I feel I have a lot to work on, but where should I start first?

[precrime3]

Training Update 7-28 (late)
Sorry for being late folks! Been tired and busy with work and other stuff outside of badminton haha.

Don't really feel there is much to report this week - besides stuff for the future.

- Will have to renew visa again in three weeks. Outcome of that determines where I go and how long I stay here.
- Two options - training with Coach Malvin in Houston (he coaches Marky Alcala, USA #3) who I've met in Atlanta.
- Training with another coach in North Carolina
- Will def be in Korea before February as that is when school starts in Korea but I'll also start training 2 hours day 1 on 1 with a coach there and switching to doubles competitions with a dedicated partner.

As for training:

We have already discussed the matches on 7-25 (read above this post) and that was really the only thing that came to my mind besides cross smash issues.

The focus for this week is to take wider steps, which I started to intentionally do yesterday. Was shocked by how much more time I had in the lifts and how much higher I was at the front of the court. It was a bit harder to do and required me to use quads more but I think I can adjust and refine that.

Besides that, not much else- weighed in at 84 KG today so no change there. Also am starting to take Beta-Alanine supplement (reduces acidity and useful for high intensity short duration exercise, so badminton!) so am curious how that will pan out.

 

[precrime3]

Small update -

Someone tested positive so training has been paused for 3 days while that person gets a PRC test at the hospital

Time for some rest lol

 

[Cheung]

Oh dear. Hope it turns out negative

 

[khoai]

Training Update 7-28 (late)
Sorry for being late folks! Been tired and busy with work and other stuff outside of badminton haha.

Don't really feel there is much to report this week - besides stuff for the future.

- Will have to renew visa again in three weeks. Outcome of that determines where I go and how long I stay here.
- Two options - training with Coach Malvin in Houston (he coaches Marky Alcala, USA #3) who I've met in Atlanta.
- Training with another coach in North Carolina
- Will def be in Korea before February as that is when school starts in Korea but I'll also start training 2 hours day 1 on 1 with a coach there and switching to doubles competitions with a dedicated partner.

As for training:

We have already discussed the matches on 7-25 (read above this post) and that was really the only thing that came to my mind besides cross smash issues.

The focus for this week is to take wider steps, which I started to intentionally do yesterday. Was shocked by how much more time I had in the lifts and how much higher I was at the front of the court. It was a bit harder to do and required me to use quads more but I think I can adjust and refine that.

Besides that, not much else- weighed in at 84 KG today so no change there. Also am starting to take Beta-Alanine supplement (reduces acidity and useful for high intensity short duration exercise, so badminton!) so am curious how that will pan out.

Come to Houston if you choose to be back in the US. Malvin used to be assistant coach of the legendary Rexy Mainaky when Rexy was head coach of Philippine national team so his coaching is really good.

There are many more badminton dedicated facilities being opened and more ex-national players/coaches are here/coming as well. Even more choices if you want.

 

[precrime3]

Come to Houston if you choose to be back in the US. Malvin used to be assistant coach of the legendary Rexy Mainaky when Rexy was head coach of Philippine national team so his coaching is really good.

There are many more badminton dedicated facilities being opened and more ex-national players/coaches are here/coming as well. Even more choices if you want.

Oh wow! Really nice affirmation that I am picking quality badminton if you guys know. I didn’t know he was famous haha!

I want to move to Houston but seems to expensive living costs wise… lmk if there’s anyone that needs a roommate

 

[precrime3]

SMall update- the guy that tested positive with the antigen test tested positive at the hospital again... I mean duh? But yeah everyone is acting surprised. So no training and no leaving room until like maybe 8/2? The hospital is supposed to come here and test everybody?>

 

[nokh88]

SMall update- the guy that tested positive with the antigen test tested positive at the hospital again... I mean duh? But yeah everyone is acting surprised. So no training and no leaving room until like maybe 8/2? The hospital is supposed to come here and test everybody?>

I hope everything will be fine.

 

[precrime3]

Going Home End Of This Month 8-19

Hey guys, it has been a moment I know - sorry for the radio silence in a while. Part of the reason for the absence is we didn't train for 2 weeks as someone got COVID. At time of writing, I resumed training about a week ago.

So over the course of two weeks I lost quite a bit of muscle mass, and my stamina and agility were shot as well. It's really demotivating getting back on court and knowing in your head that just a few weeks ago you could've gotten this shot or played with better consistency/quality but it's slowly getting better/returning to normal.

My stroke seems to have generally retained most of what I learned, though I do notice my clears aren't hitting the sweet spot like they used to and that my timing is slightly off. Ughhh.

Since starting training, I have also begun to take private lessons. This is a topic I've discussed with some other community members as I felt I was capping out from the group sessions and frustrated wasn't getting the attention I felt I needed there as well.

I've only taken 4 one on one sessions but my god - I've learned so much already. I have a useable backhand clear and drop now, my net game is much better, and I also have a useable spinning net and cross net (even when recovery is late and racket is near the floor).

Despite this, I am still deciding to go to US for a host of reasons:

- For what I'm paying here ($1200 base physical/group sessions, $800 for dorm, $500 per 8 hours of 1:1 lessons) It's simply become not worth it.
- The reason why it's not worth it is because I now know what things I should be working at in the gym, so I can't justify basically a $600 monthly gym fee at this point (the personal trainer just tells us the routine for the day, and watches us then). The group sessions is 3 hours a day (2 hours right now for some reason, making the argument for this case stronger) but even then, $600 for basically multifeeding or sparring is also getting harder for me to justify.
- The language barrier is getting in the way now, as I feel I need/want a coach who will talk with me about finer details, and just crave a personal connection as well.
- I feel mentally burned out (can't believe I'm saying this, when I LOVE badminton) and a coach I talk to online suggested it would be motivating and relaxing to play against my friends again as it would be a good measuring stick to see how far I've come. The exhibitionist/show off in me likes that.
- The dorm being $800 for what I'm getting... especially in Thailand... to put it nicely is not a good value.
- The private lessons I do get value out of, but feel I can get more value out of at the same price in the USA.
- I want to invest some more $. I've been using a higher percentage of my monthly paycheck (try to only use 50%) and it's irking me.

So for these reasons I plan to go back around 9/2

Training Plan In USA
So the plan when coming home to the states is:
- I will spend 3 weeks in my old university, playing against my friends to mentally decompress and just see how far I've come.
- Help train a friend of mine who is also wanting to train but still in college
- Training at a lower intensity for a while (badminton wise, will still hit the gym/run). I want to cement everything I learned here so I envision a lot of technical drills working on the consistency of my drops, slices, nets, etc.
- 1 week in my hometown visiting friends, relaxing, spending time with gf. Maybe two. idk.

But AFTER that is.... North Carolina! Triangle Badminton Club to be exact!

Reasons:
- My friend who I look up to is training there!
- They have Hendry Winarto, a really good coach.
- Another good coach/player, a former #32 doubles player. Forgot his name lol.

But yeah! They speak English, and because school is starting the juniors will be in school so when I come in to train it would just be me and maybe 2 other students so I feel I could get really focused attention. Plus they charge $20 for 90 minute session (which I assume is group, but given that there's so few students/friend looking out for me it would basically be private lessons) which translates to $960 v $1200 I'm paying here. They have gym equipment or I could just get a gym membership elsewhere so I'm ahead $$ wise here.

Plus a super good airbnb 10 minutes away

North Carolina Training, Then Off To Korea

The plan is to spend a few months here (October - January would be 4 months), maybe until January when I plan to leave for Korea to start language classes/continue badminton training.

The dream Korean situation

I have a coach there who I'm close friends with and after lots of conversations I think he's realized how serious I am about badminton... and he has offered to make time for me (2 hours one on one, 5 times a week) and kinda take me on as his protege(apprentice? idk). I would be his only student like in this capacity so I really would get focused attention and he also would take me to tournaments and stuff. Truly a dream situation if it happens as he has explained!

But yeah that's the plan! Bangkok has been good to me, I'll probably make a youtube video about my experiences training here but overall I'd say it's good for beginners like me, or people who want a physical boost before a big tournament. I really don't recommend staying here for longer than 2-3 months at a time as I think most people will get most of the value this school gives in that time.

Other note: I'm selling rackets! Remember when I bought like 7? I fell in love with the 100zz and don't have eyes for any of the others. If you're looking for a high end Yonex racket in basically mint condition, check out my sales thread here:

https://www.badmintoncentral.com/fo...-rackets-77-88s-pro-99-zf2-etc-usa-ca.188370/

 

[precrime3]

Back in USA, Taking Some Time Off...
So let's start with the juicy stuff.

I played against my old friends - who had been training at the same time - and was able to beat them at a higher level! Despite being crippled and not moving 100% nor playing for a week before playing against them haha.

Here's one friend, and a before and after of us:
Before:
After:

For this one it felt good, easy. I was relaxed and totally in control the whole time. The score ended up being like 21-8 21-10 or something like that.

THe following is my rival, who I was never able to beat. But coming back, I was able to beat him, albeit closely! (21-14, 21-11, 21-18!)
Before:
After:

Some notes:
- I hit hard. Power is def my strength.
- My accuracy was good and was hitting the lines.
- Footwork crippled me and I felt unconfident because of that. Late to shots in the front which I felt messed up my nets. Late to the back/ didn't feel comfy (ankles/achilles) jumping so didn't want to risk doing slices or drops or clears like I used to.
- We have a rule since we have a low roof where if it touches a structure it's a let. So many times I got a great short lift it touched the roof. I was v frustrated.
- Nervous af. Lots of shots just going out, getting tunnel vision, and only playing power. Could've def played this a lot smarter and probably won with less effort.
- Footwork impaired made me want to flick more cause his footwork is bad.
- Wasn't proactively split-stepping for some shots, again the ankles/achilles.

Taking a break
So in my last post I detailed I was noticing some issues with my Achilles heel (suspected overuse/tendonitis, fueled by the fact they separated me and wouldn't let me do weight training last 2 weeks which I think was the big blow in terms of maintaining muscle strength).

I finally went to a podiatrist about it earlier today and got it confirmed that it is NOT achilees heel tendonitis, but rather peroneal tendonitis.

So for those who don't know the peroneal is a muscle that is like on the side of your leg (put your hand straight down and it's the muscle past the knees) with a tendon that connects around the outside of the ankle and wraps to the big toe. Basically it acts as a stabilizing tendon to prevent your ankle from rolling.

I realized that I actually tend to supinate when I walk (so like some shoes I wear have uneven tread on the inside) so I think it's def an overuse thing. They did Xrays and said it was fine, but got referred to an orthopedic/sports medicine type deal which I will go see for an appointment sometime next week. In the meantime I also will get an ankle brace, but I would prefer to not use it as much as possible. So perhaps only casual doubles play, standing stroke work (nets, cleras, slices, etc.) an maybe one hour a day at most.

It doesn't hurt, it just feels like that tendon begins to vibrate/wiggle/rub on my bones and gives a very unstable/shaky/omg about to break feeling. It's def not normal so when I get it I stop immediately.

It sucks but it is what it is. I imagine that surgery won't be needed and that that'll go away in 6-8 weeks. Def a dampener but maybe I'm thinking worse case scenario. IDK Yet. will have to see what the orthopedic dude says.

Anyways, love this sport. Sucks that I got injuries so young but i know what to prevent it... basically leave any school that doesn't prevent me from weight training

 

[Ballschubser]

Well played and I can see a lot of improvements.

- I hit hard. Power is def my strength.

Don't let it become your weakness. In the last video you bruteforced almost all your shots. I think your opponent is school-level player, but even low league players will punish your go-all-out attacks with long and cross blocks a lot more and you will find your self in a disadvantagerous position afterwards.

Footwork crippled me and I felt unconfident because of that

I think your footworks looks a lot better than you think

It shows a great level of automatic movement what is the goal. Even the split will get better with time. Often it is not an issue with the footwork that you didn't get in time to the shuttle but an issue of wrong positioning, previous bad shot or just lacking anticipation. Best you can do at the moment is to check your positioning (video analysis), shot quality will came with practise and anticipation will come with years. Still practise footwork atleast weekly, you didnt need to practise it at full speed, even slow movement with the correct patterns, will get you into the right direction.

We have a rule since we have a low roof where if it touches a structure it's a let. So many times I got a great short lift it touched the roof.

Same rule over here (germany). Get used to it, once you start playing in a league, you will get to see a lot of badminton places and a lot with really low roofs.

Nervous af. Lots of shots just going out, getting tunnel vision, and only playing power.

The badminton camp mostly trained your muscle memory, avoiding tunnel vision and playing smart is a learning process and will need time. Playing like this is part of the learning experience, you need to test out what works for you and what does not. The second stage of this is, that you know that this is a bad shot before you even hit it, the third stage is, that you understand that this is a bad idea and you will only play it occasionally and the last stage is, that you understand that you will not win games by any risk shots with a 30% success rate , but by avoiding unforced errors and playing a plain boring standard game (yes, exactly what every single coach tells us all time, but we will not believe it until will lose soooo many points to it ).

Wasn't proactively split-stepping for some shots, again the ankles/achilles.

Don't waste time to try to consciously split step during a real match, it will not work. Either it is in your muscle memory or not. You need to incoperate the split step in your footwork training and shuttle training all the time.

Take a break, you will not lose what has been saved in your memory. A few weeks ago I played vs an ex mid-league player who didn't play for 5 years while getting really out of shape and still is able to explode in a sudden movement to jump smash the shuttle leaving only a burning mark on the ground where it hit the floor.

 

[precrime3]

Don't let it become your weakness. In the last video you bruteforced almost all your shots. I think your opponent is school-level player, but even low league players will punish your go-all-out attacks with long and cross blocks a lot more and you will find your self in a disadvantagerous position afterwards.

Yeah he began to do that as he was biasing straight side after a while and for some reason when I see the ball I forget to look and see where opponent is. But I feel if I was more confident of my feet I would've jumped some and done some crosses or punch clears as well.

issue of wrong positioning, previous bad shot or just lacking anticipation

Yeah I think so too. That last match I really was not using my brain as I believe I was so nervous - my whole point of Thailand was that I wanted to beat this guy so I was just so nervous.

The badminton camp mostly trained your muscle memory, avoiding tunnel vision and playing smart is a learning process and will need time. Playing like this is part of the learning experience, you need to test out what works for you and what does not. The second stage of this is, that you know that this is a bad shot before you even hit it, the third stage is, that you understand that this is a bad idea and you will only play it occasionally and the last stage is, that you understand that you will not win games by any risk shots with a 30% success rate , but by avoiding unforced errors and playing a plain boring standard game (yes, exactly what every single coach tells us all time, but we will not believe it until will lose soooo many points to it ).

Looks like need more sparring practice xD

Ty so much for your kind words and encouragement. Slightly discouraged after I had written up that post but you bring up a lot of good points and gave me some insight - ty ser!

 

[SnowWhite]

Same rule over here (germany). Get used to it, once you start playing in a league, you will get to see a lot of badminton places and a lot with really low roofs.

Back in the Netherlands as well as here in the uk, when it touches the ceiling it's a fault, because otherwise players who are in trouble will just launch it to get a let.

 

[Cheung]

Back in the Netherlands as well as here in the uk, when it touches the ceiling it's a fault, because otherwise players who are in trouble will just launch it to get a let.

Same in HK (if there’s a low hall). Touch ceiling or anything hanging down is a fault.

Playing a let means of a player gets into trouble, they just hit it into the ceiling to reset a point. Not good preparation for tournaments and proper matchplay.

 

[precrime3]

Same in HK (if there’s a low hall). Touch ceiling or anything hanging down is a fault.

Playing a let means of a player gets into trouble, they just hit it into the ceiling to reset a point. Not good preparation for tournaments and proper matchplay.

I will enforce this Rule from now on.

 

[Budi]

Looks like need more sparring practice xD

dont just play with the same person.
Coz when you had play with someone for quite awhile you basically able to predict their habit & very familiar with their play style. Challange many different person & fill your book with many different scenario.

 

[Ballschubser]

Back in the Netherlands as well as here in the uk, when it touches the ceiling it's a fault, because otherwise players who are in trouble will just launch it to get a let.

It depends on the hall and club. At halls with really low ceiling the serve can often be repeated if it hits the ceiling. Otherwise hitting the ceiling is a fault, but hitting an obstacle hanging from the ceiling is often a led. Playing in general purspose sport halls, you have some basketball basket or some gym rings hanging above the court.

 

[Budi]

Playing in general purspose sport halls, you have some basketball basket or some gym rings hanging above the court.

Once i go to this kind of hall. 4 badminton court mixed with basketball court, volleyball court, & eeer... idk what sport the other one. There is 4 color line stripe for each sport.
When i play & had a feeling that my opponent shot going sideway & let it go. But as i look at the floor so many line stripe overlap each other. Wtf... Is it in or out... Ok what color ia for badminton? Blue? Ok, wait... Did it fall on blue or green.... Argh... I forgot it....

 

[Ballschubser]

Once i go to this kind of hall. 4 badminton court mixed with basketball court, volleyball court, & eeer... idk what sport the other one. There is 4 color line stripe for each sport.
When i play & had a feeling that my opponent shot going sideway & let it go. But as i look at the floor so many line stripe overlap each other. Wtf... Is it in or out... Ok what color ia for badminton? Blue? Ok, wait... Did it fall on blue or green.... Argh... I forgot it....

Quite common over here in germary, because most clubs play in traditional school gym halls, with lot of lines covering the floor, obstacle hanging from ceiling and side walls and lot of large windows (and bright skys and the sun ) you are looking at while playing. On the other hand it is quite cheap to join a badminton club compared to a tennis club with its own dedicated tennis courts.

 

[precrime3]

Deloading 9/7/21
So settled back into the rhythm (and costs, yikes!) of living in the states.

Am on a good workout plan again, and doing some knee/ankle work to help strengthen those joints which has done wonders for my peroneal tendonitis. Saw the sports medicine/orthopedics type doctor and basically told me "antiinflammatory (which I'm not gonna take)" and some rest. Physical therapy if I want to, which I absolute want to because I don't think it can do anything BUT help.

But the good news is I think I should be able to resume training full time perhaps after 10/8 - giving myself 5 weeks and some change to be extra sure that the joints and tendons will be okay!

Also played with another friend of mine who I was already beating before I went to Thailand but it's still good to play. Surprisingly, I think he was a better match than the guy I played against last time (his name is Ben, but didn't know if you, the reader, knew that haha).

I think I wasn't playing tactically enough. Wasn't following up on good nets, and my footwork was incorrectly positioned sometimes which led me to take shots in not good positions. Also think my clears were a bit low - noticed some of the footwork from him when reviewing and He was taking shots at the front of the double service line in the back.

And of course, a before and after:




Also idk what it is but it's like I need that pressure of a third game to really do my best. I did it with Ben but basically throw away the second game after winning the first game with a huge margin. It irks me but I think there's nothing to do about it but mentally reprogram myself.

Of course, feedback is always welcome.

 

[Cheung]

and my footwork was incorrectly positioned sometimes which led me to take shots in not good positions.

will watch the videos later. About this point, I find these very hard to change by myself now that I play less often. When I was playing more, like four five times a week, I could self correct and shadow. The friends that I would play with would be more consistent in feeding so we could train a lot of what we learnt in private lessons by ourselves. Now that my friend group has moved on in life and me with irregular times, I much prefer to work with a coach for the quality and consistency of feeding shuttles as well as the learning. Basically, it’s more efficient by moving and hitting more shuttles in that one hour of private coaching. I think it’s good that you can recognise the incorrect footwork and when it feels “wrong”. Keep trying to shadow the correct footwork will only help but you will need some trusted feedback to tell you the small details that need adjusting.