Where Our Sport is Headed and What You Need To Know About it

Many of my articles have been focused on identifying the breakthroughs that have been made at the international level and how the average player can improve from this knowledge.

But what if we could get ahead of the curve rather than just being along for the ride?

What if we could bring our own revolutions into the game through prediction of how the game will change in the coming years?

Indeed this is what makes a Zhao Jianhua, a Peter Gade and a Lin Dan so special…they innovate and dare the world to catch up.

On that note, let’s make some predictions as to the coming developments of our game.

1)  The Need For Speed

Badminton will only get faster and faster.

I cannot find an example in our 75 years history of the game slowing down. Generations progress and we can reasonably guess that players will continue to ramp up the speed.

The game will become closer and closer to a whole court doubles game with more flat shots and aggressive play from both players.

The “Box Game” will become prevalent in singles but may not be so much of a factor as everyone will learn how to play. It will become like the slow rally game today…necessary to have but not good enough to win.

The speed of Lin Dan will become the average speed of the Top 200 players and the best athletes will possess an explosiveness and power unknown in the sport of badminton today.

It may be hard to imagine the game getting faster but players always find a way and with some of the young talents from Africa and South America rising to the top, I can attest that Badminton has some progress yet to be made.

2)  Bigger and Better Athletes

What is the biggest difference between Michael Jordan and Lin Dan?

10 inches in height and 100 pounds of muscle.

Otherwise they can both jump 40 inches, run ten kilometers in 28 minutes and move with extraordinary explosiveness.

Were Lin Dan bigger and stronger, it would only make him more deadly and there is evidence of athletes moving in this direction.

Dieter Domke of Germany is a perfect example of such a player who is 6”4” with agility and explosiveness. The result is an unstoppable attack that is only neutralized by his below average defense and tactical sense.

Dieter Domke might not be the chosen one but he is a sign of things to come.

Peter Koukal, Chen Long, Bjoern Joppien and Peter Kolding are all examples of physically superior individuals who can use their height and reach to dominate opponents and have only lacked the finer points in becoming the best in the world.

Once the Asian coaches get their hands on giants as seen in the NBA and NFL, Badminton will go the way of these professional sports and the game will get more competitive.

3)  Better Training

In 1970, if you were born a skinny kid, you remained a skinny player without power or strength. Eventually, we learned that you could train to change this attribute but it took a generation to learn.

In the 1990’s, if you were born with poor concentration or a bad attitude, you were labeled a troublemaker and a “mental case.” Today we know that sport psychology can transform even the most unruly child into a mentally tough competitor.

Training is developing all the time and in the future we will know how to correct any problem an athlete may have with the right program, equipment and preparation.

Today we still struggle to teach technique to a slow learner and it can be a challenge to incorporate exclusivity into a recreational player.

Fast forward a decade and it will be commonplace to instill all these international attributes into any level of player making the game more dynamic, competitive and fun at all levels.

4)  More Money, Honey.

With the Korea Open becoming Badminton’s first Million Dollar event and the BWF boasting a surplus close to 10 Million dollars, it is apparent that badminton is changing from a financial perspective.

Many players, who today might quit instead of pursuing the financial hardship of a badminton career may find sudden motivation in the available funds.

With sponsorship, business opportunity and participation rising to new levels in North America and Asia, badminton will change drastically and the sport will develop into a professional game comparable with many of the lucrative international Sports of today.

In preparation for the future, get training, start to revolutionize and when it happens don’t forget that I called it.

Citius, Altius Fortius in the motto of the Olympics and as an Olympic Sport, Badminton is sure to have a future that is Faster, Higher and Stronger.