What do you need/want to create a great sparring session?

December 8, 2021January 22, 2023 badmintonandy

People need to consider the definition of 'great sparring', it can mean different things

Sparring is often talked about as essential yet we don't seem to have a blueprint to work off nor do we agree on what we want to get out of a sparring session.

Having people give their views in a forum like this is great news as it creates discussion. I don’t think we will be able to completely agree on what "good" looks like. However, I do think there are some key ingredients to consider:

- psychological safety
- purpose
- preparation
- planning

Psychological safety: players must be allowed to express themselves as if they were playing a tournament. They also should be able to prepare as they would normally do.
Purpose: agree with your players on why you play matches and perhaps suggest implementing certain areas that you have worked on that week. I am not a fan of disrupting the flow of a match by conditioning it too heavy as it’s not a match then.
Preparation: as a coach, I like to think about what matches I put on and let players know the reason why I do this. Different playing styles, power vs skill etc. When possible I try to copy a first match on an actual tournament as part of their preparation. I.e if one of my players has to compete against a super-aggressive player I will try to pick the most aggressive player in my group and let him/her spar.
Planning: as we get closer to a major event we have worked towards to we increase the hrs of sparring. It’s something I feel works and I know many will disagree with me on this. For example, our U15 kids leading up the Nationals literally spar 4-6 hrs in the week leading up to the tournament.

A competitive atmosphere is essential!

We’ve been involved in sparring sessions before where people don’t want to be seen losing to their teammates, so they stop trying or just stop! This is of course not helping anybody on the court get better!

There needs to be an environment of “win or lose, I’m going to put everything into this match like I would in a final of the Olympics”.

We think the Danish men’s singles are a great example of how to create a thriving environment, where they are competing against each other to better themselves. They fully acknowledge the importance of the internal competition they have, and that it benefits each of them!

There are many aspects that create a great session, here are a few

You need to know the reason why you are sparring, what can you achieve from that session, there should be many possible reasons. I valued sparring throughout my career and worked hard to find players of different styles and different matchplay attitudes.

Don't just think about your approach to sparring but also think about the other players and use that to your benefit

When you need physical conditioning - find players who are very consistent. They should give you longer physical matches then you can rally with them ( be cooperative with them)
When you are in a pre-competition phase - use the same physical players, but try to win faster against them and be dominant (if you can)
Playing attaching players

Variety and planning are key

I think you want players with slight differences of level so that players get used to playing up and down levels. You want players of different styles and physiques so you learn to play in different ways.
Ideally, you would also do it in different conditions, say 1 session in 1 hall, and the next in another to get used to playing different ways.
I would also add different paced shuttles, for different matches and even different brands of shuttles., especially if it's a pre-tournament sparring session and you know the brand being used at that event.
I think having players willing to give and hear feedback from each other I also important, but this does need careful management by the coaches or organiser