[Saba Sports News] Recently, a paper titled “Research on the Tactical and Technical Characteristics of Shi Yuqi” has gone viral in the badminton community, authored by Shi Yuqi himself, the current top badminton player in China. This 48-page paper is a result of Shi’s master’s degree studies at Nanjing Sport Institute. According to fans in the comments section, Shi completed his thesis defense online last June.
Choosing oneself as the subject of research is not uncommon in athletes’ academic papers. This choice stems from the inherent advantage of “knowing oneself best,” as well as the accessibility and analyzability of personal competition data and experiences, providing a solid foundation for in-depth research. To provide a more comprehensive and objective analysis of himself, Shi employed the “expert interview method” in his paper, gathering a prestigious lineup of interviewees. He consulted not only Zhang Jun, the president of the Chinese Badminton Association but also legendary players Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, and his teammate Li Shifeng.
After the paper was made public, it quickly sparked polarized discussions among netizens. Some “tech-savvy” fans treated it as a treasure, carefully studying it word by word to decipher the “secrets” to defeating Shi Yuqi. On the other hand, some attentive users pointed out various flaws in the wording and even in the citation of certain data, noting that they had misspelled Viktor Axelsen’s name in Chinese.
In my view, it is unnecessary to hold professional athletes too strictly accountable for academic expression when they focus on training and competition. The value of their research and their honest attitude toward it are what truly deserve attention.