Would you please think about answers to the following questions:
- What are the five most important things a player must have to win?
- What will be the order of importance of these five, ranked from 1 to 5?
- What reasons determine this order?
Please take 5 minutes to consider your answers before I share mine.
My answers to the questions are as follows, along with the order of importance:
- Attitude/Personality
Imagine a tiger in the jungle and a deer. - Tactics/Intelligence
- Fitness
- Movement Skills
- Hitting Skills
Reasons for the order:
- If a player moves well but has poor hitting skills, the player will lose. This is common in U11 and U13.
- If a player is very fit but lacks movement skills, the player will be slow on court and waste a lot of energy. This is often seen in U13.
- If a player has hitting skills and footwork skills but no fitness, the player cannot maintain these skills throughout the match and will lose. This typically occurs in U15 and U17.
- If a player has hitting skills, footwork skills, and fitness but no tactics/intelligence, the player cannot compete at a high level. The player may move quickly and have endurance but will hit to the wrong spots, resembling a very powerful machine-like robot on the court. This is common in U17.
- If a player has all the above but lacks attitude and personality, they will never be number one. To me, the badminton court is like a jungle. The tiger or lion is the king of the jungle not just because they are powerful, but because their natural instinct is to be the winner. Imagine a deer that is twice as powerful as a tiger—no one would imagine the deer beating the tiger. To be number one in the badminton “jungle,” a player must have a winner’s personality and a never-lose attitude. This will distinguish the number one player from the rest.
Learning footwork and improving fitness are crucial aspects for a player to become outstanding in the later stages. Without gaining fitness and advanced footwork skills, it is not possible for a player to reach a high level.
This class is designed to improve fitness, strength, and footwork skills. To join the class, please contact Coach Lee or Coach Young. We need to evaluate your current level of fitness and footwork skills.
When: Every Saturday, 4-6 PM
Fees: $20 per hour
Instructor: Coach Lee
Payment: 4-month commitment
Note: No shuttlecock work, member only