Associations Between Standardized Technical Performance and Match-Specific Unforced Errors in Turkish National Badminton Players Aged 15–17 Years

This study examined the relationships between standardized technical performance and match-specific unforced errors in national-level badminton players aged 15–17 years, with particular attention to patterns observed in male and female players. Twenty national team athletes (10 males and 10 females) participated. Unforced errors were recorded across 55 official matches from six competitions organized by the Turkish Badminton Federation. Technical performance was assessed using standardized short serve, high serve, clear, drop shot, and smash tests, and associations were examined separately by sex using Spearman’s rank correlations. In male players, short serve performance was positively correlated with total net error, front-court error, and front-court net error (rs = 0.632–0.727, p < 0.05). In female players, short serve performance was negatively correlated with front-court error (rs = −0.741, p < 0.05); clear performance was negatively correlated with several front- and rear-court error measures (rs = −0.752 to −0.884, p < 0.05), and drop shot performance was negatively correlated with rear-court and rear-court out errors (rs = −0.653 to −0.657, p < 0.05). These findings indicate different association patterns between technical performance and match-specific errors in male and female players, although between-group differences in correlation coefficients were not directly tested. Representative match-based practice may complement isolated technical training.