Badminton – Observation, Analysis and Evaluation of strengths

Service

The serve is a strong point in my game and this helps allot as it’s the start of every game. My preparation is very good with correct positioning of the feet and grip, this is better than the performer below my standard as he stands with both his feet together and grips the racket with his index finger pointing outwards. The low serve is my strongest point in the service, this is mainly because my shot positioning is at quite a high standard definitely higher than that of Owen (performer below own standard), this is due to me having good feet positioning allot of balance and my hand eye co-ordination is at a high standard this giving me good timing.

The follow through is a very important part of the serve and I carry out this at a much better standard than Owen as he doesn’t tend to follow through at all. My recovery is much stronger than that of Owens as he doesn’t seem to be bothered about the following shot and just waits for it to come to him and if it’s returned short his opposition is guaranteed the point. My serve is overall much more affective than Owens and allot more accurate.

Net play

My net play is also another strong point to my game. I find my grip very natural and comfortable where as Owens looks very unnatural and uncomfortable as he leaves his index finger pointing outwards. My vision of the game is quite good and I always manage to prepare for the oncoming shot and I always retreat back to the centre after taking each shot this way I find it easier to return to any part of the court and give the opponent less attacking options, this making my footwork at quite a good standard.

My backswing isn’t a strong point at the net but Owens net play is overall very bad and his main problems are back swing and shot positioning. Owens balance is pretty poor where as mine is pretty good and my co-ordination and timing is very good where as he is quite uncoordinated in most things that he does. My follow through is pretty poor but Owens is even worse. My recovery is a strong part of my game and Owen doesn’t even bother retreating after returning his shot he just plays it as it comes. Overall my net play is much more effective than his allot more accurate.

Clears

The clears are a strong point in my game and this helps allot as it’s a main part of every game. My preparation is very good with correct positioning of the feet and grip, this is better than the performer below my standard as he stands with both his feet together giving him less balance, accuracy and power, and grips the racket with his index finger pointing outwards this will also effect his accuracy overall giving him poor accuracy. The overhead clear is my strongest point in clears, this is mainly because my shot positioning is at quite a high standard definitely higher than that of Owen, this is due to me having good feet positioning allot of balance and my hand eye co-ordination is at a high standard this giving me good timing.

The follow through is a very important part of the clear and I carry out this at a much better standard than Owen as he doesn’t tend to follow through at all. My recovery is much stronger than that of Owens as he doesn’t seem to be bothered about the following shot and just waits for it to come to him and if it’s returned short his opposition is guaranteed the point. My clears are overall much more affective than Owens and allot more accurate.

Drop shots

The drop shot is a strong point in my game and this helps allot as it occurs in every game. My preparation is very good with correct positioning of the feet and grip, this is better than the performer below my standard as he stands with both his feet together giving him less balance, accuracy and power, and grips the racket with his index finger pointing outwards this will also effect his accuracy overall giving him poor accuracy.

The long drop shot is my strongest point in drop shots, this is mainly because my shot positioning is at quite a high standard definitely higher than that of Owens, this is due to me having good feet positioning allot of balance and my hand eye co-ordination is at a high standard this giving me good timing. The follow through is a very important part of the drop shot and I carry out this at a much better standard than Owen as he doesn’t tend to follow through at all. My recovery is much stronger than that of Owens as he doesn’t seem to be bothered about the following shot and just waits for it to come to him and if it’s returned long after a drop shot his opposition is guaranteed the point. My drop shots are overall much more affective than Owens and allot more accurate.

Strengths – compared to a performer above my own standard.

Service

The serve is a strong point in my game and this helps allot as it’s the start of every game. My preparation is very good with correct positioning of the feet and grip, this is better than the performer above my standard as she doesn’t have quite as much power and tires quicker than me. The low serve is my strongest point in the service, this is mainly because my shot positioning is at quite a high standard but it’s the high service which is nearly as accurate but Laura’s isn’t as powerful or as accurate, therefore making my service a higher standard than that of Laura’s (performer above own standard), this is due to me having good feet positioning allot of strength, speed and my hand eye co-ordination is at a high standard this giving me good timing. The follow through is a very important part of the serve and I carry out this at about the same level as Laura’s maybe not quite as well. My recovery is also about the same as Laura’s. My serve is overall more affective than Laura’s and allot more powerful with a little more accuracy.

Drop shot

The drop shot is a strong point in my game and this helps allot as it occurs in every game. My preparation is very good with correct positioning of the feet and grip, this is better than the performer above my standard as she stands with a to wide stance even though this ensures stability and balance it is harder to recover quickly. The long drop shot is my strongest point in drop shots, this is mainly because my shot positioning is at quite a high standard definitely higher than that of Laura’s, this is due to me having good feet positioning allot of balance and my hand eye co-ordination is at a high standard this giving me good timing.

The follow through is a very important part of the drop shot and I carry this out at about the same standard as Laura maybe a little bit more powerful. My recovery is much faster than that of Laura’s as she takes a wider stance to carry out the shot making it more difficult to recover the shot. My drop shots are overall much more affective than Laura’s and allot more accurate. These being the strongest part of my game.

Justification of strengths

I do have allot of strong points in the game of badminton my main key points are serving and drop shots I think this is because I play a very strategic game and these two core skills give me a key point to attack.

Observation, Analysis and Evaluation of Weaknesses.

Weakness – compared with performer below own standard.

Smash

The only thing that Owen was better than me at was the smash I think this is because even though he is less drilled than me he is more agile and faster. The smash is a weak point in my game and this doesn’t help allot as it’s an important aspect of attacking in every game. My preparation is very good with correct positioning of the feet and grip, this is better than the performer below my standard as he stands with both his feet together and grips the racket with his index finger pointing outwards. But he manages to jump higher and add more power to the shot, this is mainly because his shot positioning is at quite a high standard definitely higher than that of mine, this is due to me having good the ability to move fast and in a more agile manner.

The follow through is a very important part of the smash and I don’t carry out this at a much better standard than Owen as he does tend to follow through quiet well on this particular shot. My recovery is much stronger than that of Owens as he doesn’t seem to be bothered about the following shot and just waits for it to come to him and if it’s returned short his opposition is guaranteed the point, this is his main let down on this shot.. My smash is overall less affective than Owens but about the same in accuracy.

Weakness – compared to performer above own standard

Net play

There are a few things that Laura beats me in, in the game of badminton and net play is one of those things. I think this is because Laura is more drilled and doesn’t rely upon as much natural talent as I do. The net play isn’t a weak point in my game but it is a strong point in Laura’s and this doesn’t help allot as it’s an important aspect of attacking and defending in every game. My preparation is very good with correct positioning of the feet and grip, this is about the same standard as Laura’s.

But she manages to make the shot with less effort as she knows the perfect positioning, mainly because she plays the game and trains for the sport so much more than me. The follow through is a very important part of the net play and I don’t carry out this at as high standard as Laura as she does tend to follow through quiet well on this particular shot. My recovery matches her as my recovery is a strong part of my game. My net play is overall less affective than Laura’s but about the same in accuracy.

Clears

There are a few things that Laura beats me in, in the game of badminton and clears is one of those things. I think this is because Laura is more drilled and doesn’t rely upon as much natural talent as I do. The clears isn’t a weak point in my game but it is a strong point in Laura’s and this doesn’t help allot as it’s an important aspect of attacking and defending in every game. My preparation is very good with correct positioning of the feet and grip, this is about the same standard as Laura’s.

But she manages to make the shot with less effort as she knows the perfect positioning, mainly because she plays the game and trains for the sport so much more than me. The follow through is a very important part of the clears and I don’t carry out this at as high standard as Laura as she does tend to follow through quiet well on this particular shot. My recovery matches her as my recovery is a strong part of my game. My clears are overall less affective than Laura’s but about the same in accuracy, even though accuracy isn’t really that important for clears.

Smash

There are a few things that Laura beats me in, in the game of badminton and the smash is one of those things. I think this is because Laura is more drilled and doesn’t rely upon as much natural talent as I do. The smash isn’t a weak point in my game but it is a strong point in Laura’s and this doesn’t help allot as it’s an important aspect of attacking in every game. My preparation is very good with correct positioning of the feet and grip, this is about the same standard as Laura’s.

But she manages to make the shot with less effort as she knows the perfect positioning, mainly because she plays the game and trains for the sport so much more than me. The follow through is a very important part of the smash and I don’t carry out this at as high standard as Laura as she does tend to follow through quiet well on this particular shot. My recovery matches her as my recovery is a strong part of my game. My smash is overall less affective than Laura’s and her accuracy is perfect where as mine is not so good.

Justification of weaknesses

Areas of improvement

I can improve all aspects of my game as I am not yet at a very high standard of game. But my main area to improve which stands out as very poor would be the smash, I also need to improve other aspects of my game if I wish to compete at quite a high level. These other core skills I would need to train would be

Causes of weaknesses net play and clears. If I was to improve these I would be back at a high level of competition.

Causes of weaknesses

The main problem with all aspects of my game is I haven’t belonged to a racket club for over 2 years now this meaning I haven’t competed or trained for over 2 years also. If I wish to improve my key areas then I need to return back to training and take it seriously to catch up on what I have missed out on.