Hi all! It's been a while since I last posted here, but nice to see everything's even better than ever on the site. The topic I'm wondering about is what do some of you think about the future for Chen Jin... He's so young, and yet doing very well in the tournaments as far as I can tell. Some have said he's not even close to Lin Dan yet, so I'm wondering when you might think that will be. More so, I'm wondering if he'll be even more "unbeatable" than Lin Dan in the future. I know Lin Dan isn't really unbeatable, and in fact I'm not a big fan of his at all, mostly because he hasn't struck me as friendly or of good sportsmanship (I could be mistaken though)... However, I'm just thinking that if Chen Jin is doing this well at his current age, in say 5 years or whenever, is he going to be a star like we haven't seen in quite some time...? Uh...I don't really have much stock in my opinion, but he strikes me as really good potential. I'm also not informed if other countries have any players this young, doing this well on the circuit. I have been out of the loop for a while, so corrections as well as opinions are appreciated. Good Day! Cory
IMHO he will never eclipse Lin Dan. Lin Dan is almost like a product of China Super Soldier Program even from pre-birth. Switched to badminton of course
Can you elaborate on that? What's the story with the "Super Soldier" program...before birth...etc? What do you mean he switched to badminton? This all sounds really cool! Cory
I've watched quite a few matches so far...and I've never seen any single player play we well as Chen Jin did in the China Open 2007 vs Peter Gade. His retrieving, reflexes, and around the head skills...just amazing. His sportsmanship showed too when he asked the crowd to applaud Gade multiple times and even gave a big thumbs up in his direction, despite Gade's complaint about him shouting too much when the bird landed out. He played better a better overall game than I've ever seen Lin Dan play. After the olympics games next year, I think China's is going ditch Lin Dan in favour of Jin. In China, age > performance and what you've contributed, since there are thousands of other quality players that can be invested on and given valuable experience (atleast in men's singles).
yeah, i see CJ as a talented player.. But I see him to be a future LD... He will be da star after LD!!! Go CJ!!!
It's just fan fiction........ only fan fiction. The key words in that post was 'is almost like' Still, Lin Dan's dominance over the world rankings for the past 3-4 years with the high level of the playing field is pretty much unprecedented... It would only be a matter of time before ppl start believing stuff like this to be true
I don't think CJ can sustain and recover match after match anywhere near the rate as Lin Dan. CJ will be another Chen Hong, Dong Jiong, Xia and all the other players who've made it thru the China Ranks... They'll be supceptible to physical restraints... You can already see signs of CJ breaking down a few times and getting hurt. Lin Dan... well he's 'super' (wanted to use 'freak' but would not sound nice and may be taken out of context) and you don't get one of these so very often.
what i think is that its lin dan's fitness that makes him as good as he is. it doens't matter who he's playing against. a few rounds into the tournament, and everyones pretty tired. while everyone is ready for the 2nd, and maybe the 3rd set, lin dan's ready for the 5th, 6th, and 7th. chen jin's fitness has been improving over the last year or so, atleast. while it may never get as good as lin dan's fitness levels, it may be enough for him to play at the top for a short while.
Thinking about the fitness aspect, as I've seen it talked about in quite a few different discussions, it was once said that Wayne Gretzky (from ice hockey if there's some out there who don't know who he is) had the best fitness and that allowed him to play longer than other players. I'm from Edmonton and know a few people, so to speak, and I was told that he didn't last longer on the ice than other players, but he recovered faster than them. He was able to get back to full strength faster. I think that would be key for a badminton player. Not necessarily stamina, though that's important to, but the ability to get your heart rate and breathing back to normal faster. I wonder if that's the secret behind Lin Dan, but I've never been close enough to notice such things as breathing... Cory
i heard of china's strategy to produce excellent athlete from birth. like yao ming's parents are both tall and i think the father played basketball. so the chances of their offspring to be tall are pretty good. i think the same with other sports. i could be wrong here. maybe other people have heard the same?
not sure if this is the place to post it, but how would you describe Chen Jin's 'style'? I mean, Lin Dan is known for his explosiveness and fitness; Taufik for creativity and backhand; Lee Chongwei for his cross court smashes, speed, footwork, and more recently, deceptiveness; but Chen Jin....? I can't really distinguish him from say, Chen Yu. The only thing that stands out for me is CJ's good sportsmanship, which I've seen demonstrated on many an occasion. Well maybe it's wrong to try and sum someone up so easily? I don't deny he's a very good player; and what people have said about his fitness (what about mental?) particularly recently, strike me as quite right.
i'm not so sure about Chen Jin going further than Lin Dan. what is he now, 21? Lin Dan reached world no.1 at the age of 20. Taufik got into the AE finals at 18. Chen Jin, to me, is the "always there" player. he'll always give any player a run for his money. he can do very well. but he just doesn't have the tools to stand out above the rest. say what you like about Lin Dan, but he wins so much, and does so well all the time. he's around 15,000 points a head of Lee Choong Wei. that's a massive margin of dominance. whereas the next 4-5 players are very close. ] he's got good technique, good movement, good stamina. but he doesn't possess anything which stands him out. Taufik's known for his net play and backhand. Lee Choong Wei for his steep smashes. Lin Dan for his ferocity. Bao Chunlai for his steep and accurate shots. but Chen Jin is simply a good all rounder. he can play good enough to keep them sweating and swearing. BUT, he can't play above them. which is why he'll never really be that great. he's got a style like Lin Dan, with decent smashes. he just lacks the ability to finish off.
Indeed What you say is indeed very true, everyone is given different gifts!But let not forget those players can work on their weakness as well. Few years back, I wont have thought LCW can be like he is today.So who knows what CJ would be…
yes indeed, who knows. but he won't dominate the circuits like Lin Dan has. simply because he's already 21.
I wonder if Chen Jin is a bit like Chen Yu (and to a lesser extent, Bao Chunlai): someone who clears the way for Lin Dan? re Chen Jin's age: well....when did Lee Chongwei start making his mark? I think no matter what his successes, LCW will always be memorable. But CJ--not yet. And certainly I think there's still time for improvement--again, looking at LCW, I think his style has changed a lot in the past year. BTW I think when I talk about CJ's future I'm not talking about whether or not he will dominate the MS field but rather whether or not he will evolve into something more interesting.
i don't really think LCW has made a mark yet. not enough that someone 20 years on will remember clearly. he hasn't won a world championship. sure, he's won a few Super Series. but in no way has he been as dominant as Lin Dan. if he wins the Olympics, that's something else. but like i said, if you're looking at the biggest mark, it's gotta be Lin Dan. Chen Jin.....well, it's hard to say how he'll evolve. unlike Lee, who had a big coaching change, China's coaches are the same. so he'll probably just improve. he'll probably end up top, but not for long. when Lin Dan retires, around 26-27, he'll be 23-24. that'll be his prime time. but then, it'll end.
I should really avoid predictions . I just think, of all the top MS players right now, excluding taufik, LCW's the most interesting to watch....Chen Jin, Chen Hong, Chen Yu, Bao CL and even Lin Dan are alright to watch but (as you say) they all have--or have had--the same coaches and so their style is very similar.
yeah, LCW is only well known starting this year where he won a couple of SS titles... Before that, he's only well known in his own country, not many ppl from around the world know him... Whereas for CJ, ppl know him from the moment he steps in the senior badminton group... So I think in the future, ppl will remember CJ more than LCW
Watched Chen Jin during Denmark Open. He is the most defensive player in the chinese armada at the moment and hes court coverage, together with psycial condition is amazing. What he lacks is that killer shot which makes him able to get those "easy" points. The 3rd set between LCW and CJ in China Open this year shows the difference between those two players, whereas LCW plays defensively but sometimes break in with a steep smash, crosscourt etc CJ seems to be stuck on his defensive playstyle and when meeting players who match his stamina he has no weapons to break in with and he gets desperate and tries to counterattack but then makes lots of mistakes. He has been on the circuit for quite some time( since 2004 i think) but has the potential to become the best. Hes playstyle on outwearing the opponents however might take the toll on him since its can wore him out when he gets older and might end up in lots of injuries. One thing to be said which i admire is hes fair play and by that will in the future become a "crowds man".
Morten, I have not seen what I would say are tons of matches or anything of Chen Jin, but from what I've seen would lead me to agree with you on his defensiveness. He seems to be reacting to other players a lot in his rallies, whereas a lot of the other players are often deciding what they want to do in the rally, as far as speeding it up, going for the quick attack, tiring their opponent out, or whatever. I think that might be something that comes with experience. He might be nervous or a little intimidated by the more experienced players. I do know that when he won the World Juniors in Vancouver in 2004, he was quite more dominant in his style, and controlled his rallies more than he does now. Cory