I still think there's hundreds of things more critical than my serve to improve (which is even intentional, even if you may argue that short serve doesn't benefit me since I'm a slow player). There's a reason why almost every player serves short in A class tournaments, and most people do in B. I actually very rarely meet people serving consistently long in B class. All my opponents yesterday preferred short serve.
That's because everyone wants to play like LCW or LD. For a lot of players, getting served high constantly and consistently (i.e. all serves with good height and length) gets pretty unnerving as they fail to gain a significant advantage and feel they have to attack and not 'waste' the opportunity by clearing. Your long serves, tbh, were too bad to plant that doubt - they were often short and not very high, enabling your opponent to score direct points too often. Before you argue - in our last league match, I advised our 2nd MS player to do just the same as his opponent didn't really have a life-threatening smash. His constant and consistent high serves managed to throw off his opponent, as he got unsure, not knowing what to do with them as his smashes got counter-attacked (esp. the crosscourt one) and his drop shots often got him into trouble as they were taken early and played to the net pretty accurately. And that level of competition, no offense, is ages ahead of yours (at least for now ). The argument that other things are more critical than your serve isn't so great btw - if you can't get into the rally properly, you won't be able to get into the match. Just look at Cheng Wen Hsing (did I spell that right?) - she has that one real weakness, her serve, and it probably costs her 50% of the matches she loses as she scores maybe 1 out of 10 points on her own serve. If your serve is lacking, always improve it. It's the most important shot in the game (while imop the most important aspect is footwork).
[MENTION=101375]lordrogue[/MENTION] Your serve need alot improvement. It's the first hit of the birdie and if your service is not good you will start with an disadvantage. I agree that you should do the high and deep service instead of your short service. The return of your opponent makes you struggeling. Your lunges are not space filling. You have trouble when you opponent lift your net shot. Your netshots need improvement, too. They are not close too the net and your contact point at the net is really low. IMO your body looks really stiff and not really relaxed. Tactical wise you are not able to take the control in the game. You hardly generate situations to smash and finish the rally or make your opponent struggeling. Often your contact point at the back is really low. So your footwork to the rear corners need improvement. Your footwork is not economic to cover the hole court. I missed the explosiveness in your footwork.
Well, this is an A/A* grade for this essay piece. hahaha Thanks for the comments on that video. I haven't really noticed about my net play properly, which isn't good but I used to using my wrist a lot and get tumbling net shots :/ which I find usefully because some opponents won't be able to receive it. I'll try and have a go at trying those smashes but I dont notice it when I'm playing a game, its only until I record myself do I notice it :/ I think I'll have to record another video soon and see how I play now... Its been a long time since I record that above.
Well, it's one of the most important aspect in net play as it plays a vital role where the deceptive qualities of your net play are concerned. Generally, the more wrist you use, the easier to read you are (at the net). Thinking of doing a quick video explaining the net shots as it's really hard to do so without any explanatory motions....but then again that'd be quite a bit of work
@ lordrogue listen to jackie, he's definitely right with his analysis! i wanted to serve short (like the pros... ) for quite a time, but during the last year or so i changed back to 90% high serves. and it really helped my game. there are some exceptions, mainly against REALLY good smashers, but that's nothing you should worry about. at your level of play, a consistent, good quality HIGH serve to the baseline is always the better choice. always. a short serve in singles is well suited for a) really aggressive, offensive players (which you're not!) that are b) really quick and dynamic (which you're not!). that leads us to the 2nd point chackie already mentioned: footwork. again, jackie's damn right: footwork is THE KEY ASPECT of badminton. besides what jackie says (namely you're very upright position...), i think you should concentrate on establishing a good rhythm. you're play/footwork seems quite hectic and nervous. you run to the corner, stand there, jump back to the net, hastle around... really focus on: a) a neutral (deeper) ready stance b) split step c) maximum 2 steps to every corner, starting with an explosive initial step d) find your way back to your middle, ready position directly after your stroke it's been posted here a million times, but yet again, this video shows how to establish a good rhythm, every singles player should watch this (and do the exercise of course...;-)) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up5M-mirAcI
Not sure more footwork drills helps though, I never get to utilize it in a match situation... As you say my body becomes stiff and nervous so I won't move according to proper footwork anyway. It's not really match experience either, I've been to so many tournaments and it's always like that. After one match, my arm hurts a lot, after two I also get muscle cramps and it's all due to my body stiffening up, as it never happens in practice sessions. Somehow I need to just let go and see every tournament like some kind of exercise, but it's so difficult . Anyway, for the next time I'll try to focus on what you guys said, only roof serves and deeper stance.
Hm. I'm not exactly sure what you can do about the anxiety, but about the footwork - you have to do it in training, again and again, until it's so instinctual you won't even think about it. The better you are in training, the better you'll be in competition. Goes for everything, footwork, technique, tactical choices,..... Just out of interest, how many tournaments are we talking about when you say many? I mean there's not really a certain point where you stop being nervous, but it sure gets better with time. For me, it was probably about 1,5-2 years before I started (usually) playing better in competition than in training, as giving that extra percent really makes a difference when your nerves aren't getting in your way...
It's a mental thing if your muscles are unusually stiffening up during competition but not in training. You have to reframe your mind to not put so much pressure on yourself. Concentrate on one point at a time. As Ben Kenobi once said "Let yourself go. Trust your training. Be at one with the Force."
Being nervous is good, it sharpens your focus. It's not really extreme nervousness for me, it's just excitement. I can never get much sleep the night before a competition so i end up a wreck. I'm sure it's the same for a lot of people though. How many? A bit embarrassing to say because of how terrible I am but probably about 30 competitions over 3 years.
If you can't sleep the night before, it's not exitement, it's extreme nervousness! Relax, you're a hobby player and will never earn money with badminton, so enjoy your game and have some fun. Nothing to be nervous about...
My 67 shot video was deleted but this week we managed a rally with 87 shots which is hoping to get uploaded by my friend which I'll post on this thread when it comes and I'll also post another video of us doing a match with the first to get 10 wins the game.
Maybe because you're new you cant post links yet? Post the link without http://www. Just do youtube.com/12345 or something
Congratulations on the 87 hits, Jonathan. We all have different goals depending on what we are looking for from the sport. Carry on improving.
Jonathan1990 are you trolling? I don't want to blame you but for this you don't need a court and net. This is backyard shuttling at the fullest. Not badminton. No Footwork, no really shots, no technique. Sorry but agree that this video has nothing in common with badminton.
