I recommend that you lower your ready position. Bend your knees and get down lower so that you are "looking up" at the shuttle. In this way, when the shuttle is hit, and it goes in a downwards direction, it will be coming "towards you", i.e. staying in your line of vision, rather than dropping out of your sight, as would happen if you stood upright too much. This is the reason you see professional players getting so low in defence - it gives a better view of the shuttle. Good luck! p.s. this is all to do with where the processing power associated with sight is focused. If you can keep the shuttle in the area with the most processing power, then you can react quicker.
Thanks, will try. But many in this thread seem to watch the opponent till the hit. Is that recommended over keeping eye on shuttle?
To add my own thoughts to the very good point that Mseeley (as always) makes: The human eye cannot actually "follow" the shuttle when it is hit hard- the shuttle travels faster than the eye can constantly track it. However, the human brain will compute the speed and trajectory of the bird in an instant, and the body then follows or reacts to the information. Coaches will advise you to "keep an eye" on the bird only so that you can connect with it cleanly and at the optimum point. The human brain can compute information that is not necessarily within the area of tight focus of the eye. It can compute peripheral and background information. It is important to trust your vision and everything that your vision delivers, not just what is in tight focus. What is important is for you to observe and assess the "shape" of the opponent at the instant or just prior to the instant he will hit the bird. Allow your body to sync to how the opponent moves or shapes up, and you will be able to instinctively time the split-step correctly. This means that more often than not, you will end up moving in the right direction, and with sufficient time to get to the bird at optimal height and position. IMO, observing and assessing the opponent's shape at the time of his play is critical to your reaction and success. I think doing this with most intermediate and recreational-level players is pretty easy. It only becomes difficult if you're up against A-level or national or pro players, who can shape up consistently and yet deliver more than one type of shot from every shape at the very last instant, i.e. send you the other way.
^ Yes, watching your opponent's stroke preparation is useful if he's not advanced and deceptive... I know of a coach who I occasionally play with who (perhaps he's bored with our lowly level ) purposely and consistently uses an opposite stroke preparation! That is, a seemingly slow prep for a fast shot, and an intentionally fast prep for a slow shot... very annoying and difficult to play against...
it could be the badminton gym itself, having background colors similar to that of a shuttle. the gym that i play at painted their walls green so that it's easier for the players to see, a bit brighter green than the normal badminton floors from yonex. for eye glasses people, i would recommend sport goggles, since the lenses go all the way pass the corner of your eye without blockage. the goggles used for racketball or squash is the best i believe. swimming goggles might not be a good idea..lol.
I was actually thinking it could be due to your the timing of your footwork, in a sense the timing you react with the shuttle could be early, hence you get tricked or late, then you'll struggle to get the shuttle. You could try that small bounce (can be found in youtube videos) to time your movement together with the opponents stroke.. Initially it'll be pretty hard, but once you're better at it, it'll help you move more efficiently! Additionally Mseeley brought up many good points too!