AROUND THE COURTS What s on in August July 31 Aug 7 Clendinnen Shield Adelaide August 1 U15 State Titles MSAC Aug 14-15 Bendigo Veterans Bendigo August 22 Vic Jr Regional C ships MSAC Aug 28-29 Warrnambool Graded Warrnambool Aug 29 Swan Hill Jr Team Challenge Swan Hill Vol. 3; Issue 7 August 2010 Turn to page 3 for full tournament re-cap
2 In this issue... Upcoming Events YONEX Australian Open Grand Prix World Chinese Badminton C ships Coaching Corner From the Chair Around Victoria U15 Val Nesbitt Carnival Badminton Oceania Recent Results Keep the Momentum Photos BV on Flickr Upcoming Badminton Events in 2010 September 1 Primary All Schools C ships MSAC September 4 Monash Open & Graded September 11 Ballarat Jr Tournament September 12 L1 Coaching Course Monash Uni Ballarat Altona Sept18-19 L1A Coaching Course MSAC September 21 WSBA Junior Tournament Sept 26-Oct 1 Australian Uni Games Sept 27 Oct 2 U15 Val Nesbitt Carnival Altona Perth Shepparton Note: Please keep an eye on our website for Entry Forms, newsletters and updated information about the advertised tournaments and events. We love to promote your clubs events, including tournaments as part of the newsletter. However, it is not feasible with the number of tournaments happening each month to include entry forms in Around the Courts. Not only would the emails be too large for most people s Inboxes, it would also quickly get confusing and messy. Thus, as in the past, and continuing, we will publish all entry forms on the BV website and promote your tournament in the Upcoming calendar. If you don t see your entry form on the website, please email admin@badmintnvic.com.au Also, starting with the Sept 2010 issue we will have a tournaments section with your tournament, contact person and a link to your website. If you would like this information in an upcoming issue, please forward to bvdevelopment@badmintonvic.com.au
3 2010 YONEX AUSTRALIAN OPEN GRAND PRIX This year s Yonex Australian Open saw competitors from 16 countries competing for the US$50,000.00 prize money on offer. We had a large contingent of players from Korea, Japan and New Zealand participating this year, along with world No 6 ranked Men s singles player from Vietnam. The overall standard of this year s event was extremely high with a large crowd of around 500 attending the finals. Korea took out 3 of the titles on offer, winning the women s singles, mixed doubles and women s doubles. Japan won the men s doubles, with Vietnam winning the men s singles. Highlights of the finals were the women s singles, what great match to start the finals program, Yoon Hee Seo (Korea) and Minatsu Mitani fought it out for an hour of high quality Badminton with either player likely to win right up to the last point. Eventually the Korean took out the match 21 19 in the third. The Japanese and Korean men s doubles pairs played a high standard and very entertaining match with many long rallies, jump smashes and quick racket work thrilling the crowd. The Japanese pair of Hiroyuki Endo & Kenichi Hayakaya defeating a courageous Woo Kyum Kang & Tae Sang Park from Korea in two close games. No doubt the most anticipated match was the men s singles final between world No 6 Tien Minh Nguyen from Vietnam and Yogendran Krishnan from Malaysia. Most of the crowd was in awe of the speed of Tien Minh, he was in position before the shuttle was returned, that s how it appeared to be. Yogendran is an extremely well balanced and accurate player and despite all his skill and determination Tien Minh won in straight games. The mixed doubles and women s doubles finals, although very high in standard did not generate the same amount of excitement throughout the crowd. Badminton Victoria would like to thank our major sponsor YONEX, without their continued financial support we could not bring such a high standard event to Australia. Of course an event of this size could not operate without the fantastic support of our court officials & volunteers. It always amazes me the dedication shown by this remarkable group of people; We thank you all most sincerely. I would also like to thank and acknowledge the support given by Badminton Victoria staff, not only during the event but in the weeks and months leading up to the Open. Thank you very much for contributing to the overall success of this year s event. Next year our event will be held from 5 th 10 th April. We look forward to all your continued support as we prepare to present an even bigger and better 2011 Yonex Australian Open. Bring it on
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5 Coaching Corner BV COACHING CALENDAR 2010 Below are courses currently being advertised August 22nd Level 1 Course Monash Uni September 12th Level 1 Course Altona September 18th & 19th Level 1 Advanced Course MSAC Level 1 Coaches looking to further develop their coaching skills should consider completing the Level 1 Advanced Course A Level 1 Advanced Course will be delivered in September at MSAC - For Course Guidelines contact Michelle For more information on any of the above please contact Michelle Rigg via email coaching@badmintonvic.com.au COACHING OPPORTUNITIES BV is currently seeking coach nominations for the following team/s. Badminton Victoria will pay the travel and accommodation costs for BV Team coaches for the following. All coach nomination forms must include your WWCC ID number. URGENT!!!!! BV requires a coach for the U15 Victorian Team. The event will be held in Shepparton Victoria Dates Sept 27th October 2nd Victorian U13 &17 Teams 2011 Your Nomination for this position/s should be submitted no later than August 31st BV Coach nomination forms are available on the BV website on the Coaching page. For more information on any of the above contact Coaching Coordinator Michelle Rigg email coaching@badmintonvic.com.au Victorian U19 Teams On behalf of all at Badminton Victoria Congratulations!!!! To Victorian Teams and Coaches Rudy Bartholomeusz Vic 1 & Jennifer Kang Vic 2 for a most successful Carnival in Tasmania for the U19 Australian Junior International and CP Maddern Trophy Well done all!!!!!
6 Coaching Corner (cont d) COACHES WORKSHOPS COURSES - RESOURCES Level 1 Advanced Coaching Course MSAC September 18 th & 19th Are you a Level 1 Coach working with players and need to develop your coaching knowledge to further extend your players? If so and you have the required playing ability BV will be offering a Level 1 Advanced Course on September 18 th & 19 th and this would be a great opportunity for you to gain more knowledge in footwork and stoke / skill development as well as greater tactical insight into the three disciplines. BUT hurry Registrations close September 1st Australian Sports Commission website online courses and more!!!! Coaching general principles courses have been developed by the Australian Sports Commission, and cover the aspects of coaching common to all sports. There are two coaching general principles courses available: Beginning Coaching General Principles This program is aimed at the new or first time coach, who has no previous coaching experience. In particular, it is aimed at coaches working with children. There are five modules in the course and it takes approximately 6-8 hours to complete. This course is available online (see related links at the bottom of the page for further information). Intermediate Coaching General Principles This program is aimed at coaches who have moved beyond the beginner level of coaching and want to improve their skills and knowledge to improve athlete performance. These coaches would typically be operating at club / regional level. How to enrol Both these programs are available through state coaching and officiating centres (see related links below for contact details). The Beginning Coaching General Principles is also available online. Please note that completion of the general principles component alone does not provide accreditation. Other useful courses There are also other generic courses and programs that are useful for coaches to complete. Related links for the following courses can be found on this website including: Play by the rules Sports first aid Sports rage prevention program Liz Hanson and the Athlete Assessments Team Athlete Assessment is about to release a new coaching handbook! The Ultimate Coach Handbook is all about what great coaches get right and the 7 strategies the best coaches have mastered. It takes lots of research, case studies and coaching experiences and makes it an easy read with practical solutions to many of the coaching challenges. For a limited time, this is at no charge, you can get your own free copy by clicking on the link: http://www.athleteassessments.com/ ultimate_coach_handbook_new_release.html You can subscribe to Athlete Assessment new E-courses (they are free) on site www.athleteassessments.com
7 Coaching Corner (cont d) DO YOU COACH IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS? 2010 Primary All Schools Championships MSAC September 1st If you regularly work within a primary school program or just work in a particular school you may have a Primary School Badminton Team to enter into the BV Primary Schools Championship! This would be a great experience not just for the students but for your coach development. I attended this event last year and it was a fantastic day finishing with all team members learning so much more about the game than I could have given them in a terms worth of weekly coaching. I recommend this to all coaches working with in this area of coaching. For more information on this event contact Carolyn at bvdevelopment@badmintonvic.com.au BUT hurry, entries close on August 20th. The Retention of Youth Sport Coaches by Andrew Bennie, University of Sydney A very interesting slide show presentation can be accessed by logging on to the BV website and clicking the Coaching page. The presentation explores issues we face with retaining youth sports coaches. Do you work within a club or association trying to keep up a junior program this may be food for thought? Topics covered in the presentation An awareness of motives may assist sports organisations in developing strategies to retain youth sport coaches Little support exists for the retention of youth sport coaches given their importance Coach turnover in youth sport settings is a major cause for concern Research has concentrated on reasons for withdrawal, rather than retention From the Chair (Court Officials) Just a reminder all requests for Referee's and Umpires must be made through the Secretary of the Court Officials Committee. Fred Stanlake 354 Carrajung-Woodside Road Carrajung South 3844 Phone 5191304 E-mail stanfred@wideband.net.au
8 Around Victoria Ann-Louise's bonjour ~by Paddy Higgins, reprinted with permission from the Wyndham Leader http://wyndham-leader.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/ann-louises-bonjour/ PARIS at any time of the year is beautiful, let alone when it is framed by August s summer green. But a trip to the world s romance capital for Ann-Louise Slee will be no holiday. Slee ventures to France next month to take part in the World Badminton Championships, where she will pair up with Western Australian Leisha Cooper for the doubles event. Ann-Louise Slee will take on the game's best in the World Badminton Championships in Paris next month. Slee, 21, has competed overseas before, both as a junior and in senior tournaments in Vietnam, Singapore and New Zealand. But there is little doubt that Paris - up against the world s best - will be her biggest stage yet. I m pretty nervous. It s a pretty big competition. There should be lots of international players over there, she said. I think it s just more about experience. I m still pretty young and haven t got much of that experience at the moment. It s (more) travelling and learning from others and just playing games and that sort of thing. Slee and Cooper qualify for the titles courtesy of their Badminton World Federation women s doubles ranking of 77. But the duo might not have even made it to France had not Cooper and the Western Suburbs Badminton Association joined forces. It s really hard with badminton, because there is not a lot of funding, Slee said. This trip is not funded by Badminton Australia, so I wasn t going to go. (Cooper) ended up calling my local association and asked them what they did for me. They actually had a trivia night for me and raised about $2000 from that night. It s good - they ve always supported me. Slee - who is in action at the Australian Open this week - limits herself to doubles as she believes she has the knack for that form of the game. A full-time pharmacy student who also works part-time at the Altona Badminton Centre, Slee s life is a fine balance of work, training, study and play. But the Werribee resident still harbours ambitions of wearing the green and gold. I want to represent Australia at the Commonwealth Games and those sort of things, she said. It s a bit hard because I m doing it alongside full-time study and that sort of thing. We ll just have to see how it goes.
9 Around Victoria (cont d) SOUTH-WEST REGIONAL DAY The South-West regional day was this year hosted by Warrnambool Assoc and played on Sunday, May 30 at Warrnambool. Teams from Warrnambool, Terang, Colac and Geelong participated and yet again our club coaches did a wonderful job gathering together a great selection of juniors from State level players to beginners. With over 80 players competing and many parents watching our stadium was buzzing with badminton. Days like this go to prove what a worthwhile event regional tournaments are not only for bringing together our regional teams, but for developing strong networks between club coaches and players across our region. With two hours travel between our clubs often it is not easy to build strong ties and promote stronger competition amongst our groups. We are looking forward to combining for the two regional junior tournaments this year U15 Val Nesbitt Carnival UPDATE SHEPPARTON, VIC SEPT 27 0CT 2 2010 There has been enough interest to run both the state teams and regional team events. State team and regional team entries close August 12 th. Individual entries close September 13 th. Please visit the BV website for updated entry forms, and the first newsletter.
10 Badminton Oceania Badminton Oceania is creating and establishing a Oceania Women in Badminton working group. This group shall discuss issues and tasks of women in badminton on an Oceania level. The outcome will be the creation of a long-term plan on the topic as well as giving input to the international working group of the Badminton World Federation. Therefore, Badminton Oceania invites all Member Associations to nominate one person that is keen on joining the working group. Oceeania will then select representatives after reviewing the applications. The successful applicants will be invited for the first meeting in Auckland in November. This activity will be supported with a grant from BWF. Requirements Participants should be involved in administering, organising or developing badminton. Generally it should be someone who is very active and involved in badminton at any level. They could come from different backgrounds, such as: administrator, coach, former player, technical official. Participants in the working group do not have to be women, men can apply also. Activity The first working group meeting will be held in Auckland, Saturday 6th November and Sunday 7th November, venue to be confirmed. Support All participants of the working group will receive, a travel grant, two nights hotel accommodation & all meals. Application All Member Associations are invited to nominate participants to Badminton Oceania. The closing date is 10 August 2010. Badminton Oceania hopes that this working group will be a success and many Oceania Member Associations will choose to participate. If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Corinne Barnard, Chief Operating Officer at the Badminton Oceania office. corinne@oceaniabadminton.org *Please forward all nominations to statedirector@badmintonvic.com.au We will forward them to Badminton Australia and Badminton Oceania.*
11 Recent Results WSBA Junior Westchamps Closed Tournament Saturday July 17, 2010 This was the second year of our closed junior championships after a gap of over twenty years without them being played. Interest was keen with the WSBA squad players, pennant competitors and casual members. A total of 63 junior players competed across five age groups this compared to 41 juniors who competed last year across three age groups. Results of all events are as follows: Under 11 Girls Singles Winner: Amy Young Runner Up: Tiann Young Boys Singles Winner: Ross Audley Runner Up: Keegan Chien Girls Doubles Winners: Amy Young & Ella Bradwell Runners Up: Alice Ding, Gemma Srijan & Tiann Young Boys Doubles Winners: Ross Audley & Alex Milanese Runners Up: Keegan Chien, Joe Bradwell, Eric Lee Mixed Doubles Winners: Keegan Chien & Amy Young Runners Up: Ross Audley & Tiann Young Under 13 Girls Singles Winner: Lily Rigg Runner Up: Vivienne Lao Boys Singles Winner: Ernest Yam Runner Up: Pranav Rao Girls Doubles Winners: Lily Rigg & Mia Srijan Runners Up: Vivienne Lao & Catherine Mashalidis Boys Doubles Winners: Calvin Hua-Ching & Runners Up: Kevin Li & Adrien Ozone Ernest Yam Mixed Doubles Winners: Ernest Yam & Lily Rigg Runners Up: Calvin Hua-Ching & Mia Srijan Under 15 Girls Singles Winner: Maria Banica Runner Up: Rudy Rigg Boys Singles Winner: Shaun Matthews Runner Up: Sonny Li Girls Doubles Winners: Maria Banica & Hera Jim Runners Up: Beth Audley & Rudy Rigg Boys Doubles Winners: Shaun Matthews & Phillip Audley Runners Up: Sonny Li & Udesh Silva Mixed Doubles Winners: Shaun Matthews & Rudy Rigg Runners Up: Phillip Audley & Maria Banica Under 17 Girls Singles Winner: Jen Trinh Runner Up: Ariana Lim Boys Singles Winner: James Audley Runner Up: David Cutroni Girls Doubles Winner: Ariana Lim & Jen Trinh Runner Up: Nessa Pratt & Celine Hua-Ching Boys Doubles Winners: James Audley & Nick Gray Runners Up: David Cutroni & Gary Li Mixed Doubles Winners: David Cutroni & Jen Trinh Runners Up: Gary Li & Ariana Lim Under 23 Girls Singles Winner: Ann-Louise Slee Runner Up: Genevieve Lim Boys Singles Winner: Brendan Chu Runner Up: Dee Tran Girls Doubles Winner: Ann-Louise Slee & Chau Le Runner Up: Joanne Nguyen & Aira Nuguid Boys Doubles Winners: Brendan Chu & Runners Up: Dee Tran & Jonathon Whetton Stephen Nguyen Mixed Doubles Winners: Brendan Chu & Runners Up: Dee Tran & Joanne Nguyen Ann-Louise Slee Western Suburbs really appreciate the participation of players who attended the tournament and the parents who supervised the running of the events.
12 Recent Results (cont d) Swan Hill Junior Tournament June 29, 2010 SINGLES WINNER RUNNER-UP BOYS U11 (1ST YEAR) TRISTAN TURNER BENJAMIN WEILENS U11 YASH PEDNEKAR LIAM ELLIS U13 JACON SCHUELER ETHAN KEMP U15 TYLER BISH BRYCE DEMPSTER U17 JYDEN NEEDS MATHEW PEVERILL GIRLS U11 MEGAN PEVERILL MARY-ANNE POLLARD U13 FENI RANADHANTI ZOE COSSAR U15 EMILY RIBBANS CARLY LYONS U17 MELISSA THIESZ MEGAN BRUNS DOUBLES WINNER RUNNER-UP BOYS U11 LIAM ELLIS TRISTAN TURNER YASH PEDNEKAE BENJAMIN WIELENS U13 CALLUM MCKENZIE WILLIAM BARKMAN JACOB SCHUELER MITCHELL WHITFIELD U15 NICK RIGIS BRYCE DEMPSTER HARRY CARINE ETHAN KEMP U17 JYDEN NEEDS MANPREET MANN MATHEW PEVERILL NIAZ SANDHA GIRLS U13 JORJA MCDONALD MEGAN PEVERILL JESSICA WHITFIELD MARY-ANNE POLLARD U15 CAITLIN SAWYER MELINDA NANERE KAYLEE WHITFIELD FENI RAMEDHANTI U17 MEGAN BRUNS AMY RUSSELL BRODIE WATSON MELISSA THIESZ MIXED WINNER RUNNER-UP U13 ETHAN KEMP MITCHELL WHITFIELD FENI RAMADHANTI SARAH HEPBURN U15 BRYCE DEMPSTER JAKE HEPBURN MELINDA NANERE KAYLEE WHITFIELD U17 MATHEW PEVERILL JYDEN NEEDS MELISSA THIESZ EBONNY FITZGERALD SPECIAL BOYS DOUBLES WINNER U11 U15 U17 TRISTAN TURNER MITCHELL ELLIS REGAN MUNRO Photos courtesy of Max Baldwinson
13 Keep the Momentum Dr Janet A Young School of Sport and Exercise Science Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia Introduction Recently I was fortunate to watch an enthralling match in which the momentum flowed and ebbed. One player played almost flawlessly to lead and hold game and match point with an unexpected win against a higher ranked player firmly in sight. It was then that the momentum swung to the fancied player who recovered to take over the lead and herself to face victory in the final game only to lose in a heart-stopping long final game after holding match point. This match had it all and left me wondering how to explain momentum, turning points and shifts in momentum to players whom I work as a sport psychologist. How do players get on a roll or winning streak? Why do momentum shifts occur? What is Momentum? Momentum (referred to as psychological momentum in the literature) lacks a clear definition and has been defined as an added or gained psychological power (Richareson, Adler and Hanks, 1988, p.69); the results of purposeful striving for accomplishment (Miller and Weinberg, 1991, p.211); and, progressing toward one s goals (Vallerand, Colavecchio and Pelletier, 1988, p.94). What is however clear about the term momentum is that is denotes a sense that events are going well and moving in a positive direction towards a desired outcome. As such, momentum is a subjective feeling or state of mind that things are likely to progress in line with previous success. For example, a player who has momentum and won the first game then he/she is likely to win the next game. Accordingly, momentum can refer to a number of possible scenarios including a series of points, games, matches, and tournaments. Players are thought to vary in their ability to get, and be aware they have, momentum. It is often in retrospect that a player realises he/she had momentum when something happened to change the course of the match (referred to as a turning point ). In the case of the match described in the Introduction, the player pinpointed her nerves and emotions as the reasons momentum changed for her. As she said in her post match comments, I got a bit nervous and tight. I guess it was just adrenaline (at match point) and all the emotions hitting you at once. Other factors that can influence momentum include interruptions to play (e.g., player lets, dispute over line calls or score, injury) and the opponent s antics, tactics or change of play (e.g., Silva, Hardy & Crace, 1988). What is important here is a player s perception of such factors. For some players such factors may have no effect, but for others, they are perceived as the turning points in a match. It is interesting to note Csikzentmihalyi s (1992) contention that momentum is fragile such that, should a player stop to reflect on it at the time it is happening, this can cause momentum to change and/or disappear. Notwithstanding its unstable nature, players and coaches are encouraged to understand momentum because of its positive association with peak performance and healthy self-esteem and confidence. Players who gain momentum are more likely to achieve a positive outcome and feel good about their game and themselves. How does a Player get Momentum? Unfortunately there is no easy step-by-step formula to guarantee momentum. Paradoxically, the best advice is not to think about momentum per se but rather to commit to a plan of action, the result of which facilities momentum. While each plan should be tailored to the individual, the following suggestions are offered to players:
14 Keep the Momentum (cont d) Take a game plan into the match define what you want to achieve in playing the match and develop a set of strategies to get you there Take it one point at a time only the point you are playing has any relevance so keep playing the points, one at a time, until there are no more points to play and the match has finished Commit to giving your best efforts and endeavors to win each point rather than playing to the score this will help to avoid anxiety and nerves that occurs when one attaches specific importance to particular score lines (i.e., adopt the approach my plan for playing this point is.. versus this is match point, and if I win this my ranking will go up and ) Expect the unexpected interruptions (e.g., poor line calls, opponent stalling between points) are examples of a myriad of things that can happen during a match. Do not let them distract you from what you want to achieve, albeit, you may need to adapt your game plan to address changing events and circumstances Enjoy the game and its challenges - remember badminton is fun and generally we perform at our best when we are enjoying and fully engaged in what we choose to do These five elements of the action plan are interrelated and momentum is most likely to occur when all, or almost all, are present. These elements are also helpful should a player feel he/she is losing momentum or has lost it. What do they do? They can return to their plan of action and refocus on a new set of strategies (to accommodate the changed circumstances since the beginning of the match), recommit to playing each and every point to the best of their ability and reassure themselves that they can address anything that happens out on the court and the fun is in meeting the challenges as competently as they can. Conclusion The benefit of adopting the suggested plan of action is that it facilitates possible turning points or momentum shifts in a player s favour. Every point is played to the best of a player s abilities and efforts so that there are no regrets in hindsight about the points and games that got away or turned the match. The player who is committed and motivated with a game plan, competes intensely on each point, expects the unexpected and has fun is primed to find his/her groove, rhythm or flow. It may not happen each time a player plays but the chances are it will become more frequently. Returning to the match described in the Introduction, it is most likely both players have reviewed and learnt from the experience. It certainly provided me, as a sport psychologist, with a real-life illustration of what badminton is all about - being challenged to take a lead, and then recover a lead, over the course of a match. Matches seldom go without a hiccup but rather tend to flow and ebb. Momentum may very well all be in the mind but it certainly feels good when it happens and the match results are generally better! References Csikzentmihalyi, M. (1992). Flow: The psychology of happiness. New York: Harper & Rowe. Miller, S. & Weinberg, R. (1991). Perceptions of psychological momentum and their relationship to performance. The Sport Psychologist. 5, 213-222. Silva, M., Hardy, C. J., & Crace, R. K. (1988). Analysis of psychological momentum in intercollege tennis. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 10, 346-354. Vallerand, Colavecchio, Pelletier (1988). Psychological momentum and performance interferences: A preliminary test of the antecedents-consequences psychological momentum model. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 12, 253-259.
15 Photos courtesy of Warren Woolcock
16 Badminton Victoria wishes Good Luck to Tara Pilven & Boris Ma who are headed to the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore later this month! Badminton Victoria would like to thank our official Partners and Sponsors for their ongoing Support... Badminton Victoria now has a Flickr account! Stop by http://www.flickr.com/photos/badmintonvic to see photos from the Yonex Australian Open Grand Prix. Photos of other events will be uploaded in the coming months so keep checking back! Have photos you d love to share? Let us know and we d be happy to post them!