Shadowing Practice: 5 Ways To Become A Better Badminton Player - Learn English Speaking with Video

In this video we're going to explain what separates an advanced player from a beginner

or intermediate player and more importantly how you can improve your game and get to that next level.

Yeah, so the first of five key areas we have for you is your shot quality and selection.

The reason we've combined these two together is that you might think you've played a good quality shot, but if your opponent is in position and waiting for it, then it won't be a good shot to select.

Or in contrast, you might play a worse quality shot into space which could actually be a good selection.

But generally, the better the player, the more accurate their shots are and the more they play shots that put you into difficult positions.

So how can we do this to them?

Greg, what suggestions do we have?

Well, we have four suggestions

and the first one is where we often see a huge difference between both beginner to intermediate players

and intermediate players to advanced players.

It's so simple, but it's the length of your lifts and clears to the back of the court.

Advanced players are so good at lifting to the back of the court giving themselves more time

and their opponents less opportunity to go all in on their attack.

Let's show you a quick example.

If I get Greg to smash a load of shuttles at me off a bench from this position on the court, then I can maybe get around 50 % back.

But if he does exactly the same from in the back tram lines, I can get over 90 % back.

This is because the shuttle slows down more and I have more time to react.

Our second suggestion is to avoid always hitting back to your opponents.

Whether you're playing singles or doubles, try to maneuver your opponents so that they're out of position.

They'll then be more likely to be off balance and play a worse quality shot, making it a lot easier for you.

Third, you need to focus on the first three shots of the rally, and we can't stress this enough, especially in doubles.

This is one area that prevents many people moving up to that next level, either making cheap mistakes, or making it too easy for their opponents.

You also need to focus on the selection of your shots.

this is relevant for the whole game, not just the first three shots of the rally.

You need to be thinking about playing a shot to get a certain reply and not be reactive.

This is something that advanced players do really well, But if you find you struggle with this currently, our next key area will help with this.

Reading the game basically involves you knowing where the shuttle's going before your opponent has even hit their shot.

And there are two ways you can do this.

The first way is to look at your opponent's body and racket positioning, and judge what shot they're able to play from this position.

Are they able to play a downward shot If not, then you should have your racket ready for an upwards shot.

Are they able to play a powerful shot?

If not, you should move forwards a little bit to be ready for a softer shot.

The list goes on.

Of course, the higher level of player, the harder it will be to read their shots.

Now, the next way to read the game is to place shots to certain places and predict the likely response.

For example, you might serve to your opponent's body

because you know they're already in a forehand grip

and won't be able to change to a backhand grip in time

and therefore they'll only be able to play a cross court return.

Learning these two tricks takes time, so try to start by watching matches first and seeing

if you can recognise where players are going to hit their shots before they've even hit them.

And also look out for common shots people play from certain positions.

For example, Some people might play lots of cross court drops or return the serve to the same place every time.

Okay, that was the second way to level up your game.

What's next, Greg?

Next is footwork and this is probably the most important area.

The ability to do the correct footwork is the biggest difference we see between beginner and intermediate players,

and then footwork speed is one of the biggest differences between intermediate and advanced players.

Yeah, moving quickly

and efficiently to the shuttle will enable you to be in a position to play a better shot and also recover faster.

So we have three simple tips for you to quickly improve your footwork and get you to that next level.

We've done a whole video on this on the channel, but the first tip is a split step.

Make sure you have your legs bent

and body weight leaning slightly forwards to perform an explosive split step

which will help you move quickly to wherever the shuttle is going.

The second tip is to try to reduce the amount of steps you're taking.

This will help you improve your movement speed and efficiency, meaning you get to the shuttle earlier and exert less energy.

And lastly, you need to get used to leading with your racket leg in your movement.

So for me, I'm left handed, so moving to the front court,

I will lead with my left leg I'll also leave with my left leg to anywhere in the midcourt. And lastly, I'll usually lead with my left leg to the rear court

as well as you want to be facing sidewards in most of your overhead shots.

Doing this will help you be in a better position to play your shots and also recover faster out of them.

And because there's so much lunging in badminton, try to get conditioned to this.

If you find that you struggle with the strength of your lunge or your lunge endurance, we'd recommend checking out the weights programs on our website, which are specifically designed for badminton players.

We'll include a link to those in the description below.

Now it's all well and good reading the game, having good footwork and trying to play with quality.

but it's no use if you don't have the technical ability to do this.

Yes, technique is a huge area preventing beginners from progressing to become intermediate players and intermediate players to become advanced players.

But don't worry, it's not too late to change your technique, even if you've been playing for 30 years and have developed lots of bad habits.

I've worked with many people who thought they were stuck with their bad habits but with some purposeful training, they've managed to transform their technique, which helped them win a lot more matches.

Exactly right.

Okay, so the first key thing stopping players from progressing to that next level is having the correct grip.

One of the biggest differences we see between beginner

and intermediate players is the ability to have and choose the right grip at the right time.

And if you're sat watching this thinking that's you, then we've done a whole video on the four different grips in badminton.

So if you haven't seen that, we'd highly recommend checking that out after this.

The biggest difference we often then see between an intermediate and an advanced player is having a loose grip.

Having a loose grip will allow you to control the shuttle more

play precise and accurate shots and enable you to change grips very quickly which is what professional players are so good at.

A tip to stay relaxed in your grip is to keep space between your fingers

and also space between them and your racket, except when you're actually playing a shot.

Now the second thing

that players do better as they progress through the levels is tying the shuttle and this generally comes with better technique.

But like all the other areas we've discussed, this takes time and practice it's not always easy to master and develop the perfect technique.

Some people, including ourselves, will spend thousands of hours practicing this but still not get it quite right or as they want.

Yeah, try to make sure you enjoy this process of learning and developing your technique.

Now before we move on to our fifth and final key area for you to take your game to that next level, if you enjoy learning new skills then we'd love to share with you the sponsor of today's video.

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We've both watched so many Skillshare classes over the last year, and recently we've been trying to improve our public speaking to improve our YouTube videos

and go from a beginner to intermediate level.

One of our favorites was this class by Alex Leon who shared some great tips like not swaying your body, otherwise you'll look nervous and it's distracting,

and using pauses to allow you guys to process what we've just said.

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It's designed for learning so they're always launching new classes and there's no ads.

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And thank you to Skillshare for sponsoring this video.

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Okay, so so far we've discussed how shot quality and selection reading the game, footwork and your technical ability can help take your game to the next level.

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Now we've got one more: consistency.

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It's the worst feeling losing a match, knowing that you didn't even make your opponents work for any of their points.

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The next time you play, record yourself and count back how many simple mistakes you made Generally, the lower the number, the better player you'll be.

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Of course, if you try and play too safe to avoid mistakes, then you'll become slow in your movement and play bad quality shots as a result.

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So really be careful of that.

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We have two pieces of advice to help you reduce your mistakes and the first is to bring your margins in.

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So instead of trying to skim the shuttle tightly over the net or hit it right on the line, you should aim a bit higher or a bit more towards the inside of the line.

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That way if you do hit it a bit low

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or a bit to the side it will still go over and in.

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And the second bit of advice is literally to practice.

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The more you practice all of these areas with purpose and at a high intensity, the better you'll get.

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And even though we've given some helpful quick tips in this video, there's no substitute for practice.

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So hopefully you now understand what is stopping you get to

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that next level and how you can improve some of these areas.

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If you've made it to the end of this really long video, then we'd love for you to let us know by leaving a racket emoji in the comments below.

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And thank you very much for being an absolute legend.

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Yeah, hopefully we see some rackets.

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And whilst you're down there, please don't forget to give the video a like

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smash the subscribe button if you're new to the channel and we'll see you on another video.

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Bye.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will learn how to improve your speaking skills in English by practicing with a YouTube video focused on badminton techniques. By shadow speaking the dialogue, you will enhance your vocabulary, pronunciation, and comprehension, which are essential for effective communication. The strategies discussed in the video will guide you in making sound decisions, selecting words accurately, and mastering the rhythm and intonation of English speech. This practice is not only valuable for sports enthusiasts but also for anyone looking to improve their IELTS speaking practice.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Shot quality - The effectiveness of the shots made during play.
Selection - Choosing the right shot based on the situation.
Footwork - The movement and positioning of feet while playing.
Technique - The method of doing a particular activity.
Consistency - The ability to perform a skill reliably and accurately.
Lift - A specific type of shot intended to give the player more time to react.
Split step - A technique that improves movement speed during play.
Margins - The area in which a shot can be considered successful.

Practice Tips

To get the most out of your English speaking practice, follow these tips while shadowing the video:

Start by watching the video once without attempting to shadow speech. Pay attention to the intonation and rhythm. This initial observation will help you grasp the context.
As you begin shadowing, try to match the speaker's pace. Although they may speak quickly, don’t stress if you can't keep up right away. Focus on key phrases and gradually increase your speed.
Repeat phrases aloud after the speaker. This technique will improve your pronunciation. For instance, when they discuss “shot quality,” practice saying it distinctly and with the right emphasis.
Record yourself while shadow speaking. Listening back can highlight areas for improvement and give you a clear idea of your progress.
Incorporate key vocabulary from the list into your everyday conversations, such as talking about sports or activities you enjoy. This will reinforce your memory and broaden your usage of English.

By regularly engaging in this type of shadow practice with YouTube content, you can enhance your fluency and comprehension skills, making it easier to discuss other topics as well. Whether you're studying for the IELTS or just want to express yourself more confidently in English, effective shadow speaking methods can significantly assist your learning journey.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if you haven't seen that, we'd highly
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	you've been playing · we've been trying
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	we've combined · has even hit · they've even hit
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	website, which are · people who thought · quickly which is

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

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