I wish someone had told me about Stances
Only when it was explained did I understand the critical value
Suddenly my eyes were opened to them
I never realised how important the these anticipatory movements were,
adopted BEFORE the opponent strikes the shuttle
I didn't realise what players were doing
The ‘gaps’ between strokes now had my attention
I’d been coaching movement skills (in singles) but never thought about stances and certainly not included them in my work.
I thought that starting and moving from one stroke to another was only about using a split-step (a pretension), but I was wrong; it was far more than that.
Was there a reason for the positions (stances)
Players seem to often deliberately stand in certain ‘stances’ between strokes, those rally ‘gaps’.
.. was there a link to the stroke they had just played?
.. or, was it more about the possible strokes the opponents might play
.. or were they preparing to get the shuttle that would hit their court first.
Was it all 3 thoughts at one time??
But sometimes I didnt see a stance
At times, players didn’t ‘pause’ and adopt a stance; they moved (often ran) from one stroke to another.
The easiest example to see was when they hit down from the rearcourt and ran forward to the net area without stopping.
Sometimes no stance is required: Not every gap between strokes requires a stance. The tactical choice is just to move, fast!
There are 3 stances
Then I learned that there are 3 Stances that players use between their movements. All as anticipatory (deliberate) movement before moving.
When I watched lots of rallies, I could see that sometimes these stances were used, but at other times players didn’t seem to prepare, they just moved.
Each of them has a purpose, depending on a tactical thought/decision by the player.
Some of the purposes are very obvious (when I was shown what to look for), and others are more subtle. They are all anticipatory and taken up before the opponent strikes the shuttle.
Watch this short video and identify the body positions (stances) between strokes
Can you see 3 different stances and occasions where the player just runs?
What are situations when each of these stances is adopted?
I wanted to know more
The questions I needed answering
All these will be explored fully in other posts. Click the link at the bottom to see a summary of all the posts related to Stances
- Are these stances the same as a split step - No
- How and when should I coach them - Through mini rallies and expereinces
- What were the names, descriptions - 4 Stances with similarities and important critical differences
- What are the benefits - movements to the opponents (anticipated) the 'most likely' strokes will be faster
- What were they not part of my Coach Education qualifications - I wish I knew why
It was several years before I had the answers
Especially the “How and when to introduce them”
I did learn quite quickly that it was a tactical choice that instigated which stance (or not) a player took up. Plus, the choice depended on what was happening on the other side of the net.
Oh, and they are all anticipatory and taken up before the opponent strikes the shuttle.
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