Handling the pressure before a match

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by Nova89, Sep 2, 2014.

  1. Nova89

    Nova89 Regular Member

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    I am working with a kid, I did training/coaching lessons with him for a month and he has improved I would say. He really likes playing badminton and I can tell he wants to become good at it. Before I coached him he had taken coaching lessons from another coach as well so he's got the hang of the game pretty much. When I watch him play it seems like he do good, offense and defense, proper form and footwork, he's got it all down but the problem I saw is that he play with people with lower skill level like those who I could tell did not have coaching. So I had him play with me against my friends who are relatively advanced and one thing I noticed was that he could not play the way he plays when I watch his games with other people. I know he is being pressured, I have tried to calm him down and take deep breaths and enjoy the game but it's been weeks that I tried to get him involved with my matches and he still freeze like a rock when our rallies gets intense. What advice would be helpful for a person like this, because I see talent wasted. Plus he plans to join a tournament in 2 months.
     
  2. amleto

    amleto Regular Member

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    more match practice
     
  3. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    He's probably feeling the pressure to win and not fail. Tell him he shouldn't think of it as win/fail situation, but treat it like a learning/training session where playing against higher level players will eventually elevate your game.

    He should tell himself that even though he'll most likely lose, but he'll lose with the knowledge of having tried his best.

    The most important thing is to play his best, even though he won't win.
     
  4. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    How old is this kid and is it doubles or singles?
     
  5. Nova89

    Nova89 Regular Member

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    Never bothered to ask but he mentioned to me he's in highschool so probably in his teens. We play doubles. It's been three weeks that I played with him against challenging players and like what visor said, that's my intention - to elevate his performance and get him ready for his tournament. He's spent money on good equipments too, physically he is fit and tall which is an advantage, just too nervous when it comes to playing with good players so it hinders his performance
     
  6. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Only three weeks? Needs a bit more time on court in game play.

    What I suggest is to concentrate initially on service, return of serve and third shot push.

    Then, in training, play practice games up to seven points - not normal ones but things like half court, Danish singles, 2 vs 1, 3 vs 1, 4 vs 2. These games practice the focus and concentration on court. In order to play these well, the player has to be able to block out other thoughts.

    Being a young guy in a new group, he's probably thinking: I'm playing so bad, people see me play bad, that girl I like is not impressed, don't want to get in the way of my partner etc.

    Once he can start to block out these thoughts, he can concentrate on which shots to play in certain situations. Keep it basic at first - try not to lift, make the opponent lift the shuttle. Of course, sometimes it is not going to work, then tell him why generally that shot in that situation is not as good as a different shot. If you do these in short practice games, the message can stick easier. If you play to 21 points, people forget what mistakes were made earlier (because nobody is writing down anything).

    In singles it's easier but doubles seems more complicated initially because of an extra factor called your partner.

    Doing this together with playing the normal games should be helpful.
     
  7. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Your friends are playin different shots and tactics what he is used to. It will take a bit of time for him to recognise these differences.

    With the tournament, if he is relatively inexperienced, say to him it is a good thing if he can win. But if he loses, most important thing is to learn areas of his game that can be improved - whether technical or psychological or tactical. After all, people quickly forget about the last tournament and think forward to the next one.

    After HK Open, Chen Long had just beaten Lee Chong Wei to win it. After the ceremony and behind the scenes, CL and his coach Xia Xuen Ze were discussing preparations for the next tournament. The last tournament has been played; move on to the next one.
     
  8. Gary Lim

    Gary Lim Regular Member

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    In psychology terms, he's probably at an age where he's torn between the Identity and Confusion (Erikson's Psychosocial Stages).

    So as what Cheung mentioned earlier, he's wanting to find out what's his "Self". He wants to be something, he tries to be that something and he hopes he can become that something.

    Playing against easier opponents will make the above feel achievable. But it's possible that once he plays against more skilled players, the above becomes more uncertain. Doubt and belief - the difference is real.

    You might want to try what's called "reinforcement", which has both a positive and negative method.
    Positive reinforcement is basically giving a reward for achieving something.
    Negative reinforcement is basically taking away a penalty/chore for achieving something.
    Both creates "happy" outcomes for the achievement and creates empowerment, belief and drive to reach the achievement.

    You can also practice positive validation - applaud and offer praise when he's playing against you and does a good shot or performs a stroke well. Let him know that he's doing good. If you find yourself stopping gameplay to rectify a mistake, you may want to consider waiting until end of that game to review and rectify. It's tempting, to stop since the action would have been recent and in memory but it also demoralises and plants doubts and other thoughts that may affect the rest of his normal gameplay.

    Just my 2 cents. My experience is only with training staff for face-to-face operations. :p
     
  9. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Guess I got something consistent with the experts :D

    For the bit in bold, hence the advice of playing games to 7 points. Also the practice games in restricted court areas are good as the shot selection is more restricted - less choice of shot means he can concentrate better on what shots he has available. Initially, it's very hard and psychologically uncomfortable. However, it is a standard training technique to ultimately step up to full games.

    Just asked one ex-international men's doubles player a few days back how to train reaction defence like the Koreans. (We were watching the WC final). He just said, "4 on 2". LOL
     
  10. Nova89

    Nova89 Regular Member

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    Good inputs Cheung. I like him in singles though. Our first singles match he lost but 21-15 and I believe that's decent. But I tell him doubles is different, lifts/clears are to be avoided as possible, mindset has to be aggressive, aim to pressure, its quicker and you wanna attack, net kill/shot as much as you can and just send the birdie down. Just wondering perhaps it's me trying to turn him to be more aggressive, I mean he's got the height this shouldnt be the problem.

    I am very optimistic when it comes to playing with a partner in doubles. I do not rage or show signs of disappointment. Nobody is perfect and I believe it's all about level of confidence. He needs to be confident. Now as far as to rectify mistakes, from time to time I give a friendly advice but trust me I have a nice way of doing it. lol. But perhaps you're right, I'm trying to turn this guy into an aggressive type of player like me because I see advantage from his height and maybe he dont need to have that kind of playstyle. So I dont know but it's doubles you know.
     
  11. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Height is one thing. Character and playing style is another.

    Some players are less aggressive than others so it takes time to change mentality.

    It sounds like he is more suited for singles than doubles at this point in time.

    But for his doubles, in games, I suggest trying a slightly different approach that may suit his character more. Rather than trying to kill the shuttle straight away, suggest tactics that keep the pressure on the opponent. i.e. downward shots, rather than kills. e.g. he doesn't have to smash straight away - a drop shot or a block to the forecourt is just as good to help setup the shuttle for a more comfortable position to smash. Watch Chris Adcock of England for an excellent example of this style. Chris places the shuttle carefully and is a counterattacker even for the fast paced doubles game.

    In doubles, one essential thing is he must move to the shuttle to take it earlier. Not wait for it to come to him. In singles, you have a little more leeway in letting the shuttle drop on certain shots.

    It takes some time to work out your student's style so don't worry too much about the competition especially as it is only 3 weeks since you started working with him. Of course, everybody wants to do well, but people react differently to tournaments and losses:

    - Some people react very positively immediately - I did such and such that was good but I did this and that which wasn't. Or they actively ask questions about what happened here or what happened there.

    - Some will cry in the disappointment but bounce back with determination after a short period of time.

    - Some will cry and never come back even though they are very good!

    Be a bit wary that your student is the third category!;)


    BTW, this is a good discussion
     
    #11 Cheung, Sep 2, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2014
  12. Gary Lim

    Gary Lim Regular Member

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    I like these points.

    We may see the strengths and possibilities in others but until they also see and believe, they'll never embrace it.

    At work, it's "90% of the time, I do what I have to do, 10% of the time, I do what I feel like doing".

    At leisure, it's "90% of the time, i do what I feel like doing, 10% of the time, I do what I have to do".

    If the player/student is looking at it from a "work" point of view, good. But if he/she isn't, then it's a mentality switch. Perhaps he has a particular "style" that he would like to (or thinks he wants to) play but the advice you're giving is wanting him to play different to this.

    I go back to my psychology analysis - Therapy works only if the client wants change. We only help them to explore and understand if this is change that they want before we start.
     
  13. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    For a teenager, you can't expect him to know how to handle high pressure situations. He just has to play more competitive games to gain experience.

    With guidance pointers, like being focused, letting your muscle memory do the work, one point at a time, not being afraid to lose, mental rehearsal, error parking, etc, he should be able to gain more confidence playing tough games.

    Maybe you shouldn't pick opponents that are too hard for him to start with... at least let him build some confidence first. :p
     
  14. noregrof

    noregrof New Member

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    Very interesting points from previous comments.

    I'd say, you need to understand what is his mental lock? Is he afraid to get hit or something? To disappoint someone? Simply to loose?
    Focusing on something like the two lasts, I would add:
    Short term, explain him how long is the path to become a champion and thus that not one match nor one tournament has importance as long as when you loose, you learn something from it.
    Long term, meditation. :)
     
  15. Nova89

    Nova89 Regular Member

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    I had to stop him one time because his hand was shaking so hard you could see from the racket. Told him to take deep breaths and just have fun. You know, what probably most of you would advice, "no pressure, its just a game". I think I'll just keep on getting him involved even though it seems cruel that I have to put this kind of stress on him. Just want to get his self confidence ready for the tournament, if he wins first match that's all that matters, dont want this kid to lose because he is too nervous to play competitive match with people watching u know.
     
    #15 Nova89, Sep 3, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2014
  16. visor

    visor Regular Member

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    Shaking? Yikes, make sure he doesn't drink any Coke or coffee or any caffeineated drink a few hrs before playing.

    And tell your opponents to take it easy on him.
     
  17. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Did he enter this competition of his own accord or did somebody force it on him?
     
  18. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    My gut feeling is this young player is going a bit early into a tournament unless it is a very small informal tournament (like within a club). Anything bigger than that is a detriment.

    Is it possible he's being pushed too quickly after only playing with beginners four weeks ago?
     
  19. Nova89

    Nova89 Regular Member

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    [MENTION=57143]visor[/MENTION] Yeah, shaking tells me he's really nervous. I watch him do this when he's receiving service :/

    [MENTION=7]Cheung[/MENTION] He entered on his own accord. It will be his first. I'm all for it. I think it will be a good experience. National players not qualified so I dont have much knowledge about this tournament but he said categories Mens, Womens and Mixed doubles. no singles, I'm sure they'll get players from other clubs. Cash, racket and trophy would be their prize. So probably gonna be a big one since A - E levels
     
    #19 Nova89, Sep 3, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 3, 2014
  20. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Entered of his own accord? Well done to him. The experience will be good for him: )
     

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