Given today's latest technology and coaching methods for ZJH trainings in the 80s, plus the current opponents at current playing level to play with during his prime days in the 80-90s, I'm sure ZJH is still among the top 3 players among LD & LCW now. It was his winner's attitude and that special instinct that wants to try something special to put opponent off their paces that made ZJH such a special player, even by today's standard.
good point! so how's his cooking style? it's really funny to image ZJH grab the pan instead of the racket.
maybe i didn't make myself too clear: like i said earlier if there is a video guy and/or mathematic experts who is/are good in frames calculations, stuff like that then possibly we can have a more concrete comparison. i am no expert here.
He is the only players i know operate a chicken rice shop in Singapore although the business didn't last long....
ZJH playing double Not sure if anyone else post this already. Found this while looking for ZJH's videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojYk6KmLo1c Look like he's not a good double player. And he gained a few pounds also.
The question should be, if it was so easy to win by attacking in those days, why didn't someone else do it? It is not as accurate as stripping it down frame by frame as you suggested/asked about, but in the absence of any better studies, I think it is excellent work by the contributors!
The question should be, if it was so easy to win by attacking in those days, why didn't someone else do it? Before Zhao, Luan Jin (1983 AE and GP champion) could play really fast. Before LJ Morten Frost was really fast and hit real hard but made too many mistakes.Liem Swie King at his prime in the 70s could also hit really hard, so did Chen Zhang Jie. I think the difference between Zhao and his contemporaries and predecessors could be the footwork,athletism ,unique racquet skills and speed of movement and some deception,probably learned from Prakash.Add to that a special vision called the 3rd eye (as suggested by Wang Wen Jiao,Team Manager). During Morten's peak in early 80s only 2 players could beat him ,Luan Jin and Zhao.Maybe Zhao's game plan was to dethrone Morten. Even it took Yang Yang 3-4 years before he could beat Frost convincingly.
I think it explains why his 2nd AE title came after 5 years. I still remember how Joko Suprianto kept on shaking his head as he was clueless on how to handle Zhao's deceptive shots. Zhao won that match in 15-4 15-1. Liu Jun's win over Zhao at AE 1992 was a joke. Zhao should have thrashed Liu in 15-1 15-1 if Zhao was not asked to lose.
Zhao's illness was well documented. Morten Frost suffered from asthma during his playing years as well, remarkable arhievement considering his style of play (long, patient and waiting game).
No matter what kind of expert your can find, you are still calculating the speed of shots of ZJH using old time equipments. I have no objection to "If ZJH in 1990 uses his 1990 equipments and play exactly like he did in 1990, then he cannot beat LD".
Yes I understand there was fast attacking players, I was responding to the fast the poster inferred that ZJH only won because the players he played against in that era had poor defence.....which in my opinion was not the case.
Zhao Jianhua had problems and it affected him during the 1985 World Championships. He had fever and was hospitalized in Canada. The team decided to fly him back to China for treatment, so he did not finish the tournament that was won by Han Jian. The article below with the link provided by Kwun is long but very interesting. The writer was a physician and a badminton player and in his writings he talks about examining a patient who was a famous badminton player. http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=336683#post336683
The old scoring system won't allow it. Whatever speed they were playing at, they would not have been able to sustain it rally after rally. Quite a few people could beat Frost, in fact, Luan Jin, Liem Swie King, Misbun Sidek, Han Jian, Zhao Jianhua but to name a few. Frost was, however, very consistent and hardly ever had a bad tournament. But you are right, Yang Yang had to play his 6th or 7th match against Frost before he could get it right, and never lost to him again. Zhao Jianhua brought a new dimension in deception especially on how he could twist his wrist, coupled with speed. Before this, deceptive players are not known for speed, eg. Prakash Padukone. But Zhao's suspect fitness betrays him against the top defenses of Ardy Wiranata, Foo Kok Keong, Xiong Guobao etc.
