficit like that. But there was no way I was gonna relax because of the speed at which an opponent can turn the score around.
So come the final, which is 5 x 7. Well, at least we're not so physically exhausted that we can't play the final. All matches were played within the space of three hours!
We are playing against the owner of a well known badminton shop in HK. (Ricky, you know him well!)
My feelings as a competitor is that the match was very tense. I have to understand my partner a lot more, we are forced to talk together more in the breaks to prevent the opponents running away with the match, we must trust each other more in commitment in trying to control the net area.
In fact, I'm really quite enjoying this match - what's particularly enjoyable is that there's no 'war of attrition' with one pair trying to wear the other down by lifting & defending. Both pairs have to take the initiative to attack or work to gain the lift.
In the end, we lost 5-7 in the 5th set. It took about an hour to complete the match. What was annoying was my arm got a little stiff at the end so playing the forecourt shot right on the sweet spot was difficult. I'm not sure if it was physical or mental tiredness or just a loss of concentration.
One thing i realise for a 7 point game is that one really must get used to the hall much faster. It is simply not possible to use up 5 points (like a 15 pt game) just to try and get used to the conditions. It's not just a matter of playing the shuttle around either. One has to observe the drift, lighting conditions, reflection of the wall and other objects.
Example:
This particular community hall had basketball hoops at the end of the badminton court. They are about 3 feet behind the end of the court. I planned to use these hoops when caught in a defensive position by playing a very high and deep lift to where the hoop was. That way it would be difficult for the opponent to produce a full smash for fear of hitting the hoop with his racquet. The options would have been limited to drops, half smash, or clear.
Perhaps I'm biased because I did get a nice racquet bag as a prize. Now, when's the next tournament.........
Personally, I'm not the hottest advocate of such a system. However, I do have to admit, yesterday was the first day I actually had a tournament using this scoring system. I played a men's doubles tournament.
The inital stages of the tournament were 3 x 7. The games were real short. In fact, We did have to start concentrating very early on. Our aim was to keep the shuttle low and always catch at least one point on a service rotation(isn't this always the aim?). Two matches we played of 3 x 7. The first game of each match was always more tricky, but we really pulled ahead in the 2nd games. It is very difficult to come back from a deficit like that. But there was no way I was gonna relax because of the speed at which an opponent can turn the score around.
So come the final, which is 5 x 7. Well, at least we're not so physically exhausted that we can't play the final. All matches were played within the space of three hours!
We are playing against the owner of a well known badminton shop in HK. (Ricky, you know him well!)
My feelings as a competitor is that the match was very tense. I have to understand my partner a lot more, we are forced to talk together more in the breaks to prevent the opponents running away with the match, we must trust each other more in commitment in trying to control the net area.
In fact, I'm really quite enjoying this match - what's particularly enjoyable is that there's no 'war of attrition' with one pair trying to wear the other down by lifting & defending. Both pairs have to take the initiative to attack or work to gain the lift.
In the end, we lost 5-7 in the 5th set. It took about an hour to complete the match. What was annoying was my arm got a little stiff at the end so playing the forecourt shot right on the sweet spot was difficult. I'm not sure if it was physical or mental tiredness or just a loss of concentration.
One thing i realise for a 7 point game is that one really must get used to the hall much faster. It is simply not possible to use up 5 points (like a 15 pt game) just to try and get used to the conditions. It's not just a matter of playing the shuttle around either. One has to observe the drift, lighting conditions, reflection of the wall and other objects.
Example:
This particular community hall had basketball hoops at the end of the badminton court. They are about 3 feet behind the end of the court. I planned to use these hoops when caught in a defensive position by playing a very high and deep lift to where the hoop was. That way it would be difficult for the opponent to produce a full smash for fear of hitting the hoop with his racquet. The options would have been limited to drops, half smash, or clear.
Perhaps I'm biased because I did get a nice racquet bag as a prize. Now, when's the next tournament.........