Why not ask the players to start
Does it have to be the coach
Try it and discover the benifits
There are real in-game advantages to be gained by
the player striking the first stroke of a badminton practice
Try it out and explore what happens
The change to practice is subtle, but the effect is huge
Initially, you may find it confusing; the practice may seem messy or chaotic at times, or you may long for the control of feeding.
However, after a while, you will find that it creates many new opportunities to develop the player through more game-like practice.
When I first watched a coach working like this (in a 1-2-1 lesson), I didn’t understand what was happening.
Actually, I was very confused and thought that there were more concerns than benefits.
After a while, I realised that I was completely wrong.
The starting positions replicate body positions used within a match, in a rally.
They are not serving situations, although there are some similarities.
I include these ‘player starts’ in every session and especially in individual lessons
What happens
- At the start of the practice, the player has the shuttle and stand in one of these 3 Stances pictured below.he player has
- The practice doesn't start with a classic 'serve'. It start with a stroke that looks like something from a rally.
- The link to a game-like a rally is stronger and closer to actually what happens in the middle of a real rally
- There are numerous ways for the player to start – defensive block, right for or left foot forward, different court locations
The benifits
- The split/pretension preparation movement happens in every rally often without conscious thought.
- There will be more options/ variations for the feeder – lots more
- It reduces the amount of hand feeding – allows for racket skills to develop for both players
- Players start each rally with an intention rather than just reacting to the feeder – physiological preparation practice is vital
Talk with a friend and discuss what you see, and the effect on the start of the practice
What happens to the practice?
What does it allow the player and the feeder (sometimes the coach) to do?
Can you immediately see any benefits?
I include these ‘player starts’ in every session and especially in individual lessons
Do you want a conversation?
I’d like to hear from you if you have a viewpoint on anything that you’ve read
We don’t need to agree, but explore viewpoints.
It would be great to hear from you, send me an email : contact@badmintonandy.com
This is part of a series of conversation starters.
Although not in detail, the posts are written to get you thinking and talking with others.
