Plastic and Feathers

As all us badminton players know, there are two types of shuttles; plastic and feather. But what are the are the real advantages and drawbacks between them?

Most beginners and casual players use plastic shuttles. They're cheap, durable and widely available. Go to a local sports shop and you most likely to find a tube of plastics. But also to a casual player, the lower price of the plastics will be more appealing, because to them, they might find all shuttles the same or similar. Plastics are durable and easy to hit, which means newer players can mishit it and it won't suffer much damage at all and you dont have to have precise technique to hit it.

But as you become a better player, you start to feel that feathers are the way to go. Feather shuttles are seen as the more 'superior' type of shuttle, because of the quality of the flight and the preferred feel when it is hit. Once you hit a plastic shuttle afterwards, it feels rather 'dead' or 'numb' and it seems you dont get the same control on certain shots such as drops and nets. The sound a quality feather shuttle makes is sometimes really second to none.

Where the extra quality comes in, there obviously has to be a price to pay. First, the durability is ususally dramatically less. Feather shuttles can still be played if it has suffered a little damage, but once several feather has broken off, the flight becomes inconsistent and it renders it unplayable. Secondly, there's th increased price. Premium feather shuttles such as the Yonex Aerosensa 40/50's, can cost anywhere up to £20, even £25 a dozen in some places. Ridiculous prices many would say. Whereas a dozen of high standard plastics such as the Yonex Mavis 300's, only cost around £10 a dozen. Unless you're a serious, competitive badminton player, you'd never really consider paying that kind of money to play high end plastics.

Although if you play in tournaments, you will have to play and train using feathers, because arguably, plastics will ruin your game and technique. But when all is said and done, there is no better feeling than hitting a clean, game-winning jump smash with a speedy, quality feather shuttle.

Arcsaber Z Slash Is Released!

It's finally here. The long awaited Arcsaber Z Slash is available and in stock on many online badminton shops. The colours do look a bit dull and the colour scheme is a little reminiscent of the low-end Muscle Power racquets. But as for performance, there hasn't been any reputed, extensive reviews of the racquet as yet, but a review is to be posted on Badminton Central in a few days time. However, the inital reviews seem to say that the Z Slash posseses great power, because of its head-heavy balance and the shaft is extra stiff. On the other hand, the poor choice of colour scheme is a bit of a put-off for some users. The racquet also claims a hefty price tag; around $240 from badminton alley (see below) which equates to around £150 in the UK.

The Arcsaber Z slash is available in these stores: (more to come)

http://www.badmintonalley.com/Yonex_ArcSaber_Z_Slash_Arc_Z_Badminton_Racket_p/racket-yonex-arc-saber-z-slash.htm

Why Use Trick Shots?

There's only a certain amount of basic shots you can play in badminton. Clear, drop, smash, net. Once you get to an advanced level, you're going to have to learn something a bit special. Shots that are different to the routines ones. A shot that can win you a rally. If you're gonna just play with the basic shots, then sometimes the opponent can read your game. But if you play some trick shots, you can add variety to your game, forcing your opponent to think and move around the court. Deception is key to trick shots. Without deception, you won't be able to pull off your shot effectively and your opponent can intercept. Most importantly, most trick shots require practice, so don't expect to pull of an amazing, crowd mind blowing trick shot, without practising it in training first. ;)

Taufik Hidayat is considered one of the best players in the world today, when it comes to trick shots (especially at the net) and overall deceptive play. He is arguably most famous for his backhand smash, which has been recorded at over 200 km/h and can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEsARpxuYTM (It's truly amazing!)

Here's also a video displaying some of the trick shots played by some of the world's best professionals:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8IFeLHz-eQ

Arcsaber Z Slash Available For Pre-Order

Yonex's soon-to-be-released racquet the Arcsaber Z Slash. has finally been made available for pre order on www.mybadmintonstore.com. The price is a hefty US$245, approximately £150, putting the Arcsaber Z Slash firmly in the "higher end" series of racquets along with the Nanospeed 9900.

At this price tag, it would be wise to wait until the racquet is released before purchasing the racquet, because you might want to base your decision on the racquet on some reviews of the racquet, which should come nearer to the release of the racquet. However, if you know you desperately want this racquet or have deep lined pockets, then here is your oppurtunity to preorder one!

Badminton Video........with MUSIC! =]

First time I tried to put music and badminton in the same video! :)




Comments in the shoutbox please! =]

Badminton Online Flash Games Review

We all like to play a few online flash games once in a while. Even in the sports genre, there are many free games available to play. Football? loads. Tennis? plently. Cricket? surprisingly, lots. So when I went to search for badminton games, I found 2 that were unique. Not much variety, but here are the ones I found anyway:

Badminton-Information.com Badminton Game

Play this game at: http://www.badminton-information.com/online-badminton-game.html

This is quite an enjoyable game to play, because it allows you to use a variety of different shots, such as smash, clear and drop shots. The controls are simple as well, the arrow keys for movement, the Z key to clear, X key to drop and the C key to smash. All the shots will be very precise (and never seem to go out!) so the game isn't frustrating and quite easy to play. As long as the character is near the shuttle when the shot is played, the shuttle would usually fly to wherever you hit it. Although sometimes, a net shot will hit the net, instead of going over. There is some tactics involved, as the opponent will usually return the shuttle. Therefore you will have to move the opponent around the court quite a bit. For example, drop, lift, drop, lift ect. Just use your real life badminton tactics! The smash in my opinion isn't very effective, because it is too slow and a drop seems to work better. But you might find a use for it! Overall, apart from the shots being so accurate, a very fun and realistic online badminton game!

Revoke.ca Badminton Game






Play this game at: http://revoke.ca/badminton2/

This badminton game is more 'fluid' than the other game, because you can roam around the court (you can actually run off the court unlike the other game) and you can even jump! This allows you to play a jump smash! ^_^ However, there isn't a designated button for different shots, but rather the shot depends on how much more you hit the shuttle with and that is controlled by how hard/how long you press the X key for. But then again, this does kinda emulate real life. As well as many other factors, a clear and a drop is played is played differently, becuase you put different amounts of power into the shot. The controls are very simple and straightforward for this game. Arrow keys to move, Z key to jump and X key to hit the shuttle. Easy. If you play football games, then it's like the first game being like FIFA and this game being Pro Evo. Somehow theres probably a small comparison there, but you would have to try both games to find out your favourite, and I recommend you do so! =P

Have fun! :) And don't forget to leave a message in the shoutbox!! ;)

Yehlex Birmingham Badminton Bonanza 2009

The Yehlex Birmingham Badminton Bonanza was held in the National Indoor Arena on the 8th and 9th of August. The National Indoor Arena is a massive venue, which hosts the annual prestigous event, the All-England Open since 1994. There were 28 courts set up for matches, with 1 court occupied by Yehlex coach Lee Jae Bok to provide some free coaching drills and tips. As a player Lee won three Korean National Titles between 1979 and 1981, he has a wealth of coaching experience including, Korean Nation Team (1986 -1987), British Olympic Team (1990-92), English National Team (1990-92), English National Team Coaching Adviser (1993) and England team men's singles coach (2005-2007). Lee has also delivered many keynote speeches at several World and European coaching conferences over the past 20 years.

A smashing competition was held on an adjacent court, each participant was fed 3 shuttles and tried to smash the shuttle as fast as they could over the net. A machine was used to measure the speed of the smash, but to be honest, it wasn't too accurate if you ask me. The winning smash speed was 137mph - still quite a bit off of the fastest recorded smash of 206mph by China's Fu Haifeng.

The playing surface wasn't ideal for badminton. Concrete certainly isn't the most ideal surface to be diving on! Initially, things weren't going great for me. In a group game, I was playing a backhand block, then as I put my racquet in front of me to play a net shot, I saw this:

Certainly shocking to say the least, as I didn't hear any sort of clashing. Luckily, I bring a few racquets with me and I continued the match with my trusty Armortec 900 Technique. But in the final match, the strings snapped. Great. I was left to endure the final match with my admittedly very under-used Armortec 250, which has probably been collecting dust for the past year. Playing with factory strings isn't favourbale either. However I managed to scrape the game 21-18 and collected a little glass cube, which was to be my prize.

Meanwhile, Sam 'The Muel' McKune smashed his way into the finals, where he unluckily lost 21-20. Apparently, in the last point of the game, the shuttle was going out but he hit it. Clever ^_^. Anyways here are some pics of Sam McKyoone in action:

Hopefully next time I will remember to ask the photographer to take photos of ME. =]

Pictures are only used for reference purposes. No copyright infringement intended, all rights go to owners. :)

England Team Withdraw From World Badminton Championships

The English badminton team have withdrawn from the competition, citing "a specific terrorist threat made by extremists" to be the reason for their withdrawl. The team pulled out of the tournament, which is held in Hyderabad, after alleged reports of threats by Muslim extremists Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Even though the World Championships are considered one of the most important and prestigious events in the badminton calendar, the English players and staff made a "unanimous" decision to pull out of the tournament and return home. Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy said: "After the Olympic Games, this is the most prestigious championships in the world but we were not prepared to risk the safety of our players, coaches and staff in what we felt could have been a very volatile environment." Some players have complained about the lack of security in the area in and around the venue, as they claim that the presence of armed guards or forces are insufficient and inadequete.

So far, England are the only team to withdraw from the event.

Anne Smillie, chief executive of Badminton Scotland, said that Badminton England had "perhaps overreacted".

She said: "I don't necessarily think they've made the right decision.

"Certainly our Scottish players and our team manager who are in Hyderabad feel confident that the security is at its best. They have been well looked after and they have no intention of coming home."

The England badminton definitely had a chance of bringing home a medal, so was the threat significant enough to force a withdrawl of a team?

Does Starting Late Really Matter?

Many badminton players at international level, have started playing badminton at a very young age. For example, Lin Dan started his badminton training at the age of 5. Think how high the net would have seemed! True, he may have played in a smaller court with a lower net or equipped himself with a shorter racquet. But is particpation from a young age a vital requirement for a player to reach international levels?

Lee Chong Wei does in a way disproves this theory. He started playing badminton at the age of 11 - 6 years later than Lin Dan. Yet he managed to achieve World No.1 ranking and reach the international stage just as Lin Dan did. Even with 6 years less training. In my opinion, starting badminton as early as Lin Dan did, would certainly give you an advantage, but you would still need the determination to succeed, high quality and quantity training, high work rate and last but not least; raw talent. So there could be several factors deciding how high your badminton career could reach, but it is unlikely that you will reach the international stage if you enter the sport around 14-16 years of age, as most of the national squads are selected from quite a young age and you have to be able to make the cut from early on.

However there are a occasional exceptions. Han Jian, a former Chinese international badminton player, started the sport late at the age of 16. However, he still managed achieve great success in several World Grand Prix competitions, before becoming the men's singles champion after beating Morten Frost in the 1985 IBF World Championships. Considering he started the sport at the age of 16, while his peers may have had a 10 year head start, Han Jian has accomplished more than that of many other professional players.

You could argue that Han Jian achieved his successes nearly 25 years ago and a modern player who has entered the game as late as he did, would have a slim chance of replicating his feats. However Colin Haughton is one player that has reached international level with England, despite also starting badminton at the age of 16. Although his highest international ranking of 19th cannot compare to Han Jian's several World Grand Prix victories, he still held the No.1 position in the national rankings. For any 16 year old player starting badminton, it would be a dream come true.

So does starting late really matter? I think that although starting the game from a tender young age isn't vital to reach international levels, it would definitely improve their chances of doing so. Realistically, if you start the game at around the same age as Colin Haughton, then chances are that county level would be the highest you would be able to reach. But with quality training, hard work, grit determination and raw talent, then maybe following Colin's Haughton's footsteps or even surpassing them, is possible.

The Hunt For Cheap Shuttles!

During this difficult financial climate, prices for shuttlecocks have shot up and many people are looking for cheaper alternatives. Not everyone can afford to play week in week out with Aerosensa 50's. But there are a few brands of shuttles available that don't break the bank.

Mybadmintonstore stock Hi-Qua Special Edition shuttles for $11.50 (approx. £7)
I have yet to try these, but if you're on a budget and willing to test a few brands then these look a decent acquisition. Also, mybadmintonstore provide FREE worldwide shipping for every order. Not bad.
http://www.mybadmintonstore.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=693

Central Sports also stock some fair shuttles at a respectable price. Yehlex have launched the new Yehlex Competition shuttle. "From one of the Uks most respected shuttle suppliers comes a new shuttle for 2009/10. Manufactured from First Grade Duck , the Competition Shuttle is the answer to many clubs feather shuttle cost nightmare. Excellent flight characteristics with good speed consistency and combined durability equate to an absolute winner."
http://www.centralsports.co.uk/shop.php?page=detail&product=7000

The Ashaway Red Tournament 10 is available at an incredible £8.50. "One of our best selling club/league feather shuttles - consistent in flight and durability - great value."

http://www.centralsports.co.uk/shop.php?page=ashawayd&product=1552

While RSL Tourney No.3 comes in at a £10.95 price tag, which seems a good bang-for-your-buck shuttle. "Used by many clubs throughout the UK the No3 is a club secretarys dream, durable, consistent and economical. No wonder its one of the Uks top selling shuttles."
http://www.centralsports.co.uk/shop.php?page=detail&product=5766

For those who want to cut cost for shuttles and are willing to delve into the world of plastics, then the Mavis 2000 looks like a improved form of the ordinary Yones plastic shuttles. "Built using “Wing Rib” structure technology, this new shuttlecock has the flight characteristics and performance of a feathered shuttlecock coupled with durability of a synthetic shuttlecock."
http://www.centralsports.co.uk/shop.php?page=yonexd&product=7015


However do keep in mind that Central Sports do incur a £2.25 charge for the first dozen shuttles and more for every extra dozen ordered. Check the website for more details.

These are only a few budget options available, so I'm sure that you avid badminton players and fans know where to get different brands of shuttles at an even cheaper price. If you would like to share your views and knowledge, please feel free as always to comment below.

Good Luck in your matches! ^_^

All the credit and rights of these pictures go to their original owners. These pictures have only been displayed for reference purposes.

Arcsaber Z Slash?

The upcoming addition to the Arcasber range, the Arcsaber 'Z Slash' has been covered it some mystery, as Yonex have tried to stay quiet about revealing any specific details about their latest racquet. Entering the Yonex Japan website and clicking on the 'Z-Slash' promotional banner, will just display the teaser screen shown above. There is yet to be an official release date for this upcoming and although we know very little about it, it seems Yonex could have pulled somethingvery special right out the bag with this new racquet.

Win a Yonex bag signed by Lee Chong Wei!

Interested in winning a Yonex racquet bag signed by badminton's world no.1 player Lee Chong Wei? Its a genuine Yonex Tournament Active 6 racquet bag , signed by the world's best player and it's free to enter! Why not? :P

Simply visit the Yonex website:
http://www.yonex.co.uk/Badminton/Page.aspx?ID=197&Type=Comp

You'll just have to enter a few of your details and you're done!

While you're at it, there's also an option which allows you to order a free Yonex badminton brochure. I did - it's always handy to browse the latest badminton gear from the sports no.1 brand! (which badminton player hasn't heard of Yonex?)

Gail Emms awarded MBE in Queen's Honours

In my opinion, badminton is a very undervalued and under-rated sport and therefore badminton players' achievements are not fully recognized. Not everyone can name the badminton singles final champion in the Beijing Olympics. But at least the Queen it seems, shows some recognition for the great achievers in badminton.


Taken from the BBC Sport website:

Badminton star Emms, who retired from the sport following the Beijing Olympics, has also received her MBE for services to her sport.

She won Olympic silver in 2004 with Nathan Robertson in the mixed doubles, and bronze, silver and gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

She said: "This award isn't about me, it's about all the coaches and support staff who have been behind my success."

It's definitely refreshing to see a badminton player being awarded such a high honour and lets hope that many other badminton greats in the future can achieve such accolades! :D

Badminton v Tennis

If you have read my earlier article (or have some knowledge of the sporting world in general), you will know that tennis is arguably a far more popular sport than badminton. However, this doesn't mean it is a better sport. Here are several factors which make badminton a much more exciting, skillful and unique game than tennis:

1. In tennis, the ball may bounce once before the player hits it; in badminton, the rally ends once the shuttlecock touches the floor.

• Tennis players have the luxury of the tennis ball being allowed to bounce once before they hit it. This gives tennis players more time to make thir return hit. The rally in badminton ends as asoon as the shuttle hits the floor. As a result, badminton players have to be quicker in their feet so that they can retrieve the shuttle. Also, badminton players must have a good sense of court awareness, because they have to judge whether to shuttle is going to land in or outside the court.

2. In tennis, the serve is dominant to the extent that the server is expected to win most of his service games; a break of service, where the server loses the game, is of major importance in a match. In badminton, however, the serving side and receiving side have approximately equal opportunity to win the rally.

• In tennis, if you serve, you have a bigger chance of winning the rally than your opponent. But in badminton, the serve is important, but the serve doesn't grant you a considerably larger chance of winning the rally compared to your opponent. This factor makes badminton a much more interesting and exciting game to watch, because it is much more unpredictable than tennis. If a tennis player serves in that rally, you assume that he or she is going to win that point, so the outcome isnt a surprise. On the other hand in badminton, the rallies are much more absorbing, because both players have a decent chance of winning the point and the result is more unexpected than in tennis.

3. In tennis, the server is allowed two attempts to make a correct serve; in badminton, the server is allowed only one attempt.

• Again, tennis players have another luxury; the serve. In tennis, if you make a mistake on the first serve, you are handed a second serve. But there is no such safetly cushion in badminton. If you serve out or hit the shuttle into the net, that is one valuable point lost. Therefore badminton players have to be more skillful, accurate and deceptive with their serves.

4. The fastest recorded tennis stroke is Andy Roddick's 153 mph (246 km/h) serve; the fastest recorded badminton stroke is Fu Haifeng's 206 mph (332 km/h) smash.

• I believe that this factor makes badminton a more dynamic sport than tennis. The shuttle moves faster, and therefore badminton players have to have faster reaction times and also quicker footwork. I think it makes badminton a much more exciting and intense sport to watch - especially in doubles - where jump smashes are shot around the court like bullets. Evidence of this can even be seen on various Youtube videos. Search around for badminton doubles matches and see for yourself!

I think that badminton is much more a skill based sport, while tennis requires more strength. A badminton shuttle is lighter than a tennis ball, so it takes less strength to hit it. Furthermore, it requires great skill and practice to be able to hit the shuttle in the desired location and with sufficient speed and deception. I have played tennis in the past, but I found that I couldn't match the strength of my opponents. Therefore, they forced weak returns out of me and was unable to win many points. However, once I tried my luck at badminton, I found a lot more success. Badminton required more agility, speed and skill - footwork plays a big part in badminton, just ask any coach! These traits were more suited to my abilities and it has become an important part of my life. This article is not here to demote tennis. It is just to prove that badminton has its own unique qualities. I am not a hater of tennis, I do enjoy watching and playing it, (when the weather is right!) but I believe that badminton is a much undervalued and misunderstood sport, and this should be seen as a tribute to badminton!