Home, Badminton
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The page is originally from University
of Waterloo Badminton Club.
University of Waterloo Badminton Club
Stroking, fitness, balance and tactics are the keys to badminton. "Stroking",
involves the actual production of the shots. It is difficult to produce
the shot well if one is not fit enough to get to the shuttle in time.
Having gotten there in time, one must remain on balance before, during
and after the stroke. "Tactics" is the ability to mix the
other three elements together in a winning combination.
What To Watch
For
STROKING - Is
the stroking smooth or choppy? Compare your own strokes or those
of the average player on court. Watch the strokes of the superstars.
How effortless they seem! How graceful! Note the absence of a
long backswing or follow through.
FITNESS - Is there
a lot of huffing and puffing? Is the player consistently taking
the shuttle high at the net, and above him in the backcourt? If
the shuttle is taken low at the net or behind the player in the backcourt,
he is probably tiring. Watch then for stalling between rallies
- the long "S" curve back to the service position.
BALANCE - Is the
player on balance? If the player gets bent over, he is probably
being forced off balance. Has the player become a human windmill,
all arms and legs? Is the player "diving" for shuttles?
Or, is the player moving around the court exuding confidence and control?
Frantic "digging" for shuttles shows guts but suggests
an earlier weakness in the play leading to more and more off balance
or out of position strokes.
TACTICS - Look
at the badminton rally in singles as a game of chess, with one player
testing the other's ability in terms of (1) stroking - "How's your
backhand or smash returns?" (2) fitness - "Are you prepared
to sustain a long rally time after time?" (3) balance - "Do
youthrow yourself off balance after certain strokes or sequences of
strokes?... or after long rally after long rally?" Usually,
players have decided how to play the opponent before the match begins,
but the match situation may cause changes in plans. Try to figure
out the tactics being employed. What are they? If you were
that player, would you have done the same? If the match goes three
games, what advice would you give each player? The third game
will show you if you were right.
In DOUBLES, one
team tries to force the other to lift the shuttle so it can be smashed.
Watch how they do it - hitting the shuttle downward off the serve, intercepting
shuttles high at the net, playing a variety of net and flatshots rather
than lifting. Once the shuttle is lifted, watch where the smasher
hits it and where his partner positions himself to prevent the opponents
from playing any net shots or flat shots off the smash. What shots
are they playing? Are they staying deep in the court or aggressively
attacking the smash close at the net?
In MIXED, watch
how the men try to take advantage of the opposing woman's position close
to the net or try to force her into the backcourt. Watch how the
women block shuttles at the net and try to force the opposing team to
lift the shuttle. The key to mixed doubles is the woman.
If this is the first time you have watched a badminton match, here are
a few hints which you may find useful:
SCORING - In badminton,
the winner of a rally serves and only the server or the team serving
can score points. Ladies singles goes to 11 points with the options
to set 12 points if the game is tied 9-9 or 10-10. All other events
go to 15 points with the option at 13-13 to setto 18 or at 14-14 to
set to 17. All events are played until one side has won two games.
TYPE OF SHOTS
- The smash is the badminton player's most formidable weapon.
It is an overhead stroke delivered similarly to a powerful serve in
tennis. However, you will see it used continually through out
the badminton rally with the shuttle leaving the racket at speeds in
excess of 140 m.p.h.. The drop is hit up to the point of contact
identically to the smash and clear, thus creating a very effective change
of pace. The clear, up to the point of contact like the drop and
smash, forces the opposing player to the back of the court. The
backhand strokes are identical to their equivalent forehand ones except
they are usually hit with less power. However, these international
stars will make all strokes seem easy.
If you have the opportunity, stand close to a court and watch the varying
speeds of the shuttle from the blinding speed of a smash to the most
delicate of net shots. Watch the players' remarkable defensive
ability. Watch, too, their agility and quickness.
Come back again
and bring your friends.
