Hello to all, Guess I'm getting into posting a lot these few days, but I guess I'm not here to tell about that in this thread. Anyways... ...many people at the start of the beginner stage(without any coaching like how I started off) will want to accomplish a very high-level result of playing good badminton very quickly(in other words they want to improve and be very good in a short period of time, agree?, I mean come on, you would have been like this when you started playing badminton and want to win right?), so players play and play and play and just play all the time thinking that playing = improving, in some other sports' cases this may be true. Well, I got really tensed into badminton and well was kind of a crazy freak at it, downloading videos, just doing all I can to find ways to improve badminton, but when I got back to hk for the summer holidays after hiring a coach to assist me, I found that playing doesn't mean anything to improve, not even near (but maybe in the short term period it might boost a bit), because I was kind of confused of why the coach kept on telling me to do drills here, put the bird there and stuff like that. Now I know because training is the most important way of improving badminton, I try to spend more time on drills rather than just focusing on trying new things on players that I play all the time (since its a club). Want to know what you guys prefer on, playing or training or both? Now I usually play in the early part of club's playing night and do some drills after when people (old ppl ) leave because they take up most of the courts, since its Belleville where old guys retire and enjoy the best of what's left of their lives . My province's best player's coach said that he has never played a match since the start of the season and has only played games at tournaments, isn't that crazy? and how can he take that? though I'll do it, as long as the training is worth the time. I really just want to know how you guys manage to sort your time of playing badminton: Plain Playing? Training? Both (How long of each?)? Wildstyler
I prefer both. But I do not have as much will power as you because I only do drills when there is a coach forcing us.... When there are no coaches coaching us, me and my bunch of friends play around.
I've always been a training and drills fanatic--work on skills, set up simulated games for using them, and finally a real game. If you're like that, it's a big help to have at least one training partner (someone equally as dedicated) and access to a court for that purpose (meaning you can't go to a crowded place where only doubles games are played).
To all: I agree with Californian, I am now also both, but I would prefer to learn drills and have someone to watch me do it than just playing all the time and trying things new which would lead to incorrect techniques. Also, one thing that is very important is that there must be a good feeder to feed you the bird because you can't possibly practice certain shots all the time (unless if you're pro). The bird might go a bit too right or a bit too left which would make you move instead of the bird coming to you so you could practice the same shot over and over again. Really hard to find a good feeder, but I wish my coach will develop this skill soon because my friends and I need it badly. Wildstyler
Haha! I'm worse than that, I only did drills properly when my coach was actually watching me, if she was merely around I found shortcuts, geez I'm a slacker (with deference to LB ) Okay I'm not quite that bad, but pretty close ...
To Pecheur: It's only because you guys have coaches thats why you slack off, but if you had no coaching, you wouldn't know how to start and where to start. This, will intimidate you to find ways of improving, since you guys have coaching and you don't really have to worry about what to learn next. And because you guys have all the time you need to practice (not saying you have a lot of free time, but the coach is there) because you have a coach there to ask about anything you want to know. But slackers aren't good, why not play hard and have good results, instead of slack off and wait for results. Wildstyler
Because I've been there, done that in a couple of sports before, running, hockey, etc, and I know how much time, dedication and sacrifice it takes to get and stay at the top. Badminton was a sport that was always supposed to be easy for me, I didn't have to organise a big team of people (hockey), or only really get to have a casual competetion at a formal meet as part of an association and trying to do a PB every time (running), just something I could show up to and have fun, without commitment! Unfortunately I'm a naturally competitive soul and started getting better and better to the stage where I was quite good, but I caught myself before I got to the stage where I would burn out from the sport and can still just play for fun instead of having to win all the time.
G'day Pecheur, Your coach wouldn't happened to be a nice lady called Lenny by any chance would it be? I might see you there this Sunday - I've been advised to go and check you guys out because it seems players coming out of your region are better than us slackers from the other side of Melbourne....
No, Lenny's hasn't been here that long, I remember when Lenny arrived and lots of the guys tried to avoid playing her for fear of losing Actually I think her standard's dropped a lot since she been here, then again coming from being Indo Junior champ to Australia you're bound to lose skills I wouldn't bother coming this Sunday though, our courts are being resurfaced, supposed to be done by Monday. Not sure who you're talking about skill wise either, whilst we do have some good players, the best players that play at our club aren't even members Juan, Frankie and Christian occasionally drop by, I'm assuming you know the Australian badminton scene well enough to know who they are.
