Talking Tactics
Badminton is a fast changing, technical sport, which places huge demands on coaches to work out
how to deliver this complex technical information and make our players as effective as possible.
Having a workforce of technically capable coaches is a positive step forwards, but if our players cannot
execute this technique under pressure in the heat of battle and in the context of a tactical game plan,
then all the hard work could be wasted.
Therefore, it is vital that we as coaches develop our knowledge and understanding of the strategy and
tactics employed in the sport (across the different disciplines), so that we can ensure the work that we
do with players is preparing them effectively for competition.
The easiest way for the coach to deliver technical and tactical information to our players is by having
discrete elements within each session that address the two distinct areas, and is the way that coaches
have been encouraged to approach this in the past. However, this approach may not be the best way
for the player to receive this information as often the “game related” context of the technique may be
lacking. This can result in the player not being aware of the tactical relevance, significance and
application of the technique being delivered.
With this in mind, the new UKCC Level 2 Certificate for Coaches in Badminton has been developed to
train new coaches to focus more on the player’s needs, and seeks to encourage and develop coaches
to deliver technical information through a tactical context. The course promotes the principle that
there is often more than one way to move to an area of the court and to play a particular shot and
these variations are determined by tactical decisions. This refocusing elevates the importance of
tactical coaching and looks to develop coaches’ abilities in producing more tactically aware players.
The new Level 2 programme is now available across the country, so for more information click the link
or get in touch with the Coach Education team at Badminton England.
So how can the coach develop their tactical coaching skills?
Tactics can be seen as the ability to make effective decisions based on an awareness of the situation.
Tactical play involves reading the situation first and then reacting to it. This means that coaches have a
responsibility to develop players that can be self-reliant and understand what is happening on the
court and have a “tool box” of techniques to respond accordingly. There is a danger (certainly at the
higher level) that players might become over reliant on their coach for tactical advice, with pre match
briefings (based on analysis of previous matches), tactical advice during the game then post match
debriefs being more common.
This level of input and detail has clearly elevated tactical play, but is less valid if the players cannot
execute their tactical strategy during the game or cannot react themselves to what is happening
(especially when the coach is not present).
How can practices be manipulated to incorporate tactical aspects?
Technical practices tend to focus on the ‘how’, while tactical practices focus on the ‘why, where, when
and what’. The key difference is what the player focuses on while he or she is executing the technique.
For example, a coach could ask the player to practice their low service for doubles. They could simply
replicate the technique required to achieve the required outcome, but if their focus is on the tactical
application of the low serve (where they want to serve to, what are the likely responses, how could
they cover these potential responses etc), the focus of the technical practice becomes different. In
this example, the coach must demand this level of focus from the player, if the optimal benefit to the
player is to be achieved.
What is the optimal coaching style to use when coaching tactics?
The coaching style for tactical coaching should be very democratic and inclusive and use lots of open
questions to involve the player. This is vital if the player is to start to draw their own conclusions and
make tactical decisions based on a programmed database of possible scenarios. This should also
challenge the coach, to ensure that they themselves are aware of the different tactical scenarios.
So what should the coach consider when developing tactical practices?
Enabling the player to make decisions during a practice is also a corner stone of an effective tactically
relevant practice. When designing a set of progressive tactical practices, the flow of the practice
should ideally move from more closed (where relatively few decisions are made) to more open (where
the environment is constantly changing). This enables the player to initially develop the technical skills
in a tactically relevant controlled environment, then tests the execution and decision making in a more
“game like” environment.
As with coaching in general, the rate of progression of the practice should be determined by the level
of success of the player, in that it is of limited use to throw the player into a more game like practice, if
they are not technically capable of executing the technique in a controlled environment. It is
important that the player experiences success and as important that they understand why they are
having success and how it relates to the tactical situation. Equally, the coach should offer support to
the player by promoting understanding as to the technical and tactical reasons why the error was
made – all of this will build the pre-programmed database of scenarios for future use.
There are a range of different types of tactical practices that a coach could use within their session
from starting the rally with a set play, then playing the rally out (PRO), set plays then limited choices,
bonus point/win the match games, guess the tactics games, the use of tactical umpires, and
conditioned games. The coach just needs to reflect on exactly what the aim of the session is and look
to include some of this critical tactical relevance. The Developing Tactical Practices CPD modules from
Badminton England will provide more information to coaches around this area.
How can the coach provide tactical feedback?
For a technically aware coach, it is relatively straightforward to provide a technical reason as to why
an error was made, as there will be an element (or possibly several) within the execution of technique,
which will be at odds with the technical model. These are often easy to spot once the technical model
is identified.
To identify tactical issues, the coach needs to have more of a broad understanding of where the error
was made in the context of what else was happening on court – what was the game plan, how much
pressure was the player under, where was the opponent and ultimately did they select an appropriate
shot? As the coach gains in experience and builds up their own pre-programmed database of
scenarios, this too becomes more straightforward.
There are some ways that a coach can expedite this personal learning, through watching as much
competitive badminton as possible, working alongside and discussing tactical approaches with more
experienced coaches and engaging in tactically related CPD modules. These activities can help to
develop the experience and tactical understanding of the coach and also build their confidence in the
provision of tactical delivery, support and guidance.
What should coaches do to develop their tactical coaching skills?
Coaches need to consider their own coaching practice and how tactics filters into the session content
of each and every session. Personal coach development in this area is often overlooked in favour of
building more technical knowledge and skills, but the renewed focus on the area of tactical coaching
should help to enhance the tactical support coaches are able to offer their players and increase their
chances of being successful in whatever level of competitive play they are involved in.
As well as the newly developed UKCC Level 2 Certificate for Coaches of Badminton, the Education &
Training team at Badminton England have developed two 3-hour practical workshops that have been
designed to improve coaches’ knowledge of key tactical themes and improve their ability to develop
effective tactical practices.
The modules have been split into disciplines, with one 3 hour workshop on Developing tactical
practices for singles and another module on Developing tactical practices for doubles and would
cover the discipline specific information relating to:
1. Identify general characteristics of effective singles or doubles players.
2. Understand the principles behind developing effective tactical practices.
3. Develop progressive tactical practices around key tactical themes in modern singles or doubles.
4. Identify common tactical faults in singles or doubles match play and develop progressive tactical
practices to overcome them.
For those looking to get involved in coaching, it is critical that the foundations of game understanding
are developed as a base to develop tactical coaching skills. To address this area Badminton England
are developing two CPD workshops on Understanding Singles and Understanding Doubles. These
modules will provide an overview of the different disciplines, so new and aspiring coaches can develop
their approach from an informed perspective as to the technical, tactical, physical and mental
requirements of the game. These will be available from Summer 2016.
These modules have been developed in response to requests from coaches to provide practical
workshops in specific areas of the game to supplement and develop their knowledge and practical
skills. The modules form part of the national MEDAL CPD programme developed by Badminton
England, with a range of practical modules being available across the country.
As with all the other modules, the Developing Tactical Practices for Singles and Developing Tactical
Practices for Poubles modules are eligible for the award of 4 CPD points (each) that contribute
towards the Badminton England Coach Licence.
Click on the links for more information on the MEDAL CPD programme or the Coach Licence, please
email [email protected]