Beginning (My Situation)

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by Schwartz, Oct 19, 2006.

  1. Schwartz

    Schwartz Regular Member

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    Hello! Well I've been looking around the internet for any sort of help site and found this one. Here is my situation: I'm in grade 10, female, 5'8, 170. I've played badminton in my backyard and noticed I was good in grade 9 when I beat my whole gym class. I thought I was the best, had amazing talent and finally found a sport where I could be THE best (I play other sports but definately not THE best in those). So we had a badminton team at school but it was too late to join at the time. So it's this year, one morning I hear "Badminton Team Tryouts..." and I wake up and write down the room number. So this Wednesday the 18th I went to my first "tryout" from 7-9 at night. I was not ready for what hit me. I didnt know my school had this type of talent in it. Let's just say I was getting my butt whooped. Don't get me wrong, I was far from the worst, but clearly not close to the best. At my level (gr.10), I was definately top-ish, not at the gr 11/12 level though.

    So the next day my whole right upper body feels paralyzed. I'd never worked my arm out so hard. When I got to school the next morning I was telling my 2 friends who play doubles together about my pains and they laughed because they felt nothing from the night before. (they DID win 3rd in the region after all). So after my embarassing moment, I got motivated and determined.

    I have found out that I am deeply in love with this sport and can't stop thinking about playing it next time. It's great fun, great exercise but hey, I wanna win too. My goal is to win the regionals (which my school has lost 15 years in a row to 1 single school).

    I am not hopeless, like afraid of the birdie or anything, I am pretty good for my level but REALLY need to improve. I only have it once a week for 2 hours at a time for the time being. I dont have a partner for doubles so I'm probably looking at singles. Scary, yes.

    So now my question (or the point of this thread)... what do I do? How can I achieve my goal with the first qualifier 4 months away (Febraury). I am so ready for anything right now, weights, running, skipping, holding my breath for 10 minutes and jumping on one foot at the edge of a cliff. Anything. I'm ready to go.

    I just need some assistance first. So please. Anything and I mean ANYTHING you have to say will help. Thank you everyone for reading/listening/replying. I wont let you down. :)
     
  2. Crazypeetee246

    Crazypeetee246 Regular Member

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    We are in like the same situation. I'm a junior in high school and experienced exactly what u are experiencing. That feeling of I'm ready to do everything and anything.

    Not to discourage you, but four months is not nearly enough time to do what you are thinking of.

    When I first started playing, I made the mistake of trying to get good and smash/drop without mastering the basics. BADD IDEA! It is extremely difficult to fix ur basics after you have gotten used to something else.

    Suggestion = listen to your coach + search for some video tutorials online THEY ARE EXTREMELY HELPFUL!!! (As is Badminton Central :cool: )

    Its going to take awhile to get used to everything, so try and be patient.
    I played tennis before I began badminton, imagine the difficulty I went through trying not to "USE THE ARM" :D
     
  3. Schwartz

    Schwartz Regular Member

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    The thing is, I already have a great starting level. I have the basics down pretty well, I'm planning on talking to my coach and researching quite a bit to get them down pat but I'm not really a beginner. I've played my whole life pretty much, just never competitively. I've always been somewhat good and once took a badminton class which started my development of basics and I've mastered them pretty well.

    I'm really rusty now is the thing. My arm being suuuuppper sore is a big sign lol. And you really need to know some of background and who I'm going to be competing against. I live in a small Ontario town where it's mostly farmland and 'burbs. A total of about 10 high schools I can compete against. But on the other hand, I underestimated my own school's skill and look what happened. Who knows what the others are like!

    I thought that 4 months was wayyyy more than enough time. I guess it isnt. I have about 6-7 months before the real show comes to town, this is only the first tournament in 4 months.

    Thanks for replying though... I was afraid everyone would bypass my topic. :eek:
     
  4. Linus

    Linus Regular Member

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    Hi, Schwartz,

    I donot want to sound discouraging, but if from what you said after the 2 hours tryout, you felt your arm "paralyzed" - that was to me an indication that your stroke technic is not quite right.

    You also said you had gone to badminton class and learned the basic, was there very detailed explanation and demostration on the strokes (especially overhead clearing and smashing) - because if these 2 most common strokes were not done properly, the end result will be aching arm and upper body.

    Proper stroke technic and footwork are the 2 very fundementals of badminton, and many others skills built upon them. Do have a talk with your coach to work on these. And as Crazypeetee246, it may take a while to get these right.

    But for your immediate goal of your first tournament in 4 months time, I guess you have to practice as much as possible with a good sparring partner, and get your coach to concentrating in improving your basics. Donot under-estimate this as any improvement on the stroke technic and footwork will count, and you will find shuttles are easily to reach and thus able to hit better quality return.

    All the best on your endeavour in this lovely sport!:)
     
  5. __Lam

    __Lam Regular Member

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    Well 4 months is plenty if you sacrifice enough of your time. get coaching daily, for at least 2 hours a day, you'll find that your game will improve like mad with the assistance of a coach. Work on stamina and explosiveness alot, these are required in badminton alot, you need to have extremely good agility and speed along with endurance. Basic strokes, grips, and then get more advanced from there. Do not worry about weight training as much as technique is much more important then brute strength. If your using an absolute crap racquet, try to get a better one, with good strings. Your arm shouldn't be as sore as your wrist though, wierd. I suggest you go to the techniques section and grip guide to study some more. Good luck ;).
     
  6. Joanne

    Joanne Regular Member

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    Hey Schwartz,

    Sounds great that you've suddenly found the love for this fantastic game! =)

    Have you been going for training under a coach? If so, what were his comments on your goal? Right now with only(yes, ONLY) 4 months to go before the 1st tournament, I suggest you start eating, breathing, thinking and sleeping badminton. :D

    Ok, ok. That's kinda serious eh. Well, if you're talking serious, thats the way to go. 4 months isn't that much time if you've got the basics only. In tournaments, you need more than the basics to win. No, I'm not trying to discourage you. :) Once you've mastered the basics, go on to the more 'advance' skills. Try to train under a coach at least 3 times a week, and spar with better players than yourself as often as possible. After all, the best way to improve is to play with a better player, right?

    By the way, what are the 'basics' that you already have? Smashing? Defense? Some people consider the basics as lifting, lobbing, net.. I'm wondering what you consider the basics.

    On the other none training days, you ought built up your fitness level. Try coming up with a schedule, and make sure you get tired. =P When I did this I never had the self-discipline to push myself too hard, only with my coach around I could. Lol. But hey, that's me. You sound prepared to do anything and everything, so come up with your own training schedule, tire yourself out, and feel your body getting stronger(after the aches are gone ;)). Don't forget to have a rest day, just 1 day out of the week for your body to recover fully.

    Oh, and above all, have the time of your life. :) If you lose to anyone(as all champions have before they made it big), don't let that loss damper your spirits. Instead, you should train harder than ever!

    All the best with your training,
    Joanne
     
  7. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    Don't push urself too hard. Learning badminton is like learning anything else, 1 step a time. You can't learn run/jump, before you can even walk. As a person newly touch this sport, you need to spend time and effort to work on the basics (basic strokes and footwork).

    Also, don't only use the game result as the reference of "whether you do it right or wrong". Sometimes you lose, only because the opponents are far superior, but still need to give urself some credits. Sometimes you win, simply because opponents are weak, and you might use your physical features (taller and stronger) to beat them. That does not gurantee you did everything right, and especailly true for beginner stage.

    Overall, no rush, and reasonably evaluate your own progress. No need to be too proud if you win a few more games, and no need to put your head down, as there are always others better than you. Also, no offense for your gym teacher / team coach. You need to know whether they are good badminton coaches. Some PE teachers are nice person, but lack of knowledge in this sport. Therefore, learn basics from them might not be a good idea. If you are seriously, and they are not the greatest trainers, you need to hire a reputable coach or from other better players (the one not only win, but know exactly what they are doing and do it right).

    Welcome to the sport and this forum... ;)
     
  8. morewood

    morewood Regular Member

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    Things you have in your advantage;
    Your passion and enthusiasm
    Your height, at 5’8” your quite tall

    Things that could disadvantage you;
    Your timescale
    Your lack of playing time, 2 hours once a week is no where near enough playing time
    Your physical fitness, if your hurting the day after playing your either doing something wrong or your totally out of condition

    Things to change;
    Playing time, even if its hitting a feather against a wall needs to go up. Aim to play at least 4 times a week.
    Your footwork, to build speed stamina and coordination you need foot training exercise, skipping (with a rope) would help. Running, cycling, rowing also are great Cardio training to improve your stamina.
    Stroke play, this is where a coach to analyse what’s good and bad about how you play would be useful, even an hour one on one with a coach each week would reap rewards.

    Anyway good luck and work hard and you will see big improvements.
     
  9. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    I strongly agree with this.

    Enquire, politely, about your teacher's qualifications for teaching badminton.

    At the very least, you need a nationally qualified badminton coach if you want to learn good technique. Even then, you are not guaranteed correct teaching; seek a high-level coach, or a coach who is otherwise reputable.

    The most reliable method is to seek either a highly qualified and experienced coach (i.e. county coach or higher; national/international is best), or to get coaching from two or more lower standard coaches.

    PE teachers, no matter how good their intentions, just don't know enough about badminton coaching to do it effectively. Seek a qualified coach, and ideally a good one!
     
    #9 Gollum, Oct 20, 2006
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2006
  10. crosscourt

    crosscourt Regular Member

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    Hi Schwartz welcome to the forum.

    As the others have said, you need to get a coach, and also be playing more than 2 hours a week.

    Other things you can do to improve your fitness can be found in the posts by Ruth1 such as the one below. Do a search on her name and you'll see that she describes a week in an IBF training camp including the different exercises they do to keep up their fitness. As someone who is new to the game just try and do a little of what Ruth1 describes.

    http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27594&highlight=ruth
     
  11. Schwartz

    Schwartz Regular Member

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    First off, thank you to everyone that replied. I've learned more from just this than I've learned my whole life about what I need to do and improve.

    To answer some questions, my coach (not gym teacher) is somewhat qualified. He does play himself, I'm not sure how or where but he is fairly good. My "paralyzed arm" was most likely from really lack of doing anything for a long period of time, I dont think I messed up the strokes so much it would make my arm burn and ache.

    I've never learned any true basics, only once have I ever done anything close and that was years ago. I know how to underhand, smash, backhand... pretty much any shot but I most likely am not doing it right.

    I'm trying to find some sort of badminton club/organization in my area so I can get some more practice time in but am finding it hard.

    I know if I'm going to be doing singles I really need to work on my stamina because right now I know that if I got thrown into a game right now at this very moment I wouldn't last 5 points. Any specfic drills or exercises to do especially for this?

    And something I dont understand... when someone smashes the bird really hard at you, how do you improve that reaction time to return it back? Can it be improved? I'm finding it sorta hard to return every single one hit at me without missing at least 40% of them.

    Thanks everyone.
     
  12. gentai

    gentai Regular Member

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    Hi Schwartz

    I am just like you. I'm in grade 10 but i'm not a beginner. Last year i play in a tournament in Melbourne against Australians and New Zealand. I lost the majority of my games because I play against some of the top players and got knocked out. This year I was lucky and got further and got ranked in the top ten. the same tournament is coming up in 6 months and i need to train. I train only 2 times a week for 2 hours each session. i cant get more trainning sessions because my dad doesnt have the money. My two brothers traing with me too so its too much if we train more. Schools in my city dont have badminton teams. I think me, my brother and some of my friends are the only ones that play badminton in school. So i need to find a way to train. Can anyone tell me how to train off court? I 've been doing skipping and thats about it.
     
  13. __Lam

    __Lam Regular Member

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    plenty of info if you search around the forums ;)
     
  14. Green72(CAN)

    Green72(CAN) Regular Member

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    Regarding the smash... I would say that you got to be totally alert and ready for anything all the time, and have the confidence that you will be able to retrieve any shot (of course this would require good footwork), but still that could be considered a sort of last resort.

    I try to simply not let my opponent have the opportunity to be in a great position for a big smash at me. I lift the shuttle right down the the base line, make my opponent move a lot.

    I'm not a great player myself, but at least I know a bit of the "theory" from reading BC forums and watching professionals play.
     
  15. Schwartz

    Schwartz Regular Member

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    Thanks for that. But how do I work on my footwork? I dont really know any drills for it.
     
  16. Crazypeetee246

    Crazypeetee246 Regular Member

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    oh boi the infamous footwork

    All I can say is if its not badminton season, you should really check out some footwork videos on any video browser.

    Personally, I hate learning footwork because you spend so much time doing those darn drills when your not playing. And then you play the game and you revert BACK to the way you used to run. It is very annoying. :crying:

    May I suggest recording yourself playing. You can then look at what your doing wrong. Many times you may think what your doing is right, but it really isn't. (I've had people tell me that when I try and lunge at a high short shot, I tend to move my racquet back and forth a lot before I hit it.)
     
  17. Schwartz

    Schwartz Regular Member

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    I'll look for those footwork videos. I really didnt know there was a certain way to run, I just thought you stand in the right spot and move as fast as you can to where the birdie goes and return as quickly as possible back and so on. It sounds bad when I write it out so I should've known that wasn't right. lol

    Should I be "bouncing" when waiting for the birdie to come over, like getting ready to move any way?
     
  18. martin8768

    martin8768 New Member

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    to answer your last question you can bounch or get pumped up before the rallie but once the server is ready to serve both feet have to be on the ground. also i like to add that im glad that more canadians are falling in love with this great sport, im in grade 10 also, its a great age to get a head start on advanced playing, being young you learn quicklier (in my experience) and i have to say with 4 months if you work hard you can notice a diffrence. make sure u have all the proper basic technics/strock production(also important to reduce unforced errors). :) have fun!
     
  19. Crazypeetee246

    Crazypeetee246 Regular Member

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    I guess you could call it "bouncy" :D but its a lot more than that, from the videos I've seen this is what I can tell you (right handers)
    - You should be ready to shuffle your feet in any direction (usually badminton players have extremely fast shuffling, like, they will get to the same spot as you did through a combination of shuffling/lunging/steps but faster):
    - Maybe shuffling is a bad word. Neways I saw a coach critique a player on a video once and one of the things I found interesting was that the coach said you should keep ur feet close to the ground and mainly use your lower leg rather than your upper leg to move quickly.
    - Theres a certain way to hold your racquet (more leaning to your backhand I think and also in a position so you are ready to return smash/clear/drive from both sides)
    - I believe I also saw that your right foot should be slightly in front of your left foot.

    What I mentioned above is just the ready pose/stance. I usually get into this position whenever I have time. I never used to think this was important but as soon as I got into the habit of this, my returns were much more controlled.

    I believe there are several ways to move around the court. I got really confused when this section was explained so I kind of blended them into something I'm more comfortable with.

    BTW There have been a lot of posts on Badminton Central about footwork, you could do a search and find some valuable information :cool:

    Thats my 2 cents :D

    Also, don't get too bouncy. If you play someone whose deceptive you might "bounce" the wrong way and end up getting off an awkward shot.
     
    #19 Crazypeetee246, Oct 21, 2006
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2006
  20. Schwartz

    Schwartz Regular Member

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    Thanks so much lol. I've been looking around town for any sort of badminton organization and finally found one. It doesn't start until the end of November though since I missed the fall sign up I have to wait for the winter one. That's ok though, it gives me way more practice time and I cant wait! I'll be playing against adults and people my age which is a good thing since I'll be picking up tips and whatnot.

    Now I have go out and buy a half decent racket.
     

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