I'm just interested in player's heights, sorry if this had been posted before but i just can't seem to find the thread... I'm especially interested in Xie Zhongbo's height...i've seen him and heard that he's massive, but anyone know his exact height???...every answer/suggestion will be appreciated!
Height does not matter to old players like Eddy Choong who is only 5 ft 2 inches tall. He made up for it by his leaping smashes and great agility. Sometimes players compensate for their physical disadvantage by adapting to it. Read that Ong Poh Lim had a limp but compensated for it by wriggling his hips and executing his crocodile service to fool opponents.
You can judge for yourself the reliability of this website but it says Bao is 192cm and Xie is 190cm. Mind you, it also has Wang Lin at 172cm, but that is explained by the accompanying photo, in which Wang looks about 14. In other words, old photo, old stats.
IMO, In MS: doesn't matter, see TH and LCW they are just around 173cm... In WS: it somewhat matters. see Tine Rasmussen or XXF or ZN they can cover the court in just 2 or 3 steps while shorter players should go one or two steps more. But there's still a player like Zhou Mi who compensates it with great skills to read her opponent's moves. in MD, WD, and XD: height matters. at least one of the players should be tall. see around the top players.
In my opinion, height is of less consequence in doubles play. Most of doubles kills are midcourt or at the net anyway. But in singles, height is definitely advantageous.
I said at least one of them should be tall. look at their partners. The reason JJS and Kido can make high jump smashes freely is that LYD and Hendra stand up in the front of the net. Their heights rule. You should feel the pressure from the WALL. But there're always exceptions out there.
Come to think of it. In MD, the shortest, I think, is Kido, who's 1.65 m (5'5"). But his best position is at the back, thundering down smashes, with Setiawan usually killing from the front. He's partnered with Hendra Setiawan, who's 1.81 m (5'11 1/2"). For Asians, this is considerably tall. Jung Jae Sung stands 1.68 m (5'6"). Again, like the Indonesian pair, the short players are usually the back players. JJS has got a very high jump, and a tricky jump drop shot if I may add. His partner, Lee Yong Dae, is 1.80 m (5'11"), again, considerably tall, and his favorite position is at the front. I guess in MD, a tall and a short player could be a good pair. I guess this is a good combination especially if the tall player blocks everything at the net. Look at Boe and Mogensen. Boe is the taller of the two, but their pairing is more effective if Boe is at the front. Lee Yong Dae and Lee Hyo Jung are also effective because LHJ, the taller of the two, blocks everything at the net. This is just an observation. Care to comment?
