[transcript]
In this video, we will cover the Olympic rematch between Kodai Naraoka and Chou Tien Chen.
Going into this game, Chou beat Naraoka at the Olympics in straight two sets.
If you also take a look at the head to head, you will notice Chou is up 4-0.
Chou, who is 34 years old, is not only beating a higher ranked opponent, but also a younger Naraoka.
But how is this possible?
Well, let’s take a look at what he does against Naraoka at the 2024 Japan Open.
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First, let’s take a look at some of Kodai’s strengths, because we need to know what he does well in order to know how Chou makes the game easy for him.
Kodai’s biggest strength has to be his retrieval skills.
At times, playing Kodai literally looks like they are playing against a wall. He gets everything back.
When playing Kodai, it is very easy to simply follow his pace. This is exactly what Kodai wants, as he is completely fine with the rallies going longer.
So, he plays a four corner rally style, that aims to test his opponent in a battle of attrition, and often wins points off unforced errors from his opponents.
Then, shouldn’t this theoretically make Chou a good match for Kodai?
As Chou is someone who has recently overcome a horrible disease in the form of colon cancer, and is approaching his mid thirties, it is quite odd that their head to head could be so one sided.
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First we can take a look at Chou Tien Chen’s footwork. His style of footwork is very similar to that of Lee Chong Wei, where he watches first, and then moves.
If you take a look at these two clips, you can see the similarities between Chou Tien Chen and Lee Chong Wei’s footwork.
If you are able to perfect the timing of the split step with this type of footwork, your footwork will become very efficient and smooth.
This is in contrast to players like Kodai or Lakshya Sen, who like boxers, are very bouncy on their feet, which helps them maintain their rhythm but ultimately trades this for more inefficient movements.
Another benefit of this footwork is the ability to reduce the number of correctional split steps.
This is because you simply just watch the shuttle and wait for it to be hit, and then start moving.
Now in some cases, it is not the right choice to do this type of footwork. For example, when you lift at the net and prepare for defense. Or, when you smash and want to follow up.
But other times it will enable you to change pace more effectively and catch your opponents off guard.
You can see in a lot of these clips that Chou is playing a neutral shot and waiting to change the pace.
However, to do this, you also need to anticipate the next shot your opponent will play.
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In the first game of the 2024 Japan Open, you can see that Kodai repeatedly targets Chou’s forehand side.
This is why towards the later end of the game, Chou begins to anticipate his forehand by preemptively turning his legs, and bringing his right foot back.
This will allow him to move to that forehand corner more aggressively.
However, it’s not only his backcourt that he was ready for.
We also need to take a look at how Chou was setting himself up in the frontcourt.
When playing against a four corner rally style, you need to find some type of opportunity to change the pace.
If Chou keeps playing at Naraoka’s pace, he definitely will lose. As we said earlier in this video, this is Naraoka’s strength. He can play like this forever.
That is why Chou looks to change the pace.
One way is anticipation.
Not only anticipating in the backcourt, but also anticipating the frontcourt based on the shots your opponent has played.
For example, look at how Chou is waiting for the opportunity at the net.
But another way is having shot combos.
Smash into net kill, drive into cross net, or smash into drive are all great examples of shot combos.
The point is to have your next series of shots planned out so you can capitalize on your increased efforts.
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Even though Chou is 34 years old, we still believe him to be one of the fittest athletes on the tour right now.
Although we don’t know them personally, it is quite evident through their play and body structure, that both Lee Chong Wei and Chou were very diligent and disciplined in their physical training.
However, credit can also be given to Chou Tien Chen’s physiotherapist, Victoria Kao.
The reason why we need to mention physicality for Chou is because he can do stuff like this.
A lot of times he is able to catch Naraoka off guard.
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As athletes start to approach the age of 30 and beyond, you will often see more controlled gameplay and calculated movements due to a deteriorating body condition.
However, this 34 year old shuttler from Chinese Taipei, Chou Tien Chen just keeps getting fitter and better.
What do you think of Chou Tien Chen’s career so far? Let us know in the comments below.
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