Viktor Axelsen book: Viktor Axelsen has just released a new autobiography. The book is entitled “Vindervilje” (which roughly translates to The Will to Win). The book is about Viktor’s career and offers lots of tips and good advice related to badminton.
The book makes for an interesting read for any fan of Axelsen and badminton fans in general.
Viktor Axelsen’s book was originally published in Danish. The English edition is expected to be published in 2024. As a Badmintonspeak.com reader, you get a chance to win a copy. We will ship the Viktor Axelsen book to your home address.
Google translated excerpt of the Viktor Axelsen book:
I think that if we elite athletes have to take a purely political approach to where we are going to play, then there are a great many countries where that is not an option.
My approach is that in the countries where tournaments are held – and where Danish companies operate and Danish citizens, including politicians, go on holiday – it is also okay for me to be there. We play tournaments in Dubai, we play in China.
We played official championships in Russia until there was an official political boycott of the country. Because then it’s a different matter – athletes must of course also stop traveling in a certain country.
But in the end, I found it difficult to see that I should be given greater responsibility than the rest of official Denmark. I know what’s going on in the Middle East, and I also know that Qatar has been awarded the World Cup in football.
Again, a state boycott would be needed so that the footballers do not play there. I don’t think we can expect a higher political morality from athletes than the rest of the Danish people and the top of Danish business life.
Dubai was the solution I felt had the most benefits overall. Going to Switzerland, Monaco, or whatever else people have written about online, was not at all on the table. It was the badminton setup that did the talking. These were my opportunities in everyday life and not the zeros on the check because then I should have chosen another sport to become the best in the world.
Viktor Axelsen’s book about badminton and how to achieve great results is a great inspiration for any badminton player. Parents of talented badminton players will also find a lot of inspiration by reading the Viktor Axelsen book.
Yoga and badminton training is a great combination for badminton players at any skill level.
Practicing regular yoga in itself can help badminton players focus their minds through the meditative aspects of yoga. Adding yoga to the weekly badminton practice has been proven to improve the stamina, endurance, and mental health of badminton players.
While yoga in itself does offer numerous benefits for badminton players, it is advised to incorporate calisthenicsinto the weekly physical training. The two training methods in combination will quickly prove to benefit both balance and strength. Some players may also benefit from adding pilates to the badminton training mix.
Learn which yoga poses (asanas) are the most effective for badminton
Recent scientific research and tests have demonstrated that these yoga asanas are effective for badminton players:
Warrior 1 pose (Virabhadrasana I) – endurance
The Warrier 1 pose strengthens the legs and improves endurance, while also helping to improve balance and focus (concentration).
This asana (pose) is suitable for badminton players of all ages and skill levels.
Tree Pose (Vrikshasana) – agility
The Tree Pose improves balance and focus. It will also help strengthen your legs and improve agility. Improves neuro-muscular coordination, balance, endurance and alertness. It tones up the leg muscles and rejuvenates the ligaments
Downward-facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
This yoga pose for badminton players stretches the hamstrings and calves, while also helping to improve endurance and focus.
Plank Pose (Phalakasana) – core and shoulders
This plank yoga pose is different from the plank exercise most badminton players are familiar with. The phalakasana strengthens the core, arms, and shoulders, which can help improve agility and endurance.
Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) – improves balance and focus
The triangle pose stretches the hips, hamstrings, and calves, while also improving balance and focus.
Camel Pose (Ustrasana) – endurance and relaxation
This yoga pose opens the chest and strengthens the back, while also helping to improve endurance and relaxation. This asana is also said to correct drooping shoulders and regulate the thyroid gland.
Child’s Pose (Balasana) – reduce stress
This yoga pose stretches the back and hips and can help promote relaxation and reduce stress. It is said to relieve tension and calm the nervous system.
Do not do this exercise if you have a knee injury.
Corpse Pose (Savasana) – rejuvenation
This pose is a relaxation pose that can help calm the mind and reduce stress, while also promoting overall relaxation and rejuvenation.
Get the yoga and badminton guide when it is published
Once again Asia dominated the BWF World Junior Championships.
European badminton nations Denmark, France, and Germany were represented in a measly 4 out of 20 quarterfinals. Except for one player from the USA, the rest of the quarterfinalists all represented the Asian continent.
World Junior Championships for men’s singles
131 men’s singles players from 47 countries participated in the tournament in Santander, Spain.
The quarterfinalists were all from Asia except for Alex Lanier of France. He lost the quarterfinal to Kuo Kuan-Lin in three sets. In the semifinals, India’s Subramanian won against Teeraratsakul from Thailand in straight sets – and Kuo Kuan-Lin of Taiwan overcame fierce competition by winning in 3-sets over Byung Jae Kim of Korea.
It took Kuo Kuan-Lin only 48 minutes to win the World Junior Championships in straight sets. Runner-up was S.SANKAR MUTHUSAMY SUBRAMANIAN of India.
World Junior Champion 2022:Kuo Kuan-Lin from Chinese Taipei.
Women’s singles world junior championships 2022
123 women’s singles players from 45 countries participated in the tournament in Santander, Spain.
Ella Lin from the USA fought her way to the quarterfinal where she lost in straight sets to Yuan An Qi from China. The rest of the quarterfinals were played between players representing Asian countries.
The semifinals went down as follows:
China’s Yuan An Qi ousted Indonesia’s Ester Wardoyo in three sets Japan’s Tomoka Miyazaki overpowered her compatriot Sorano Yoshikawa in straight sets.
The final was a close match between China and Japan. Following 1 hour and 21 minutes of play, the 16-year-old Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan came out victorious winning 21-14, 20-22, 21-17 to become the 2022 World Junior Champion women’s singles.
Tomoka Miyazaki is one to watch. In spite of her – comparatively – small stature, she is an extraordinary talent
Mixed doubles – One European pair made it to the quarterfinals
120 mixed doubles pairs from 44 countries entered the mixed-doubles competition.
Asian nations also dominated the mixed doubles finals. Only one European pair made it to the quarterfinals. They lost to China’s Hao/Zhi in three sets.
The semis was a showdown between four pairs from China. Yi/Xin and Jun/Shu would go on to the finals.
Following a little over an hour of play, Zhu Yi Jun with Liu Sheng Shu earned the title of World Junior Champion 2022 mixed doubles
Men’s doubles world junior championships 2022
79 pairs from 42 countries took part in the men’s doubles competition in Spain.
All quarterfinalists represented Asian countries except one pair from Spain. Daniel Franco and Ruben Garcia were ousted by Gaterahong/Jintamuttha of Thailand in straight sets.
The semifinals were played between pairs from Korea, Indonesia, China, and Thailand.
The final was a close match between Muh Putra Erwiansyah / Patra Harapan Rindorndo of Indonesia on one side and Xu Hua Yu / Zhu Yi Jun on the other side. Following a little over an hour of play, the Chinese pair could celebrate the World Junior Championship. They won the third set by 22-20.
World Junior Championship 2022 women’s double
80 women’s doubles pairs entered. They represented 42 different countries
Except for French pair Malya Hoareau / Camille Pognante, all quarterfinalists were from Asian countries. The French pair lost in straight sets to Japan’s Kokona Ishikawa / Riko Kiyose.
The semifinals were played in three games and all took over an hour. In the end, one Indonesian and one pair from China qualified for the final.
The final was a one-sided affair with Chinas Liu Sheng Su / Wang Ting Ge overpowering Sari/Rose from Indonesia in just 33 minutes. The new world junior champions in women’s doubles were Liu Sheng Su / Wang Ting Ge from China.
Asian dominanceis very real
As mentioned previously only 4 non-Asians qualified for the quarterfinals. All semifinals turned out to be a showdown between players from Asian countries.
If you find physical training for badminton challenging, or if you lack self-motivation, you are not alone. Most badminton players prefer to train on the court with a racquet and a box of shuttles. But improving your physical ability is critical for your performance.
Many players find physical training a daunting – even boring – task. Especially when doing it alone. But there is a good solution …
Cardio is short for cardiovascular training. It is involved in any exercise that elevates your heart rate. Cardio is also considered aerobic exercise, meaning it demands elevated oxygen flow, which causes you to breathe harder. Cardio is essential if you want to strengthen your heart and lungs. Oh, and then there is the added bonus of burning calories.
Similar to biking, running, or rowing, playing badminton is a cardio exercise in itself.
Is playing badminton enough cardio in itself?
Yes, playing badminton regularly improves your cardio, which essentially translates to endurance improvement over time. But to compete at a higher level, you likely need to engage in regular cardio exercises.
Building good stamina and endurance is very important for badminton players. Once you’ve improved your endurance capability, the benefit is that you’ll enjoy your training and matches even more.
When it happened the first time, the softspoken umpire implored the player to “please do not do that again”. When it happened the 5th time, the umpire did nothing. At that point, the player knew she was given a carte-blanche to not follow the rules of the sport.
That’s pretty much the experience from most badminton tournaments. Badminton umpires seem to be reluctant to, if you will, discipline players. And that’s a problem for the sport of badminton.
Let’s start at the beginning. Badminton is ruled by The Laws of Badminton. These rules and regulations are the same wherever BWF (Badminton World Federation) tournaments are played.
Umpires must know the rules by heart. Especially umpires qualified to referee badminton matches at the highest level. That said, in any given tournament you’ll see very different interpretations of the rules. Some umpires are quick to jump in if, for example, a player is slow to get ready to serve or receive the services – others are not.
If you’ve watched a few badminton matches, you’ll know that certain players have made “stalling for time” an art form. They “steal” time in between rallies.
No matter how obvious their antics are and how often they repeat them, many umpires don’t rule according to the Rule of Continous Play. Referees might caution players to not stall for time, but very rarely do they present the players with one of the penalty cards (see our article on yellow, red, and black penalty cards here).
Badminton fans understandably want to watch their favorite players compete. But often they cannot because badminton matches aren’t broadcasted or streamed online
In this day and age, it is fully possible to fully broadcast most, if not all, tournaments. The average TV product for badminton, which typically involves coverage of just one or two courts, is not up to par. Badminton is faring a bit better in terms of tournaments that are streamed directly to the online badminton audience.
BWF (Badminton World Federation) and its regional federations still have a long way to go in terms of TV coverage of badminton.
Compared to tennis, for instance, badminton is trailing far behind. TV coverage from many tournaments is inadequate. Often the broadcast coverage is limited to matches played on one or two courts. In my opinion, that’s not good enough. And I wonder why the commercial partner of BWF – Infront Sport – hasn’t convinced BWF to improve their setup.
The question is if the powers that be will make streaming – and securing deals to get TV coverage – finally become a priority.
Badmintoneurope.tv posts highlight videos on YouTube. Full matches can only be viewed on the portal.
Badminton Europe has progressed recently through its Badmintoneurope TV website. This website streams matches from many European tournaments. Most recently they have experimented with streaming team event matches from the Badminton League (Badminton Ligaen) in Denmark as well.
Although the live streaming solution is “half-baked”, Badmintoneurope.tv is on to something. If they improved the ad-serving (which currently is horrendous), upgraded the tablet- and mobile app, and provided a more efficient way to access the schedule of matches, the solution would become even better.
Also in Europe, a few tournament organizers do a really good job of streaming all tournament badminton matches from all courts. Spain and France seem to be leading the way, but we’ve also seen recommendable initiatives from tournaments in Poland.
Interestingly, a number of tournaments in Benalmadena in Andalusia (Spain) were seemingly streamed in association with the local tourism authority. In between matches, different local advertising- and service messages were shown. That’s a neat method to possibly generate some revenue to cover the cost of streaming.
How not to do badminton streaming
In their infinite wisdom, Badminton Denmark created a streaming initiative, which, in my opinion, is wrong in so many ways. Badminton fans in Denmark obviously appreciate being able to watch badminton matches online. But the live-streaming approach of Badminton Denmark is so poor that most badminton fans have chosen to largely ignore it.
Differentiate between streaming quantity and quality
Ideally, I would like to experience all badminton matches in professional TV broadcast quality. A quality TV product typically offers the viewer: – close-up of players, – slow-motion repeats of specific shots, – professional commentary, – stats on smash speed, rally duration, etc., – excellent light and sound
The goal of any TV broadcast is to make the viewer feel as if they are there at the venue.
Naturally, TV broadcast quality requires an expensive setup: multiple cameras, a badminton-savvy producer, control of sound- and light, etc. In other words, it probably will be far too expensive for streaming purposes. At least based on the current audience size.
So, the badminton community (that would be BWF, the Federations, and tournament organizers) must develop a solid streaming strategy. A strategy that could involve a planned differentiation of streaming content.
This is a simple matter of deciding on a basic streaming setup for all preliminary rounds and TV broadcast quality for the semifinals and finals.
Orléans Master finals – great badminton streaming example
At the 2021 Orleans Masters in France, organizers offered basic streaming of all courts from preliminary rounds until the semifinals. On the day of the finals, they offered high “TV grade” production quality using several cameras and live commentary (in French, but a good start).
This highlight video from the men’s singles final will give you an impression of how this was done. It was produced by the French Badminton Association. The experience is so much better when the footage is using dynamic/action cameras as opposed to stationary cameras.
Will improved streaming of badminton matches attract a larger audience?
Badminton audiences have become accustomed to poor live streaming. But live streaming of badminton matches still gets a good number of views – although the majority of views happen after the fact.
If the quality and quantity of live streaming improve, I personally believe that the audience numbers will grow. But it won’t happen just because the streams are available. Organizers and local badminton associations must actively promote live streaming. To that end, it may help attract larger audiences if different audience engagement elements were incorporated.
How to finance live streaming at the tournament organizer level?
In order to finance investment in a good-to-great streaming setup, tournament organizers and badminton associations must become creative. Online advertising revenues won’t deliver much revenue unless tournaments are able to generate millions of views. But there are many other ways to monetize badminton footage.
Providing streaming from all matches throughout a tournament is the new black for badminton organizers. Some may feel forced to charge audiences to access the streams. And that’s fine. Others will find creative ways to involve sponsors, which in turn will enable these organizers to make badminton streaming available for free.
Are you looking for help with badminton streaming?
The team behind Badmintonspeak.com are experienced in the area of making live streaming work for badminton. We are happy to share our experience. Talk to us about live badminton streaming
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