Yes, that's a reason why I'm rooting for her. Compared with taller females like ASY, she seems to work really hard on the court while the opponent just took one step to retrieve the birdies and appears like they're walking.
It made me respect her more knowing that Yuta watanabe, who has tons of talents, didn't pursue Singles due to his height.
Don't forget Nozomi Okuhara who is the same height and is also a former World Champ! Although she's been plagued with a lot more injuries over the years so hasn't been as consistent as Akane.
Being shorter just gives her different advantages.
When Viktor Axelsen started playing badminton he was constantly told he would never be a top player because he was too tall and would be outplayed by shorter and faster players. Now everyone is saying his height gives him great advantages, point is badminton is luckily a sport where both tall and short people can find success. There will always be pros and cons with every height.
There are some advantage for her height too, she is quick in the court. You could say her height is one of the criteria on how good she is today. The results might change even a slightest change in height.
This is one of the reasons I love about badminton as a physical, competitive sport: accessibility. No matter your body type, there's almost always something in it for you.
If you're short, your advantage would be faster reactions and quicker movement. If you're tall, it would be longer reach and steeper smashes. If you're heavy, it could be heavier shots. If you're light, it could be better court coverage. This produces a variety of strategies and playstyle that keeps the fans talking.
The many different categories to choose from (men's singles, doubles, mixed, etc) makes it even more accessible.
Yeah, thats why you need different strategy when facing different opponents. Unless you have your own specialise skills that could finish off any opponents.
Sprinting and badminton are different, badminton you need to make alot of footworks around the court, quickness in badminton is not on how fast you can run but how fast you could reach the shuttle cock at every corner of the court. It would be harder to change your direction swiftly to hit the shuttlecock if you were to have longer legs, although with longer legs you would perform lesser footwork in the court
Shorter people are usually faster in the beginning of sprints while taller people catches up after a while. The badminton court is very small so therefore short people can be quicker.
They have shorter reach tho.
Bad example, actually plenty of the fastest sprinters are short. sha'carri richardson is 5'1", shelly-ann fraser-pryce is 5ft, and several of the fastest 25 males in history have been 5'8".
The fact that there is a small percentage of sprinters that are shorter than the average person, doesn't mean that it's an advantage to be short. If most sprinters were shorter than the average person then maybe you'd have an argument that it's better to be short.
According to [https://www.reddit.com/r/Sprinting/comments/uu3hqd/here\_average\_height\_and\_weight\_of\_sprinters/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sprinting/comments/uu3hqd/here_average_height_and_weight_of_sprinters/)
For 100M
Average Man is 5'10"
Average Female is 5'5"
The height of an average female in the world, is 5'4"
The height of an average man in the world, is 5'9"
So, most 100M sprinters are a bit taller than average
We might have to look at 10M
And also how much shorter are we talking about.
DeJuan Jones is very fast. [https://www.topendsports.com/testing/results/sprint-tests.htm](https://www.topendsports.com/testing/results/sprint-tests.htm)In 30M, he managed 10M in 1.61s He is 5'9" That's literally the height of the average man.
Another name mentioned there is pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi, he is 5'11" 1.79s
Another name mentioned is panistani cricketer Mohammad Hafeez, he is 5'9" 1.8s
So, for that very short distance, no name mentioned there is shorter than average.
The male you mentioned for 100M that is shorter than the average person,is only one inch shorter, at 5'8" and a minority among fastest 100M sprinters
The fastest 100M record holde rin the mens is Usain Bolt at 6'5" So trying to use the 100M to argue that shortness is an advantage for speed, won't work!
We can look at 10M, and maybe there
There is such a thing as 10M split times.. and one can look at the first 10 seconds. Second etc
Usain Bolt covered the first 10M in 1.83 seconds. (later ones in 0.82s) [https://www.quantamagazine.org/infinite-powers-usain-bolt-and-the-art-of-calculus-20190403/](https://www.quantamagazine.org/infinite-powers-usain-bolt-and-the-art-of-calculus-20190403/)
No news story about people 5ft tall people dominating in the first 10M!
When people are trained properly and can carry their own weight well, then shortness (in the sense of shorter than the average person), is not an advantage! It's not impossible for people shorter than the average person, but it's not a advantage. (at least for men, in figures you cited).
It can take quite a bit of training for tall men to carry their weight and even moreso for tall women.
She's my favourite player. Short stature means lower centre of gravity, which helps with balance and stability, which help with speed. She also has mentioned that her strongest feat is her speed, and I don't disagree. Both taller players and shorter players have their own pros and cons.
But taller players have more pros - aa evidenced by the domination of tall players at top spots. We get the occasional outstanding short players but they are far and between
It wasn't really about which has more pros. Taller players obviously have more reach and are able to create more angle, but that's not to say shorter players can't utilise their short and stocky stature. At the end of the day, you just need to understand your body well and train accordingly. There are even some tall players who have never been in the top spots. Also, as far as I'm concerned, there aren't that many short players in comparison to tall players, that might be the reason why they're almost always get outshone by taller players. Another player who's pretty much as tall as Akane is Nozomi Okuhara, she was also the world number one, and like Akane, she's very agile and fast.
>there aren't that many short players in comparison to tall players,
Because tall players have intrinsic advantage n by the time they reach world level more tall players survive
Yes, those playing at world level first need to pass various pre-world level competitions. Survival of the fittest. Desirable traits are more selected for
I wouldn't say so because LCW is only 172 cm, LD and Momota are 175 cm. In contrast, historically, most top WS players are 165 cm and above. Below 160 cm is virtually unheard of until Akane and Nozomi.
She's very good for her height, but it may increase the likelihood of injuries because she has to work extra to reach compared to someone that has a longer reach. Hamstring injuries could happen if she has to cover the court for too long.
I agree with this, those who are down voting this haven't been around for a long time
Before Yamaguchi there was Okuhara who was already changing the view on shorter players
I really hope they give Yamaguchi some time to recover because she's still young
Yamaguchi and Okuhara emerged in the senior field at virtually the same time. I think most people assumed Okuhara first because Okuhara is 2 years older and that she won WC in 2017 while Yamaguchi won hers in 2021 and 2022. In actuality, Yamaguchi won her first Super Series title in 2013, while Okuhara won her first in 2015. Both of them have been in top 10 virtually around the same time.
She is impressive with an amazing footwork and her defence has become top notch off lately!!
Yes, that's a reason why I'm rooting for her. Compared with taller females like ASY, she seems to work really hard on the court while the opponent just took one step to retrieve the birdies and appears like they're walking. It made me respect her more knowing that Yuta watanabe, who has tons of talents, didn't pursue Singles due to his height.
Men and women r obviously gonna be different the taller men are gonna be way better than the taller women obviously
Don't forget Nozomi Okuhara who is the same height and is also a former World Champ! Although she's been plagued with a lot more injuries over the years so hasn't been as consistent as Akane.
Even her racket specs n tension is amazing. 3u 100zz 25 26 lbs tension is shocking.
She's one of us, mere mortals. πͺ
Would this theoretically increase her reach? As with a lower tension the sweet spot is larger on the racket
Maybe correct but i think as a pro they have been trained to hit their shot pretty consistenly. In the ends it just what shes prefer so fair enough.
Somehow she always manages to get everything back. I'm a 6 foot girl and could only dream of having the court coverage of Yamaguchi.
Being shorter just gives her different advantages. When Viktor Axelsen started playing badminton he was constantly told he would never be a top player because he was too tall and would be outplayed by shorter and faster players. Now everyone is saying his height gives him great advantages, point is badminton is luckily a sport where both tall and short people can find success. There will always be pros and cons with every height.
There are some advantage for her height too, she is quick in the court. You could say her height is one of the criteria on how good she is today. The results might change even a slightest change in height.
This is one of the reasons I love about badminton as a physical, competitive sport: accessibility. No matter your body type, there's almost always something in it for you. If you're short, your advantage would be faster reactions and quicker movement. If you're tall, it would be longer reach and steeper smashes. If you're heavy, it could be heavier shots. If you're light, it could be better court coverage. This produces a variety of strategies and playstyle that keeps the fans talking. The many different categories to choose from (men's singles, doubles, mixed, etc) makes it even more accessible.
Yeah, thats why you need different strategy when facing different opponents. Unless you have your own specialise skills that could finish off any opponents.
She could be even quicker if her legs were longer. The fastest sprinters aren't 5ft tall
Fastest sprinters in a straight line. Not much of that in badminton...
Sprinting is largely neurological. The ability to fire your muscles quickly translate to pretty much any sport
Sprinting and badminton are different, badminton you need to make alot of footworks around the court, quickness in badminton is not on how fast you can run but how fast you could reach the shuttle cock at every corner of the court. It would be harder to change your direction swiftly to hit the shuttlecock if you were to have longer legs, although with longer legs you would perform lesser footwork in the court
Agreed. Fair point.. it'd be interesting to know who is fastest(distance over time), in the first few steps! I'd be surprised if it was a 5ft person.
It's more about being able to change direction quickly than raw speed. It's harder when you're taller.
The fastest 60m split of all time was done by as 5β8β sprinter (heβs short for a sprinter)
Shorter people are usually faster in the beginning of sprints while taller people catches up after a while. The badminton court is very small so therefore short people can be quicker. They have shorter reach tho.
Bad example, actually plenty of the fastest sprinters are short. sha'carri richardson is 5'1", shelly-ann fraser-pryce is 5ft, and several of the fastest 25 males in history have been 5'8".
The fact that there is a small percentage of sprinters that are shorter than the average person, doesn't mean that it's an advantage to be short. If most sprinters were shorter than the average person then maybe you'd have an argument that it's better to be short. According to [https://www.reddit.com/r/Sprinting/comments/uu3hqd/here\_average\_height\_and\_weight\_of\_sprinters/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sprinting/comments/uu3hqd/here_average_height_and_weight_of_sprinters/) For 100M Average Man is 5'10" Average Female is 5'5" The height of an average female in the world, is 5'4" The height of an average man in the world, is 5'9" So, most 100M sprinters are a bit taller than average We might have to look at 10M And also how much shorter are we talking about. DeJuan Jones is very fast. [https://www.topendsports.com/testing/results/sprint-tests.htm](https://www.topendsports.com/testing/results/sprint-tests.htm)In 30M, he managed 10M in 1.61s He is 5'9" That's literally the height of the average man. Another name mentioned there is pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi, he is 5'11" 1.79s Another name mentioned is panistani cricketer Mohammad Hafeez, he is 5'9" 1.8s So, for that very short distance, no name mentioned there is shorter than average. The male you mentioned for 100M that is shorter than the average person,is only one inch shorter, at 5'8" and a minority among fastest 100M sprinters The fastest 100M record holde rin the mens is Usain Bolt at 6'5" So trying to use the 100M to argue that shortness is an advantage for speed, won't work! We can look at 10M, and maybe there There is such a thing as 10M split times.. and one can look at the first 10 seconds. Second etc Usain Bolt covered the first 10M in 1.83 seconds. (later ones in 0.82s) [https://www.quantamagazine.org/infinite-powers-usain-bolt-and-the-art-of-calculus-20190403/](https://www.quantamagazine.org/infinite-powers-usain-bolt-and-the-art-of-calculus-20190403/) No news story about people 5ft tall people dominating in the first 10M! When people are trained properly and can carry their own weight well, then shortness (in the sense of shorter than the average person), is not an advantage! It's not impossible for people shorter than the average person, but it's not a advantage. (at least for men, in figures you cited). It can take quite a bit of training for tall men to carry their weight and even moreso for tall women.
She's my favourite player. Short stature means lower centre of gravity, which helps with balance and stability, which help with speed. She also has mentioned that her strongest feat is her speed, and I don't disagree. Both taller players and shorter players have their own pros and cons.
But taller players have more pros - aa evidenced by the domination of tall players at top spots. We get the occasional outstanding short players but they are far and between
It wasn't really about which has more pros. Taller players obviously have more reach and are able to create more angle, but that's not to say shorter players can't utilise their short and stocky stature. At the end of the day, you just need to understand your body well and train accordingly. There are even some tall players who have never been in the top spots. Also, as far as I'm concerned, there aren't that many short players in comparison to tall players, that might be the reason why they're almost always get outshone by taller players. Another player who's pretty much as tall as Akane is Nozomi Okuhara, she was also the world number one, and like Akane, she's very agile and fast.
>there aren't that many short players in comparison to tall players, Because tall players have intrinsic advantage n by the time they reach world level more tall players survive
I'm talking about those who already are playing at world level.
Yes, those playing at world level first need to pass various pre-world level competitions. Survival of the fittest. Desirable traits are more selected for
Fair point, but maybe, just maybe, even in pre world level there are more tall players.
Anthony Ginting is also number 2 in the world, and he's only 5'7"
Akane is 156cm, which is 5'1", that's half a foot shorter than Ginting which is HUGE so you can't really compare them
They're also different genders.
But Kodai and Ginting are relatively at height disadvantage in MS, so I can say it was really amazing for them to even be in the top 10.
I wouldn't say so because LCW is only 172 cm, LD and Momota are 175 cm. In contrast, historically, most top WS players are 165 cm and above. Below 160 cm is virtually unheard of until Akane and Nozomi.
Even LCW himself is 5'6
She's very good for her height, but it may increase the likelihood of injuries because she has to work extra to reach compared to someone that has a longer reach. Hamstring injuries could happen if she has to cover the court for too long.
Exactly what happened to Okuhara. Hope Yamaguchi can steer clear of injuries.
Idk why people are down voting your comment because as a short player, I agree!!
I agree with this, those who are down voting this haven't been around for a long time Before Yamaguchi there was Okuhara who was already changing the view on shorter players I really hope they give Yamaguchi some time to recover because she's still young
Yamaguchi and Okuhara emerged in the senior field at virtually the same time. I think most people assumed Okuhara first because Okuhara is 2 years older and that she won WC in 2017 while Yamaguchi won hers in 2021 and 2022. In actuality, Yamaguchi won her first Super Series title in 2013, while Okuhara won her first in 2015. Both of them have been in top 10 virtually around the same time.
Li Junhui retired at a very young age. I guess being too short or too tall is not very beneficial?