Visualisation in Badminton| Knowing where to place the shuttle and trying to anticipate your opponent’s next move, will always put you one step ahead.
In all sports including Badminton, one thing that can really take your game to the next level is trying to anticipate where your opponent is going to return the shuttle. Source.
A lot of that is also dependant on where you have played a certain shot.
[pullquote]Having a game plan, instead of playing blindly, is what will help you to figure out your opponent’s next move. At any given point of the game, you have limited options to choose from. Choosing the correct one rather the best one will put you one step ahead of your opponent [/pullquote]
Keeping your opponent under pressure by anticipating his next move is the kind of tactic a good player will utilise. This definitely needs practice and understanding of how to formulate rallies during the match.
Before playing a match, whether friendly or competitive, a well-prepared player will be sitting down and preparing mentally. What is meant by this is, it is important to visualise in your mind the various match scenarios and see yourself playing a particular shot and where it should be played.
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This gives you a chance to visualise the various options your opponent has and what will be his best stroke option in that situation.
This will help you in analysing your options, seeing how and when to play what stroke to put your opponent in difficulty.
For instance, a rally is going on, a toss has been made to you on your forehand side; you need to think and visualise what is the best option for you and where would you like the shuttle to land to put your opponent in difficulty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArztFrQEOKk
In this scenario, you have either, toss it back, play a sharp drop and if the toss is weak, you can attempt to smash too.
Visualising where you want the return to go will determine the stroke you chose.
[pullquote]Some players who are in a haste or who are tired tend not to think about where the shuttle should be sent and focus more on just getting it across. This is not good for scoring points as shots made in haste are the ones that are most likely to put you in danger.[/pullquote]
Hence it is very important to think and see in your mind what the best placement option will be.
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Watching videos of experts playing will give you a great idea as to how they tend to formulate rallies in such a way that they are able to anticipate their opponent’s move and dominate the rally.
Besides watching matches online or on TV, you should sit down and imagine yourself playing. Visualisation in Badminton means creating rallies in your head, visualising where to hit next, what stroke to chose and if under pressure how to come out of it.
Doing a full mental assessment of what’s to come next will help you prepare better. A player will be more ready and aware of the options.
The video below might not be tailor made for this sport, but talks about the importance of mental imagery and visualising. The content can help you with the process of visualisation in Badminton. It will give you a better understanding of how the mind plays an extremely vital role.
Conclusion:
Just going to court and playing is not going to help you take your game to the next level. But if you inculcate visualisation in Badminton, your playing will be better by a mile.
Thinking, visualising and getting mentally prepared for all situations beforehand is what will give you that much-needed edge over your opponent.
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