Hi. I was reading the Badminton Bible and wanted to clear up some of the footwork. In performing the Arc step, do I do a chasses step but then land turning a bit clockwise? So it looks like my right foot takes a step at an angle towards the corner, the left then follows it up, and then my right foot turns a bit more again as I step so my body becomes a side-on position? Also I think I am performing my chasses wrong sometimes. I think I have been too use to jumping up in the air as I chasses. So lets say I'm going right sideways so I put my right leg towards the right, I then follow up with my left leg, but then by that time I have already pushed myself into the air. Should this be called a shuffle instead of chasses? I have noticed the guide never said anything about a shuffle. Is this an inefficient way of moving? I do feel that it is stressful for my ankles and knee joints because I have to jump every time I move, and I do this alot. Thanks for reading.
Yes, that sounds right. The angle of your first movement should not be directly towards the corner. You're heading slightly more sideways first -- as if you were aiming to finish not in the corner, but a place farther to the right (outside the court boundary). Then you make that clockwise turn, and continue your chasse-style movement by heading backwards towards the corner. Here's another way to think about it. Imagine a line between your central base and the corner. Now, half-way along the line, place a shuttle tube standing upright. The step-out and jump-out footwork patterns would cause you to trip over the shuttle tube: you're travelling directly to the corner. With the arc step, you dodge around the shuttle tube. Try to make your chasses long and low rather than high and bouncy. This way, you'll cover more distance and won't waste time jumping up in the air during the chasse. I don't use the term "shuffle" because I feel it's too vague. To be honest, I have no idea what a shuffle looks like! Also, the word "shuffle" means to walk by dragging one's feet -- hardly the image I want my students to have in mind for badminton movement! Badminton movements are stressful on the ankles and knee joints. Adding in lots of unnecessary jumps, especially if they are awkwardly performed, would make things worse.
I wouldn't emphasize length for the chasse. I think that might cause people to take too large of a step, which then hinders the quickness of the following step. Instead, I would emphasize the quickness of the foot contacts and the building of speed at each step. One useful exercise would be to focus on one part of your body as you perform footwork or movement exercises. For example, the movement of your centre of mass or perhaps your foor or even your racquet head. Think about whether it is efficient or not. Some sample questions to ask yourself: If your COM bobs up and down for each step, could you push off at a flatter angle so more of your energy goes into horizontal velocity as opposed to working against gravity? How high are you lifting your feet each step? Often a chasse step has the feet just high enough to keep the feet from dragging on the ground. Raising your feet can be a waste of energy, unless you can justify it e.g. you flex one hip and extend the other on the final step leading into a lunge. What's the relative position of your hips and shoulders as you turn? If you find yourself going through a large range of motion for twisting, do you experience any back pain?
I want to answer all the questions but its a little late, I'll try to answer tomorrow. I just want to tell you Stumblingfeet, that I jump fairly high as I do my "chasses", which I figure now that my chasses should be really barely off the floor. Is that correct? I meant it hurts my joints more so than necessary since I'm doing my wrong chasses so high.
I would. In my experience, one of the most basic problems players have with chasses is that they make high and bouncy chasses, rather than skimming across the surface. In general, most beginners tend to stand too upright, with their feet too close together. Of course, emphasis can always backfire. Without actually watching the player, I can't be sure what he's doing. But from the description, I'm pretty confident it's high and bouncy chasses. But in any case, it's definitely a good idea to focus on the speed of the movements -- ultimately, that's what matters! The only trouble is that players often need more specific information about where they're going wrong (why are they slow?).
