LYD has to probably change his style if he wants to keep going. He and KJJ don't have the same skills as before physically and technically so they'll have to learn to play like Ahsan/Setiawan if they want to stay at the top. There's only so many years you can rely purely on a technical and physical style before you have to rely on strategy.
LYD/YYS played a controlled, disciplined style. LYD was very good at setting up Yoo and he was given good working conditions due to Yoo's court coverage and reliability. KGJ/KSR relied a lot on their speed and power to some extent. KSR was stable and active, jumping around and about like a gazelle when looking for openings. KGJ was more error prone but very efficient when he played well. In this new LYD/KGJ partnership, there is a clear lack of chemistry, at least as long as they are reluctant to change style of play. They are both slower than before, Lee doesnt trust Kim, and they both make direct errors or poor shots. The korean approach to outlast, outspeed and outpower (idk if those are words) doesnt work anymore, they need to outsmart. I dont think they would be sucessful copying ahsan/hendras playful approach, but maybe looking at how seasoned oldies Boe/Mogensen does it would help their case.
I feel that our of all the old KOR pros, KGJ is the worst possible partner for LYD. He should be the slowest of the lot, and himself relied on a quicker partner a bit, gravitating towards the front. Ko, Shin, KSR would all have been better yet at least 2/3 are unavailable, so this is what we get :S
I watched them play in the Thomas Cup and they were pretty good. Maybe KSR has declined more than the others, but generally he was quicker than KGJ for sure
Don't know why he came back to the tour and now he looks poor with new and younger rivals. I saw his last gave in BWF Youtube, his service let him down several times, as he was trying to adjust to the new service rule. In the end, he resorted to flick serve as he was scared to serve shot or be faulted. You can guess that he and his partner lost the match.
I still don't understand why he didn't just play with YYS again, is it because they're from different club ? I've seen yoo earlier this year at the PBL and he still so good, definitely better than KGJ now.
He came back because several Korean pros won a lawsuit against the BKA, protesting against the rule that they were supposed to be part of the ntl team or over age 30 (I think) to be able to participate in international tournaments. If you notice, KSH/SBC are playing again as well.
Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong are indeed in different pro teams in Korea but they always have been. Lee and Kim Gi Jung used to be on the same team but that hasn't been true since Lee moved from Samsung Electromechanics to Yonex in January 2017. All 3 players are still sponsored by Yonex, however, as are their entire teams - Lee's Yonex team (obviously), Kim's Samsung, and Yoo's Suwon City Hall team. Yoo has also continued to participate in the Yonex Legends Vision events. In the Korea Masters 2017, Lee and Yoo competed together even before the rule change that allowed Lee to compete internationally despite not being over 31. The Korea Masters was an exception, which explains why Eom Hye Won was permitted to enter the event in 2018 despite the BKA rules still preventing her from competing in BWF ranking events overseas. All this to say that whatever the reason that Lee is competing with Kim instead of Yoo, it is unlikely that being from different clubs has anything to do with it.
LEE YONG DAE CONFIDENT OF RETURN TO THE TOP https://bwfworldtour.bwfbadminton.c.../lee-yong-dae-confident-of-return-to-the-top/
Did he drop out of the New Zealand open?? I remember seeing him in the draws not too long ago and the news was excited for him, does anyone happen to know what happened?
Yes it's admirable that they can smash all day long, but by the same token it kind of reveals their weakness in not being varied enough with the pace nor is it the most efficient way to win points. Compare them to how Ahsan and Setiawan are able to expend less energy in their attack to win points by constantly varying the attack, in angle, placement and speed. They really need to take a leaf out of the Indonesian's book.
LYD's smashes are probably as hard as Misaki Matsutomo's... Really, in all these years, I don't ever recall seeing a single fake smash drop from him... and his opponents know this weakness of him and they have learned to pin him to the baseline, move up the court a few steps and to just lift to him all day long. Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk
Don't forget his piss poor lack of variety in shot placement. It's always to the opponent or to the center. Never goes for the tram lines and never slice drops. It's quite pathetic to watch nowadays which makes me sad. Because he used to be a far more exciting and dynamic player when he was younger. Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk
Bit sad considering his recreational games with Nichkhun, he did Ko's fav shot, a cross court smash from the left to the right sideline, and it was a winner to boot. But yeah he doesnt hide his smashes or vary the strength; just give it whatever he can at that position and at that given time and chance... I'm not sure if that's the game plan (ie. play like everything is coming back and seeking for continuity/rotation) or just a way to play safe and calm his otherwise choky nerves after his XD OG gold. Lol. I'm actually inclined to think it's the game tactic (albeit a boring one) since its same old same old when it comes to money and glory. Recreationally, he does stuff that is more spectacular and unbefitting him though...
Not sure if you're insulting MM or being kind to LYD! lol But to be fair, I have noticed that he has been smashing very slightly harder (not necessarily better) than he did before his retirement. Though it is still pretty useless. The trouble is, if you don't have a strong smash, your disguised drops are not going to be very effective as your opponents won't fear your smash. But I still think that LYD could make the most of the power he has by varying not just the angle but the positioning. He seems to prefer playing a safe, low risk smash and wait for a mistake or a chance to rotate with his partner. But this is pretty dumb. There is certainly more he can do to force a mistake even with the power he has. On the subject of LYD's smash, there is something that isn't quite right with his technique but I'm struggling to pinpoint the problem. It seems to me that he is not using and accelerating his elbow fully, stopping it's movement far too early before he pronates - and thereby wasting a lot of energy. It just seems like a disjointed, unsmooth action. I remember watching a slow-mo of him smashing compared to YYS and it was clear how much smoother the acceleration of YYS's technique is, delaying pronation until his elbow has accelerated through fully and carrying all that speed into his forearm at just the right moment to allow the continuous flow of momentum. Whereas LYD's action is kind of clunky, almost like there's a momentary pause just before he starts his pronation. Anyway, I guess it's a bit late in the day to change his technique now though it's interesting to see the difference between top players.
Could it be a result of his prior injury? I know he injured it pretty badly the first time round somewhere around 2009-2010. That's about when his smash speeds and power began it's gradual decline over the years. Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk
