This past week was North Canyon High School Badminton’s first match against Skyline. As a volunteer assistant coach there, I witnessed a number of mistakes that seem common to beginning badminton players during their first competitive match. Most of these things come with experience but I thought I should make a post about them anyway.

Watch for Illegal Serves

I know there is a lot to remember when your first match rolls around; not to mention the nerves! However, the most common mistake I see players do is to not watch for illegal serves by your opponent. Chances are that you will be playing someone that is of relatively similar skill to yourself and thus is just as nervous and concerned with their game as you are. However, any type of fault during the serve or otherwise is still illegal and should be called.

The shuttle must be contacted blow the waist and the head of the racket bust be below the racket hand when contacting the shuttle on the serve! Don’t forget the biggest fault especially with beginning players is that both feet must remain planted on the ground through the entire serve until after the shuttle is hit. You can rock on your feet to generate more power but your foot cannot slide on the floor nor come up off the floor at all! These are all faults and the service should change sides if it is called.

If you see your opponent make any of these faults, DO NOT HIT THE SHUTTLE! Do not even attempt to go for the shuttle. Keep yourself planted and after the serve has been made, inform your opponent that their serve was illegal and that it is now your service. A service fault is the same as any other fault, it can be questioned but once the call is made, it is done. If you opponent objects, they can call a line/service judge for the remainder of the match.

One more point. In the past I have seen instances where payers disagree on an illegal service call and there is a service check done where officials (coaches) come by and watch a “sample” service. This is useless and a waste of time. The offending player, assuming they know what they are doing, will ALWAYS correct their serve for the check and simply go back to their illegal serve after the check is done with. It’s better get a line/service judge for the remainder of the match in these cases.

Watch Your Lines

This is another big one. Being nervous during the first few games causes may players to unknowingly return shuttles that are out of bounds…by many feet! If you are practicing your footwork correctly and have played at least a few practice games, you should have pretty good idea of where the court lines are. Don’t get caught up in returning the shuttle simply because you forget that you can also win rallies when they hit out of bounds!

Break In Between Games

Between the first and second games of your match, you are given a one minute break. If you split, then you are afforded a five minute break. TAKE THEM! Not only does this give you time to collect your thoughts and your breath, but it also allows coaches to come by and give you advice on how your game is going and any changes in strategy they might recommend. If you find that you are having trouble in your match, seek out your coach during these breaks. If you are playing a high school match, you may only have one or two coaches and they have to watch not only all the games being played but also the students on the bench. This means that they may not know that you are between games at this point. You cannot leave the court (unless it’s between games 2 & 3) so try to call or make contact with your coach. If your coach is not available, then you should take this time to reflect on your game. What did you do right, what did you do wrong? What is your opponent’s weakness, what is yours? Self analyze and adjust your play as needed.

Bad Calls

It’s unfortunate but it happens. Sometimes your opponent will either purposely or unintentionally make a bad call. Unintentional bad call are just part of the game but if you notice that your opponent might be making bad calls on purpose, then you need to do something about it. These generally happen towards the rear of the court, especially on the back line. The first time you notice this, simply ask your opponent, “are you sure?” This simple question does two things: 1) if your opponent is cheating, it lets them know that you know what’s going on and 2) if it was truly a mistake, it lets your opponent know that they need to be a little more cautious in their watching of the shuttle around boundary lines.

If you notice a bad call again after you have confirmed/warned them, then you need to raise your racket and get a coach on the court to assign line judges. There is no shame in asking for a line judge. The rules of the game are there for a reason and they need to be respected.

Cheering

This is one the most shameful things that I continuously witness at high school badminton games; a lack of cheering. Badminton, like any other sport, is a competitive game. In high school especially, there is absolutely no reason not to cheer on your team and show school spirit! These are your class mates out there, your teammates, your friends! Hearing words of encouragement and cheering can truly make the difference between a win and a loss. It is an incredible confidence booster and really brings out feelings of camaraderie and sportsmanship! I’ve head the line, “it’s just badminton, why should we cheer” before. You never hear that about football, baseball, volleyball, softball, or any other sport in athletics. Badminton is a tough sport. It’s the second most popular sport in the world and if you are serious about playing it, then you need to act like it means something to you. If not for you then at least for your friends and teammates!