Does your eyes follow shuttle?

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by Misbehavin, Apr 25, 2006.

  1. Misbehavin

    Misbehavin Regular Member

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    Drives and pushes
    I remember in tennis that I am told to keep my eyes on the tennis ball and even when following through. For badminton I tend to use my peripheral vision most of the time...and with smashes I tend to face forward and guess where the shuttle will be for me to hit it...what is the correct?

    Smashing high clear
    When my opponents make me move backwards my eyes follow the shuttle only so that I can position myself for a smash. I often have to guess what were their last position and where the trimlines are. Do you look at their positions before going back to the shuttle or do you try to see where the opponents/trimlines are and take your eyes off the shuttle?

    Up front
    When i am upfront and the opponents clear to the back court...I have a tendency to I look back at my partner and it seems incorrect to me but I can see the general direction of the shuttle. If I don't look back then it seems an eternity until my partner hits and I am not sure where the shuttle is going to go. What is the correct thing I should be doing?

    Best regards
    :cool:
     
  2. Snowy21

    Snowy21 Regular Member

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    Hmm no idea if what I do is correct either, but what I tend to do is...

    Drives and Pushes
    I tend to just "guess" where the shuttle will be (I mean, even when the birdie hits the net I will instinctively throw my racquet to where it would have gone had the net not been there). So I watch the shuttle only directly after it's hit for the general direction.

    Smashing High Clears...
    Hmmm I guess on these I tend to follow the birdie until shortly after I hit it... I find I tend to miss these if I "guess"

    Up front...
    This rarely happens because I play mixed so I'm almost always back... but when it does I usually won't look back and just wait for my partner to hit it.
     
  3. crosscourt

    crosscourt Regular Member

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    Smashing High Clears - you should be watching the shuttle. Watch the pros, they are always watching the shuttle and using their peripheral vision to check the opponents position.

    Up front - A few months ago I developed the extremely bad habit of looking back and then one evening my partner mishit the shuttle and I got it in the eye!! My opinion now is NEVER look back!
     
  4. Dummey

    Dummey Regular Member

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    For returning clears, I always look at the birdie, tilting my head slightly so I can use my peripheral vision to watch my oponent. I'm a singles player, but I would suggest agianst looking back because it removes you from the action, you can't move in accordance to how the opponent is moving nor is your body's positioning as good if it happens to be a couple of drives in a row. For drive returns, I try never to look at the birdie because I want to be able to drive in the direction my oponents momentum is not going.
     
  5. DutchRion

    DutchRion Regular Member

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    I tend to look to the shuttle, and to the shuttle only.... i learned this from my trainer, when you keep looking at the shuttle constantly, you will learn to see without watching where the opponent is and what he is doing.

    Watching to the opponent can be tricky in matches (of you look to his body movement and swim to much, you will find yourself running the wrong way because the opponent is using very deflective shots) well... at least sometimes :p.

    My opinion is: look to the shuttle and try to 'train' to see the opponent without really looking
     
  6. Misbehavin

    Misbehavin Regular Member

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    Thanks

    I am never going to look back after what happened to crosscourt.

    Dummey when you say tilt your head I presume this is backwards?? Can you explain? I am 185 cm tall and plus say 90cm for racket and arm, the shuttle is quite high up when I hit it so my peripherial vision may be limited.

    May be I need to be further back first and then quickly move forward to hit the shuttle. I will try harder to see if I could see the opponent without looking.
     
  7. DutchRion

    DutchRion Regular Member

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    Its nice to hear you are practising it!.

    When the shuttle goes really high (and thus coming something like in a straight line down from high up, you can 'quick peak' to the opponont, note that you try to 'peak' at an early stage (somewhere around you just realise the shuttle is going way up).

    By the way, its good that your saying: you should always try to stand a 'bit behind' the shuttle.

    My apologies for missing the point on really high shuttles..... i used to have them alot, but now at my level (i dont want to say im that good player though ;)) i rarely get really high and steep shuttles (everything is sharper and quicker with alot les bows).

    So try to stand a bit behind the shuttle (i presume you learned to sort of point at the shuttle with your off-hand) if you point to the shuttle, and you let the shuttle drop, it will fall a centimeter or a couple of centimeters in front of you pointing hand. (this is a good benchmark to see if you are standing behind the shuttle properly in my opinion)

    PPS: if you want further information or techniques just let me know!
     
  8. Dummey

    Dummey Regular Member

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    This might just apply to people with glasses (square lenses that kills my up down peripheral), but when I am returning a high clear, I stretch up to intercept at the highest point possible. When I'm doing this my right shoulder (i'm right handed) tilts up with tilts my torso making my head tilted. Like this I use my left/right peripheral vision to spot my opponent before I hit. It's like tilting your head left 45 degrees whenever I hit so I can see roughly where my opponent is out of my left eye.
     
  9. Double_Player

    Double_Player Regular Member

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    to answer question: most of the time.

    today the acting coach at the club, told me: u gotta follow the bird with your eyes. it doesn're really matter what u do or where your opponents are if u can't get the bird. apparantly when I'm serving or recieving, my eyes are wandering around...:(
     
  10. samohtom

    samohtom Regular Member

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    shuttle watching

    You don't follow the shuttle with your eyes all the time. Watch the opposing pairs eyes to see where the shuttle is going to be coming from!
     
  11. DutchRion

    DutchRion Regular Member

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    if you watch your opponent, you will notice (at higher levels of play) they the will trick you, because you look and there body movements and there racuet etc. so FOLLOW the bird :p
     
  12. samohtom

    samohtom Regular Member

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    Sorry disagree...you shouldn't look behind you to follow the shuttle, you risk getting it in the eye from your partner.
     
  13. DutchRion

    DutchRion Regular Member

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    ohh you mean double play (and mixes)..... yes of course Samohtom, youre right, i to learn to keep your eyes in front when your up front and the shuttle goes straight over you..... we learn that every training :).... sorry for missing this point, though my information about singles is correct! ;)
     
  14. Akatsuki

    Akatsuki Regular Member

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    I had a question regarding the matter. How do you look at the line when the birdi is in the air? I have noticed that most pros and good players due that.... so do you actually have to look at the line when the birdi is still going up or when it is going down?
    Peace~
     
  15. DutchRion

    DutchRion Regular Member

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    hmmm dont realy understand what your saying here..... only when you have loads if time its good watching the line.

    Its really a matter of instinct and judgement, if you play long enough without peaking, one can judge the sutlle so go that you just know it will be in or out (even when its a diference if some millimimteres)......i hope i answered it correctly, if not, could you make an example? ;)

    Greetings,

    Rion
     
  16. robc06

    robc06 Regular Member

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    I was told on the weekend that most players, folow the shuttle with their eyes 30-40% of the time, top class players (ranked) follow the shuttle 90% of the time.
     
  17. Misbehavin

    Misbehavin Regular Member

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    robc06, could you clarify a bit more... do you mean in singles?

    Thanks
     
  18. robc06

    robc06 Regular Member

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    Sorry, yes in singles.

    This came up because I bought a Yonex MP 30 (first serve in the first game at the NW Tourny a knot snapped on my Fleet) and I found I was seeing the shuttle nicely and playing shots better.

    Coach said to me it was because I had changed my game and was concentrating on the shuttle, where most players concentrate on the shot and racket.
     

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