I am at a loss for words for HBJ's performance at AO. She occasionally showed off her fancy shots and even dove for at least a point. But she generally seemed disinterested and just going through the motion. HBJ had a fantastic 2016 with 2 SS titles and 2 GPG titles. In 2017, except for BAC where she earned a hard-fought battle over Sindhu, HBJ did not get past the second round at all. Perhaps a break from action is in order to sort things out or heal injuries. She is still very young. There is plenty of time for a reset. But some drastic action must take place sooner rather than later, before any irreparable damage is done.
I have given up on HBJ. Disinterested is very evident. Its not only frustrating its "painful" to watch her play.Whilst the other juniors are improving she is getting worse at every tournament!! Is she injured or is she learning to play like Shi Yuqi because she has no stamina. One thing is certain she won't be a must watch anymore.
She doesn't seem to be motivated at all. Also i think she needs to lose weight if she want's to become better and faster. And you must have a strong motivation to do that. I'm wondering why TTY's example doesn't inspire her, i think the situation is very very similar, when TTY had all the shots but was a bit chubby, so she worked on it real hard and look where she is now.
She seems to have completely lost her inner drive somewhere along the way. If you compare her energy level of her present self to her performance during the Swiss Open 2016 for example, it's like night and day. In 2016 she was bursting with energy and faught with everything she got (despite the bonus pounds she was carrying around). Now she seems somewhat bored and unhappy on court. One could assume that she might be struggling with other issues in her life that could have nothing to do with badminton at all. It will be interesting to see if she will be able to make the turnaround in the upcoming months. I don't think that she will get too many chances with all the aspiring chinese youngsters pushing their way to the top.
Me too, I suspect she has personal issues. That drive, that exuberance, that zestful spirit that she exhibited previously as she was on the rise is nowhere to be seen nowadays. Inexplicably, she seems a different person at the moment, even her creativity and deceptiveness on court are missing, and also the fighting spirit, the proactive and positive aspects of her game, as when she dives to retrieve smashes, including her jump-smashes followed by rushing the net to put it away are few and far between. Now, she is simply unrecognisable, I very much wish to see the He Bingjiao I know return one day, the sooner , the better. It'll be a shame if such a naturally gifted player were to just fade away quietly.
OK, He Bingjiao lost in the KOR Open semifinal to Sindhu today but at least she convinced me of her superior skills - I've no doubt a fresher HBJ would've beaten Sindhu. In that match, HBJ started badly, sluggish and not in the game at all and went down tamely, 10-21. Just when she seemed down and out, what with the long, grueling QF match with Sung JH the previous day taking a toll on her as well as the fact that she was playing her 4th back-to-back tournaments/events since the Glasgow WC, she actually survived G2 to nail it 21-17 to force the decider, much to my surprise. But the 3rd set was too much for her as she wilted towards the end despite briefly taking the lead twice; her fitness and stamina is just not up to it as she showed visible signs of accumulated fatigue over the weeks. Next week, HBJ as the defending champion will be playing the JPN Open in what will be effectively her 5th consecutive tournaments in as many weeks ! Understandably, I doubt she can even clear the early rounds. Frankly, I hate repeating this, it's still very much a fitness/stamina issue for HBJ despite unmistakable improvements lately, just not enough, she has to persistently work on it if she's going to make another breakthrough in her career for the relatively young 20-year-old, born 21 Mar 1997. As far as her skills are concerned, I've absolutely no doubts about it and would even go so far as to claim she is as good as if not better than any of the top 10 WS players bar none. In fact it was this time last year when HBJ made a name for herself on the world stage winning two SS and one GPG titles within a two-month period, namely the JPN Open, the French Open and the Bitburger GPG. Can she repeat the outstanding feat or go one better this year ? Well, to be honest, I'm not too optimistic. Let's wait and see. A truly gifted player will not have her talents buried for too long. She has already shown us she has what it takes before and,I believe, she will do it again better than ever, it's just a matter of time.
The bounce back of HBJ was astounding. Given her enormous talent, there is always hope that HBJ would recover from her funk. But turning into a different person in such a short time is simply extraordinary. In the Korea Open semi-final, not only her fancy shots were once again on full display, her metal toughness and stamina were also nothing like what they were a month ago. Hope her current form will stay and improve further.
Honestly her movement on the court, in terms of her fluidity alone, may be second to none in the women's game. She has some pretty bold shot choices. Very attack-minded. I think with her shot choices comes an inevitability that mistakes will happen, and they do, far too many at the level she is playing at. I'm too busy to list examples, but look at the last 10ish point of: and you'll see some her some of her bold shots pay off, and some look a bit stupid. Sometimes I think she overthinks it too much. I feel like she has fun playing. She just has that swagger about her, that slight overconfidence that I think is actually healthy. I really wish her all the best... -Also I've been slacking on this forum for the last year and I've been commenting just for commenting sake. I will try and improve this...
I remember a watching young Lin Dan having this type of slight overconfidence and thinking, this guy is going to be a champion. I agree such an attitude is a good thing to bring into a match.
Indeed, He Bingjiao is quite a creative and deceptive player, a smart and thinking one,now and then coming up with unexpected shots, sometimes improvising, stunning when it works, unflattering when it goes horribly wrong. I worry that she sometimes loses focus, it seems to me, and tends to be error-prone, something which I hope and believe she can overcome as she gains experience and matures over time. For me, watching her play as a fan always gives me the tenterhooks, I could hardly keep still as she alternates between a run of points, as many as 5 to 10 on the trot, and just as abruptly give away as many; you never know the game is over until it's really over. To be honest, I have since toned down my expectations of her from her spectacular performance last year after she came back from the European tour; otherwise I may develop a love-hate relationship with her, loving her when she is brilliant, hating her when she sucks. Apparently she has taken over Li Xuerui for me who , however, mostly hurt me once a year at the individual majors. I do agree that Zhang Ning is the right coach for her as we see HBJ ,returning to her former self, playing fanciful shots as RedShuttle pointed out and exhibiting more self-control and better mental toughness than in previous months. The only thing I'm not convinced and still griping about her is her lack of fitness and stamina which are interrelated. Persistence, tenacity and endurance are what I wish to see most in all the CHN WS players, apart from natural talents. Talking about coaching, I 'm thinking maybe some input and mentoring from Sun Jun and Li Yu, both from Jiangsu team, would be very beneficial and influential to her growth and development as a complete player, enabling her to realize her fullest potential. May I dream of engaging the old Grandmaster Tang Xianhu for a short stint of his personal coaching for the gifted, intelligent He Bingjiao who ,I believe. also possess the right attitude and would be a great student just like his famous and proudest disciple, Lin Dan. Ideally,extend his invaluable services to Chen Yufei and Chen Xiaoxin as well. Just daydreaming.
Frankly, I'm beginning to be more and more impressed by Chen Yufei as well, and to a lesser extent Chen Xiaoxin, but both of them don't have the same impact as HBJ does on me yet. Chen Yufei is ,paradoxically, a bit too stable, cool,calm and collected for her age and to my liking as I expect young players to show more character and slowly mature or mellow into a steady, laid-back and self-possessed player with inner strength. It's not that those traits are negative, absolutely not, on the contrary, they are the hallmarks of a truly great player in overcoming obstacles and adversity, a personification of self-mastery. But Chen Yufei is still relatively young at 19, I'd prefer to see her show more character, sort of gung-ho, be a bit more expressive, less subdued, and translate that into her game by becoming more proactive, even aggressive, always tenacious and relentless in attack and defense. Glad to say that I've observed her injecting more pace in her game at the Glasgow World Championships and the Chinese National Games. Then a few years later when, hopefully, she is at the top, she can be the stable, staid, strong and quiet personality that defines her. Remember, Wang Xin who is demure off court is a tigress on court. Chen Xiaoxin, on the other hand, is an exciting player to watch, both her on court personality and her style of play. No she is not a la Marin that's not what I have in mind, far from it, but more like the Lin Dan in his younger days, forceful, energetic, self-assured, nay, self-assertive. And, yes, her game is highly offensive, spirited and determined,tenacious in both attack and defence - just that she is undergoing growing pains at the moment. Personally, much as I like Chen Yufei, I prefer Chen Xiaoxin's game more. May CXX start to rise and shine bright and glorious on the world stage soon.
For tomorrow's JPN Open WS Final, I believe He Bingjiao has the skills to take on Marin but, due to circumstances beyond her control, she's at a physical disadvantage of being overly stretched, drained, playing her 5th tournament back-to-back. In fact, in last week's KOR Open Semifinal with Sindhu, I opine that a fresher HBJ would've taken the match against her opponent. This week HBJ actually surprised me by getting into the final, notwithstanding that TTY's injury withdrawal pre-tournament and Sung Ji Hyun's early exit at Saena Kawakami's hands (note that HBJ had defeated SHJ only last week at the KOR Open) might be contributing factors. I've to admit HBJ's fitness/stamina has improved quite a bit but her inconsistency and proneness to error are still a concern. Time for her to get her act together and prove her real worth now.
If He Bingjiao doesn't gift several points in a set or match, she's not He Bingjiao. While I believe Zhang Ning is the right coach for Chen Yufei who is improving steadily under her tutelage, I think she's not the best coach for He Bingjiao. I feel someone like Sun Jun or Zhao Jianhua who understands how a creative and deceptive player's mind works might be a better choice. Either HBJ has problems staying focused or she is overly trying to be creative, fanciful and deceptive in her shot-making, or both, probably. Even Tai Tzu Ying has said she is cutting down on her deception to play a more solid game, I feel HBJ should work on strengthening her basic strokes, reduce simple errors when not under under pressure, only resorting to just the right amount of deception to mix up her strokes but not too much as to backfire on herself, and work more on reading the opponent's game better as well as injecting pace as and when necessary. She simply can't afford to continue in such an unpredictable and inconsistent manner for too long as a number of her junior teammates are apparently coming up, not only Chen Yufei and Chen Xiaoxin, but a few others too showing promise, eg, Zhang Yiman,Gao Fangjie, Han Yue, Cai Yanyan, and who knows who else.
Would Lin Dan help her on the side, watch her train and give some pointers, the way he did for Wang Xin before ? But she got to approach him first sincerely just like Wang Xin who initiated it. Maybe she can take a leaf from Chen Yufei on stability and in return CYF learn the art of deception from HBJ. Not easy or likely as they are rivals. I still think roping in Sun Jun or Zhao Jianhua will be great, but Xia Xuanze may have his personal concerns, esp if either one does such a good job of it.
I think Lin Dan is probably the most comparable male player to HBJ I can think of. I'd like to see it, but he probably has a lot on his plate atm
I think Lin Dan can help He BJ by explaining her how he tactically bamboozles his opponents. Also, He BJ should learn how Lin Dan covers his court with minimal fuss but great effect. She can also ask him how to dominate the net and how to remain calm against good net players. Lin Dan is a bag of knowledge and He BJ is a bag of talent.
The day He Bingjiao cuts down on her simple errors will be the day she begins to dominate WS, I believe. Both Lin Dan and LCW, and Chen Long too, all make very few mistakes. I think the CHN coaches should pay more attention to HBJ's mental aspects of the game, and technically just let her play freely according to her natural inclinations, creativity and deceptiveness. As Lin Dan said, to realize your fullest potential at the highest level, you need a good coach who is right for you. We all know how fortunate Lin Dan is to have Grandmaster Tang Xianhu of whom he pays the utmost gratitude mentioning his name most often in his autobiography, Until The End of The World.
He Bingjiao had better buck up soon. As it is, Chen Yufei is already outstripping her. I won't be surprised if Chen Xiaoxin follows suit, and , who knows, Han Yue in a year's time or so. Don't forget, there are only two tickets to Tokyo 2020. And don't be dismayed if Wang Shixian decides to make a comeback. Also Sun Yu is not out of the picture yet.
Akane Yamaguchi's fitness and stamina puts He Bingjiao to shame. In the semifinal of the French Open, HBJ vs Tai Tzu Ying, I daresay HBJ has the skills to match TTY's but just not the fitness and speed. TTY seems not only fitter - as the rallies wear on HBJ is usually the one to slow down first and/or make the last mistake - she appears able to reach the shuttle just a little earlier which gives her more options esp to execute deceptive shots. HBJ after fighting back to equalize with G2, 21-19, was visibly more or less a spent force in the decider. I mean,if you're slow and still want to play deceptively, it doesn't work that well and may backfire, wrong execution being one, allowing the fast opponent to get at the shuttle being the other even if it requires changing direction to reach it. Back to Akane Yamaguchi, just look how fast she covers the court and her remarkable stamina, her power of endurance to go on and on, seems to be a typical characteristic of many JPN WS, including Nozomi Okuhara, Mitani Minatsu, etc. Another point is HBJ is still too error-prone, esp unforced errors committed when under little or no pressure. TTY who used to be as error-prone a couple years ago has overcome that problem and now with her remarkable improvement in fitness and stamina, her game is at a much higher level. For AY, proneness to errors is never an issue with her. Consistency is key for any top-notch player. I trust HBJ's coaches are fully aware of her shortcomings, weaknesses, and the areas to work on to enable her to realize her true potential. I feel the problem lies more with herself than anything.
