"Thoughts" in-between/during rallies

[raymond]

How much thoughts (of course, your current rally related) go through your mind during a rally? Do you plan your course of tactics, e.g. the first 2-3 shot likely exchanges + a contingency? Are those really thoughts? As some chess coaches say, when you play chess, it's more like pattern recognition (looking for tactics) than thinking. So are you really doing thinking or pattern recognition.

And if you look up some Tennis/Golf/Martial Arts reference materials on Mental, they'd say something like - "no mind", "clear your mind", "Self 1 should let self 2 do its job", etc in order to perceive things and thus act/react faster.

So which one is it? Comments?

[visor]

all i tell myself is :

hit to the weaker player (i play doubles)

hit to their backhands

and make them run for the bird

other than that, no time for tactic analysis... everything must be fast and reactive without any thinking to get in the way

[cliffordgooi]

What visor said.

Also, try to read your opponent's movements/actions. If you noticed they might be struggling, up the pace. I doubt we have much time to think, it relies a lot more on reaction and experience. Even i struggle with all these, but practice makes perfect (nearly!).

[JukUx]

SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH SMASH.

that's all that goes through my mind

[alexh]

I think planning, and thinking about tactics, needs to happen off the court. Learn as much as you can from coaching sessions or from watching other matches, then before you step on the court decide what your favourite serves and returns of serve are going to be. In between games you can ask yourself if you need to change your tactics or if you should keep doing the same thing. Maybe at the end of a rally there's a moment where you can say to yourself "I shouldn't play that shot again" or "maybe I should try doing X". But there's no time to stop and think during a rally!

[raymond]

We could at least plan the first 2-3 shots. That's what serve to use, and how to deal with the possible 3rd shot, before we serve. Likewise, think about opponent's possible serves, and what choice to make.

[staiger]

no time to think , it is all instinct which you build from experience

[LD rules!]

For a badminton player, thought is very important to be successeful in matches. If you are in a tournament or even a social match, and you play each point without any tactical sense, you will lose.

One thing that is (IMO) underrated, is planning before a match starts and planning before you play a point. It is a good idea to think that when you play a shot or before you are just about to serve, that you work out the plausible returns from your opponent. For example, if you are play a clear, and you have moved your opponent to the point, that your opponent is taking the shuttle behind them, then logic states that they cannot smash. So you have effectively eliminated a shot from your opponent. This is important for your thought process, mentally you can now prepare for the other shots available to your opponent. Again from the scenario I posted, you can rule out a crosscourt clear, again this for your thought process is good, as it allows you to fully concentrate and prepare for the most likely return from your opponent.

So using "thought" and having a well planned game structure on your head can improve your game.

Hope this helps.

[Capnx]

between rallies: don't be lazy, move feet, forward/aggressive/attack/smash
during rallies: court position, anticipate shots, look for open court

[Joseph]

What goes through my mind during a rally?

"I'm hungry, I wonder what I'll eat today."

"I hope this match finishes soon, I want to eat."

[JustinG]

When I play singles, I think about the pyschological battle and levels of deception that are occuring. I also think about what my opponents strengths and weaknesses are. (play to their weakness obv. unless using reverse pyschology)

For me, it's more of a chess match if that makes anysense to you.


Cheers

[visor]

^^
Agree.
At high levels of play with similar levels of fitness and skills, it will boil down to which side has the stronger psychological makeup.

[greblu]

In singles:

After you lost a rally it is important to think about why you lost it^^

With a good service (by analysing your opponents posture, court covering) you can nearly forecast the possible responses to the service and planning your 3-4 exchanges before the really starts. What is often enough to get the point.

During the rally you just have to think get fast to the slow returns, and especially fast when your opponent is getting off-balance by returning the shuttle. And cover the area of the court were you are not standing in your mind (you will react faster if the shuttle is actually flying to the free area of the court).

[Mark A]

My mantra during rallies is "look for the gap" - you can tell I'm a control player. Between rallies, most of the time it's where what I should have done on the point previous...

[Sevex]

When I am playing well I think of absolutely nothing. When I am playing badly I have to think why and wait a while to build into the frame of mind where I'm thinking nothing. I cannot play very well by trying to think of a strategy between points. I over think everything and then end up doing nothing effectively.

So I guess I rely on my subconscious mind to do the thinking. As there really is a huge difference in performance between when I think in between points and when I don't...

[Sevex]

When I am playing well I think of absolutely nothing. When I am playing badly I have to think why and wait a while to build into the frame of mind where I'm thinking nothing. I cannot play very well by trying to think of a strategy between points. I over think everything and then end up doing nothing effectively.

So I guess I rely on my subconscious mind to do the thinking. As there really is a huge difference in performance between when I think in between points and when I don't...

[visor]

^^

Yep, that's called being "in the zone" in many performance sports, whether racket sports, driving, etc.