All Star Badminton Coaching

In this section of the website I plan to have articles which I believe are relevant to the people I am currently coaching. The first article below is written by a friend of mine Paul Stewart who is currently a full time coach down in Cheshire.

Is Your Mindset Destroying Your Chances of Winning Your Badminton Match?

I’ve been following a very interesting thread on my forum recently where members have posted a range of scenarios that have contributed to a change in fortunes on court with disappointing and frustrating results.

It’s sometimes very difficult to stop situations like these occurring. However, there are a number of tools you can adopt to protect yourself from falling into the same trap and being drawn into almost unrecoverable and destructive mindset that can cost you more than the game itself.

We’ve all been on court at times when we’re really in the “zone” seeing the shuttle so much earlier, hitting free of tension and playing superbly well, reading situations and being on top of our game. So why can’t we do this more often? Let’s explore.

You have a commanding lead, having won the first game. Suddenly your partner eases off and let’s a few points slip by.

Before you know it, you’re drawn into the same mindset as your partner and you lose the second game. Your opponents now have the upper hand and you’re struggling to find the form you displayed in the opening game and the early stages of the second game.

First of all, recognise something very important. Whatever happens around you, you are choosing to follow a pattern of behaviour. In fact, it’s probably happened before and your mind recognises it. Therefore it’s easy to fall into the same behaviour pattern again.

With this in mind you need to deal with this off court. Think back to the time this first happened to you. Replay the match in your mind. When this first happened, you chose to follow the behaviour of your partner. Why was that? What positive feelings did this behaviour give you at the time? Was it a sense of belonging, comradeship?

If this happened when you were young, then there could have been many impressionable thoughts based on insecurities at the time that are no longer in your immediate psyche, but buried somewhere deep down e.g. respect for your then partner who may have been older and someone you looked up to.

Search for the answer and when you find it, you need to recognise that this was a behaviour learned when you did not know better. Decide today that this behaviour no longer serves a purpose for you and who you are today, and that this behaviour will never be required again in situations like this. This behaviour will now be replaced by a controlled, aggressive, fast thinking, fast acting highly skilled badminton player. (note if you are to remove a behaviour, you need to replace it with something).

OK, I’m going deep here, but, that’s what sports performance is all about – it’s finding the little keys that will open up a far superior state of mind.

You need to listen to your self-talk very carefully. It’s common that we all talk to ourselves during the day by way of thought. What we say to ourselves has a huge bearing on the outcome we achieve e.g. if we say, “I’m not playing well today and keep hitting the shuttle out,” then our brain hears this, decides it’s an instruction and continues to help you not play well and hit shuttles out.

In this case, if you said “I am a highly skilled badminton player, taking too many high risk chances. I’ll keep the shuttle in from now on by playing a little more inside the court” then chances are that’s what you will do.

So if your partner is having an off day you could change your self-talk to super charge your game. You could say “my partner is getting a bit tired so I need to really focus and see the opportunities to set up or kill the shuttle so that they can get some rest and be ready for the next round of the tournament.”

I’ll guarantee the outcome of this kind of self-talk will be considerably different to what you’re currently saying.

This is similar to number one. You’re playing at club night against lesser players or you have a huge lead. Yet again, you fall into the trap of easing off. What do you do?

What you need to be doing is “re-framing” the situation in your mind to change the result. So instead of “why am I playing with these players – they’re dragging my game down.” You could change this to “it’s time I raise my game and demonstrate how quality play can change a game.”

Also, if you’re going on court with lesser skilled players, this is a time where you can work on your game. Choose one thing to focus on e.g. see how many times you can return the serve to one area to either set up an opening for attack or kill the shuttle.

I was recently talking to a student of mine who was describing a training session of singles games he had against a certain player. When I asked the final score he told me he lost 6-2 in games. Mmm, I thought, before asking him “what was the score the previous time you played him?”

Oh, 6-2 to him he replied. Interesting. “Is this a frequent score then?” Yes.

I then explained that if he had won two games, this meant that he was capable of beating this other player every time he played.

Following this I then asked him “are the scores close in the games you lose?” Yes, I usually lose 21-18 or 19. I’m always up and then give away a few easy points and let him back into the game. I can’t seem to close out the game.

What happens here is that my student has conditioned his mind to behave in a certain way since the first time he played this other county player. He’s conditioned his mind to lose 6-2. Therefore if he’s in a commanding lead which would break the 6-2 score, his self-sabotage behaviour pattern intervenes and creates the conditions where he makes a series of errors to change the score.

At the end of the game, whilst he’s lost and disappointed, he also has a feel-good feeling because he’s returned to his comfort zone where he’s most secure.

The question now is “in which circumstances around you are you self-sabotaging?”

1) Listen to your self-talk. What are you saying to yourself? How do you choose to respond to this with the feelings you generate?

2) Who in your past or present do you look up to as a role model for being a professional athlete who has achieved all there is in their chosen sport? What do they sound like?

3) Substitute the professional voice for the one that has been talking to you. What words would the professional say to you in situations where self-sabotage takes place? What are they saying to you now that sends a shiver down your spine and changes how you feel and makes you want to give more than you’ve ever given before?

4) Agree with your professional athlete that you have sacked the previous guy and that they are now hired to work with you on and off the court to help you achieve all you can in sport and life.

5) Never go on court without a plan. This could be to practice one shot or a complete game plan to take on your opponent(s). In doubles, make sure your partner has bought into the plan too.

6) Recognise that there are times when you will meet the better player. In situations like these, you and your professional athlete will give respect where it’s due and work out the best plan you can. You also remember that this is your greatest test, a challenge you have been training for, and you are ready to raise your game and fight for every point.

Some of you may be wondering what this article is all about whilst others have grasped it and are ready to make changes. There are plenty more tools you can use such as music to always get you in the mood to play well.

I used to use the theme tunes to Rocky films like Eye of The Tiger to really psyche me up for a game. Which tune do you use to get you into the right frame of mind to win? If you haven’t got one, find a tune that sends that feel-good shiver down your spine. Now capture it on mp3 and take it with you wherever you go.

You need to remember that we are not provided with an instruction manual to understand our minds. However, our mind is an amazing, powerful tool that drives us forward way beyond our perceived limits or can stop us in our tracks with self-sabotage tactics.

All our behaviours are learned over the years, even winning and losing. As we choose our responses to all the various stimuli around us, recognise that the key word here is CHOOSE. We are therefore capable of re-learning and changing our patterns of behaviour and therefore creating a completely different outcome.

That’s why you’ve seen such amazing transformations on television when you see a person freak out when they see a snake or spider and after 20-30 minutes of conversation with a specialist they have the snake around their neck or spider in their hands looking at it with completely different eyes. This is NOT making someone do something they don’t want to do, but removing the trigger for a learned “immediate response” behaviour and then replacing the behaviour pattern with completely different feelings and therefore different actions.

The most common badminton coaching question I’m asked by players is “how can I improve my backhand?”

After studying badminton players on court and on video, there are a number of common faults emerging that can be corrected relatively easily.

1) Incorrect grip. Perhaps the most basic and yet often neglected skill is changing grip. Badminton is played at a faster pace now and therefore it is imperative that basic skills are mastered in order to cope with this change of pace. The only time you could get away with using a forehand grip of sorts, is when the shuttle has already travelled behind you. Then, and only then will a forehand grip present the racket face properly to the shuttle in order to play this shot, although it is extremely difficult.

Tip No1. Practice grip changing whenever you can. It’s a simple thing that can be done whilst watching TV. Make sure you watch your hands initially to check you are holding the racket correctly. Also, practice the bevel grip which is basically a forehand grip but you move your thumb onto the short side if the grip rather than on the larger flat area (almost 10 2 position if you think of your grip like a clock face).

2) Incorrect footwork. In order to hit any power shot, you need to be positioned correctly. With the backhand, moreso than forehand, your feet need to be firmly on the floor to provide a solid base. That doesn’t mean this shot cannot be played whilst in mid-air as the pros can hit the clear from this way. But, for the majority of players having both feet on the ground is essential to generating the power required to hit a decent backhand clear.

Lee Chong Wei Preparing To Hit A Backhand Clear

Tip No2. Many players stand with their feet parallel when trying to hit the backhand clear. This isn’t the best position for your feet as it’s not the most balanced. Ideally, you need to move your racket leg a step towards the rear court so you’re almost in a standing lunge position. This provides greater balance and a more solid platform to hit from.

3) Body position. Whenever I study players with poor backhands, most are so afraid of the bad results they expect to get on their backhand, they fail to prepare properly to hit the shot. After moving towards the backhand, they step to the side and only partially turn the shoulders to hit the shot. This means the racket is starting from the wrong position and following an incorrect path towards the shuttle – an in-to-out path. Unless you’re extremely lucky, the path of the racket will always be different to the direction you wish the shuttle to go. That’s almost like trying to hit a nail into the wall when the starting position and path of the hammer is at one side of the nail – almost impossible to hit straight.

Tip No3. So, you’ve moved to the shuttle and planted your foot. Great! Now turn your body so your back is virtually parallel to the net. Now you’re ready to hit the shuttle as your racket is in the correct zone and flight path towards the shuttle.

4) Position of the shuttle. To hit a good clear, the shuttle should be struck when it’s in line with your body. If the shuttle is in front of you i.e. closer to the net, then in reality you have the time to hit a round-the-head shot. The majority of errors I see are due to the shuttle being struck from behind the body – the most difficult of shots to master.

Tip No4. Ask your partner to feed a few shuttles into your backhand hitting zone. Move to the shuttle as though you are going to hit your backhand clear. Now, let the shuttle fall to the floor and notice the landing position. Where is it in relation to your body? Repeat 5 times to check for consistency. Is the shuttle landing in the same place? If so, you know how you need to change your positioning in order to be in the right place. Make adjustments and repeat the exercise. It may feel strange but that’s good. Now ask the feeder to lift again and hit a few shuttles. Stop every few and allow the shuttle to hit the floor to check you’re still in the correct position.

Lee Chong Wei Backhand Clear Hit

5) Hitting action. There are a number of common hitting faults. If you allow the shoulder to lead, effectively you are turning your body before the hit. This means you change the path your racket must take to connect to the shuttle and generally you end up with an in-to-out action. Another simple mistake here is throwing the whole arm at the shuttle with a big follow through. There is no power or direction in this technique and the clear will always be weak.

Tip No5 Did you ever flick a towel when you were in school? Remember, it was the pull-back action which generated the power. If you simply flicked your towel without this action, not much happened.

This is the type of power hitting action you need with the backhand clear.

Point your elbow towards the shuttle, this is your pivot point.
Throw your racket at the shuttle and tap as you hit. Do not extend your arm fully with this shot.
You should not have a follow through in the hitting action as it’s a bounce-back hit.
The racket may move in a follow through line as part of your recovery.

6) Recovery. No matter what shot you are playing and where you are on court, it is essential that you hit and move. It’s amazing when you watch players how many times they are admiring their shot whilst stationary, rather than hitting, watching and moving. If you don’t recover from the shot, you won’t be in a good position to cover a possible return. The danger here is that some players try to push off from their racket leg whilst playing the shot, which completely changes the path of the racket.

Tip No6. Make sure that as soon as you hit the backhand clear, you move to your base. A simple exercise here is to do a count of: hit, 2, 3. By the time you count 3 you must be on your base. As you move, you can still watch the shuttle. It is possible to watch and move at the same time! Use this technique with all shots and you will get faster on court. It’ll also prove how much you’ve been shuttle watching and wasting time!

7) Tension. Perhaps the biggest cause of weakness in any power shot is the amount of tension in your body and racket arm. It’s impossible for your muscles to work efficiently and effectively when you’re too tense.

Tip No7. Focus on holding your racket really gently – just enough that it cannot slip out of your hand. Play a few shots on court to get the feel. You’ll probably feel very different. Only tighten your grip a fraction before impact and then loosen again. Once you get comfortable with this, try hitting your backhand clears. You should find you have more power.

If you’ve developed a style over the years that incorporates some or all of these faults, then you can, in time, correct them. But, please be patient. If this is the case, focus on tips 1 and 7 first because they will give you the greatest improvement in the fastest time, especially tip number 7. After that, it’s best to follow in sequence because that’s the sequence of the stroke cycle – move, prepare, hit, recover.

As always, have fun and let me know how your backhand is improving as a result of this article.

"I don't train because I enjoy training, I train because I enjoy winning."

Articles

Is Your Mindset Destroying Your Chances of Winning Your Badminton Match?