Are You Suffering From A “Lack Of” Which Is Affecting Your Badminton Performance?

You choose your attitude in every situation presented to you. A bad attitude is like a bad smell. Nobody wants to be around a person who has a bad attitude. So lighten up!

If you believe you’re too good to complete simple exercises e.g. grip changes, then your ego is in the way. Good basics are the foundation of great badminton. An equivalent is being able to pass the ball in football. If you cannot pass, then you’re better off becoming a goalkeeper and getting out of the way. You cannot expect to win at badminton if your shots are inconsistent.

Badminton is a game won through consistency rather than hitting winners. I say this so often and yet players don’t understand. If you or your side makes fewer errors than your opponent(s), you should win, it’s that simple.

You won’t improve until you’re honest about your current capabilities or skills.

If need be, ask players around you to give you feedback after playing with you, but be prepared to take it with a smile. If you object, then you’re being irrational. Perhaps there are weak areas where you thought you were strong? The biggest areas of growth maybe where you thought you were strong so remain open-minded and write down the answers.

Your biggest restrictions may be down to lack of resources. The resources that hinder you most are time and money. If you have time, but not money, then you can still do a lot to improve your game.

If you can, hire a coach. If there’s a chance you can film yourself playing a game or two, give this to the coach ahead of your training. They may be willing to help you identify your key strengths and weaknesses and then form a game plan to address or improve some of these with the limited budget you may have.

You can also watch professional players on Youtube, focussing on specific areas of the game. Watching how professional players execute a shot gives you a better understanding of the technique. If you compare your version to a professional, you may even see where your technique limits your performance.

Use club nights to work on your game. It’s understandable that everyone plays games. However, you can play and remain focussed on one aspect of your game e.g. return of serve. At club night, scores don’t matter. If you’re bothered about a certain player beating you, then get your ego out of the way. If you improve, their minor victory will remain just that. Instead, imagine how you will feel when you beat them in the future as your skills improve.