Simon said:

The “release the dogs of war” speech from “Henry V” is another favourite of mine.

You mean “let slip the dogs of war”, from “Julius Caeser”?

As for the nerves, I think it generally boils down to confidence. You need to develop an unshakeable feeling of invincibility, even if it's misplaced and totally out of proportion to your actual skill level. Simon's probably right about that coming with experience (unless you're just a naturally cocky person).

In doubles, the most important thing is probably the kind of relationship you have with your partner. It really helps to have a partner you know well, who's really supportive, and you know won't get stressed if you make a few mistakes. It's much harder if you've just been partnered with someone who you perhaps don't really know/like.

Some top players like Lee Chong Wei and Lleyton Hewitt (in tennis) wear “relaxation” titanium collars from Phiten (Japan). I've tried to research this on the Internet, but can't seem to find any scientific evidence of its supposed utility, so the effect is probably psychological (a placebo effect) rather than physiological. Looking at how calm LCW was when he defeated Lin Dan in the previous AE2011 finals, I think the collar did its job admirably, and it is pretty well known LCW had a lot of mental demons to overcome in the past when he was trying to overtake Lin Dan in the world rankings. If it works for the World Number 1 it might work for you too. 🙂 Personally I don't wear anything like that; with my poor badminton skills I probably need a titanium anvil around my neck to get the same effect.

PS/- Then again, you could also argue that the entire Malaysian entourage at the All England also included a sports psychologist.

There's a guy I lost to in competition (not tremendously, but anyway I lost) who came around to our club tonight to play on a friendly base. I beated him eyes closed. So I'm really desperate to read Paul advise. Nerves seem to block my upper leg muscles completely. Makes me almost stumble to the back of the court. This ruins my footwork, so I'm disapointed, and thus the next game I'm afraid this will hit me again, so I'm nervous, this ruins my game, disapointment, next game… A downward spiral, that should be clear by now.

Cheers, ED

I read that article in work today (on lunch  ), found it very interesting.

I wouldn't say I particularly suffer from nerves but I do have a technique that helps me if I'm not playing very well. I put all my focus onto my footwork, even if it's one of my shots that isn't working well.

The idea for me is twofold. Firstly I improve my movement round the court which will invariably help pick up my game pick up. Secondly, I take all focus away from the shots I am playing. Until reading the article I didn't have a name for this, but in effect it returns my actions to the 'implicit system'. I know I can hit a smash so this technique helps me 'just hit it' rather than over complicating things.

I appreciate this doesn't necessarily help if your legs have turned to lead, but it helps relax me and play at my best.