Two-time Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen recently revealed how he turned to basketball to use his height to his advantage against his competitors.
Standing at 1.94m (6 feet 4 inches), Axelsen towers over the rest of his men’s singles rivals.
The Dane’s tall frame initially posed a problem for him against shorter, more agile opponents who could reach the shuttler faster.
But Axelsen soon found a way to use his height as an advantage, thanks to basketball.
“My competitors, they don’t have a chance to practice against the same height and playing style as me. So I turned this around.
“I can’t change my height, but I can work with what I have in the best possible way. So I really dialed it in, I had enough muscle and I was agile on court. I looked to basketball.
“Tall, heavy (players), how explosive they’re moving. I was just fully focused on all the things I could control rather than focusing on all the bad things and limitations about being too tall,” said Axelsen on The Average Not Average podcast.
The 31-year-old also admitted how he was extremely thin at one point, as he wanted to be as light as possible to move better on court.
“I ended up eating very little. I was 12.5 kilos lighter than I am now.”
The shuttler is currently in rehabilitation after undergoing a back surgery in March, and he will be sidelined for at least three months.
Standing at 1.94m (6 feet 4 inches), Axelsen towers over the rest of his men’s singles rivals.
The Dane’s tall frame initially posed a problem for him against shorter, more agile opponents who could reach the shuttler faster.
But Axelsen soon found a way to use his height as an advantage, thanks to basketball.
“My competitors, they don’t have a chance to practice against the same height and playing style as me. So I turned this around.
“I can’t change my height, but I can work with what I have in the best possible way. So I really dialed it in, I had enough muscle and I was agile on court. I looked to basketball.
“Tall, heavy (players), how explosive they’re moving. I was just fully focused on all the things I could control rather than focusing on all the bad things and limitations about being too tall,” said Axelsen on The Average Not Average podcast.
The 31-year-old also admitted how he was extremely thin at one point, as he wanted to be as light as possible to move better on court.
“I ended up eating very little. I was 12.5 kilos lighter than I am now.”
The shuttler is currently in rehabilitation after undergoing a back surgery in March, and he will be sidelined for at least three months.
