While I was playing quarter final match with this opponent, a friend of mine noted down his style of play. That opponent beat me, but my friend managed to beat him in the semis, and went on to win the final too. I have seen coaches noting down opponent's style of play. Do you guys often do this? Is there any better way to note down the details? I am attaching the pic, which my friend noted down, studying my opponent.. Kindly go through it. Would like to know, is there any better way to note things down, while studying the opponent. Thank you.
Not in so much details - more general. front court skills. back court forehand side vs back court around the head side. mid court setup preparation. Smashes and follow-up.
If it's pre-match scouting, you probably can't use too much details. Maybe the bigger picture, getting a general feel of his strengths/weaknesses/habits. You won't be able to remember too much details in the heat of your own match but 2-3 things that stand out any way.
I just make mental notes of players rather than actual notes - but then again I don't play competitively any more. Things I tend to note first are: Forced errors, including weak shots. Positioning in different situations. Feet positions in different situations. Grip used in different situations. Shot selection. Speed in each direction. I don't really count the number of instances the player plays a certain shot though...
Not prematch scouting...say watching him play against various opponents in initial rounds. And thats how my friend caught him offguard when they played against each other.
That's very clever. Another friend of mine is very good at reading such stuff and reading players just by visual impression. Unfortunately, not all are at good at it. I'd like to note it down to remember it.
Part of the game of badminton is figuring out your opponents weaknesses and also shots that they have difficulty with. Things I try to make note of and exploit: How is there movement? Is it a weakness or a strength? Does he have a weak shots .. e.g. his backhand is weak, doesn't like fast drives/attacks, etc. Does he have a pattern and/or limited shot selection. At the top level there are very few of these weaknesses .. that's why they are top players. But at lower levels everyone has their shortcomings.