what is "control"?

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by kwun, Nov 10, 2002.

  1. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    this is a topic that borderlines both "General" and "Equipment" forum.. so i will post it here. :)

    in badminton, when one executes a shot and talks about having good "control", what does that mean?

    i think we all have some idea what that mean, but how about a solid definition? i am not even sure how to start.

    let's give some scenarios. imagine when a player executes a high quality shot, say, a tight tumbling net shot, even then the shot he was already high quality, or the player was already off balance, we will cheer and say, "nice control!"

    or when we compare rackets, one will say one has better "control" than the other one, what does that mean?

    here is one to start things off, please feel free to comment.

    def. control is the ability to execute a shot as one wishes.

    eg. when i step up to the net and wanting to execute a tumbling net shot, and i actually managed to hit one, then i have good control.

    eg2. a racket has "good control" if it helps the player to achieve better "control".

    care to comment on this?
     
  2. JChen99

    JChen99 Regular Member

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    well i guess it's how the word is used then.

    if a player has "good control" then it means that he/she can execute shots very acurately, according to his wishes, whenever the occasion arrises

    control with respect to the racket however, should be redefined. Since the "control" the racket gives a player is actually the stability the racket maintains while during impact with the bird.

    So! ... IMHO... i think "control" with respect to the racket should be reworded as "stability" however... it then conflicts with the stability of a player's ability to play at a steady level... but i guess it's better than 1 word meaning 2 similiar and rather confusing expressions...
     
  3. Iwan

    Iwan Regular Member

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    control, IMO, is the ability to totally control your racket head to point the way you wish even by a difference of half a cm with minimal effort to play a shot.

    In terms of effort, I'll split it into two: In terms of skill and in terms of racket.

    In terms of skill: less effort is required with moving your racket with just your finger to achieve a certain shot compared to moving it with your arm to achieve the same shot.

    In terms of racket: less effort is required if you don't have to be very sensitive with playing your most delicate shot whereas more effort is required if you have to be very sensitive with playing your most delicate shot.

    I think this is why we have "control rackets" and "power rackets". I think control rackets are those that have its center of gravity closer to the handle whereas power rackets are those that have its center of gravity closer to the head, aka head heavy.

    I think this way because I feel that a control racket by my definition is easier to put to a stop from motion since there is less momentum in it. Also, because there is less momentum, you can swing it at a faster speed (probably unnoticeable) or push it slightly more than the power racket to get the desired amount of power to place into a shot whereas with a head heavy racket, you have to swing it slower or stop its movement sooner than you would with a control racket.

    Due to this difference in the two types of rackets, I can imagine that with using a power racket, you have to be extra sensitive with very delicate shots, which can be hard after you have been pounding on the shuttles last round (hope you guys get what I mean, dont feel like explaining all this too :rolleyes: cant be bothered :D ). Whereas with using a control racket, you don't have to be as sensitive as in the above case. This is all from experience btw, I didn't measure the difference in sensitivity :p if you even can... but Im sure you guys will get what I mean :D

    So yeah.... now that brings us to the subject, why do oldies like Cheung prefer Cab20s and youngesters like me prefer MP100 :D jk jk jk no offense Cheung :D well, anyway that's my opinion. Correct me all you want, I'm just giving you my 2cs worth.
     
    #3 Iwan, Nov 10, 2002
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2002
  4. jwu

    jwu Regular Member

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    "Control" player is someone who can execute the type of shots he or she wants to and land them where desired.

    "Control" racquet is a racquet that is easy to control. :D It is a racquet that is not head-heavy so the momentum of the racquet is easy to control.
     
  5. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    Re: Re: what is "control"?

    i agree with your definition of control when it comes to the player.

    aside from that. hm.... i think we need to have a glossary section in badminton to sort out these terminology... :)

    stability, when it comes to a player's ability to play at a steady level is normally termed consistency.

    and stability for a racket... hm... i usually associated that with the racket's ability to withstand external forces unrelated to the player. in other words, the lack of deflection caused by the shuttle. it is usually associated with heavier racket. a heavy racket can maintain its path better, thus more stable. a light racket get deflected easier so they are less stable..

    so does that mean a stable racket has better control?

    anybody?
     
  6. modious

    modious Regular Member

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    Hmmm.... then what about strings and tension?

    They also play a part here. I feel certain strings like BG88Ti help me play my shots more accurately than say BG68Ti. One reason is because BG88Ti has a rough and sticky surface while the BG68Ti has a slippery surface.

    I think it depends on what the PERSON WHO IS POSTING says. For example, if he is talking about strings and said that is has more control, then it's understandable he's talking about the strings!

    If he's doing a review of a racket, then control will be more emphasized on the racket.

    If you're saying like what kwun does ---> in badminton, when one executes a shot and talks about having good "control", what does that mean? Then obviously more emphasis is placed on the player himself. But that doesn't mean he has consistency to reproduce that shot everytime.

    So what is control? I think it's the mixture of the right tension, plus strings, a stable and suitable racket, plus consistency in skill.

    I believe a more stable and stiff racket results in better control. Flexible rackets are not good!
     
  7. Mag

    Mag Moderator

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    Let's accept Kwun's definition of control (which is pretty much what I would have suggested myself), saying that good control is the ability to get the shuttle to do what you intend. The point of this is that it can then mean the same thing for players and racquets. And we don't even have to discuss if stiff or flexible racquets give more or less control, if this or that string gives more control. Those things are SUBJECTIVE and should not be part of the definition of "control".

    A proposal of review factors, from objective to subjective:

    * control: defined as above
    Is it hard/easy to perform accurate shots with the racquet?

    * maneuverability: relates to weight and balance
    Does the racuet feel "fast" or sluggish?

    * feel: most subjective of all: relates to maneuverability, shaft stiffness, composition etc
    Does the racquet feel good in you hand and when used?

    (And then of course there is "power", "looks" and "value for money")
     
  8. dlp

    dlp Regular Member

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    Good points, are power and control mutually exclusive or can they be found in the same racket, player, technique. In many non elite players power comes from swinging the racket a lot, hence a lack of control. In elite players due to their strength and practice you can find both power and control.

    I find a more manouverable racket which is head light good for control in doubles, e.g. good in defence , net play, but that favours my style, short swing, controling the shuttle.

    Also has anyone totally changed the type of racket they used, I mean most people stay with a similar style even when upgrading, does the racket you started to play with tend to set the type of racket you will always favour?
     
  9. jwu

    jwu Regular Member

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    All the racquets I've been using before are around 92g or higher and typically head-heavy and I was a fairly smash-happy player who just kills the shuttle every chance I got. More recently, about 3 months ago, my style of play changed as I start to play with more "control" and actually try to win points based on smart plays rather than brute force. Because of this, my racquet now is more balanced and fit for control since I am strong enough to produce power even with a lighter racquet. People tends to stick to what feels comfortable to them and in that case, it is usually something they've always used or are familiar with.
     
  10. john1994

    john1994 Regular Member

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    what shot is control is net shot consider control?
     
  11. aldow82

    aldow82 Regular Member

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    For me,, control is "shuttlecock can go to the spot wherever I want to place it on every shot"

    String and grip are more important than racket.. so my priority to get better control is string > grip > racket.. stiff - extra stiff racket will provide good control..
     
  12. dontmakeme

    dontmakeme Regular Member

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    Wouldn't the control of a racquet be based on how flexible the racquet is?
    The more flexible the racquet is the more difficult it is to control every aspect of the movement of the racquet per energy put into a swing.
    For example, compare a stiff racquet vs a flexible racquet. One shot a more flexible racquet will have energy in the racquet and oscillate more than a stiff racquet. Therefore when you take the next shot your racquet will be inconsistent. Unlike a more stiffer racquet after the shot, it will oscillate less.
     
  13. Caffrey

    Caffrey Regular Member

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    [MENTION=1]kwun[/MENTION]

    Great topic! I'd like to expand on it further

    Control is largely a mental thing. The more practice you have of a shot in different scenarios the better, but there comes a point where your muscles have learned the shot already. For example, after many years of playing, your muscles will have completely learned how to serve. You should be able to serve with your eyes closed and have the shuttle land in the general direction of where you want it to go.

    After this point in skill, continuous repetition starts to lose its effectiveness in improving your control. After committing the stroke to muscle memory it all becomes mental.

    Badminton in general is largely a very mental-based sport. Because of it's speed however, a lot of it is done on a subconcious level. It's amazing how efficient our brains are if you think about it. During a rally your mind is able to subconciously asses the court, where your partner/opponent is, and determine how (stroke type, speed, contact time) to strike the shuttle for it to land where you want it to. If you went into even deeper autopilot mode your brain can even asses where to hit the shuttle without thinking about it too much as well.

    Because we have practiced shots in different scenarios so many times, our muscles know exactly how to hit the shuttle and if we let it, it will hit an effective shot. However this isn't the case in times where we interrupt the subconcious computing of our brains. For example, if while serving, you think about your stroke (where you are hitting it in relation to your body, if you are slicing or hitting flat, etc), you effectively bring the thought process from your subconcious to your concious where then you have to 'manually' process how you are going to hit the shuttle which gives room for a lot of error and usually messes up the shot because it draws focus away from everything else and places it into how you are hitting the shuttle. Think of it like taking sheets out of the photocopy feeder and manually photocopying it using the scanner thing where you lift the top, place the paper on the glass and close it. You lose a lot of efficiency through this. Another scenario where this happens is when you are nervous or lose conciousness. Here you slow the process by second guessing yourself. You wonder whether you can hit the shot a certain way or if the shot will be effective enough and again you bring the thought process from your subconcious into your concious and it loses a lot of quality mainly because the process conciously is a lot slower than the process in the subconcious (again like the photocopy analogy).
     
  14. Caffrey

    Caffrey Regular Member

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    Not necessarily. It depends on your practice. If you have mastered your racket you will learn to swing a certain way (speed, direction, etc) to hit a certain shot regardless of flex. Flex will just determine the swing itself. For example if the racket is flexible you wont have to use as much strength to hit a shot that you would to hit the same shot if the racket was stiff.

    This is why the rule of thumb is to stick to one racket.
     
  15. Caffrey

    Caffrey Regular Member

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    Consistency is more important than the equiptment. If you use walmart rackets, you can still develop pristine control through muscle memory, it would just take a lot more time and arguably be a less consistent than if you used top notch equiptment. Consistency in the equipment is the key. If you switch rackets/grip type/tension often you are effectively erasing parts of your muscle memory that you have recently developed because your muscles now have to go back to learn how to hit the shot you just learned in accordance with the new racket or tension
     
  16. Caffrey

    Caffrey Regular Member

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    I think you might be going about it wrong. Control isn't split between skill and racket, it is rather a correlation between skill and racket. A "control racket" is a racket that is "easy to control" but "easy to control" is dependent on the skill/muscle of the person. For example a flexible racket would be easier to control for someone who cannot swing that fast (ie. elderly man) but not easy to control for someone who naturally swings faster (ie. baseball pitcher). Same thing for head heaviness. I use head-heavy-ish rackets that are heavy enough that if I raise my racket up there should be enough weight for the racket to tip over on its own/with little force. I cannot play with headlight rackets such as the NS9900 which require me to force the racket down myself because my muscles have developed in accordance to a head heavy racket.

    In essence, a control racket isn't necessary a racket that is easy to maneuver. I can move the NS9900 around a lot easier than I can move around my head heavy rackets around, but when it comes to actually hitting a shot, for me head heavy rackets give the the most amount of control over the shuttle.

    It's important to remember that control of a racket itself not control, but control of the shuttle is.
     
  17. R20190

    R20190 Regular Member

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    Control in badminton is simply the ability of a player to command/direct at will, the behaviour of the shuttle with precision. But having said that control is relative to the shot you're playing.

    Don't really agree with the word "wish" as I could "wish" to smash so tight to the tape every time that it always clips the tape and rolls over.
     
  18. Caffrey

    Caffrey Regular Member

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    If you define control as the ability of a player to direct the shuttle at will then it isnt really relative to the shot
     
  19. R20190

    R20190 Regular Member

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    No but precision is.
     
  20. Caffrey

    Caffrey Regular Member

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    If you define precision as the ability to hit a shot exactly wherever you want whenever you want then no. I mean with a smash you can aim for it to land mid court, baseline or into the net and as long as it hits where you want it every time it's still called precision.

    On a completely separate note, control is also very relative. There is control of the racket, control of the bird, control of your body and control of your opponent, each to its own.

    Control of the racket is simply being able to do whatever you want with it. If you can spin it on the tip of your finger like a basketball that could be called good racket control.

    Control of the bird is directing the shuttle to wherever you want it to go.

    Controlling your body is moving your body into a position to hit the bird. If you can always take the shuttle early at the net and hit it at its peak at the back then you have good control of your body in terms of badminton. Also using your body efficiently can be called good body control. Using your whole body to swing rather than just your wrist when you smash can also be called good body control.

    Controlling your opponent is the highest level of control that combines every aspect of the game, both mental and physical. Control of your opponent means the ability to force him to bend, twist, turn or move in any which way you want in order for him to retrieve the shuttle. Players that master this are people who dont seem to move much on court in comparison to their opponent who is usually scrambling everywhere.
     

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