I have a match approaching. I am a 14 years old girl and a school singles player. I am 170cm tall. Basically, all I know is that my opponent is strong. I have this impression that usually a strong singles player is very good in smashing and lobbing and has good stamina (I thought singles somehow is all about smashing and lobbing too). My lobbing is relatively well, but surely it could be better. I am wondering if I would at disadvantage if the opponent's lobbing is better than mine. I am weak with the front balls like drop shot and netting. Surely I think there's no way I can force the opponent not to give me that kind of balls. i must give the opponent low balls so that she could not smash. I may have to try to conserve my energy and try to end each service as fast as possible because I have to play against a even stronger player the day after. I need to know if my analyse is correct.(or did I not analyse at all?) And i need advices on this match. Thank you! Renki
Hey Renki.. I'm around the same age as you but only male, hehe.. but yeah.. just a question.. would you happen to know if your opponent is quick on her feet? is her footwork good? cause if she lacks agility, you could probably use that to your advantage.. - Alby..
From my experience, I usually like to observe my oponents before I play them during a match, and if you don't have that opportunity, as you may not, you'll need to test your opponent's ability early on in the game or 1st set. I would recommend that you find out your opponent's strengths, weaknesses, what type of tempo (ie. quick and fast, or slow and steady volleys), and after you learn that in the first few volleys, you play against it. I typically view the following areas in a singles game; Footwork: you'll need to have good coverage of the court Serves: Long (very very high and a straight drop to the back serve line) or a quick steep angle serve, Short serves (i typically serve down the middle, and on occasions will mix it with a service to the side) control: placing shots (ie. long, short, net, drops, smash etc...), knowing the court, tempo Endurance: You have to be in shape Test your opponent for all of the above; 1. make your opponent run, drop shot, how quickly do they recover from a a smash, drop, or a clear. 2. how well do they serve 3. test their back hand, test their long shots, see if they know the boundaries of they court. (i've seen some people continue to play a birdie/ shuttlecock even though it is "out") After they win a point, do they return to their service position quickly and serve quickly(fast tempo), or do they take their time(slow tempo). Do they like playing fast volleys, or mixing the shots up? 4. Watch their endurance level, force them to use more energy than you. How? make them move from one spot on the court to the other. I guess it goes without saying, attack their weakness. My first choice would be their backhand. What can your opponent do when presented with a backhand shot (a clear, a smash, drop)? Is it always a drop shot, or 1/2 strength clear, or can they return it with a strong clear, or even a smash? Disrupt their tempo ie. if they like a fast tempo, try slowing it down. Good luck.
You are 14 years old and with a height of 170cm - well you are tall and should be advantageous in badminton. My advice to you is just go to your game and enjoy it. Play the game the way you play normally - like when in practice or when against your team mates. Do not put yourself into too much pressure to win. You are supposed to enjoy the game in the first place, right? Have a good game.
I think that's pretty good advices! Firstly, I forgot to state that i had not seen my opponent play before. I just knew that she is strong because others told me that and this is a special tournament. Each school can only send a singles and doubles there. The school is strong, and furthermore, people usually send the best there. I guess I will use the first 3 balls to test her out. Is it enough? I agree that I should enjoy my game and not be too stress out trying to win because it will only make me freak out. Enjoy and gain experience is the best.
Haha.. i guess gkwok is right..! rock up and play your natural game! I learnt about mental training in Psychology at school.. it prepares your mind for a whatever you're coming up against.. you may want to look further into this.. could be beneficial to your mental game.. i'd fill you in about the details.. but umm.. i wasn't paying attention in class sorry.. haha Well, anyway.. good luck with it! *thumbs up*! vbmenu_register("postmenu_223232", true);
after reading some of the replies here, I must add...you should just enjoy your next game. Should you win, great. Should you lose even better. I learn the most, when I lose to extremely strong players. It will be difficult to change your game. If I were to only choose, one easy thing to do...play your game, stick to your training. I agree, you should play your natural game, relax...and enjoy the game.
you say that your drop shots are good?? if they are use the tiring strat here ill even give you the link But yah use this and you should definatly get the upperhand Heres a few http://www.badmintoncentral.com/badminton-central/content/view/31/ This is the one i was talking about before http://www.badmintoncentral.com/badminton-central/content/view/15/35/ Hope this helps -Curtis
i guess this tourney mus be pilot pen cup rite? haha.. all the best! im knocked out by RJC in the second rd under17 doubles though, which sch u frm?
Personally, I don't think singles is all about smashing and lobbing. For me, it's more about placing your shots and making your opponent go to all four corners and get him/her flatfooted. So good drop shots, lobbing and fast drive will win you points. Also, if you train hard and exceed your limit (in training), you'll know how it feels to be mentally strong. No pain, no gain. Have fun on your match though
whether you win or not, dont be afraid to ask your opponent politely about how you performed after the match.
Dear Renkijutsushi, You're young. High school, huh? At 14 years, you must be full of energy. Well, I'm sure you really want to win this competition. Who wouldn't?! I'm guessing this is your first competition, right? Well, since you did say that schools usually send their best players to compete for that tournament, I'm sure they had a good reason to send you. With that said, I guess the best suggestion I could possibly give you is just go out there and have fun! Give it your very best. It doesn't matter if you win or lose as long as you learn from your experience. If you win, keep it up and improve on it even more. If you lose, find out which part of your game caused you to lose and improve on it too. There's no way but up for you. So, I guess in 6 or 7 years, I'll expect to see your name on the world rank list, k? /Roydy Oh, to give you more confidence, before games, players usually hit returns. Try hitting high clears to see if you can go deeper than she can. That will give you an idea of how strong your opponent is.
well im only 15 and from my experience, most girls at this age (except a few REALLY good ones) tend to lob a lot, and many cant do really good baseline-to-baseline clears, and dont run all that much (at least in our district anyway ), so my advice to you is maybe try to push your opponent to the back, and if she gives a weaker return you can smash it (or drop it).. otherwise, play hard, play smart and play to win! and have fun while ur doing it!! good luck
when i play with an opponent that is stronger then me, I tend to play more of the defensive game. Giving them deep shots to the back hand, deep shot to the forehand and see how they would react to it. What they like to do when they are in a bad posistion, Bottom line is work the court and let the opponent make the mistake. Drop and Clear is all you need in a singles games. Smashing takes to much engergy. if you have a 75% at winning the shot, that is only when you smash it. Clear and Drop is good enough.
Hi, I'm from montfort sec, school team player. As you know, my school top in singapore all schools. I would like to advise you and give you tips on how my team mates played. Do you know tricks? You must be good @ your speed, front left, front right, back left, back right and importantly middle front and back. You got my clues? My team mates played in a way to tired you, so I doubt you are advantage in anyway or so.... as you stated above.... You gonna run like hell, i advise you. Unless you are good in tricks and use more brain work. Good luck girl, see you in next SG schools match =)
Dont think like that.. focus and think that you are stronger than your opponent. If you think ur opponent is strong.. mentally u already lose. Play your game. I'm sure your coach will be there to give u advice. Close you eyes and play that game in your mind. think that you will win the game.
yeah ... most girls my age ( thirteen ) can't clear far and pushing them back works quite well . But it really depend on who your opponent is . There is no definate 'tactic' that is effective for every opponent . I forgot who said this but I think it's somewhat important when playing against someone ... Quote - " Find your opponents weakness and diguise your own "
