Nathan Robertson/Gail Emms

Discussion in 'Professional Players' started by Cheung, Aug 1, 2003.

  1. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Just watched their performance on TV at the WC.

    Nathan is very, very good. Haven't seen him play in a few years but he's obviously improved in quality of shotmaking.

    Gail Emms, sorry to say, I think she still has quite a margin for improvement. That the pair have done so well in the past has to be respected but to really get up to the level of Gao/Zhang, Ra/Kim, she is the weaker one.

    When Nathan plays a good shot, Emms plays well. However, other times, her movement is restricted somewhat by her muscle tone. She doesn't have relaxed muscles and I think this is affecting her play.


    Looking on the positive side, that does mean there is potential to improve!!!!!!!
     
  2. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    i think Emms overall style is stiff and awkward. there are some fundamental problem with it. not sure how far she will go.
     
  3. fhchiang

    fhchiang Regular Member

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    gail emms had better become a model than a badminton player
     
  4. Dill

    Dill Regular Member

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    No chance;)
     
  5. rik2k

    rik2k New Member

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    Ha, yes, no chance :p ...
    Yeh, unlike some of the Chinese women she does seem to move very awkwadly.
     
  6. tim

    tim Regular Member

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    Nathan needs to work on his mental strength.
     
  7. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Nathan just came back from some operation on the arm so that's quite an impressive performance by him.

    Mental strength? can you elaborate?
     
  8. Faisal

    Faisal Regular Member

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    yeah...he had an elbow surgery and also Gails was nursing a broken toe!
     
  9. eggroll

    eggroll Regular Member

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    I'm no expert at badminton but have a solid background in other sports where if you have meltdowns mentally it makes it hard to do positive things. This is what I saw in the one match Robertson played in. The opposition were forcing errors and Robertson compounded the difficulty he and his partner were having by attempting winners at poor times and gave up on many points when they should have been digging their heels in. When your partner is attempting low percentage shots and seemingly throwing in the towel early it sends a message that you can be beaten just by a few unlucky shots trickling off the tape or a questionable line call because you are weak in the head.
     
  10. dlp

    dlp Regular Member

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    I think Robertson does show poor body language at times but Emms is always 100% showing will to win, this is probably why they combine well. They aren't the most powerful pair on the circuit by some way but they make up for this with good tactics and a lot of creativity from Robertson.

    At the worlds Robertson came back from a lay off due to surgery, if not for the postponement he wouldn't have played, it was clear at Birmingham he couldn't smash 100%. They aren't in the same league as the top two pairs but have an even chance against any other pair, coming from England in Olympic year thats very important.
     
  11. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Saw Gail play in HK with Kellogg

    I feel a better performance than before. Perhaps a little bit more relaxed. sometimes over stretching (from trying too hard?) But then again, it was a very difficult match against WEi Yi Li and Zhao Ting ting.

    Noticed that her grip is almost panhandle for defence. It sometimes can be a problem when suddenly caught with a quick shot to her backhand.

    I think the pair can be staisfied with their performance having knocked out the Japanese seeded pair.

    That girl Kellogg. Amazingly thin legs and arms. Gave me a big shock to see her suddenly leap up in the air to do a jump smash! Very impressive.

    where was Nathan Robertson this time? Injured again?

    As a side note, also saw Robert Blair/Natalie Munt vs the Koreans. Some very good rallies. Just lacking in that final touch on some of the driving rallies and sometimes ambitious in trying to catch out the Koreans. They definately had their chances though!
     
  12. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Now that JR/Rikke are not continuing their mixed partnership and Kim/Ra are probably not carrying on, this gives an excellent opportunity for Robertson and Emms to move forward. There's a real chance for them at next years world champs to be England's most acclaimed badminton players in the modern era.
     
  13. seven

    seven New Member

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    Unlike what quite a lot of people say, I think Gail Emms is really a top mixed doubles player.

    OK her style doesn't look as smooth as some and her defence is far from the best, but she is aggressive in her shots, has great anticipations and a good vision of the game, and as stated by dlp shows a really big will to win and motivate her partner, which is a very important quality in doubles.

    As you say Cheung, with many top pairs retiring, Gail and Nathan have a big opportunity, they are one of the very best XD pairs remaining!...
     
  14. coops241180

    coops241180 Regular Member

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    hmm, nathan has clearly dramatically improved in the last couple of years by playing in denmark, all aspects of his game have developed to a tru world class level. While Gail isn't quite the same standard as nathan, it's difficult to see how it would show on a mixed court anyway. They've both had their fair share of injuries, nathan's shoulder being an obvious one, but gail hs spent some time out this season with various aches and pains - i truly think neither has been fully fit this season. I expect many more great results in the future.

    maybe an AE title this year or next would be nice...

    No pressure of course...

    would be great to see them on telly again if they do as well as they did in the olympics :eek:D
     
  15. badminfreak

    badminfreak Regular Member

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    I wish I still lived in China... I live in UK
    yeh i have to say they have improved loads and they have reached the top 5 in the world beating china. i envy them now, its not fair that china's men's doubles and mix doubles are sometimes dragging china down. but anyways Nathan and emms are really good;)
     
  16. jamesd20

    jamesd20 Moderator

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    I dont think that the china Mens dbl and mixed bring china down, cai/fu are top3 ranked, and gao/zhang are olympic champions.
     
  17. aiyuuw

    aiyuuw Regular Member

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    well,maybe not really bring china down, but china have fewer great players in that 2 categories, and theyre not dominating as they do in3 other categories:cool:
     
  18. docruben7

    docruben7 Regular Member

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    The All England Mixed double finals was frequently replayed in the Philippines. I believe that Nathan and Gail could have won the title. In the first round they were doing okay but when the Chinese won the second round , because of some good defensive stance and aggressive attacks, the body language of Nathan changed. To me it is a sign of breakdown of mental focus or confidence. To a point you can almost feel the frustration of Nathan affecting his shots precision and selection which of course the Chinese capitalized on. However, I was very impressed with Gail’s mental toughness, her determination to win practically keep the game close. I am sure they have a lot to learn from their Chinese counterpart specially with regards to mental focus training and to be more patient and confident in difficult plays. I am praying that I could see them play again on TV and win against the same Chinese pair.
     

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