Badminton Racquet

Do you want to have a deeper knowledge regarding badminton rackets?  Including the materials used in making a racket?  Does it make you a great player?  Of course!  Choosing the right racket is like an artist choosing the right brush for his masterpiece.  As a beginner, this is a great foundation because you'll get to know the right racket for you based on the specs.  A perfect racket for me may not be a perfect racket for you!

So, here are some facts about Badminton Rackets:

The frame of racquet consists of different parts. Each part has its own specific features which determines the characteristics of a racket.Badminton Rackets

    * Head
    * Stringed Area
    * Throat
    * Shaft
    * Handle

Shape Of Badminton Racket

    * Oval-- It is the traditional shape with a smaller & stronger sweets pot. It produces powerful shots but require precise aim to hit the shuttle.

    * Isometric-- It is rapidly gaining popularity because of its large sweet spot. No worry which part of racket is being used to hit the shuttlecock, you will get a decent shot.

A Standard Racquet :
Racket is an important equipment used in badminton. A large range of badminton designs are available in the market but the sizes and shapes are defined and limited by the laws. Some interesting statistics about the racquet :

    * The overall length and width of a racket shouldn't exceed 680mm and 230mm respectively.

    * The standard weight of a top class racquet should be within 80g to 100g.

    * The stringed area of a racquet shall not exceed 280mm in length and 220mm in overall width.

Materials used in the racquet:

    * The traditional material used for making frame was wood. But wooden frame racquets are no longer in use because of excessive weight and cost.

    * Now most racquets are made of synthetic materials like carbon fiber, ceramics, titanium, boron, or alloys. Strength to weight ratio of carbon fiber is excellent as it gives tremendous kinetic energy transfer.

    * Prior to the application of carbon fiber composite, racquets were made of light metal like aluminum. These racquets are cheaper compared to other ones.

About The Frames :
Badminton frames play an important part in deciding the nature of your game. The size, shape, and weight of different frames vary from one racket to another. You must keep these points in mind before buying a racquet.

Heavier Frame :
A heavier frame has the following characteristics :

    * It generates more power.
    * It vibrates less.
    * It has a larger sweetspot.

Stiffer Frame :
A stiffer frame has the following characteristics :

    * A stiffer frame transfer the shock load to the arm than a flexible frame.
    * It has a larger sweetspot.
    * It generates more power.

Larger Frame :
A larger frame has the following characteristics :

    * A larger frame is more resistant to twisting.
    * It generates more velocity.
    * It generates more power.
    * It has a larger sweetspot.

Buying Tips :

Before buying a racket following points should be considered so that you get the perfect racquet suiting your style of play.

    * Badminton require a lot of wrist movement. Due to it, consideration of the weight of racket is important. Heavier racquets are preferred to those who have a stronger wrist and can use weight of racket to extract more power from it. So before buying compare the weight of the racquet to your wrist strength.

    * Tension in racket strings is a balancing factor. Tension causes the shuttle to spring off the racquet. Rackets strung at higher tension provide great power. While rackets strung at lower tension give more control. Racquets are strung at 18 to 30 lb of tension. Basic guidelines on tension of strings :
          o Beginners-- 19-20 lbs
          o Intermediate players-- 21-24 lbs
          o Hard hitters-- 25+ lbs
    * Usually two types of grips are found in all types of racket. Towel grips are best for absorbing moisture, but need to be replaced frequently due to accumulation of germs. Synthetic grips are less sweat absorber hence less prone to germs.
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What I bought is a relatively lightweight racket and can withstand a string tension of 24lbs. My overgrip material is rubber.  The shape of my racket's head is oval.  It works perfect for me at this time.

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Shuttlecock Part 2

When we were starting to practice playing badminton, we sometimes play outdoors!  Really!  Not a good idea right? [due to differense in pressure that produces a relatively horizontal movement of air called wind! B-) ] But it turns out to be positive because we were able to meet someone in our plaza who knows about badminton.  He even explained to us how experts buy shuttlecocks.

So, to deepen our knowledge, here are more facts about shuttlecocks:

Material Used In Shuttlecock:

Shuttle is made of either natural or synthetic material. Feathered shuttle is natural while plastic shuttle is synthetic. Playing characteristics of both shuttles are different.

    * Feathered shuttle are brittle and more prone to damage. It need to be replaced several times during a game. That's why shuttles made of synthetic materials like plastic are frequently used these days. But feathered shuttlecocks can be controlled easily so experienced players prefer feathered shuttle over plastic ones.

    * Plastic shuttles are very durable and last many matches without any impairment to the flight. Plastic shuttles can be hit hardly.

A Standard Shuttle

A standard shuttle is made by following the guidelines given by International Badminton Federation.

    * The feathers shall have a uniform length between 62mm to 70mm, when measured from tip to the bottom. The feathers shall be firmly fastened with thread or any suitable material.

    * The tip of feathers should lie on a circle of diameter between 58mm to 68mm.

    * The shuttle shall weight from 4.74gm to 5.50gm.

       
Do you know?
The best Badminton Shuttlecocks are made from feathers from the left wing of a goose
.
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Shuttlecock Part 1

We just buy our shuttlecocks from...well, from no particular place.  We could even find cheap shuttlecocks in terms of price for around Php10 (around US$0.20) B-) ...but when we have learned the benefits of a good-quality shuttlecock, we now try to search for the best specs of a shuttlecock. 

Here are some specs of a shuttlecock:

A shuttlecock weighs around 4.75 - 5.50 grams. It has 14-16 feathers with each feather 70mm in length. The diameter of the cork is 25-28mm and the diameter of the circle that the feathers make is around 54mm.

A shuttlecock (often abbreviated to shuttle and also commonly known as a bird) is a high-drag projectile, with an open conical shape: the cone is formed from sixteen overlapping feathers embedded into a rounded cork base. The cork is covered with thin leather or synthetic material.

Synthetic shuttles are often used by recreational players to reduce their costs as feathered shuttles break easily. These nylon shuttles may be constructed with either natural cork or synthetic foam base, and a plastic skirt.

Additionally, nylon shuttlecocks come in three varieties, each variety for a different range of temperatures. These three varieties are known as green (slow speed which will give you an extra 40% hang time/shot length), blue (middle speed), and red (fast speed). The colours, and therefore speeds, are indicated by coloured strips fastened around the cork. In colder temperatures, a faster shuttle is used, and in hotter climates, a slower one is chosen.

Also, a slow speed shuttlecock is usually used in area that are in higher elevation. It is also used by coaches to train strength of stroke and for building stamina (longer rally) to train muscles on the arms.

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Badminton Court Dimensions

When we play badminton, we just go to a badminton courts near our place and just ask how much per hour or if they offer unlimited usage.
How about unlimited Gatorade?
Water perhaps?!!! B-)
But we don't ask about the exact dimensions of the badminton court or if their badminton courts have standard dimensions!  So, to all beginners (LIKE US!!!), here are the dimensions of abadminton court:

Badminton court, isometric view

 

The court is rectangular and divided into halves by a net. Courts are usually marked for both singles and doubles play, although the laws permit a court to be marked for singles only. The doubles court is wider than the singles court, but both are the same length. The exception, which often causes confusion to newer players, is that the doubles court has a shorter serve-length dimension.

The full width of the court is 6.1 metres (20 ft), and in singles this width is reduced to 5.18 metres (17 ft). The full length of the court is 13.4 metres (44 ft). The service courts are marked by a centre line dividing the width of the court, by a short service line at a distance of 1.98 metres (6.5 ft) from the net, and by the outer side and back boundaries. In doubles, the service court is also marked by a long service line, which is 0.78 metres (2 ft 6 inch) from the back boundary.

The net is 1.55 metres (5 ft 1 inch) high at the edges and 1.524 metres (5 ft) high in the centre. The net posts are placed over the doubles sidelines, even when singles is played.

There is no mention in the Laws of Badminton of a minimum height for the ceiling above the court. Nonetheless, a badminton court will not be suitable if the ceiling is likely to be hit on a high serve.
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Now, I am enlightened! =)

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How to Play Badminton: The Basics

Each game is played to 21 points, with players scoring a point whenever they win a rally (this differs from the old system, where players could only win a point on their serve). A match is the best of three games.

At the start of the rally, the server and receiver stand in diagonally opposite service courts. The server hits the shuttlecock so that it would land in the receiver's service court. This is similar to tennis, except that a badminton serve must be hit below waist height and with the racquet shaft pointing downwards, the shuttlecock is not allowed to bounce and in badminton, the players stand inside their service courts unlike tennis.

When the serving side loses a rally, the serve passes to their opponent(s) (unlike the old system, there is no "second serve" in doubles).

In singles, the server stands in his right service court when his score is even, and in his left service court when his score is odd.

In doubles, if the serving side wins a rally, the same player continues to serve, but he changes service courts so that he serves to each opponent in turn. If the opponents win the rally and their new score is even, the player in the right service court serves; if odd, the player in the left service court serves. The players' service courts are determined by their positions at the start of the previous rally, not by where they were standing at the end of the rally. A consequence of this system is that, each time a side regains the service, the server will be the player who did not serve last time.

When the server serves, the shuttlecock must pass over the short service line on the opponents' court or it will count as a fault.

If the score reaches 20-all, then the game continues until one side gains a two point lead (such as 24-22), up to a maximum of 30 points (30-29 is a winning score).

At the start of a match, a coin is tossed. The winners of the coin toss may choose whether to serve or receive first, or they may choose which end of the court they wish to occupy. Their opponents make the remaining choice. In less formal settings, the coin toss is often replaced by hitting a shuttlecock into the air: whichever side the corked end points will be the side that serves first.

In subsequent games, the winners of the previous game serve first. These can also be called rubbers. If one team wins a game they play once more and if they win again they win that match, but if they lose they play one more match to find the winning team. For the first rally of any doubles game, the serving pair may decide who serves and the receiving pair may decide who receives. The players change ends at the start of the second game; if the match reaches a third game, they change ends both at the start of the game and when the leading pair's score reaches 11 points.

The server and receiver must remain within their service courts, without touching the boundary lines, until the server strikes the shuttlecock. The other two players may stand wherever they wish, so long as they do not insight the opposing server or receiver.

Players win a rally by striking the shuttlecock over the net and onto the floor within the boundaries of their opponents' court ( Singles: the side tramlines are out, but the back tramline is in. Doubles: the side tramlines are in, but the back tramline is out.). Players also win a rally if their opponents commit a fault. The most common fault in badminton is when the players fail to return the shuttlecock so that it passes over the net and lands inside their opponents' court, but there are also other ways that players may be faulted.

Several faults pertain specifically to service. A serving player shall be faulted if the shuttlecock is above his waist (defined as his lowest rib) at point of contact, or if his racket's head is not pointing downwards at the moment of impact. This particular law was modified in 2006: previously, the server's racket had to be pointing downwards to the extent that the racket head was below the hand holding the racket; and now, any angle below the horizontal is acceptable.

Neither the server nor the receiver may lift a foot until the server has struck the shuttlecock. The server must also initially hit the base (cork) of the shuttlecock, although he may afterwards also hit the feathers as part of the same stroke. This law was introduced to ban an extremely effective service style known as the S-serve or Sidek serve, which allowed the server to make the shuttlecock spin chaotically in flight.[9]

Each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes back over the net; but during a single stroke movement, a player can contact a shuttlecock twice (this happens in some sliced shots). A player may not, however, hit the shuttlecock once and then hit it with a new movement, nor may he carry and sling the shuttlecock on his racket.

It is a fault if the shuttlecock hits the ceiling.

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