Since its the begining of a new year change is in the air. We all make promises to ourselves, new year resolutions, all in order to improve something that needs fixing. Well the badminton court is timeless and is willing to be worked on at any time of year.
The theme of this article will be “change”. My favorite quote that has been given to me and that I use all the time when I coach is: “Small changes can make a big difference”.
Small changes can apply in many different ways in your game. For example, being able to “hold” the shuttle while playing at the net is a crucial aspect of the game. If you can hold the shuttle for just a fraction of a second longer, it can make the difference between your opponent having a jump start on your shot OR your opponent being paralyzed long enough for your shot to get by him. This is a major difference!!
Technique is not the only thing you can change. Tactics is a crucial element of the game and even with the best technique in the world, if you play with bad bad tactics…..you are toast! The good thing is, sound tactics are NOT complicated. “Small changes can make a big difference”
Lets take changing speeds of the game. If you are playing a player who likes to play a million miles per hour, slowing the game down could be a good option (unless you are superior to him at playing fast). Playing high lifts, slow drops and not engaging in his flat play could make him very impatient and lead to many mistakes. Or you could face an opposite situation where the player is slow and you need to speed up.
As you can see these are not revolutionary idea’s and are accessible to everyone. As long as you keep an open mind, you will be able to see and feel the game in new ways.
