What makes a good badminton player ? | Intermediate - General Q&A | Discussion Forum

Again, a lot of very good points raised.
I would also like to add a couple of thoughts here which I believe make a difference.
1) a good player has to be able to play tactically and impose their tactics on a game.
2) they need to have unlimited belief in themselves and a huge desire to success (note I use the word "huge.")
3) they also need to be adaptable and this is probably the least talked about in terms of ability and tactics. Let me explain… If you're good at one stlye and your opponent also plays the same style but better, then you have no chance of winning. If however you are highly competent at a couple of styles then you have the ability to change your game to test, wear out, upset your opponent which may lead to a complete breakdown in their game. This may give you the advantage needed to get that vital win.
So, if you play very fast and hit hard, then develop a play where you are fast but can very pace really well. I wouldn't recommend playing "slow" because this means lowering your work rate. But, you can get to the shuttle early and mix up the pace so your opponent recieves less shots of the type they like e.g. Lin Dan makes more mistakes when he has to take a shuttle with no pace and inject it into his next shot rather than respond to a shuttle coming at him with pace.
Paul