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In this video we will cover India’s men’s singles superstar, Lakshya Sen.
After his 2018 Thomas Cup showing against the legend, Lin Dan, Lakshya Sen caught the attention of the world. And, what’s arguably more impressive, is Sen reaching the semi-final of his very first Olympics.
Due to this, we wanted to make this video on Lakshya Sen, and what we believe has allowed him to succeed.
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Lakshya Sen’s biggest strength is that his pace of the game is very quick. It is quite difficult for other pro players to deal with Lakshya Sen’s pace, as he is able to quickly attack in the back and put pressure in the front with drives or spin nets.
First, we want to point to his footwork.
What’s interesting about Lakshya Sen’s footwork is that he’s very springy and constantly moving, which is different from other players who opt to stay still and change speed in their footwork.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of footwork. One advantage of Sen’s footwork is that it helps him maintain his quick rhythm on court and play at a fast speed for a long time.
The idea is that constantly moving at the same pace will be less tiring that quickly speeding up and slowing down. Think of it this way, would you rather run 10 kilometres in one go or do 100 100 metre sprints?
You can apply the same idea to footwork. Constantly moving makes it easier to keep your rhythm and thus, your speed.
And since Lakshya Sen is so fast, getting caught and playing a long rally at his speed is like trying to match the pace of pro long distance runners in running. Falling into Lakshya Sen’s pace will consume far more stamina for his opponents than him.
There are disadvantages to Lakshya Sen’s footwork as well, but we’ll talk about it later in this video.
Another reason that allows Sen to play at such a fast pace is his swing. Sen’s swing is very unique, in that he predominantly uses his wrist and fingers, which makes his swing and the contact with the bird very short.
This allows the shuttle to come off his strings faster and boosts Sen’s recovery time due to minimal use of the rest of his body.
Look at these clips where Lakshya Sen seems to constantly be on the attack.
He is almost always coming up quickly to put pressure at the net or driving at his opponents in the midcourt.
The reason why this is so deadly, is because not only is this pace very tough to deal with, but Sen is also extremely consistent playing this pace.
When you watch these rallies, you can see Sen playing more towards the middle. This is to reduce the number of errors made from hitting out in the sides.
If his opponents don’t have options to counter Sen’s speed, they often lose in a battle of attrition.
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One thing that also makes Lakshya Sen a good badminton player is that he is very deliberate with his shot selection. He knows what shot he wants to play and the next after that.
Having some sort of game plan or idea of how you want the rally to play out is crucial in badminton.
A lot of the times it is easy to get caught up in the moment and end up just randomly hitting the shuttle over the net.
However, Sen excels at planning his shots out before hand, and knowing what shot he wants to play. He also plays shots that often break his opponent’s shot combos.
We can see him get even more specific with certain players, too. Take these clips for example.
Notice how Lakshya Sen repeatedly targets Antonsen’s forehand. The key here is to condition Antonsen to hit forehand side and then quickly target the backhand.
This is where Lakshya is very deliberate in his shot selection and strategy, because Antonsen has not hit many winners off his smash Lakshya does not feel very pressured by Antonsen’s half smashes.
Additionally, Antonsen is confident in his midcourt and frontcourt, aiming to gain the edge in the rallies through the flat game, and initiating the spin net at the net.
However, notice how Sen keeps the shuttle in the backcourt to prevent Antonsen from using his strengths.
And, notice where Sen places his blocks in this rally.
When you watch where Lakshya Sen blocks, he is purposefully placing the shuttle further into the court to prevent the spin net.
Additionally, notice his feet position after and what corners he covers.
His right foot is in front, with the foot at an angle, which allows him to cover these corners.
Based on the angle that Antonsen is approaching from, there is a high percentage that Antonsen hits the cross lift. Lakshya Sen is anticipating this shot.
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Going back to the point about Lakshya Sen’s footwork, we want to discuss how his footwork has been a problem for him.
While Lakshya Sen’s footwork allows him to play at a fast pace without getting very tired, he has a difficult time changing the pace himself and reacting to the opponent’s pace changes. This is why he frequently gets caught by deceptions.
Since Sen is often always moving, opponents frequently catch him by holding their shot longer or playing a double stroke that causes Sen to mistime his split step.
Now, there are two options Sen can do.
The first is to opt for faster shots where his opponents are unable to use deceptions.
The second option is to develop a stronger ability to stay still and change speed in his footwork. This will allow him to play more shot variety, react to his opponent’s shots a bit better, and also build a stronger ability to change the pace of the game.
If you guys have watched our other videos, you know that we talk about changing the pace of the game a lot. This is because we believe that changing the pace is ultimately how you make scoring easier.
One thing that Lakshya Sen should do more often is change the pace, particularly in the front court. His attack is already pretty good, but we believe that if he adds in more pace changes, his game will level up.
Part of the reason he lost to Axelsen at the 2024 Paris Olympics was because when Axelsen was put on defense he prepared predominantly for the midcourt and backcourt. With his reach, it is easier for Axelsen to just reach out his racket and block Lakshya’s smash and make him run the cross.
Lakshya Sen didn’t do many shots that would bring Axelsen to the front court. If we look at clips of prime Momota play Axelsen, we can see his ability to bring Axelsen to the front court, and have him bend his back was the key to beating him.
If Lakshya Sen can add increased variation into his backcourt and front court, he has a chance to bring his game up to new heights, especially with his strong tactical mind. A big part of this will rely on making some footwork adaptations that allow him to match his footwork to his shots better.
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