The relaxed arm method is a alternative method of learning how to swing the racquet. It has been useful for me when I have been stroking poorly from the back and straining too hard to get power. What it teaches is energy transfer from medial to distal parts of the body.
You can start off-court, without a racquet.
1. Get your arm loose, let it hang from your shoulder, swing it loosely from side to side
2. Raise your arm overhead... and let it drop. Notice the difference between letting it fall freely and controlling the descent. Your hand should slap your leg at the bottom.
3. Drop your arm from overhead again, but this time turn your body to avoid slapping yourself. Rotate back on the return swing to put your arm overhead again. Get a feeling for the rhythm of this movement, it should require very little effort to maintain.
4. When the arm is up, rotate your body such that the arm swings forward instead of back. Follow through across the body. Make sure to let the arm swing freely rather than trying to control the movement directly. You should only be controlling the arm swing indirectly by adjusting the initial movement of the torso.
5. Instead of a full follow-through, stop your body rotation abruptly when after 90 degrees of rotation. Note that the follow through changes into a whip like motion.
6. Repeat with racquet
7. Repeat with birds.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Teaching Body Rotation as Part of Footwork
My conventional approach in teaching the stroke-footwork for back court overhead shots is like this:
However, some common errors are:
Proposed solution:
It may be helpful to separate the body rotation out of the start of the stroke movement, and into the end of the footwork movement. Instead of coaching
(right left right) + (turn & swing)
You could use
(right left right turn) + (swing)
- footwork to the back (either steps or chasses, emphasis on a side-on position moving back)
- stroke (initiate with body rotation)
However, some common errors are:
- moving back facing the net
- initiating stroke with shoulder rotation instead of body rotation
Proposed solution:
It may be helpful to separate the body rotation out of the start of the stroke movement, and into the end of the footwork movement. Instead of coaching
(right left right) + (turn & swing)
You could use
(right left right turn) + (swing)
Monday, November 16, 2009
Learning the overhead stroke for young beginners
For young children, learning the overhead stroke is a key early step in their development.
Some kids are fairly active or athletic, and pick up the general motion of the stroke fairly intuitively. With them, the conventional approach works very well: demonstrate the stroke, go over a few key points for grip (forehand grip), body position (side on to net) and contact point (above the shoulder and in front).
However, there are many kids, either very young children (5-9 years old) or older kids without much athletic experience that have trouble learning the overhead stroke. They have a lack of general athletic coordination that hampers their learning using the conventional method. Learning the overhead stroke right away could be too big of a jump in terms of difficulty. What may be necessary is to take a step back and work on some precursor skills to the stroke:
Throwing motion: overhead throws of the bird
Swinging motion: shadow swings of the racquet
Stroke footwork: shadow swing with stroke footwork (e.g. scissor kick)
Grip and racquet control: various service types, bird bouncing
Hand eye coordination: basic defensive shots (learn to react to bird's trajectory)
A sample progression might look like this:
1. Underhand throw, FH and BH
2. FH Grip, FH Serve into box
3. BH Grip, BH Serve into box
4. Overhead throw
5. Overhead throw with footwork back & scissor kick
6. Overhead swing
7. Overhead swing with footwork back & scissor kick
8. Overhead stroke from hand toss
9. Overhead stroke from serve
10. Overhead strokes (continuous)
Some kids are fairly active or athletic, and pick up the general motion of the stroke fairly intuitively. With them, the conventional approach works very well: demonstrate the stroke, go over a few key points for grip (forehand grip), body position (side on to net) and contact point (above the shoulder and in front).
However, there are many kids, either very young children (5-9 years old) or older kids without much athletic experience that have trouble learning the overhead stroke. They have a lack of general athletic coordination that hampers their learning using the conventional method. Learning the overhead stroke right away could be too big of a jump in terms of difficulty. What may be necessary is to take a step back and work on some precursor skills to the stroke:
Throwing motion: overhead throws of the bird
Swinging motion: shadow swings of the racquet
Stroke footwork: shadow swing with stroke footwork (e.g. scissor kick)
Grip and racquet control: various service types, bird bouncing
Hand eye coordination: basic defensive shots (learn to react to bird's trajectory)
A sample progression might look like this:
1. Underhand throw, FH and BH
2. FH Grip, FH Serve into box
3. BH Grip, BH Serve into box
4. Overhead throw
5. Overhead throw with footwork back & scissor kick
6. Overhead swing
7. Overhead swing with footwork back & scissor kick
8. Overhead stroke from hand toss
9. Overhead stroke from serve
10. Overhead strokes (continuous)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Modified Doubles Games - Opening Situation
Same server, serve returner (Doubles)
In this version of doubles, the same service situation is repeated each rally rather than using the usual rotation of serves and sides. This allows for the same plays and situations to come up at a higher frequency, which subsequently gives more opportunities to make corrections and adjustments for those plays.
Can be further modified to either repeat the same service location and/or service return to force a specific 2nd or 3rd shot situation.
Advantages:
In this version of doubles, the same service situation is repeated each rally rather than using the usual rotation of serves and sides. This allows for the same plays and situations to come up at a higher frequency, which subsequently gives more opportunities to make corrections and adjustments for those plays.
Can be further modified to either repeat the same service location and/or service return to force a specific 2nd or 3rd shot situation.
Advantages:
- focuses on the opening situation for doubles in which most rallies are decided
- allows for repetition of standard opening plays and their variations
- requires relatively level opponents/training partners
- Be sure to have sufficient repetitions of a given situation to explore all the possibilities
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Beginner Physical Training Routine - Part Two
A while back I posted a routine of a few exercises for a person beginning physical training. When you start, the emphasis should be on learning good form and technique - a step that should not be rushed through! However, once that has been achieved, the next step is to apply the principles of progressive overload to improve strength quantitatively: weight & reps.
The goal is to develop a base of muscular endurance which provides the work capacity needed for future more maximal strength oriented training. There are many different ways do this, but for now I am suggesting the Escalating Density Training (EDT) method. EDT involves setting a fixed amount of time in which you try to do as many reps as possible with a certain amount of weight for a given exercise. I like this because the time needed to perform the workout is fixed and it challenges the athlete to give their maximum effort.
Part 1 - Agility drills (4 minutes)
Start off with some agility drills while the legs are still reasonably fresh. You want to make sure to move at a higher intensity than you do on the court, that's why we keep the exercises fairly simple. Pay attention to quick foot contacts, good core stability and rhythmic movement.
choose one of:
Pressing movement (3 minutes EDT):
This setup is for 3 sessions per week, Mon-Wed-Fri. However, it can be modified to accomodate different weekly training schedules. If two consecutive days are spent training before a day off, you can split the workout into:
Day 1 - agility, pushingx2, energy systems
Day 2 - core, pullingx2, lower body
If it's three consecutive days:
Day 1 - agility, core, upper, lower
Day 2 - energy systems
Day 3 - agility, core, upper lower
The goal is to develop a base of muscular endurance which provides the work capacity needed for future more maximal strength oriented training. There are many different ways do this, but for now I am suggesting the Escalating Density Training (EDT) method. EDT involves setting a fixed amount of time in which you try to do as many reps as possible with a certain amount of weight for a given exercise. I like this because the time needed to perform the workout is fixed and it challenges the athlete to give their maximum effort.
Part 1 - Agility drills (4 minutes)
Start off with some agility drills while the legs are still reasonably fresh. You want to make sure to move at a higher intensity than you do on the court, that's why we keep the exercises fairly simple. Pay attention to quick foot contacts, good core stability and rhythmic movement.
choose one of:
- 1 leg hops, square pattern, 80 hops/set, start each set on the minute, 4 sets (2 per leg)
- 2 leg low squat hops, square pattern, 80 hops/set, start each set on each minute, 4 sets each
- wide lateral barrier jumps, 20 jumps/set, start each set on each minute, 4 sets each
- Tripod holds: get into the top of a pushup position, one by one raise a hand or foot leaving three limbs to support your weight, make sure to keep the trunk from twisting. 5 seconds per hold, do as many as possible before collapsing
- Pallof press isometric: from a kneeling position hold the handle to a low pulley at arms length for 20-30 seconds. Perform 3 sets/side.
- Side plank: 20-30 seconds. Perform 3 sets/side. Add weight as necessary.
Pressing movement (3 minutes EDT):
- pushups with handles
- DB press
- dip
- DB row
- pullup or pseudo pullup
- body row
- walking lunges (6 minutes EDT)
- DB swing, 10 reps/set, 1 set per minute, 5 sets
- shoulder external rotation
- Y's
- bird dogs
- fire hydrants
- lateral band walks
- single leg RDL
This setup is for 3 sessions per week, Mon-Wed-Fri. However, it can be modified to accomodate different weekly training schedules. If two consecutive days are spent training before a day off, you can split the workout into:
Day 1 - agility, pushingx2, energy systems
Day 2 - core, pullingx2, lower body
If it's three consecutive days:
Day 1 - agility, core, upper, lower
Day 2 - energy systems
Day 3 - agility, core, upper lower
Drills - Serve Return + Intercept
# of players: 2 or 3
This drill practises the movement for short serve returns as well as the quick recovery needed to cover the net after such a shot.
Player 1 serves short.
Player 2 pushes off quickly to the net, racquet up and cocked back, and pushes the return of serve.
Player 1 drives the return-of-return of serve through player 2's zone of coverage.
Player 2 recovers quickly from the previous shot to cut-off and intercept the drive.
With only two players, the serve return option is mostly limited to a fairly soft push at the server, who is standing back at midcourt. With three players, the server can stand right up to the service line, and the third player can cover the rear court. This gives player 2 more options on serve return.
This drill practises the movement for short serve returns as well as the quick recovery needed to cover the net after such a shot.
Player 1 serves short.
Player 2 pushes off quickly to the net, racquet up and cocked back, and pushes the return of serve.
Player 1 drives the return-of-return of serve through player 2's zone of coverage.
Player 2 recovers quickly from the previous shot to cut-off and intercept the drive.
With only two players, the serve return option is mostly limited to a fairly soft push at the server, who is standing back at midcourt. With three players, the server can stand right up to the service line, and the third player can cover the rear court. This gives player 2 more options on serve return.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Linear and Complex Progressions - Sandwich Method
Ordinarily, we use a progression from basic skills to more complex skills integrating more basic skills. An example would be:
stationary shot -> 1 shot with movement from the base -> serial pattern of multiple shots-> semi open-ended pattern -> fully open-ended game situation drill-> competition
A player will frequently move up through a progression, then move back to the start of the progression and start again. For example, you'll do basic drills during preseason training, and gradually more open-ended or complex drills as the season progresses. This type of cycle occurs at different scales:
beginner: mostly basic drills -> advanced player : mostly complex drills
preseason: emphasize simpler drills -> late season: emphasize open-ended drills
However, how do you manage progressions on a smaller time scale? For example, on a monthly, weekly, or even per session basis?
Obviously, if you're only training once or twice a week, you can do something quite simple like taking small progressions (i.e. longer serial progressions, faster speed) each week and then maybe the bigger ones (i.e. more open ended, switch from half to full court) each month.
If you're training more frequently, you can be a bit more clever in arranging your exercises to avoid stagnation. One method for working on a progression within a single training session is what I like to call the sandwich method. It works like this:
complex drill -> simple progressions -> back to complex drill
So, you start with the advanced exercise, which can be used as an assessment of the player's higher level skills: positioning, decision making etc. Some things you can change with vocal cues, others require more work on simpler progressions. When you go to a simpler progression after the complex drill, you will be more focused on what needs work because you've already been shown what's deficient. When you finally get back to the complex drill, you have a point of reference from which you can look for improvement.
stationary shot -> 1 shot with movement from the base -> serial pattern of multiple shots-> semi open-ended pattern -> fully open-ended game situation drill-> competition
A player will frequently move up through a progression, then move back to the start of the progression and start again. For example, you'll do basic drills during preseason training, and gradually more open-ended or complex drills as the season progresses. This type of cycle occurs at different scales:
beginner: mostly basic drills -> advanced player : mostly complex drills
preseason: emphasize simpler drills -> late season: emphasize open-ended drills
However, how do you manage progressions on a smaller time scale? For example, on a monthly, weekly, or even per session basis?
Obviously, if you're only training once or twice a week, you can do something quite simple like taking small progressions (i.e. longer serial progressions, faster speed) each week and then maybe the bigger ones (i.e. more open ended, switch from half to full court) each month.
If you're training more frequently, you can be a bit more clever in arranging your exercises to avoid stagnation. One method for working on a progression within a single training session is what I like to call the sandwich method. It works like this:
complex drill -> simple progressions -> back to complex drill
So, you start with the advanced exercise, which can be used as an assessment of the player's higher level skills: positioning, decision making etc. Some things you can change with vocal cues, others require more work on simpler progressions. When you go to a simpler progression after the complex drill, you will be more focused on what needs work because you've already been shown what's deficient. When you finally get back to the complex drill, you have a point of reference from which you can look for improvement.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Drive techniques
To be good at drives, you need the following:
From above the net in the forecourt, the player uses an overhead action to hit the drive. If the bird is at net level, the player needs to crouch down lower to be able to hit it with the racquet pointing upwards. The stroke is initiated with a very small amount of internal or external rotation of the shoulder , depending on whether it is on the forward or backhand, respectively. Just before contact, the fingers tighten momentarily to deliver the power into the shot. Body and forearm rotation is minimal. The objective of this shot is to get to the shuttle quickly while it is above the net and direct it downwards at the opponent to put pressure on them.
When the shot is deeper in the court but still above the net, we can add forearm rotation to add more power because there is more time to prepare for the shot. The motion is still initiated by a slight shoulder rotation and it still requires grip tightening just before contact. There should be a rebound action just after contact. This shot can be described as a half-smash taken low, and the objective is to place the shot into an open space to catch your opponents on a poor counterattack.
When the drive is performed from below the net at the back, the racquet points sideways or downwards. Therefore, the technique is quite different than the above two drives. Movement is now initiated with a slight body rotation. The racquet is held away and in front of the body, creating a long lever arm from racquet head to centre of rotation. Therefore, a small amount of body rotation results in pretty good linear racquet head momentum, which is then transferred to the shot via finger tightening. The objective of this shot is to blast the drive past the net player who is positioned too close to the net.
- know the different drive techniques used in different parts of the court
- how to position yourself to make it as easy as possible to get to the shot
- understand your opponent's moves and how to exploit them
From above the net in the forecourt, the player uses an overhead action to hit the drive. If the bird is at net level, the player needs to crouch down lower to be able to hit it with the racquet pointing upwards. The stroke is initiated with a very small amount of internal or external rotation of the shoulder , depending on whether it is on the forward or backhand, respectively. Just before contact, the fingers tighten momentarily to deliver the power into the shot. Body and forearm rotation is minimal. The objective of this shot is to get to the shuttle quickly while it is above the net and direct it downwards at the opponent to put pressure on them.
When the shot is deeper in the court but still above the net, we can add forearm rotation to add more power because there is more time to prepare for the shot. The motion is still initiated by a slight shoulder rotation and it still requires grip tightening just before contact. There should be a rebound action just after contact. This shot can be described as a half-smash taken low, and the objective is to place the shot into an open space to catch your opponents on a poor counterattack.
When the drive is performed from below the net at the back, the racquet points sideways or downwards. Therefore, the technique is quite different than the above two drives. Movement is now initiated with a slight body rotation. The racquet is held away and in front of the body, creating a long lever arm from racquet head to centre of rotation. Therefore, a small amount of body rotation results in pretty good linear racquet head momentum, which is then transferred to the shot via finger tightening. The objective of this shot is to blast the drive past the net player who is positioned too close to the net.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Which Slice to Use
There are two kinds of slices: the normal slice and the reverse slice. The slice puts a clockwise spin on the shuttle (as referenced from the person playing the shot) causing the shot to slow down. The reverse slice puts a counter-clockwise spin on the shuttle causing it to drop more quickly.
For a right-hander, the slice is used when dropping to the left side of the court and the reverse slice towards the right side. This is excellent when paired with the smash - the racquet swings one way and the shuttle flies off at an angle due to the slicing action. As a result we get four combinations:
ATH straight smash -> ATH x-reverse slice
ATH x-smash -> ATH slice
FH straight smash -> x-slice
FH x-smash -> reverse slice
This is ideal when you are well positioned in the backcourt and have the opportunity to take a good aim for your shot. When under pressure, it can be beneficial to perform the opposite slice to curve the shot into the court. This ensures that your shot stays in even while you're a bit more off balance. Here's a video demonstrating an example of this technique:
For a right-hander, the slice is used when dropping to the left side of the court and the reverse slice towards the right side. This is excellent when paired with the smash - the racquet swings one way and the shuttle flies off at an angle due to the slicing action. As a result we get four combinations:
ATH straight smash -> ATH x-reverse slice
ATH x-smash -> ATH slice
FH straight smash -> x-slice
FH x-smash -> reverse slice
This is ideal when you are well positioned in the backcourt and have the opportunity to take a good aim for your shot. When under pressure, it can be beneficial to perform the opposite slice to curve the shot into the court. This ensures that your shot stays in even while you're a bit more off balance. Here's a video demonstrating an example of this technique:
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Quality of Coaching
A simple way to classify different levels of quality in coaching is using a four point scale:
- great coaching is when the athlete works with the coach to maximize performance and rate of improvement to his or her potential. This involves addressing individual needs, having a comprehensive system and working smartly to optimize results.
- good coaching involves slower but steady progress, with more of a focus on learning the fundamentals. It's certainly possible for a great one-on-one coach to be merely good in a group situation, since his or her attention is divided among many. More likely, you'll have coaches who are very competent at teaching the basics, but less capable of teaching more advanced skills to players that are at that level.
Both of the above are needed in a good program: many good coaches to teach the fundamentals to a wide pool of students and a few great coaches to help the most talented students reach their potential. However, not all coaches fit into the above categories; some are not helpful while others are detrimental.
- There are a few ways in which a coach might not be very helpful. For instance, if the coach gives poor advice that is not congruent with an athlete's way of thinking, that advice will be ignored. Another situation might be a coach that does not organize training and progressions properly, so that progress made in one session is built upon in the subsequent session. Overall, the net gain/loss would be about zero, however if comparisons are made with someone trained by a better coach, this athlete would fall behind in development.
- The worst kind of coach is one that is detrimental to his or her athlete's development. This usually happens when an athlete is forced to train under a particular coach. It could be that the coach that does not understand the management of training volume and intensity, thus leading his or her athlete's into overtraining syndrome. Alternatively, a coach might institute a game plan that is incompatible with an athlete's abilities, leading to frustration in both parties.
- great coaching is when the athlete works with the coach to maximize performance and rate of improvement to his or her potential. This involves addressing individual needs, having a comprehensive system and working smartly to optimize results.
- good coaching involves slower but steady progress, with more of a focus on learning the fundamentals. It's certainly possible for a great one-on-one coach to be merely good in a group situation, since his or her attention is divided among many. More likely, you'll have coaches who are very competent at teaching the basics, but less capable of teaching more advanced skills to players that are at that level.
Both of the above are needed in a good program: many good coaches to teach the fundamentals to a wide pool of students and a few great coaches to help the most talented students reach their potential. However, not all coaches fit into the above categories; some are not helpful while others are detrimental.
- There are a few ways in which a coach might not be very helpful. For instance, if the coach gives poor advice that is not congruent with an athlete's way of thinking, that advice will be ignored. Another situation might be a coach that does not organize training and progressions properly, so that progress made in one session is built upon in the subsequent session. Overall, the net gain/loss would be about zero, however if comparisons are made with someone trained by a better coach, this athlete would fall behind in development.
- The worst kind of coach is one that is detrimental to his or her athlete's development. This usually happens when an athlete is forced to train under a particular coach. It could be that the coach that does not understand the management of training volume and intensity, thus leading his or her athlete's into overtraining syndrome. Alternatively, a coach might institute a game plan that is incompatible with an athlete's abilities, leading to frustration in both parties.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Footwork to the Net - Intermediate
Here are some technical notes for the player who has already learned the basic steps.
Initial position
Initial position
- depth from the net depends on where the bird is coming from and where you played your last shot. Generally, after a net shot one will stay closer to the net and after a lift one will move back to cover the smash. The approach I suggest here is begin practising the drop shot from fairly close to the net in order to perfect the correct sequence of movements. Once that's learned, you can pair the net shot with another shot elsewhere on the court to force the player to move a larger distance, and eventually integrate it into more open ended exercises.
- body angle depends on which side (laterally) the bird is coming from. If the shuttle is in a particular corner, you'll angle your body so that it is lined up laterally to cover the cross drop and straight clear. This gives you two potential initial positions: straight forward to get to the near side and lateral to get to the cross side. If the bird is coming from the centre, you stay square to the net and your footwork to either corner is a combination of lateral and forward motion.
- start with the split step - look for the body's centre of mass to be low, hips back and stiff ankles. You can train for this by doing ADA drops and RFI hops in the appropriate position
- the first step is taken by the foot closest to the destination, or by the non-racquet foot if you are square. For a right handed player, this means left foot first on the left side, and either left or right foot first on the right side, depending on initial position. Upon landing from the split step, the lead foot should take a small step towards the intended destination. By doing this, more traction is available in the support leg to push off and generate momentum.
- use chassé or crossover steps depending on the speed of movement. Chassé stesps are quicker, but less effective over longer distances or at low speed.
- on the backhand corner, the body pivots around the non-racquet foot
- it may be necessary to take three steps instead of depending on which foot lead the movement
- Make sure to step well in front of the body to maximize the distance between floor contact and centre of mass. This results in a flatter force vector which contributes to a much larger deceleration force. This also involves the hamstrings as key decelerators.
- By pulling the non-racquet arm back, the body's centre of mass is skewed backwards slightly which helps with the above
- If the body's momentum can be completely absorbed by the time the front shin is vertical, then it is possible to recover quickly from the lunge. Develop strength in this position with ISO lunges and FDA lunges.
- Quickness of recovery depends on the stroke played: if a tight net shot is played one needs to stay close to the net; if a lift is played, one needs to move back to cover the back court.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Beginner Physical Preparation Routine
I'm thinking about what might be a good physical training program for a player that has never performed proper systematic strength training. Such a program should:
- teach and reinforce the use of good posture, positioning and technique
- develop the work capacity and body awareness needed for more advanced strength training
- provide a safe way for the trainee to work intensively without reinforcing poor motor patterns which can lead to injury
- require minimal equipment so it can be done by anyone
- Start off with bridge exercises to teach lumbar spine stability. The exercises would be front bridge, side bridge, and bird dogs. Work up to 120 seconds held in each position.
- Perform some mobility work in the hips, ankles and shoulders.
- Isometric lunges - get into a deep lunge position, front shin should be vertical, torso should be upright. Hold this position for a total of 3-5 minutes per leg.
- RDL - teaches the hip hinge. Stand with the back to a wall and reach back with your butt until it touches the wall. Move forward until you are no longer able to reach the wall. When performing this exercise, hold the bottom position where the hamstrings are in a stretch position.
- Pushup - pushup with a hold in the bottom position. Focus on keeping elbows in, pulling the arms in to get the maximum stretch at the bottom and fully protracting the shoulder blade at the top.
- Pullup - a hold can be performed at the top and the bottom. If a pullup cannot be performed, the trainee can start with only iso/ecc versions before progressing to conventional reps with holds.
Camps vs Weekly Lessons for Beginners
I coached a badminton camp last week. It was quite interesting to see the amount of progress a total beginner can make in such a short amount of time. Some kids went from being unable to hit the bird to having reasonably good rudiments in just one week.
You see, if you can't hit basic strokes, you're not having much fun but you have nothing else to do but to keep trying. You keep trying and trying, and eventually you start to get it. Then you can build on that before you forget how to hit. By the end of the week, you're pretty happy about your improvement.
With the weekly lessons, you might not get enough volume and frequency to achieve those early breakthroughs. So, you might learn something one week but lose those gains by the next week.
Now that I think of it, I started playing badminton at camp. I also started playing table tennis with weekly lessons. I'm still active in badminton, but not at all in table tennis.
You see, if you can't hit basic strokes, you're not having much fun but you have nothing else to do but to keep trying. You keep trying and trying, and eventually you start to get it. Then you can build on that before you forget how to hit. By the end of the week, you're pretty happy about your improvement.
With the weekly lessons, you might not get enough volume and frequency to achieve those early breakthroughs. So, you might learn something one week but lose those gains by the next week.
Now that I think of it, I started playing badminton at camp. I also started playing table tennis with weekly lessons. I'm still active in badminton, but not at all in table tennis.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Technical Development Template
Here's a training template I'm thinking of using this summer:
A - multi-shuttle technical exercise: player performs multiple single reps of a particular stroke, such as the spinning net, x-court net, slice drop, smash, whip, backhand, etc.
Before beginning, a quality repetition is defined. This could be a certain trajectory, a degree of spin on the shot, a number of consecutive shots, etc. In each set, a fixed number of attempts are made, and the number of quality repetitions performed is recorded. Sets are performed until a target number of repetitions is met.
Progress from stationary shots -> shot with movement -> realistic sequence of shots
B - continuous drill: any drill with a single live shuttle, intended to build a sense of rhythm and to get a large volume of succesful shots in to develop precision in placement.
Some examples would be basic pattern drills, semi-random pattern drills, master & dog, drives, bingo, etc. The feeder needs to keep the level of difficulty appropriate to the level of the trainee. If footwork skills lag behind stroke skills, it may be necessary to hold back on shot tightness to allow a comfortable rhythm to be established.
Sample Session
A1 - spinning net shot, footwork from T, try to get shot tight to net and still spinning as it drops below the tape, 50 reps
B1 - clear-clear-drop, player makes a sequence of two clears and one drop, then the partner does the same. 3 sets of 50 consecutive reps
A2 - x-court net shot, same corner as A1, try to keep shot tight and have it cross past the midway point of the net, make sure to delay x-court action until the last moment, 50 reps
B2 - bingo drill, focus on body position, finger action, can be used as either an offensive or defensive drill, 2 sets of 5 minutes
A3 - x-court ATH stick smash, fast chasses to corner, shuttle must land before midcourt, 50 reps
B3 - master and dog, choose a corner, feeder adjusts difficulty so the worker can get to the shots with good technique, 4 sets of 50 reps
A - multi-shuttle technical exercise: player performs multiple single reps of a particular stroke, such as the spinning net, x-court net, slice drop, smash, whip, backhand, etc.
Before beginning, a quality repetition is defined. This could be a certain trajectory, a degree of spin on the shot, a number of consecutive shots, etc. In each set, a fixed number of attempts are made, and the number of quality repetitions performed is recorded. Sets are performed until a target number of repetitions is met.
Progress from stationary shots -> shot with movement -> realistic sequence of shots
B - continuous drill: any drill with a single live shuttle, intended to build a sense of rhythm and to get a large volume of succesful shots in to develop precision in placement.
Some examples would be basic pattern drills, semi-random pattern drills, master & dog, drives, bingo, etc. The feeder needs to keep the level of difficulty appropriate to the level of the trainee. If footwork skills lag behind stroke skills, it may be necessary to hold back on shot tightness to allow a comfortable rhythm to be established.
Sample Session
A1 - spinning net shot, footwork from T, try to get shot tight to net and still spinning as it drops below the tape, 50 reps
B1 - clear-clear-drop, player makes a sequence of two clears and one drop, then the partner does the same. 3 sets of 50 consecutive reps
A2 - x-court net shot, same corner as A1, try to keep shot tight and have it cross past the midway point of the net, make sure to delay x-court action until the last moment, 50 reps
B2 - bingo drill, focus on body position, finger action, can be used as either an offensive or defensive drill, 2 sets of 5 minutes
A3 - x-court ATH stick smash, fast chasses to corner, shuttle must land before midcourt, 50 reps
B3 - master and dog, choose a corner, feeder adjusts difficulty so the worker can get to the shots with good technique, 4 sets of 50 reps
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Learning to play spinning net shots
I originally learned to perform spinning net shots by doing the following exercise:
- feeder throws shuttles over the net with a straight underhand toss
- player lunges in and plays the spinning net shot with either inwards or outwards sweep
I've never felt that this translated well to games, because if the opponent plays a reasonably tight straight net shot, he'll stay up close enough to kill your net shot.
So, how might you use the shot in a real game situation?
One easy answer is off of the slow drop: you have time to get there early, and the stroke is easy to execute because the shuttle is so close to the net. For these reasons, the slow drop is not really a commonly executed shot for more advanced players.
The next situation would be off of the cross drop hit at a normal pace. This shot lands closer to the net than a straight drop and it takes longer to get there because of the extra distance going cross-court. In addition, the shuttle will already have some lateral momentum, which makes it easy to spin if you use the outwards cut. You can practice for this situation by having the feeder toss from the "T" using an overhead throw.
Third situation is when you re-net. If your opponent doesn't hit a particularly tight net shot, he has to stay far enough back to defend against the flick. If your net touch is good, you might be able to slip in an ever tighter net shot. However, because the shuttle is further back from the net, the difficulty of the shot is greater. You can practice this shot by having the player serve, the feeder plays net and the player re-net. Note that since the shot is more difficult when the shuttle is far from the net, a tactic to use against players with good net shots would be to push the shot slightly further from the net to reduce the effectiveness of their spinning net shots. However, this will also open yourself up to fast shots to the backcourt.
- feeder throws shuttles over the net with a straight underhand toss
- player lunges in and plays the spinning net shot with either inwards or outwards sweep
I've never felt that this translated well to games, because if the opponent plays a reasonably tight straight net shot, he'll stay up close enough to kill your net shot.
So, how might you use the shot in a real game situation?
One easy answer is off of the slow drop: you have time to get there early, and the stroke is easy to execute because the shuttle is so close to the net. For these reasons, the slow drop is not really a commonly executed shot for more advanced players.
The next situation would be off of the cross drop hit at a normal pace. This shot lands closer to the net than a straight drop and it takes longer to get there because of the extra distance going cross-court. In addition, the shuttle will already have some lateral momentum, which makes it easy to spin if you use the outwards cut. You can practice for this situation by having the feeder toss from the "T" using an overhead throw.
Third situation is when you re-net. If your opponent doesn't hit a particularly tight net shot, he has to stay far enough back to defend against the flick. If your net touch is good, you might be able to slip in an ever tighter net shot. However, because the shuttle is further back from the net, the difficulty of the shot is greater. You can practice this shot by having the player serve, the feeder plays net and the player re-net. Note that since the shot is more difficult when the shuttle is far from the net, a tactic to use against players with good net shots would be to push the shot slightly further from the net to reduce the effectiveness of their spinning net shots. However, this will also open yourself up to fast shots to the backcourt.
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