im a low to mid C player, i have trouble when i play weaker opponents, even though i never lose, i make it a lot harder than it needs to be(all my shots are not as solid, i dont move around as much), is there anyone that can give me tips on how to negate this problem?
You have trouble winning against weaker players probably because: 1. You underestimated them... 2. You were too worried about losing to them... 3. You weren't challenged by them, as a result you lost focus... Heh! Feel free to add more excuses.
yeah, the same happens to me... i am a decent badminton player and play with a lot of my friends... i see that when my opponent is player real good baddy, my game also improves, everything shots, reach etc... but at the other hand, when it's a weaker opponent, then I intend to play all those crap shots... hitting in nets, outside lines... well, i really don't know the answer maybe it's something psycological...
I was talking to my coach yesterday about the unwritten rule - giving the opponent two points so they don't get beat 15-0, he said he had never heard of it and he has never given points away even to children. Of course, he was joking but you can kind of get his meaning about lowering your standard to accomodate lesser players as he clearly has to do with me. Don't take your eye off the ball and play your game consistantly, irrespective of who the opponent is or what their skill level is. If you win well done, if you lose then try harder next time and learn from your mistakes!
Hi, Me too I have hard time against beginners. I mean I don't lose against them but they are unpredictable. They do weird mishit that end up with a point. When I play against Higher level competitor they just seem to be more predictable.
I agree, I think a coached player is easier to play because you can look at the body and footwork and generally sus things out, their shots tend to be percentage shots and more predictable. Beginners don't have a clue about the "proper" way to move or hit for the most part so it goes anywhere, they try their hearts out and sometimes they don't realise because of this they are very funny to watch but I like it when you let a point go because you go one way the shuttle goes another after a mishit and they act as if they meant it or nothing happened. I tend to hit shots from a more square on position and today I spent an hour or so trying to get side on and hit through the shuttle, once my coach introduced shuttles after shaddowing I mistimed completely missed the shuttle, my momentum carried me forward and my top half nearly went through the floor. It had him in stitches for ages, he had to sit down he was laughing so much, we are all beginners at times and we need to remember we started there, some of us are clearly still there as well judging by todays session.
back to basics one thing to do when you're playing with weaker players is to practice all the things you still have to be able to do well - service, service returns, moving and rotating correctly - after all, even if it's going to be an easy match you might as well get a little extra training in, right? that's how i look at it. gregory
things like drop shots can also be practised, since it is ok if you lose a couple of points, if the shot is too high, too low
How about mentally think the opponent already winning by 13-0? Maybe I should try my own advice. I've got the same problem as badmad or always follow one rule: no quarter given no matter whom. I suppose that one excuse is that I don't want to be too mean (specially with friends) and end up making crappy shots in a game. Sometimes I try to practice some basic shots. But as Brave_Turtle says, their shots are sometimes sooo unpredictable it's either laughable or frustrating.
When you're playing against a weaker opponent that you shouldn't be losing to, you're probably not as tense as playing a good opponent. Sometimes this causes us to forget to do the split jump motion or our split jump timing goes off, try to focus on your split jump because it is what makes you move fast. Second, focus on finding the opponent's main flaw and use it to your advantage as much as possible. That way the opponent would more likely focus on correcting his/her main flaw as well after the game.
Mentally Strong and Focused how to maintain your level of play against "weaker opponents"....I experience these quite often and last night, was horrendous. I played a total of 1XD & 5MD games, and I lost them all. Plus side is I am pretty consistent I think one need to maintain a mental toughness regardless the skill level of your opponents. Played the game with the objective to maintain a upper hand, NO excessive horsing around thinking that your skills will able to pull you out of a hole. That is a killer. Focus..I find that I tend to lose focus on my shots. They become more errants and very loose. Shots into the net, clearing half-court and hitting out on the side. As well, find that I played more unorthodox shots. (i.e. Bunga shots )
Yeah, I think Bruce Lee too once said that fighting against an untrained person is unpredictable and thus you end up getting caught off guard a few times. The same thing happens in everything else I guess but never to a point where the beginner actually beats you unless you were a beginner yourself or you were tied to the post .
hey.. it makes sense. i did underestimate my opponent.. when i could trash a much more decent player 15-0,15-0 yet onli win 15-4,15-6 to a somewhat feels like a half-noob or some1 who plays like beginners. somehow i always do fancy shots and clear it far outside the backline. and to my horror , i LOST in a competition 2nd round when i met a opponent which i underestimate.. ended up i panic as he catchs up 12-12. i was really really scared of losing and keep hitting out. turned out 15-12. during rubberset again i repeated my mistake. once i got a comfortable lead i slack again. allowing my opponent to catch up. and , the last few points were just given to him Free of charge. i even joke with the empire saying i purposely lose the second set to play rubber set. OMG.
because i want to make sure that i wasn't smashed by a weaker opponent(which was quite embarrasing if missed especially when people r looking and your opponent looks obviously weaker). i often tried to push it to baseline.. but ended far out of court. if not i will be returning a mid-court. it seems quite impossible to clear to the base when playing with a weaker opponent. funny huh?
