Kento Momota (new thread)

Discussion in 'Japan Professional Players' started by visor, May 12, 2020.

  1. Quentin11

    Quentin11 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2017
    Messages:
    2,208
    Likes Received:
    709
    Location:
    Mauritius
    I think we have been seeing it for a while now and it was too clear in this match.

    His mental is not stable at all. He didn't come to the match in the first game. Once LZJ had a lead Momota self-destructed himself.

    He was able to fight in the second game and I fully support the reason Steen gave. Sometimes when the pace is upped you don't get time to think and your body move instinctively due to the training it has received. This happens a lot of time. That's why he was able to play a bit better + by targeting the forehand of LZJ.

    I thought he did a good job clinging on to LZJ in 1st part of 3rd game despite being on the less favoured side of the drift. I thought and said if he kept at least 3 points to LzJ he could win the match.

    But then 2nd part of 3rd game happened. And this for me was extremely weird yet we have been seeing this for a while, i.e. the insistence on using 1 style or 1 tactic even though it is clearly not working. He kept attacking the forehand of LZJ even though the dude was waiting for him each time. It was too easy. And we all know the insistence on not using a more powerful smash and we know he has a more powerful one. Yes the racket has an effect on the ease of access to power. But we have seen him using more powerful smash with this racket. So it was a choice by him. He doesn't want to feel unstable after using certain amount of power because he would then need to run fast when the opponent retrieve his smash. But you have to take the risk you have to try to break the opponents base.

    Cheung explained that he might not have felt the usual touch he had and combined with the drift the other side, i.e. the backhand of LZJ could be difficult to target. I thought it was a fair point. But then I realise - if your opponent has a 100% chance of scoring when your lifting on both forehand and backhand - you can still keep changing your lift at least to make him guess. He could also make a lot more use of lifting in the middle as he was playing against the drift. Lifting in the middle would give him time to retrieve smash from both sides.

    But no - he insisted on lifting to the forehand and got discouraged when the gap opened. So it was over before we know it. So i'm not sure what to think here. Was he so mentally overwhelmed that he couldn't see such plain bad strategy?

    What about his coach? Why can't he signal him at least? Why can't shout some stuff like Kenneth Jonassen does?

    I said it since the beginning of this tournament. For me, him destroying Heo would be enough. And he did it. So I went into the LZJ match without any expectation of him winning. But I at least expected a fight to the best of his abilities. What I saw in G1 and G3 was something very weird.

    Sorry for the long rant but this match managed to leave me more frustrated even though I didn't have any expectation for a win.
     
    GironPapi and Renmazuo27 like this.
  2. Hbmao

    Hbmao Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2018
    Messages:
    402
    Likes Received:
    167
    Location:
    USA
    I think it’s time to stop making excuses for Momota and just admit that he is no longer the best player in the world, or not even top 5. When was the last time he won?
     
  3. Cunning Linguist

    Cunning Linguist Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2017
    Messages:
    2,208
    Likes Received:
    1,941
    Location:
    Ger
    You should really look stuff like that up yourself. Would prevent you from making a fool of yourself, like right now.
    And who, pray tell, are the - at least - 5 people in currently woeful MS that are better than KM? VA, LZJ? The other three?
     
    Quentin11 likes this.
  4. nokh88

    nokh88 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2009
    Messages:
    15,394
    Likes Received:
    1,484
    Occupation:
    Badminton Trainee
    Location:
    Badminton Academy
    At the moment its VA above the rest.
    Top 2 downwards are a group of LZJ, KM, AA, KV and so on depending on who they play against each other.
     
  5. ductoan

    ductoan New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2021
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Vietnam
    The 1st set was strange for me. 2nd set suddenly he found the way to fight back, his defence was good and some creative shots that made LZJ surprised. 3rd set after interval was the same way he lost to Shi and to Viktor in Denmark Open.

    His movements, footwork & performance aren't as smooth and stable as in 2019 and its even worse than Denmark Open last year.

    He needs to get back his smash to be able to score points on his own. Before injury he could score lots of point when opportunity came. Momota' smash 2014 > 2019 > 2022.
     
  6. galaxyduo

    galaxyduo Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2011
    Messages:
    1,232
    Likes Received:
    716
    Location:
    Olympics
    There is something with that car accident that changed Momota. And then of course, Momota got covid too. Sometimes, players never return to their prime after coming back from an injury, even if they are supposedly injury free. Jan O' Jorgensen was consistently a top 5 MS player, and right before he took time off to heal from a nagging injury, he was arguably a top 3 MS player. Jorgensen had a long break of over a year, and when he returned to play again, I'm not too sure if he even broke top 15 in the world. He was just a different player before and after his injury. I'm not aware that the injury was still affecting Jorgensen after he returned, but Jorgensen couldn't find the same high level of play that he had found before.

    Sometimes it's not an injury at all. After winning the WC in 2005, Taufik could not reach his prime again. His play gradually weakened a little but he still hung around the top 5 in the world for the next 6 years. But in those next 6 years, he couldn't reproduce his form between 2004 to 2005. And it wasn't his age, because I think he retired around his late twenties or around thirty years of age. He just couldn't reproduce his 2004/2005 form in his latter years.

    This goes to show how remarkable Lin Dan was during his career. Lin Dan was consistently able to stay as #1 for about 8 to 9 years straight. And Lin Dan was able to do this through the tail end of Taufik's prime, all of LCW's prime, and the beginning of Chen Long's prime. Lin Dan's feat may be something that no other player will be able to reproduce for some time in MS's badminton.

    Now I don't know what the issue is with Momota. Hopefully, he is fully healed from his injury. And if Momota is fully healed from his injury, maybe it's his mentality and confidence. But whatever it is, Momota had "something" that put him over the top in 2018 to 2020, but he doesn't have that now. I hope Momota finds it back. But with up and coming players like Loh Kean Yew and Lakshya Sen, plus the current veterans like LZJ and Viktor, I'm not so sure it will be that easy for Momota to become #1 again.
     
    GironPapi and nokh88 like this.
  7. Hbmao

    Hbmao Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2018
    Messages:
    402
    Likes Received:
    167
    Location:
    USA
    What’s wrong with not at top? No one says he can’t be back to top again. I was mainly trying to say there is no need to look for mysterious reasons every time Momota lost. It doesn’t necessarily do justice to Momota either. And yeah, probably #3 is the highest he could be ranked atm. He couldn’t advance to semifinal in last 3 tournaments he played.
     
  8. Quentin11

    Quentin11 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2017
    Messages:
    2,208
    Likes Received:
    709
    Location:
    Mauritius

    What mysterious reasons are you talking about? Did you watch the match?

    Have you seen the performance of a player fluctuate like that within a match?

    If he was done for as soon as the first game was over I would understand that he was not at the level to challenge LZJ.

    But then he played quite ok in the second game followed by the 3rd game.

    Then when they changed end it go weird again - rookie mistakes. I don't expect rookie mistakes from someone like Momota especially when a coach is sitting next to him.

    So I don't think anyone is trying to look for mysterious reasons every time he loses. We all know he isn't at the level he was previously - that's clear as day.

    What we are questioning right now is why this crazy fluctuation in this game? Why the dumb strategy? Why the insistence on not smashing even though it could on occasion be a get out of trouble card?

    We've seen in this match itself several times he was dominating the rally and had a golden opportunity to smash and finish the rally but he would just drop. Who does that?

    I'm sorry but try to read what we are talking about here instead of commenting what is in your head on what we are trying to say.
     
  9. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    23,818
    Likes Received:
    4,791
    Occupation:
    wannabe badminton phototaker
    Location:
    Outside the box
    Yes. Lee Zii Jia was really up and down as well!!
     
  10. Quentin11

    Quentin11 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2017
    Messages:
    2,208
    Likes Received:
    709
    Location:
    Mauritius
    Well that's what will happen when you are playing against the Momota we saw yesterday.

    First game it was child play for LZJ and he could switch off.

    Second game Momota somehow played a lot better relative to first game. The LZJ suddenly has to switch gears as well.

    But at no point I saw LZJ playing like a beginner and feeling lost in the match.
     
  11. nokh88

    nokh88 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2009
    Messages:
    15,394
    Likes Received:
    1,484
    Occupation:
    Badminton Trainee
    Location:
    Badminton Academy
    Maybe Momota San didn't smash because LZJ has a decent defence cross court and he would need to run diagonally to retrieve the next shot hence he rather played it safe with a drop shot.
     
  12. terrynguyen121988

    terrynguyen121988 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Oct 27, 2018
    Messages:
    2,859
    Likes Received:
    1,277
    Location:
    A
    Since Momota haven't used 99 orange, he's lost his game.

    The new racket (white one) cannot fit to Momota. His smash was so weak
     
    trizzforce likes this.
  13. yuon

    yuon Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2020
    Messages:
    268
    Likes Received:
    284
    Location:
    US
    Somebody on the support team, please, get him a sport psychologist! Watching the QF was like watching another train wreck in slow motion. The body language was so negative from the first point, and except for game 2, he looked like he had forgotten that other shots beside lifts, clears, and drops exist and that there's such a thing as injection of pace!

    It was looking like he was regaining his confidence after the Europe Tour and Bali, but then what on earth happened in the last 3 months since then? First, losing to Nishimoto in 2 games, and now, this puzzling performance. It's not like I expected him to win, but never could I have expected 1-17, and losing that many straight points so tamely in the second half of the 3rd game to lose the match like that. He used to have such strong mental strength, and I had wished that some other Japanese players could be as mentally tough as him, but, my goodness, he unraveled like dominoes after losing just a few straight points.

    He needs to change the way he's approaching these tournaments. It's not like he has forgotten how to play badminton well, as we've seen brief flashes of what he can still do. There's no reason to play like he's afraid to lose anymore. We all know he's not the same player that he was before the car accident, but we all want to see him fight his way back from that misfortune. His mindset needs to change, and the coaches need to help him get there. I wish I could say that he'll learn from this defeat and come back stronger, but this is not even a tactical problem anymore, at this point. I still hold out hope that we will see more positive badminton from him in the future, but, right now, it feels like I have more faith in him than he has in himself.
     
    Quentin11 likes this.
  14. Quentin11

    Quentin11 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2017
    Messages:
    2,208
    Likes Received:
    709
    Location:
    Mauritius
    That's perfectly understandable and logical. But don't you even try once in a while? Don't kill the shuttle when it is clear that the opponent doesn't have a chance to retrieve a powerful second smash?

    Steen and Morten have been saying that - you sometimes do not need to unleash a huge smash but two three consecutive follow. But even that he wasn't doing - the rare time he would use a relatively powerful smash he would follow with a drop. Similar to the passiveness of Hoki previously on the net just blocking shots.

    You have to vary your game irrespective of how good your opponent is and especially if you are seeing that your safe play isn't doing anything for you.

    I won't complain if his safe play is allowing him to win. But right now it is not sufficient.

    I think he should go back to Z Force 2. If you have the strength to wield this for defense and not lose time - then the advantage on the power for smash is worth it.
     
    Nine Tailed Fox likes this.
  15. Quentin11

    Quentin11 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2017
    Messages:
    2,208
    Likes Received:
    709
    Location:
    Mauritius
    This is what I have been trying to say but you have put it in way better words.

    I fail to understand why the coach wasn't pushing him like Kenneth does. I mean do something ffs. Talk to him, encourage him. But the sports psychologist was due since long ago and you'd think this would have been solved by now. But it clearly isn't.

    I am not trying to make excuses. Like I said I didn't expect Momota to beat LZJ in this tournament. All I wanted was him to beat Heo. But I expect him to fight with all his abilities. What I saw yesterday was a wreck. It was someone who looked lost. This has to be a mental thing.
     
  16. trizzforce

    trizzforce Regular Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2019
    Messages:
    706
    Likes Received:
    365
    Location:
    Melbourne
    This is actually the real "mystery reason" LOL. The orange sunburst Astrox 99 became synonymous with KM domination back then. I've only seen him losing on the white one :D
     
  17. Quentin11

    Quentin11 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2017
    Messages:
    2,208
    Likes Received:
    709
    Location:
    Mauritius
    Hoping someone would understand the below references:

    White Yonex:

    [​IMG]
     
  18. Quentin11

    Quentin11 Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2017
    Messages:
    2,208
    Likes Received:
    709
    Location:
    Mauritius
  19. Schultzier

    Schultzier Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2021
    Messages:
    154
    Likes Received:
    70
    Location:
    Sweden
    Funny that you named it but the problem is the color, not the racquet. Ive been thinking about it too!! I also have a white 99 and put the yellow grip on it. The color combination of white Astrox and the yellow grip make it feel strange. Its just too pure with nothing in to bring out that tiger. I have put an orange grip on it and it plays much better!!

    as long as there is orange in the racket, KM played really well!! I noticed that too!! :D
     
  20. galaxyduo

    galaxyduo Regular Member

    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2011
    Messages:
    1,232
    Likes Received:
    716
    Location:
    Olympics
    The interesting thing is that during Momota's prime in 2018 to 2020 before the car accident, Momota would often play very defensive rallies without smashing but still win the set anyways. During Momota's prime, he was a lot like Lin Dan in that both Lin Dan and Momota could play very defensive badminton and still win, waiting for their opponents to make the mistake, and just defending the opponent's smash. Lin Dan winning the 2013 WC is a prime example of how a top MS player can win with a very defensive style (if you watch the 2013 WC, Lin Dan was ultra defensive and just kept lifting and kept controlling the rally). From my memory, prime Momota from 2018 to 2020 would play very defensive at times and still win the set, because he was so consistent, and his defense was so good.

    Anyways, that was prime Momota. The current Momota is not as consistent, and doesn't seem to read his opponents as well as he did during his prime. And the current Momota is not as consistent as prime Momota, and doesn't have the same defense (maybe his drop in defense right now is related to not reading his opponents as well). So perhaps he needs to smash more, because his defensive style does not work, given his current form.
     
    Quentin11 likes this.

Share This Page