MS Gameplay... [Video].. Please comment

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by Arunava Nag, Jan 10, 2017.

  1. Arunava Nag

    Arunava Nag New Member

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    Hello,

    I am an untrained player. I am in the orange Tshirt, there are several games in this video. I would appreciate your valuable opinions and shall take them into account for future practices in order to improve.
    I am using a decent racquet Yonex Duora, and aeroplane shuttles.
    I generally do both off the court and on court training. I am trying to work on my footwork and also gameplay strategy.

    Please comment with anything that can help me to improve.

     
  2. Charlie-SWUK

    Charlie-SWUK Regular Member

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    (Watched 12 minutes of your play in total, think I've given you enough for now :) ) Ok, so I'm just gonna make a big list of things I'm seeing as I go through the video:

    1) It looks like you're trying to emulate professional player's footwork, which is good but you're missing some key points.
    ....a) Split step, at the moment you only seem to be preparing one foot to move, you should prepare both feet.
    ....b) You must fully solidify your footwork, at the moment you appear to be improvising, changing your method of movement on-the-go.
    ....c) You appear to understand some of the movements, such as chasseing, however your recovery towards the centre can be messy, and this results in the above 'improv' footwork coming out.
    ....d) While you're trying to emulate the footwork to some degree, your posture isn't quite there. You need to lower your centre of gravity a bit, keep your back reasonably straight/neutral, and use your non-racket arm to assist you in balancing.
    ....e) Make proper use of lunges in the front court, at the moment you let yourself get drawn into the net too close. While this is working now, with your opponent giving you a lot of time, you will struggle to move up if you cannot build the flexibility and strength to lunge well.
    ....f) You have the right ground work for defence, try widening your stance just a little bit more, and as soon as your opponent is about to hit the shot (not when they actually hit it) split step onto the balls of your feet. Push towards the middle with both feet until you've decided where you've moving.
    ....g) Your overall stance is somewhat unprepared in many situations, you should keep your body ready to move, and your racket fairly ready to hit. This doesn't mean holding your racket all the way up all the time, but keep your racket at about shoulder/head height, as this will allow you to adapt and strike accordingly.

    2) Your hitting technique isn't too bad, you're taking the shuttle nice and high, and generally getting reasonable power out of your shots.
    ....a) Your non-racket arm looks a bit erratic. On your overhead shots, instead of swinging your non-racket arm, tuck it in towards your side with your hand still pointing upwards. It starts by reaching forward, and then pulling inwards as you rotate. This allows you to better engage core muscles.
    [​IMG]
    ....b) Shot preparation has also suffered here. Part of the reason we hold our non-racket arm out, is to help open our chest and engage core muscles. You must open your chest by bringing both arms back, and then you have a choice in this preparation - you can either point towards the shuttle, or bend at the elbow and point your hand upwards. Either way this non-racket arm should be roughly in-line with the shuttle.
    [​IMG]
    If you feel like pointing towards the shuttle fully is stretching you too much, use the pose above. I personally find it much easier to work with.
    ....c) Racket carriage and prep could use some work too, like your non-racket arm, bring your racket arm backwards and up as you're moving into position. See the above picture and how his racket is? This is good form. Your racket should be pointing upwards and ready to strike by the time you're ready to hit. You have a long wind up to your shot.
    ....d) Your shot placement seems somewhat inconsistent right now, you're getting reasonable length and have some control over the general direction of your shots. However, you should focus on hitting precisely, putting your smashes towards specific places, making sure your lifts and net shots are going where you want them to go, and making sure clears don't land out.

    3) Tactically you're aware and anticipating your opponent's next shot, but your own shot choice isn't always the strongest here.
    ....a) Use a variety of shots to move your opponent around the court. At the moment you like to play a lot of smashes, many of which aren't winning you points. Good disguise in your shots with proper preparation, and mixing up between clears, smashes, and drops from the rear court, will help you to move your opponent and build up to a winning smash.
    ....b) You bias yourself very heavily when playing with your opponent. This comes back into footwork, but I think it belongs more in tactics. In a lot of situations, it's best to start your preparation with one foot each side of the centre line. Now this doesn't have to be an even balance, you can have your left foot just barely over the line to cover your forehand court better, or vice versa, with your right foot barely in the right court to better cover the backhand area.
    ....c) Don't be afraid to use the cross! There are lots of times where you're in the backhand rear court, and you play two straight smashes, both of which your opponent returns. Don't be afraid to hit a cross court shot, a cross clear, drop, or smash can help you to command the rally.
     
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  3. gerry

    gerry Regular Member

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    I'm not going into great detail cos too much info confuses. suffice to say generally you have some idea of footwork but of course could be much better, get a coach and practice. shots will improve with more practice.

    I can't see the vid as clearly as I would if I was standing behind the court but my 28 years of coaching is screaming.... GRIP....GRIP ...GRIP, it appears that you are holding the grip quite high up on the racket, this will interfere with some rearcourt shots especially the smash. Even in the midcourt your shots are not hit cleanly when in this area a shorter grip can help with fast taps. To be honest your smashes look like fast drops to me, maybe this is because of the camera angle.

    Have a look at the pics above then compare yours.

    The main thing is that you are enjoying what you do and are trying to improve, the journey is a beautiful one....... enjoy :)
     
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