Many players, especially inexperienced ones, will forgo learning/using more difficult strokes (such as forehand/backhand flicks) in favour of easier, more accurate ones (such as forehand/backhand lifts). Typically, the more difficult shots take a lot of practice to master, but offer more deception than the easier ones. This deception is crucial to gaining an advantage over your opponent, likely even more so than the precision of the shot (in a close range... I’m not talking about the difference between a lift to the back corner and a flick popped up right in the middle of the court). Why is this? Research shows that badminton players are excellent at perceptually anticipating where a shot will go significantly before the shot is hit. The study I examined took 20 first and second division players, 23 regional level players, and 20 novices. They were exposed to 168 photos of overhead strokes, and asked to predict the direction, speed, and potential landing point of the shuttle. Results showed that experts were able to derive quite accurate information about the shuttle’s destination from the movement pattern of the stroke preparation. The information they gathered became accurate at between 80 and 160 ms (milliseconds) before shuttle contact. Prior to 160 ms before shuttle contact, the action of the torso was used as a source of information for anticipating the stroke. 160 ms before shuttle contact and after, the movement of the arm and racquet was drawn upon for information. More experienced players were, predictably, able to anticipate earlier, and far more accurately as well. Also interesting was that experts could predict the outcomes of amateurs' strokes much more accurately than those of professionals (from the photos shown). Though the study was conducted using only overhand strokes, similar results are expected for all strokes. Thus, it’s definitely advantageous to ensure that your clear/drop/smash come from the same basic form, and likely your net shot and flick as well. No matter your skill level, this will to reduce the ability of your opponent to predict where you hit. Source: Hagemann, N., Strauss, B. 2006. Perceptual expertise in badminton players. Zeitschrift Fur Psychologie. 214 (1): 37-47 Note: I can’t read German. For this article, I just used an English translation of the abstract/summary/method.
Can't agree more. Practicing the basics is great for beginners and intermediates, but in order to beat those in the advanced levels, deception is the key, once you've mastered the basics. But even then, there's never a reason to stop practicing all the fundamentals. After all, deception won't help much if you can't hit a decent clear or suck at footwork :]
deception is entering into the realm of natural talent than fundamental. I know that very good players know how to read their opponents and start reading them at earlier age than average players. Even if taught, most average players can't achieve the skill of reading opponents than a very good player who had never been taught how to read opponent.
I love deceptive shots Hi westwood_13, I love deceptive shots !!! However, you must realise that deceptive shots work only better in games of Singles. In games of Doubles, because of your opponents' better court coverage (by 2 players), speed and power shots are really more effective. But let us just look at the games of Singles. It is unfortunate that China, at the present moment, has produced successful Singles players with just great speed and power. Because of this, many Singles players are trying to follow this 'speed & power' approach. Fortunately, we still have some Malaysian, Indonesian, Danish, etc... continuing Badminton, with strokes applying the Art of Deception. LCW, TH, PG, etc... are good examples. Don't forget that the main intention in Badminton is to get the shuttlecock to fall on your opponent's court. The 'speed & power' approach is not the only way in how to achieve that intention. Come a day when we see a Singles player with Speed, Power and Deception...... for he/she will be King/Queen of Badminton. Cheers... chris@ccc
Actually deception is also played in doubles. Just that its not as noticeable since it doesn't finish the rally most of the time, simply gives you a counter attack opportunity which is very crucial sometimes. And plus, if the key to a doubles game is simply speed and power, then why isn't China dominating?
I agree. In singles Deceptive strokes aften finish a rally, whereas in doubles often it simpy changes who is attacking. From one point of view Deception should actually play a bigger part in doubles, since there are two players covering the shots there is more chance that a non-deceptive shot can be "seen" before being hit and subsequently the advantage gained. However in practice in doubles you tend to hit faster since deceptive shots aften have a lower quality, so easier for two people to cover and "see" the shuttle to react after hitting.
but too much deception makes you one patterned, no deception makes you predictable, players have to mix and match, deception is best used to catch opponents off guard
I think the same form for executing (overhead) clear/drop/smash, as it claims, reduce the ability of your opponent to predict the placement of your shot - no deception involved. A deceptive play, in my opinion would induce the opponent to assume a certain shot would played, but in reality is not - i.e. at the net, say moving to your forehand side in a way, making your opponent believe you are going to do a straight net drop, but a cross net drop shot is performed instead.
Probably means that when approached with a similar situation, you always try to deceive with the same trick over and over again. However, that's only the case when you have only one or two deceptions up your sleeves for each and different situation.
The Right-Left Left-Right Return of Service Hi Iwan & jamesd20, Of course Deceptive Strokes do have a role to play in the games of Doubles as well. In fact, one of the effective and noticeable Deceptive Strokes used in Doubles (as well as in Singles) is the Flick Service. But here we should stress that 'It must be deceptive'. If the flick is not deceptive, the serving side will be on the defensive straightaway. To me, a Deceptive Flick Service is an attacking shot. Many discussions have been made on this matter. Please refer to Post#96 of this Link= http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33198&page=5 Another Deceptive Stroke often used in Doubles is, what I have termed, 'The Right-Left Left-Right Return of Service'. Consider I am receiving a good and low Doubles Service . I will move my racket to meet the shuttlecock from a right to left direction while pronating my wrist from left to right. This action usually makes to my opponents hesitant. And you are both correct to say that in Doubles, Deceptive Shots seldom finish a rally but they can force your opponents to be on the defensive straightaway. However, in the 2 examples above, you would have noticed that the Deceptive Shots were perfomed when you time. In Doubles, once the ferocity of fast exchanges has started, players usually do not have enough time to perform them. In Singles, because the pace is not as fast, more Deceptive Strokes can be employed. In fact, one of the main reasons to use Deceptive Shots in Singles is to slow down your opponent. The Importance of Deception is to make your opponent(s) unsure of what is happening and it is a very useful Match Tactics. Cheers... chris@ccc
Zhao Jian Hua was perhaps the most deceptive player I have seen in the last 50 years. He had speed, great deception, and strokes. He was a former world champion and is Chinese and was not merely all power and speed and nothing else that the Chinese seem to be labeled with. His distinctive style of deception relied on his wrist snap and very little upper arm movement.
It really depends on your level of play I think Sigit for instance can just play so much deception in doubles be it fast or slow. Let me share some insight as a player if you don't mind As a smasher, here is several variations of deception: 1) Mixing up smashes with fast sliced dropshots to draw the opponent forward and move them around or to purposely force a weak reply to finish off. 2) Smashing steeply several times, throwing one or two fast drops and then smashing to the chest when their racket is down to force a weak reply. 3) Smashing steeply and dropping to the center several times varying the the landing point of the shuttle between the mid line to cause confusion and perhaps throwing in one fast attacking lob in between both players preferably slightly closer to the one who can take with a backhand, with a body position as if I'm trying to do a jump smash. As the person covering the net: 1) I can jump up at a smash return that is headed to my partner at the back to fake as if I'm trying to smash it down where in reality I can't reach it for a good reply thus leaving it to my partner to take, this will distort their timing and rythm and is a way of adding extra pressure to the opponent. Doing this can also cause them to jolt their body back in anticipation of a drive from mid-court and as such creates a perfect opportunity for my partner to drop the shuttle in between them and cause confusion between the two opponents. 2) If I manage to anticipate and catch a driving smash return I can fake a drive to push their body back and then simply touch the shuttle lightly with a fast follow through of my arm to play a netshot that looks like a drive but falling on the service line. 3) If I manage to get into a situation where I keep tapping and driving the opponents backward, I can throw in one netshot disguised as a drive to finish the rally too. In this kind of situation you can even do a lot of double action hold and drive if you are fast enough at intercepting the shuttle and you can even manipulate the direction of your drives as you see fit. Ofcourse, most of the above mentioned forms of deceptions aren't really deceptive shots but rather tactics or strategies to deceive your opponents And I won't go through the deception variations for defending against taps and smashes because it can be argued that it is just simply forcefully redirecting the direction of the attacks into one that has a very small probability of happening. Ofcourse we aren't considering how Sigit returns drives and smashes from impossible positions and as a side note, these are just some variation of deceptions, to not be one patterened as yy_ling said, you have to create variations of them: Similar set ups, different finishing.
What is a Deceptive Shot ??? [FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif]Hi Iwan, [/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif]Yes, 'What is a Deceptive Shot?'. It can be answered in many ways. [/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif] [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif]Some players consider that any change in a shot into a different shot is Deception. You mentioned that changing a full power smash into a sliced smash (or fast sliced dropshot) can be deceptive. And then, changing a drive into a netshot can also be deceptive. In a way, I agree with you. [/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif] [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif]However, it all depends on how your opponent sees it. This is why Deceptive Shots are harder to teach or to perceive or to understand. [/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif] [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif]Sometimes, I consider that “Only if your opponent is fooled, then your shot is deceptive”. [/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif] [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif]So, when you hear this response from your opponent “You tricked me !!!”, then you know your shot is deceptive enough. But then again, it depends on your opponent's skill/ability to see how you perform your shot. [/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif] [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif]Usually, but not all the time, your body language tells your opponent what shot you are about to do. And when your opponent is tricked, then you know that you have done a good Deceptive Shot. [/FONT] [FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif] [/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Vera Sans, sans-serif]Cheers... chris@ccc [/FONT]
Yep, same'ol...same'ol. Variety adds spice to life. I believe this can be said true of badminton shots as well.
