Lee Chong Wei is a reputation that may ceaselessly resonate within the badminton world. The impression he had on the game has been phenomenal. For my part, there are usually not many gamers, even within the fashionable period, that may evaluate to Lee Chong Wei as a participant.
I lately went by a section of watching previous Lee Chong Wei matches. One thing I haven’t finished in a very long time since he retired in 2019. And I’ve to say, whether or not it’s nostalgia or admiration there’s one thing about the way in which he performed that’s simply mesmerising. And since I’m in Malaysia, I believed I’d attempt to do an evaluation of what made him the participant he was.
Play Type
Lee Chong Wei turned skilled in 2000. Between then and the top of his profession (2019) we noticed him evolve from a defensive workhorse to a extra attacking type of play whereas sustaining that stable defence he was initially identified so properly for. There are few gamers each in his technology and the present technology that would defend in addition to LCW. There’s one participant I feel was marginally higher than Chong Wei in defence, however I’ll allow you to speculate on who that’s…
Early Years
Lee Chong Wei began his profession taking part in extra passively and never taking as a lot initiative as his defence and endurance had been so sturdy. He stored rallies going by repeatedly reaching pictures that different gamers wouldn’t count on him to get near. This was his bread and butter. He didn’t assault as a lot because the participant we knew when he retired. His explosive footwork allowed him to cowl important distances rapidly and few gamers might out-last him in rallies he would power them to play.
He additionally didn’t possess the web abilities he later turned identified for. He was in a position to play on the web with the ability you’d count on of a world-class participant. However he most well-liked to maneuver his opponent across the again of the courtroom, carrying them down and ready for his second to capitalise on his opponent’s fatigue.
One can’t say he was a weak participant again then contemplating the wins he was racking up. However he definitely wasn’t the entire participant he would turn into. He was typically criticised for being too passive and counting on his defence somewhat than taking the sport to the opponent. Whereas this strategy appeared to be dominating different opponents – two different legends in their very own proper had been inflicting issues for him.
Evolution
2008 was a turning level for Lee. Though most likely conjecture on my half – I imagine the 2008 Olympic last was a wake-up name that he merely wasn’t adequate to beat Lin Dan. Certain he had overwhelmed Lin Dan prior to now however Lin Dan had all the time maintained a constructive head-to-head. His defensive sport wasn’t sufficient to cope with Lin’s attacking capability. It was such a dominating efficiency by his opponent that Lee knew one thing needed to change. He developed a extra attacking sport.
One large change was his growth in his web sport. He began to look extra for the initiative in rallies by taking part in web pictures to arrange his attacking play. As well as, he started to dominate the web extra, not backing away from a problem within the entrance courtroom. Subsequently, he was in a position to obtain extra attacking alternatives he began to make the most of. From this level on, that is the Lee Chong Wei we ultimately got here to know.
His motion turned far more explosive in his attacking play, and he turned far more aggressive coming ahead. His capability to succeed in the shuttle so early gave him the very best contact level attainable, leading to countless shot decisions. Consequently, his sport turned far more fast-paced and different.
Not solely was his endurance beforehand top-notch, however his stamina was insane. It wasn’t simply that he was in a position to transfer so rapidly, it’s that he might preserve it for just about the entire match which most gamers couldn’t sustain with. So now, not solely did he have among the best defences in world badminton, his attacking sport to matched.
As well as, his shot high quality was very good, as was his shot alternative. LCW was very disciplined in his sport, very hardly ever deviating from what was fairly a primary strategy. As I discussed earlier, he was a textbook. Now’s textbook boring? It may be. Some gamers play a boring textbook sport. But it surely’s like LCW perfected it to the purpose that it was clinically spectacular.
And what’s extra, as soon as he advanced this environment friendly, efficient and economical sport, he by no means actually modified from it once more. It’s like a online game character that distributes all his ability factors evenly. Into his 30s, LCW didn’t appear to decelerate considerably – sustaining that fast-paced dynamic badminton he has turn into famend for.
Footwork
The footwork of LCW is well-known to be soi easy and chic. He was definitely one of many quickest gamers in world badminton. He made traversing the courtroom look really easy, even in comparison with different skilled gamers.
At first look, it’s onerous to inform why it’s completely different and I’m sitting right here watching just a few movies of him taking part in and it’s nonetheless fairly onerous to say why he’s so easy though it’s the identical primary motion patterns as the opposite gamers.
I feel a part of it comes right down to pure attributes. LCW shouldn’t be notably tall and has a really small body. He’s additionally fairly gentle at 68kg when competing based on Google. So being a little shorter offers him a decrease centre of gravity and a extra compact motion sample. Being fairly slight additionally implies that he might develop a greater strength-to-weight ratio.
He didn’t have a variety of muscle mass (to not say that he wasn’t sturdy)! As a part of his coaching, I’m positive there was a heavy deal with strengthening the decrease physique to permit him to maneuver as quick as attainable throughout the courtroom. So mixed along with his pure attributes he had a excessive degree of energy to move fairly a light-weight load. Not solely that, however these traits additionally observe by for his agility and vertical soar as properly. It additionally helped him recuperate faster, notably from jumps as he didn’t have as a lot weight to soak up the preliminary impression on touchdown.
Specifically, his break up step was very explosive permitting him to maneuver in any route extraordinarily rapidly. I feel it lies in his capability to get off the mark rapidly that units him aside. While you watch him, he’s very relaxed when shifting across the courtroom except he’s actually pushed. However more often than not he isn’t. There’s little or no wasted motion, all the pieces is completed exactly and effectively. He is aware of he can cowl each inch of that courtroom it doesn’t matter what comes.
Bodily Health
For those who needed to create a badminton athlete with peak bodily health, you’d most likely find yourself with LCW. I’ve all the time argued that if there’s somebody of a comparative degree you simply can’t beat, a minimum of be fitter than them. In fact, the margins are so small on the prime degree however LCW proved that this can be a legitimate tactic. The very fact he was beating youthful gamers into his 30s (gamers like Prime Momota (which seems like a shiny Pokemon) and Viktor Axelsen – simply confirmed how match LCW stored himself even in the direction of the top of his profession. To not point out whereas sustaining the identical degree/type of play. We’re not speaking simply his endurance right here, however his stamina, energy, and flexibility – he was maybe probably the most well-rounded badminton participant of his technology).
This bodily health contributed on to his talents on the courtroom to maintain the depth of a rally for lengthy intervals of time. He was in a position to get to the shuttle early, he was in a position to dictate the rallies in opposition to all however the strongest opponents. He might simply pull weaker opponents out of place and had the identical opponents reacting to him somewhat than difficult him for the initiative as a result of it was troublesome to maintain up. Particularly for the size of a match.
It was this health, mixed along with his excellent footwork that allowed him to cowl the courtroom so effortlessly, each in defence, offence and in impartial conditions. Within the rear courtroom particularly, he was in a position to play nearly all pictures on the highest contact level, creating a few of the strongest smashes in males’s singles. A lot of which had been extra highly effective than males’s doubles gamers.
Singles by nature is a slower sport however he was in a position to put stress on the opponent to play at a excessive tempo or they’d crumble.
Rivalry
I didn’t wish to evaluate Lin Dan to LCW. Nonetheless, Lee Chong Wei himself has admitted that the rivalry between each gamers is what drove him to ever larger heights. Lin Dan created a psychological block in Lee Chong Wei in my view. A lot in order that Lee was nearly preventing himself on courtroom as a lot as his opponent. In 2016, when he lastly beat Lin Dan within the Rio Olympics, you possibly can see that he reacted like he nearly received the event itself.
Of their head-to-head document, LCW has by no means led Lin Dan. However as talked about above I feel the 2008 Olympics cemented how a lot better Lin Dan was at the moment. But it surely was this rivalry that introduced LCW to step up his sport to compete with the Chinese language celebrity. That starvation to defeat his rival, resulted in a few of the most electrifying matches in world badminton even right now.
But it surely wasn’t simply Lin Dan. Lee Chong Wei was lucky to be within the technology with a number of distinctive gamers, together with Taufik Hidayat and Chen Lengthy. All through his entire profession, he needed to compete with these prime gamers – World Champions and Olympic Champions. Chen Lengthy particularly, after Lin Dan was maybe his largest menace. Contemplating his defence was higher than LCW (yep it was Chen Lengthy!), this was by no means a straightforward sport for Chong Wei.
Consistency
Being rank #1. for 200 consecutive Weeks and 349 weeks in whole isn’t any simple feat. Such was the dominance and consistency of LCW within the period of the Tremendous Collection. Very hardly ever did he not make it into the later phases of any event. The one time he considerably dropped his rating was when he was banned for 8 months, then when he retired.
Of all Tremendous Collection winners, Lee Chong Wei stands alone because the King. Different legends don’t even come near his document. In whole, he’s amassed 46 titles. To place that in perspective, the subsequent on the checklist is Lee Yong Dae, taking part in in two completely different disciplines. So to be that dominant in Males’s singles throughout his profession is unbelievable. {Most professional} gamers received’t even win one Tremendous Collection or World Tour Match as it’s now identified.
Weak point
It will maybe be unfair to name out the only a few weaknesses that LCW had. In any case he has achieved a lot in his profession. However we must also take them with a pinch of salt as a result of these minute weaknesses had been fully overshadowed by his sheer bodily and technical capabilities on the courtroom.
LCW by no means appear pressured actually in lots of matches of his profession. Being world #1 for thus lengthy and successful so many tournaments should increase your ego/mentality. To the purpose, I’m positive the sensation of his opponents was that they had been taking part in the fame somewhat than the participant. Nonetheless, when it got here to large event finals, the Olympics, World Championships he was as a rule, going through his nemesis Lin Dan.
In his youthful days, LCW was extra passive and reserved on courtroom. In distinction to Lin Dan, who was typically dubbed smug in his youthful years. However at that degree, the “conceitedness” nearly protects you and offers you extra perception and confidence. LCW was not that sort of individual – or a minimum of didn’t seem like.
After some years, each gamers had been technically pretty much as good as one another. However Lin Dan managed to keep up an edge. I imagine that distinction was their mentality – even when the hole wasn’t as large as beforehand.
It wasn’t that LCW didn’t need it as a lot, it’s that there’s a variety of stress on his shoulders. Think about being the no.1 sports activities icon in a rustic the place badminton is revered. He was the one athlete identified nationwide representing Malaysia persistently as the highest degree in any sport. There’s already an enormous expectation. And occasions he’s didn’t carry out prior to now is met with fairly scathing assessments by netizens and the media. So no surprise there’s a variety of stress on him.
Mix that with the stress of an Olympic last and we are able to see the difficulties one is likely to be experiencing as they get nearer to set level or match level.
I feel again particularly to the World Championships in 2011, which was presumably the perfect males’s singles match to ever have been performed. He was 20-16 up within the first set and we see glimpses of this weak spot the place he misplaced 4 sport factors. However he was in a position to reign it in to ultimately win the set. Likewise, in the previous couple of factors of the match he performed pictures which he wouldn’t normally miss or his shot alternative was generally a bit off which was most likely finished below stress.
However as I say this weak spot was hardly ever there besides in large event finals. And through the years it turned much less and fewer. It’s simple to guage from the skin however I’m positive most of us would crumble lots faster below the sheer stress LCW was going through from his house nation and arenas.
Tactical Capacity
Lee Chong Wei was an ideal textbook participant. Just about perfecting the sport to the purpose of somebody any younger participant ought to emulate when it comes to technical capability and angle to coaching.
Looking the few badminton boards on-line – some netizens have insisted that he wasn’t an ideal tactician. He had what seemed to be a easy sport plan for just about all his opponents. The fundamental strategy was get the elevate, smash and repeat. For many gamers – that is the tactic. Transfer the opponent round, get the elevate and assault. So it’s unfair to single LCW out for this.
For my part, why would somebody have to deviate from an strategy that’s not solely confirmed, however stored them on the prime of the world rankings for 3 years? The truth that individuals saying he’s not very tactically conscious are usually not very tactically conscious themselves.
At increased and better ranges of badminton, the weaknesses of gamers turn into much less and fewer. So when you attain the extent of competing on the highest degree, there are usually not as many weaknesses to use. To not say there aren’t weaknesses in any respect. Subsequently the methods and ways turn into much less however extra refined. LCW perfected the strategy wanted to dominate the game..
Forehand Nook
It wasn’t a obviously apparent weak spot. Trying on-line and watching some highlights of the matches again now it does look apparent that Lin Dan had been utilizing this tactic properly.
Nonetheless, with out watching all of LCW’s matches it’s onerous to say if this was a weak spot. In any case, the above video solely highlights the rallies which reveals what the uploader desires to point out. I’m not saying they’re flawed in any respect – however it could require far more analysis to conclude that. For these chosen rallies maybe it was the case.
However was LCW weak within the rear forehand nook? Or is it a pure a part of the sport that the majority gamers are weaker on this space in singles?
Paradoxically because it sounds – the forehand rear nook is a greater aspect to play to than the backhand rear nook. I’ll clarify in a separate publish. However principally, the forehand aspect is much less harmful, even when the participant is early to the shuttle, since you can’t use your physique to play the shot the identical because the backhand aspect. So with out analysing a major pattern of his matches and different gamers as a management group, it’s onerous to say categorically that is the case for LCW particularly.
Conclusion
I’m at present in LCW’s house city of Bukit Mertajam – Penang. And as corny because it sounds, it feels sort of surreal to be in a spot the place somebody I beloved watching (as all of us did) grew up. I discover myself pondering – Oh LCW might need been right here after I see the numerous meals courts and even the night time market.
It’s humorous, whether or not I’m in KL, Ipoh, Penang and even Sabah, it’s clear that the adoration and satisfaction for his or her badminton hero has not diminished since his retirement. Even those that know nothing of the game know the title Lee Chong Wei.
Though LCW might by no means have received an Olympic gold or a World Championship gold – typically thought of the head of the game – he captured the hearts of so many badminton followers around the globe. He turned a mentor and set the trail for the subsequent technology of badminton gamers. He turned an inspiration and position mannequin for a lot of aspiring badminton athletes. And as many would agree and no one can deny – he turned a legend.
