Do the observed behavioural events from an earlier contest provide information for the next contests scheduled against different opponents in men's singles badminton?

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to investigate whether the observed behavioural events from an earlier contest can provide information for the next contests scheduled against different opponents in elite men's singles badminton. This was a performance analyses study of elite, badminton player's responses to a number of preceding conditions during match play. The study covered two consecutive matches from the same tournament for each of the subjects. Data was collected on each shot via notational analyses including information on time, position, stroke, outcome, all data was input into a specifically designed Microsoft Access program. Various analyses were performed on the data to determine whether stability existed between performances and whether this stability was dependent on the detail of the preceding conditions. Results showed that when the stroke response to only the opponents preceding stroke was examined stability was present but dependent both on the individual and the preceding stroke. Further categorising the preceding conditions to encompass handedness and the preceding strokes own antecedent showed increased stability in some cases and not in others. Like wise when the destination or outcome response of the players strokes were examined it again seemed that invariance was case and condition specific. The findings indicate that individual player's possess different playing patterns when placed in different situations, some of which are stable and some of which are not. It is considered that not only the preceding conditions but also the individual characteristics of both the player and the opponent influence these playing patterns. It is therefore concluded that when profiling a player's performance for practical use caution should be taken to ensure that the variables being examined are in fact invariant and thus provide a true profile.