Physical Fitness Won the Thomas Cup

Yes, I've watched that game between Kendrick and Alamsyah and agree that Kendrick wasn't in the best of shape but even then, he should have won. Somehow his lack of fire and the desire to win were not his strong points at that time, whereas Alamsyah was hungry for success. Kendrick also did not display that keen desire in Melbourne as well.

It is a pity that the ex-World Junior runner-up is not able to advance any further in his career and I think it has to do with Kendrick's mental attitude rather than his mere lack of physical fitness. Remember he could still last three games. Unless he is willingly to motivate himself and find meaning in what he is doing, to rid himself of all self-doubts and to regain the self confidence that he can do better, he probably will not be able to break that success barrier. He will not be able to bring himself up to meet the physical demands of any physical training programme to improve himself and he will probably carry it out as a dull routine without the attendant benefits which should accrue.

The ability to break that mental barrier will free Kendrick from further handicapping himself. He will find that building up his physcial fitness, endurance and stamina will not be so difficult afterall! The Indonesian twins have proven that they can do it!

 

I agree with you there, physical training programme are daunting even for the top pros. No one can just avoid it if they want to get to the top. To meet the right balance of quantity and quality, they obviously have to have the discipline, determination and perseverance to get themselves up to where the top players are at. This in itself is where the difficulty of attaining top physical fitness form lies.

 

At the very top level you need these 4 qualities-technique, physical attributes (including power, speed, stamina), tactics, and the most important of them all, the brain that is between your ears.

 

Mentally Stronger

If I remember well, Martin Lungaard commented that he and Eriksen lost to the young Malaysian pair of CCM/KKK because the latter was mentally stronger.

On the point of smashing to win, yes, this is the chief weapon under the new system. But I could foresee that not only will the pros concentrate more on perfecting their smashes in training, they must also improve on their defensive skills, especially on returning a fast smash. Although smashing is a good way to winning a point, one cannot expect a player to smash continuously without negative consequences. Therefore, the other technical aspects such as tactics, spatial awareness, footwork, anticipation, tight net play, etc, will have to be improved upon.

 

I think Taufik was a bad example as he himself said that "My preparations have not been good and I am not at my best physical condition. Against Lin Dan, I was only giving 60% of what I am capable of." (Sunday Star 7 May 2006)

Frankly, nobody in his right mind would expect Taufik to beat LD, PG and LCW in view of his back injury and poor preparation. The thought of aggravating his injury further (psychological element) also affected his performance. As some posters have commented that Taufik was there to make up the numbers and ensure that Sony and Simon remain at 2nd and 3rd singles, with a fair chance of winning points.

At such a high level as the TC, the players are expected to be physically fit to remain in contention. In that sense, physical fitness is a given, you need to have that to start off with. But that alone will not ensure that you'll win your match as what was implied in your thread.

Even Denmark's chief coach Steen Pedersen said: "Our first doubles lack confidence..." (The Star 8 May 2006) That relates to the psychological and mental aspects of the game.

 

The Netherlands gals; Now, that is what i call Physical Fitness at its best

Just want to chime in on this; this might be slightly off topic, but i just want to mention abt what the Netherlands gals have accomplished. Awe-inspring...

I was quite surprised to see their end result, considering what they have gone thru in the European Championship tournament prior. And then only employing 4-5 of the same players (without Yao Jie) in basically each rounds.
Esp. looking at the 4-5 gals that they basically fielded in every Round(yes, including the 1st Round playoff before the QF). I believe their physical stamina alone was a big surprise, at least to me. But i also thought, what they went thru during the EC was probably a good thing for them to prepare what is ahead(esp. with the new 21pt system). They way they did it in the Uber Cup was truly mouth opening..

So yes, i can say physical fitness was a BIG FACTOR(has been and will be)..But i wouldn't go as far as to say it was THE ONLY FACTOR..Sure, top level competition in the world requires a player to be in tip-top shape, definitely, but they must also have the other forementioned elements...And for now, both CHN's Thomas and Uber cup teams have all the elements covered..

 

Agree. Considering the 21pt rally system could be more tiring than the old 11pt system for ladies single

 

May I add to this that fitness and technics are trainable and can be assessed objectively for team selection purposes, or can be intentionally ignored for tactical purposes (like the widely reported IND fielding half-fit Taufik to safe guard points for 2nd and 3rd single).

Under normal circumstances, a coach will not select/field a player whose fitness and technics are inferior unless he has no other option.

But mental toughness cannot be measured until the player is put to test in a live match, he either survive it or crumble under pressure (KBH is an example). Mind you every situation is different and a same player may react differently under different scenario.

If the story about Taufik making up the number is true, will you expect Taufik to be mentally gear up to win every 1st Single he played in? Of course not, because he is expecting his team mates to pick up the points! But the same cannot be said for LD and PD or LCH, because they are mentally gear up to win. On that count, they won the mental competition already over Taufik before the game even started!

Thus my thought is whilst Physical and Skill is more or less a constant, Mental Toughness is a big variable, and that can swing the match one way or another.

 

I can't disagree with you, but mental toughness can also be trained, although the results may not be so forthcoming and certainly take longer to accomplish.

 

I just remembered reading a thread somewhere that LCW is a smoker...maybe that affects his stamina and thats why he is only a 4 stars champion. Does anyone know if 6 stars champions like PG, and LD are smokers too ?

 

I've just watched the Taufik vs Lin Dan match from the TC and what killed Taufik was his lack of fitness which we all knew prior to the TC. His movement was really poor compared to previous matched i have watched and he wasnt getting into postion to use his great smash. He couldnt use his mental toughness because his body wasnt in position to hit shots.

Following on from what this thread has said i think if fitness and skills are the same between two players then it will always come down to mental toughness - who will play the big points the best. Mental toughness can be worked on - just look at Tiger Woods and what his father put him through to develop his mental abilities.

In the top ten mens singles players (and Taufik when he is fit) there is very little between them in terms of fitness and skills, but lots in mental toughness. If you saw the LCW vs Lee Hyun ll match then there was little between them until it came to the important points and then LCW performed better.

Athletes at the top of their profession in most sports have a psycologist help them prepare for these crunch moments. I dont know if they are used in badminton, but they should be!

 

As per my pyramid

Wednesday May 24, 2006


We’ll work on shuttlers’ mental strength, says Nadzmi

PETALING JAYA: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) accept that their players lack the mental strength at crucial stages of major competitions.

And they have vowed to work on improving this shortcoming.

At the Thomas Cup Finals in Japan last month, the Malaysian singles shuttlers – Lee Chong Wei, Mohd Hafiz Hashim and Kuan Beng Hong – failed to win points in the semi-finals tie against Denmark.

On paper, all looked good for Malaysia to give their opponents a run for their money but barring Chong Wei, the other two players were just unable to bring out their best when it mattered most.

With just two points won through the doubles players – Chan Chong Ming-Koo Kien Keat and Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, Malaysia lost the tie 2-3.

BAM president Datuk Nadzmi Mohd Salleh said that they would study why this lack of mental strength is the bane of the national players.

“It could be the culture. In Malaysia, we do not have to fight for survival. But there could be other reasons too and we plan to look into it scientifically and find ways to strengthen their mental preparation,” said Nadzmi.

“We must know how we can help our players conquer their fears. Maybe the players need to learn to psyche up themselves in great length prior to major tournaments,” said Nadzmi after the coaching and training committee meeting at Stadium Juara in Bukit Kiara here yesterday.

The players face two major tournaments this year – the World Championships in Madrid from Sept 18-24 and the Asian Games in Doha from Dec 1-15.

 

Hi Datuk Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, there is only one way to work on the players mental strength. Tell them "you lost, you out". While BAM can do its best to train the players, it also needs to let each of the player know there is competition out there. Not only each player need to win to climb to the top, they also need to win to stay !!!

 

Great post.

It will surely be interesting to follow the Malaysian players in the future. The best mental training, in my opinion, is to actually win a big competition. The world champion at any time always knows he can beat them all. I believe that is always a good luggage to carry with you, and I think that it makes a difference in many tight matches. There is a difference between thinking you've got what it takes and actually knowing that you've got what it takes.

Also, if you have been close before, and not quite made it, then it might add to the mental pressure in my opinion.

Well, we'll see if the Malaysian team can rise like Phoenix from the ashes...