Why Lee Zii Jia Is Our Dark Horse Pick For The 2024 Paris Olympics

[transcript]

How did Lee Zii Jia, go from this, to this, to this?

Hi everyone! Welcome to Get Good At Badminton, the channel that’s all about as the name suggests, getting good at badminton.

Today, we will take a look at the key elements that have led Malaysia’s men’s singles player, Lee Zii Jia to his newfound form. And why, he is our dark horse for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

If you don’t know who he is, Lee Zii Jia is a Malaysian badminton player who has been dubbed the next Lee Chong Wei. In 2021 he upset prime Viktor Axelsen to win the All England Open with his insane smashes and aggressive playstyle.

But his results would never be that consistent, leading him to experience harsh criticism and several controversies in relation to BAM.

However, he recently went on a run in the BWF World Tour just prior to the Olympics, winning the Super 500 Australian Open in June, runner-up at the Malaysia Masters in May, and winner at the Thailand Open also in May, showing a potential return to form.

In this video, we will go over two key changes Lee Zii Jia made that make him our dark horse pick for the 2024 Paris Olympics. (show table of contents, 3. Mentality, 1. Technique (setup))

__

The first key element to be mentioned is his change in technique, specifically, his setup in the backcourt.

Take a look at this first clip.

Now take a look at this one.

Do you see the difference?

In 2024, Lee Zii Jia has changed his overhead setup to be faster and higher.

Compare this to prior years, where his racket is down all the way until he actually hits the shuttle.

Setting up faster allows Lee Zii Jia to take the shuttle earlier and apply pressure more often. Watch these rallies with his old setup, and with his new overhead setup.

In the older rallies he is often out of position and plays the high clear, because he is unable to bring his racket up fast enough to apply pressure to the push.

However, in the newer rallies his body is still falling backwards, but because he has already put his racket up for the shot, he is able to intercept the shuttle at a higher point, and therefore play the shot downwards.

Additionally, setting up faster and holding your racket higher makes your swing smaller. Compare these two clips of Lee Zii Jia taking the overhead shot, and notice the difference in the size of the swing.

The main reason why the small swing is preferred over a bigger swing is because it is more efficient. With a bigger swing, more muscles are being used which will make you more tired. This will be a problem especially for a professional player like Lee Zii Jia, where the rallies are often more than twenty shots long.

As a result of changing his setup, Lee Zii Jia doesn’t feel like he has to force as much. He still has his lethal attack, but because he is able to stay calm during rallies, he can play more controlled, reduce his errors, and punish bad shots made by the opponents.

—

What’s arguably more important than any new technique, however, is the change in Lee Zii Jia’s mentality. From arrogant and loud, to confident and humble, Lee Zii Jia really took a turn in his demeanor on court and his mentality both on and off the court.

At Get Good At Badminton, we’re huge believers in focusing on your mental first. Your attitude and ability to control your mind will directly affect how you train and be the difference in whether you stand or crumble under pressure.

It’s easy to get ahead of yourself and think you’re the best after achieving something great. While we don’t know Lee Zii Jia personally, we suspect that that’s what happened after he won the 2021 All England Open.

If Lee Zii Jia can control his mental at the Paris 2024 Olympics, he will definitely be a player to watch for as recent technique changes have made him more efficient and consistent as a player.

Do you guys think Lee Zii Jia has a chance of winning the 2024 Olympics? Let us know in the comments below!

Additionally, if you liked this video, make sure to hit the like and subscribe button and check out some of our other videos!