On the subject of practice the old saying is “practice makes perfect”. I was told by a very good coach that “ony perfect practice makes perfect”. And when you think about it's vital to make sure that your technique spot on to begin with, rather than the very difficult job of having to change later.As Paul said quality counts.

Matthew Seeley said:

In a video on youtube, Fu Haifeng states that he shadowed the perfect action for a smash for 2 months before he was allowed to hit a shuttle. Maybe that is what separates the best from the rest?

 

See, now that actually makes sense. If you had never played before, and you do all that shadow work for that long, once you do use shuttles, it's going to seem the normal way to hit the shuttle and move and it would minimise bad habits creeping in.

But how many of us could do that though? And I can't see English kids doing that on their own accord, you'd have to push them into doing it but they might lose interest very quickly if you did. As someone who plays badminton, you can obviously see the long term goal and the benefits but if you were a child just starting out, it hardly makes the game appealing to you in a way? But maybe this is how countries like China get ahead of everyone else as this sort of training is more the norm for them? But then it could look like that but maybe it is not just that, that makes them stand out, it's just the fact that they have so many players coming through and there might be a lot of not so good players?

Interesting!

Great thread and some really interesting comments.

I have the pleasure of coaching U15 and U13 development players (these are players who have been invited to develop their skills and might possibly go on to the County team). You would think they are highly motivated and keen to practice. Not so!

Mostly they just want to play. We have to structure the sessions to be short and sharp and interspersed with playing games. Following a recent tournament we had a feedback session based on the notes/observations I and the head coach made. Based on these we focused in on a couple of specific shots that appeared to be letting them down. First up was the clear. We asked them to practice – watched by us and given advice on technique etc. After about 10 minutes we stopped and tried to illicit some feedback (often difficult with a young group!!). Once the head coach had finished I asked the group a question. I asked who thought it was boring? I knew the answer before I asked it…so I reminded them of the need to practice and the need to make sure that that practice is perfect. Think I wasted my breath.

Seems to me that everyone wants a quick fix and few are prepared to work hard to achieve great results.

Thanks Matthew.

I wish I had the opportunity when I was younger! I hope I don't come across as negative of the group – they are a great bunch and they can play well (much better than me!!). It is just about passion to succeed and energy. Even as the years take their toll on me I will still give 110% effort and enthusiasm to training or playing – why give anything less?

One of the reasons I am training to be a coach is quite selfish…it helps me improve my game! I only started playing badminton less than 2 years ago. I now play for two clubs (Friday and Sunday) and have been selected for the league team at my primary club. I play two open sessions each week (with intermediate and advanced/league players) on Monday and Wednesday. Straight after my Monday session I go to a different venue to help coach the kids and I have now been asked if I would join the coaching staff at our County HQ to help with the junior County players on a Saturday. So it is a big part of my life – good job my wife plays too!! But yes it is costly – I provide my help for free because I want to give something back to the community and in return I get some great free advice and training. I am also passionate about getting more children into badminton; it would be great to have an British player as world number one…one day…one day.

I have loads to learn and find this forum an invaluable resource – especially Paul's articles. So keep posting folks.