anticipation

well, i guess you can always look at the eyes...or watch the opponent play and pick up their habit

 

I am not sure you can practise on your anticipation against players with deception. It is a thing of the eye and mind in which a player gets some 'ball sense' in time, space, and how he or she interpretes what they see their opponent's whole action of going for, and hitting, the shuttle. This applies to all sports. There are players who are gifted with great anticipation and there are others who are not.
Maybe, against players who have no deception one can improve on one's anticipation against such an opponent through practice. But deception can hobble anticipation, sometimes getting one into heading the wrong way.

 

Do what they do until you can do it well, then see what you can and can't do when you're doing it (understand the limitations of their technique). Then start to anticipate. e.g. someone serves in a particular way - copy it, is it possible to flick, how high can I flick using that method? Not very? Step forward to receive and cut any flicks off.

 

also between rallies, think 'why did he do that shot? what would've been obvious? how should I react? Is he going to do it more often?" and next time in a similar rallie a little voice in the back fo your head says 'watch out for the cross drop'

But then, I'm a bit of a calculator when I'm playing...but proud of it

 

Anticipation is a bit like playing rock paper scissors, if you're trying to greatly anticipate what they're doing. If someone always returns a certain serve a certain way (kind of like opening always with rock) you can move towards where they usually hit it. But often they'll start hitting it another way when they notice you anticipating. My main opponent is big on deception, so I tend not to make any commitments too early, and it works wonders for me if I don't make assumptions based on his prior behavior.

 

Yeah, I think good anticipation is definately a crucial advantage. I only consider which shot(s) my opponent would most likely execute. But I think it is very important not to head for the spot I assume my opponent will shoot at too early (before the opponent has executed the shot), because then it might happen that I get caught flat-footed . Due to the leight weight of the racket it is possible to change the direction of the racket right before hitting (or giving a sudden flick in the last moment etc.). I guess that makes badminton so deceptive. Especially when playing against players I have never seen on court before, I'm very careful with anticipation...

 

anticipation is more of a feeling. at a decent level you dno't have enough time to think about where your opponent is going to hit. my coach said he would just watch one corner where he thought his opponent might hit each rally then if they hit to that corner he was on it.
anticipating backhands is usually pretty easy though. if your opponent is in bad position rush the net. also as you play more you will find that based on the angle and position you hit your opponents options become limited to where they can hit.

 

If you can't anticipate where the opponent is going to hit the shuttle, put yourself in a position where you can make a good return no matter what shot they hit. For the first few points, I watch my opponent play to see what kind of player they are. If they like to overhead drop a lot, I'll be waiting a bit closer to the net than if I were to receive a hard smash. Like others said, it's all about the feeling and knowing what the opponent could possibly do.

 

If it is during a tournament, then watch your opponent during their other matches. Especially, watch for whether they have a "favourite" shot that they like to use when they're in a bad position. I know a lot of people like to go for the cross-court net return when the bird is low on the backhand, so then that is something to watch out for.