I just came up with this answer a few days ago, when I was watching the Thomas Cup 2002, and was just wondering about what to watch first, is it the footwork, the way they serve or anything?
Thank you for all that can help

WiLdStYLeR

I think I would watch it once or twice just for the entertainment, then break it down into elements for analysis. If it's on tape, it would probably wear out from all the start/pause/rewind/slo-mo...

i would recommend watching at HOW they play.. because badminton is a game of strategy... and your strategy has to adapt to the strategy of the opponent... it's good to watch how their styles and shots change to adapt....

I have many videos and have watched all of them several times. A few years back I found it helped to have a role model and to focus on that player during a match. When on court you then try to emulate the player (basically the style, movement and strokes).

Also, you can learn quite a lot tactically and put some ideas into practise. I found singles particularly good to watch. On some viewings, a second or so before a shot was played I'd imagine what stroke I would play. If it was different then I'd look at why and examine the various outcomes. Imagining myself there on the court enabled me to open up to a more advanced game and then I would devise practises accordingly. But finding a player willing to jointly practise with you - well, that can be a problem in itself!

well... at the same time though, sometimes it might be difficult to use certain strategies because their level is much higher than yours...

Another way to implement what you see...

If you watch great playing repeatedly with interest and positive emotions, and allow what you see to be processed with your right-brain instead of consciously analyzing it with the left brain, you will acquire some of the "feel" of playing well, and some of the techinques and strategies will automatically become part of your game. You can practice some visualization with that, too.

You could get the full benefit by combining this with left-brain analysis of particular elements.

there are multiple levels of things to look for when watching badminton video. some uses less brain, some uses more:

1) the easiest, just play the tape, watch point to point, and just in general blends into the excitement without doing much analysis of the game. cheer when your supported side wins.

2) dig deeper into each rally. pay attention to the general strategy used by each side. look at movement and formation in doubles. look at shot choices in singles.

3) look at the intricates of the technique. footwork, strokes, consistency among shots, wrist/finger movement, net shots techniques.

please feel free to add more levels to it and elaborate more on what you do.

what i find is that, the further down the list you go, the more time and brain power is needed for the analysis, and the more replay and thus more wear on the tape...

(still eyeing on the DVD recorder, the prices has gone down to US$750 now)

(still eyeing on the DVD recorder, the prices has gone down to US$750 now)

I've been keeping an eye on that too. I have given up on trying to capture video on my computer. First of all, I could only capture video but not sound. Secondly, by the time I buy the rewritable DVD drive, the firewire card, the burning software etc., etc., it would be more expensive than a stand alone unit that would work out of the box!

As to analysing video tapes, I have found it much more efficient to get the proper information from a good coach. Someone who has been there and done that. So I just wath them for entertainment.

:)