All of us(?) get days when nothing goes right, even you playing badminton. But here are some strategies for when you have a really off day on court. (I have many of these!) Playing matches: 1) rally more - the more shots you can play, the greater the chance of getting the rhythm and 'feel' of the game back. 2) play simpler shots - don't go for clear winners. These have less margin for error and places oneself under more pressure especially when they don't work. 3) if your clears go out, play drops 4) if your drops go out/hit the net, play clears 5) Play clears which are higher than your norm. It doesn't matter if you end up being defensive so long as the shuttle is in. 6) If your shots are going poorly, concetrate on footwork and rhythm If your training is lacks the rhythm and the 'feel': a) train on something else that day e.g. running, situps etc b) take a break and play a bit less. When the 'feel' returns play more What is the definition of 'feel'? When playing, you have a feeling that your physical condition is good, timing is correct, footwork going smoothly.
Cheung, Funny you should mention this actually. I have, yes, because of that time of year, now caught a cold. Headches, blocked nose, and it is amazing how much even this can affect your performance on court. Today i went training and although i played ok, i found myself struggling for breath. Movement isn't great because you have less oxygen intake. I was making silly mistakes and had no energy for a round the head shot, was mainly playing backhand clears. So my advice is if you have got a cold, take it easy and dont take the game seriously. You'll get out of breath and feel ill if you run around like a blue assed fly. Lets hope this cold goes before training again on Tuesday. Matt
man try playing with a flu.. it sucks! thanks Cheung, these are really logical and useful tips.. i'll try them instead of losing the game
i usually play better when i am sick also. or when i have been up working for long hours. i think the fact that i have little reserve actually helps me to concentrate and ignore all external distraction so i can focus on the game itself.
Being able to play through bad patches is probably what separates the good from the great at all levels of play. As we all know, physical ability can only get you so far without mental fortitude. Personally, I don't have any easy solutions (if I did, I'm sure I'd do better), but certainly all of the suggestions Cheung put forward can help. Another factor is to try and always stay positive and believe that you can win. Sounds simplistic, but in reality doubt is hard to keep down. But think of this - Just about anyone whose good at anything will exude a sense of confidence, almost arrogance. The thought of defeat does not cross their minds. At least that is the outward appearance that they portray. And that itself is a great talent. Good topic.
KP, Yes, forgot to mention the psychological part. Don't know if you saw the Thomas Cup s/f. There was a match between Kenneth Jonassen and Marleve Mainaky. When Kenneth was talking to the coach in the break, although he had won the game, he was talking to the coach about the problems in the game. Poul Erik gave the opinion that he should be thinking about the positive aspects of the winning the game rather than the negative aspects. Kenneth went on to lose the match in general. I think Marleve had a couple of good spells and Kenneth lost the 'feel' too easily partly because of his psychology. So we shouldn't dwell on negative aspects during the game..it should be afterwards and then we should move on and not take things so seriously. After all, there's always another game around the corner to enjoy. (except if you play professionally)
Yes Cheung Phychological part is important, that why some people switch rackets when they aren't playing too well I happen to be one of those people
Cheung, No, unfortunately I didn't see that game. I haven't seen many games lately as I've only just started badders again (Sept). I had been in Kentucky for 3 years until I moved to Oxford in June. Not much badders in KY! People there didn't even realise it was a sport. Couldn't get it on TV, either (although there was plenty of tractor drag racing). But, back to the topic, yes that game you described certainly illustrates a good point. Dwelling on the negative aspects magnifies them and you soon forget all about the positive. I'm a little guilty of that, I must admit. Even when I play well (well for me, anyway), I can't help but think about all the things I did wrong. However, I think a lot of that is due to me still trying to find my form after a bit of a lay off. Sigh - the older I get, the better I used to be....
Good advise Cheung! I will definitely try it. Yesterday I had one of my bad moments. On my trainings, which are in the evenings, i play good. When I play my official matches in the mornings (yesterday) I play mostly bad. My average mornings looks like: single - lose in 2 sets double - win or lose in 3 sets mix - win in 2 sets Anyone any other suggestions for bad mornings? I doesn't even make a difference if i go to a bar the evening before or just go early to bed...
Yes, they tell me tractor pulling is a sport, along with cheerleading and fishing. Not my cup of tea, but c'est la vie. A futher tactic to employ when things aren't going so well is to give yourself a wider margin of error by not trying to hit shots too tight to the lines. Defensive clears up the middle of the court can help in this regard, and they also cut down on the angle of the replies your opponent can make. NL-player, I hate playing in the mornings too. I find a good nights sleep is useful, but only if I get up really early and give myself plenty of time to wake up.
My previous reply was regarding singles. When things aren't going so well in doubles, go back to the basics - Don't Lift. Make sure you're hitting the shuttle downwards. At the net, rather than rushing to kill off anything slightly loose, just play a block or drop. The important thing is to make sure the shuttle is going down. At the back, don't try to power smash your way out of trouble. Take some of the pace off and make sure your shot is steep. Flat smashes are just asking for trouble. Play your smashes and drops to the centre. Straight and crosscourt shots from the back should really only be used for variation anyway. If you do lift, make sure they go high and get to the back to give yourselves a fighting chance.
here's another that I heard Gillian Clark say. If you are losing by a large number of points, don;t think of how many points you have to catch up. Break it down into smaller targets of 5 points, 5 points etc. That way it would seem more manageble
Hey, I just realised, I forgot to put down all those tactics that were for singles play. Not sure how many can be aplied to a game of doubles.
Funny that i was watching some boxing, i notice that the corner man only talk about what the boxer should be (keep) doing. I guess negative language never helps.
I was watching this guy play. He got pissed at himself saying things like "come on". He clearly expect too much since he just come back from holiday. As he was more agitated he was doing more "hard shots" like clear and smash and the opponent expect that of him. I was just thinking, what's better to do in the head when you are behind - come on, you got to be better than this OR - relax, things would come I have heard that for sports like judo, you don't think of going out there and killing someone. WHat kind of self talk does anyone think suit badminton better?
what about a "C'mon" and dó keep your head clear as water? I can't do it all the time, btu when you're 'in your own zone' like that everything is under control... with your options option one will get the temper going, and could be followed up by frustration..because reletivation is hard to do at such a time, and mistakes will always happen..so you'll get pissed, lose focus, get pissed again, make more mistakes, get pissed soem more, ad infinitum () the second however might lead to a too relaxed state.. "he I'm 19-10 behind, meh, I'll get the second game, it'll come" the best way is probably in the middle. fired up to win, concentrated enough to keep your head clear.. to add: This morning, singles practise against to blokes 2 level above me I was getting wiped of the court, many many times..I've been threw all three stages in play..and option three: concentrated ánd fired up works best..for me...
