Need Help Preparing for Upcoming Tournament

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by Natty Bumpo, Jan 27, 2015.

  1. Natty Bumpo

    Natty Bumpo Regular Member

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    Hello,
    Im a junior player who is preparing to play singles against tough opponents in about one week. I have never played singles in a tournament and my stamina/endurance is kind of weak. Any tips and tactics to win at least one match against young aggressive players. My smash is still weak and I don't seem to have an aggressive instinct. Any drills or exercises that you would like suggest is appreciated. I play with a Voltric 70 BG65 24 tension.

    Thanks

    Natty
     
  2. shooting stroke

    shooting stroke Regular Member

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    Hi there,

    I week preparation for a single tournament for a player that never plays single before is not a lengthy duration for sufficient preparation. Unless if you are a single player before and regularly compete in many tournament, such duration should ideally be used to highlighted, rectify and polishing whatever weakness and strength that you have in your style of play as a single player.

    What i would advice is that don't set your standard of achievement that high in this tournament, enjoy your part as a participating player and gain as much experiencing especially if you are playing with a much experienced opponent. Those valuable experience will guide you on how to be a well prepared player in your next tournament experience.

    For the time being, just focus on polishing and sharpening all your hitting qualities, do physical training to maintain your fitness, have enough rest and eat well and regularly practice and play with your trainer or colleague. Ensure all your gears are well prepare and take precaution to not get any unnecessary injury before the tournament. Good luck

    SS
     
  3. mikescully

    mikescully Regular Member

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    - footwork drills/shadows : young experienced players will aim at corners with fast driven/attacking clears and tight netplay, you'll have to be fast and agile on court

    - shot drills : form is the main cause of not having power smash, one of my club member's son who trained since 5 and now only 15 could smash much much more powerful than a strong bulky and built 30 years old intermediate player , the kid is not muscular and the 30 years old guy used to do judo and wrestling with a lot of brute arm strength but the power is not well transformed and it's amazing to see a very hard power smash could come from such a young boy. So it's not just about the arm/wrist power but the correct form is very important.

    -stamina : try running/ dash sprinting (treadmills also okay) , cycling
     
  4. mikescully

    mikescully Regular Member

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  5. raymond

    raymond Regular Member

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    At this stage, you're not gonna make any substantial improvement. What you could do is to work on your mental. Read up some mental article on visualization, breathing technique, and just as Shooting mentioned, don't set too high an expectation. Instead you may set some goals on performance - e.g. you'd like to play with variations to keep your opponent guessing, play with margins, etc. Pick 2-3 key aspects you like to achieve, if all else fail.

    The key is to keep your level. Other than that, with the remaining time, work on quality of your serves, and receives of serves to at least keep your rallies at decent lengths. Don't tire yourself out doing physical the day before your matches. Start adjusting your sleep patterns to adapt to match schedule, so that you won't find yourself unable to sleep (because you're used to sleeping late). Read up on hydration and fatigue, and how you may prevent them with electrolytes etc. All in all, keep your performance and current shape.
     
  6. raymond

    raymond Regular Member

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    BTW, if your smash is not strong, don't smash too much, unless your opponent presents you a very short return. Heck, even if your smash is strong, you're not supposed to smash too much in Singles anyway.
     
  7. Natty Bumpo

    Natty Bumpo Regular Member

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    My lifts are very always short and my opponents seem to be able to smash right down the line. How do I properly lift? Is it wrist or forearm rotation?
     
  8. Natty Bumpo

    Natty Bumpo Regular Member

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  9. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    At this stage, don't not be surprised if there are many people much better than you. As mentioned, there is not much you can do in a week to make a massive improvement.

    Probably service is one area you can practice to make sure it goes right to the back of the court and not to make service mistakes which give away free points.

    It's great that you enter and have a go. Treat it as a learning experience. We've all been through that before ourselves.
     
  10. mikescully

    mikescully Regular Member

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    correct form and method I guess, that boom sound is very typical club players with proper training kinda smash. lifts using forearm and wrist, you can do wall hitting practice to strengthen your arm and boost your defense too.

    doing extra training at home can help with physical fitness. I usually do finger, wrist and forearm exercise, situps and crunches while watching tv, ropeskipping and chinese steps at my backyard and weight training at the gym and some running and cycling. I managed to steal 4 matches from stronger advanced players last year when I play the local league. I eat at least 2 hours before and have 'doping'with creatine before match.
     
  11. mikescully

    mikescully Regular Member

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    that being said, forgot to mention I only focus on doubles for competition ( I would never stand a chance to win over my opponents if we have to play singles as some advanced players are former junior singles champions in my prefecture/regional, but with doubles different story if I do my homework hard I still have 50:50 chance to win) so for singles different approach, I guess footwork, technique/stroke drills and endurance training are still the best bet for competitive preparation^^
     
  12. Charlie-SWUK

    Charlie-SWUK Regular Member

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    One thing I've been trying to work on with some junior players is their aggression. Get someone to serve to you, and get them to deliberately serve a few of them too high; practise aggressive kills on the ones that are too high. You can also get some to do something similar with short clears/lifts.

    Physically, you aren't going to be able to improve an enormous amount as others have highlighted. It takes a while to build those qualities.

    At least with a little preparation for upper your aggression, you might start spotting those opportunities in your tournament (and hopefully take them!).
     
  13. Natty Bumpo

    Natty Bumpo Regular Member

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    Unfortunately, I lost every match I played in. Both singles and doubles. I was playing doubles in intermediate levels and singles in collegiate. Lost every single game in both. Not one match went to three games. Doubles matches were close but my partner was old and I had to do play mistake-free to win. I made too many mistakes but the matches were close.
    Singles went horrible. First match was against a good player but he didn't seem to be too good because he lost easily in the advanced level to a player great player I know. I lost 21-11 and 21-16. I didn't feel ready for the match since I showed up about 20 minutes late because of traffic and school work. I didn't get any warm up but still I lost convincing to my opponent. I will try to upload a video.
    In the consolation of singles, my opponent was very skinny, unimpressive player from the outside. He was very stiff and and long compared to a loose player like me. Everyone had me winning this game and there were a few spectators watching my match. Unfortunately, again I lost to this guy 21-18, 21-16. Each game I lost 5 points just by having my serves go out. But still it was close toward the end. I couldn't close it out. At the end everyone told me I was not aggressive, but I felt like I was attacking and smashing every chance I could. Some of my drops hit the net while others went wide. People who I usually beat at doubles at our local club, now think I am easy to beat in singles and I have lost their respect, because I couldn't beat this seemingly easy, unimpressive opponent. I lost that mystique or aura around me that made everyone think I am an amazing player. Some people said I should quit playing singles or even doubles because I am not aggressive and don't have the mindset to win.

    Two years ago I made in to finals and was runner-up in intermediate doubles. Last year, lost in the semi-finals to the eventual champions. This year lost in the first round. This also was my first time playing singles in a tournament. I couldn't beat an opponent everyone thought I should beat. They were other teenagers playing in the advanced level and playing better than me. I have only been playing for four years and now I feel like my game as reached its maximum potential.

    Now I am embarrassed to go back to my club because everyone knows I lost and now everyone will try to beat me. I don't if I should play for a while.
     
  14. Natty Bumpo

    Natty Bumpo Regular Member

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    I need help, I just lost my tournament.

    Unfortunately, I lost every match I played in. Both singles and doubles. I was playing doubles in intermediate levels and singles in collegiate. Lost every single game in both. Not one match went to three games. Doubles matches were close but my partner was old and I had to do play mistake-free to win. I made too many mistakes but the matches were close.
    Singles went horrible. First match was against a good player but he didn't seem to be too good because he lost easily in the advanced level to a player great player I know. I lost 21-11 and 21-16. I didn't feel ready for the match since I showed up about 20 minutes late because of traffic and school work. I didn't get any warm up but still I lost convincing to my opponent. I will try to upload a video.
    In the consolation of singles, my opponent was very skinny, unimpressive player from the outside. He was very stiff and and long compared to a loose player like me. Everyone had me winning this game and there were a few spectators watching my match. Unfortunately, again I lost to this guy 21-18, 21-16. Each game I lost 5 points just by having my serves go out. But still it was close toward the end. I couldn't close it out. At the end everyone told me I was not aggressive, but I felt like I was attacking and smashing every chance I could. Some of my drops hit the net while others went wide. People who I usually beat at doubles at our local club, now think I am easy to beat in singles and I have lost their respect, because I couldn't beat this seemingly easy, unimpressive opponent. I lost that mystique or aura around me that made everyone think I am an amazing player. Some people said I should quit playing singles or even doubles because I am not aggressive and don't have the mindset to win.

    Two years ago I made in to finals and was runner-up in intermediate doubles. Last year, lost in the semi-finals to the eventual champions. This year lost in the first round. This also was my first time playing singles in a tournament. I couldn't beat an opponent everyone thought I should beat. They were other teenagers playing in the advanced level and playing better than me. I have only been playing for four years and now I feel like my game as reached its maximum potential.

    Now I am embarrassed to go back to my club because everyone knows I lost and now everyone will try to beat me. I don't if I should play for a while.
     
  15. raymond

    raymond Regular Member

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    I'd suggest you focus on one event first - doubles, which seems to be your favorite event. Singles is more about finesse and patience than about aggression. Drop and clears are probably not how you play your Doubles. Also the lines are different; the court is skinnier. You may have good doubles shots, but they may not make it in Singles. 5 points because of serve is too much in competition.

    Plus your mind seems to have too much distraction; too much expectation, and care too much about how others may think of you. They'd only impede your performance.
     
  16. djkenishii

    djkenishii Regular Member

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    Hi Natty,

    I'm not a good singles player as well. always loose to junior players, even though was quite advanced in doubles. The thing i learnt in badminton is u have to be calm, try not to let matters out of court distract u. when u r playing, always focus on the next shot and where are u on the court. when u play doubles, be aware of where ur team mates are and always cover the empty space. while in singles, what i learnt for beginners (like myself included) just need to practice to clear your returned shot as far back as possible to the opponents end, that will limit your opponent choice of shot that he can play on u. once u r ready, move on to play some net shot or drop shot. also the most important thing i learnt in singles is that do not ever smash your opponent if it can be easily defensed, else a quick offensive shot u will be caught off guard and have no time to take it. All the best !
     
  17. MSeeley

    MSeeley Regular Member

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    You sound like you are having a bit of a crisis, and I want to help you understand what is happening. Everyone feels like you do at some point.

    Firstly - how on earth could you feel that, after 4 years of playing, you have reached your maximum potential? This suggests that there is nothing you can improve on... and you have already stated many things you can improve e.g. making less mistakes, getting your serves in the court, getting your drop shots over the net and not wide, improve your fitness and endurance, power of your smash etc etc... You should now have a huge list of things you can do better. Losing helps us understand what we are not doing very well. You now have a chance to work on and fix all of these things.

    I will also say - it sounds like you expected to win a game of singles... but why? You said yourself you do not play much singles, so why expect to win? You know that in order to be good at singles you need to train very very hard at consistency for many many years - but it sounds like you only had a week or two to prepare - so its not surprising you didn't do so well in the singles. As long as you know what you need to do to improve then you are ok! Make a list of things and start working on it. You will get better at them and then you can start playing better singles.

    In the doubles it sounds like you had a bad partner - tell me, if you had had a really good partner, would you have got to the final of the tournament or won that first match? It sounds like it to me - you have done well before! Its really important for you to focus on YOU, and not your results. It doesn't matter whether you win or not, it matters how well you played. It sounds like you should have made less mistakes. Therefore, you were not at your best. Therefore you did not do as well as you could have done. So now just make sure that you make fewer mistakes - needs a lot of practice and training and hard work! If you give up now, you are wasting time you could be training and working hard to improve!

    The last thing I will say is the most important: stop worrying about what other people think of you. It doesn't matter. What kind of idiot says someone should stop playing badminton because they lost a couple of matches in a tournament? Why are you listening to these losers? Just go back to beating them easily at club night - that will shut them up!

    Did they enter the tournament? Did they win all their matches? No? Then they should shut up!

    And here is a secret for you: having the mindset to win does not mean you win every match - it means that when you lose, you work really hard to improve so that you will win in the future!

    Here is the important message - if you mope around because you lost then you deserve to keep losing. Instead, make a list of what you can improve, and start training really hard to improve that. That means you are acting like a future champion! It may take months to improve - but do not stop trying. If you stop trying you are wasting time in which you could be improving!

    Good luck!

    p.s. feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
     
  18. MSeeley

    MSeeley Regular Member

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    I answered your post in the other thread.
     
  19. Natty Bumpo

    Natty Bumpo Regular Member

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    Thanks for you advice and help.

    Here is a clip of my first singles game.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-XiyafWnk

    I am in the orange shirt. This clip pretty much summarizes my game. I have been told many times that I need to be aggressive because I am only 20. I could not finish the smash to get the point. Every seems to return my smashes at the net. How can I be the most aggressive player I can be?
     
  20. Natty Bumpo

    Natty Bumpo Regular Member

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    Thanks for you advice and help.

    Here is a clip of my first singles game.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-XiyafWnk

    I am in the orange shirt. This clip pretty much summarizes my game. I have been told many times that I need to be aggressive because I am only 20. I could not finish the smash to get the point. Every seems to return my smashes at the net. How can I be the most aggressive player I can be?
     

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