BASIC STROKES OF BADMINTON PART 2

We're back guys! Back to share information on the basic strokes! Today I will be covering Net kill, Drive, Lift and Push!

Net kill

The net kill is an offensive shot return at the net. It is performed when an opponent return a net shot to a player, and immediately, the player jump towards the birdie and "tap" it down steeply to the opponent's court. This stroke requires good timing as well as technique. If the player pulls his/her arm too much or the racket head isn't controlled well enough, the birdie won't be tapped down to the opponent court, instead it will land in the net and you will lose a point. The net kill can be performed on the backhand side of the court and the forehand side of the court.

Example of a forehand net kill and how to perform it:

Example of a backhand net kill and how to perform it:

Lift

This stroke is similar to the net lift, where the birdie is being "lifted" high and far towards the back of the opponent court. But the difference is that the lift is performed from the mid court, in response to a smash by an opponent or a push shot. Normally, the grip for this lifting would be a backhand grip when trying to lift an opponent's smash or push shot as the backhand grip gives more power to defend. But the lift can also be performed using the forehand grip.

Example of a forehand lift and how to perform it:

Example of a backhand lift and how to perform it:

Drive

The drive shot is similar to the attacking clear shot, just that this shot is performed from the side of your body and preferably with the birdie in front of you. This shot is also lower(just above net height) and faster, unlike the attacking clear. This shot will push the birdie flat towards the opponent's mid court or back court and if the opponent is unaware, most likely the drive shot is deadly. In my opinion, the drive shot is a kind of smash, but the shuttlecock is flying flat in the air instead of flying steeply down towards the opponent court. The backhand drive is a more advanced stroke, so today, I will only be talking about the forehand drive.

Example of a forehand drive and how to perform it:

Push

The push shot is similar to that of the drive. In my opinion, to earn a point from doing this shot, try aiming at your opponent's shoulder. The push shot can be performed with both the forehand and backhand grip.

Example of a forehand push shot and how to perform it:

Example of a backhand push shot and how to perform it:

Alright readers! We've come to the end of learning of the basic strokes of badminton! We hope you understand and have learn something new, and hopefully, you guys had improved in your games! More information on badminton will be posted here! So stay tuned and continue to support us! Like and spread our facebook page! Thank you!

References: http://www.badminton-information.com/badminton_shots.html

Credits to owners for the videos

Rules and Regulations about Badminton.

Hi fellow readers, today we’ll be bringing you guys the rules and regulations about badminton. Before I move on, there is one particular thing which I would like to highlight. I assume most of you had violated the most common rules such as illegal serving. 

What does illegal serving means? 

It basically refer to contacting the shuttle above the legal height, which is the lowest rib of your rib cage. It usually only affects backhand serves, but forehand serves are certainly not out of the question. 

To address this issue, players can start by finding a partner to monitor your way of serving and ensuring the contact point of the shuttle needs to be below your lowest rib. My suggestion to you guys, practice is the KEY TO SUCCESS. 

*Practices makes perfect*

• Before a match begins, a coin will be toss to determine who gets to serve first or which side of the court they want to be on? (Sometimes shuttlecock will be used as a replacement)

• At any point during the game, players should always ensure that their racket or body does not come in contact with the net. - Physical contact such as touching, could result in a penalty or foul.

• The shuttlecock should not be carried on or come to rest on the racket.

• A serve must be carry cross court (diagonally) to be valid. (Cross over)

• During the serve, a player should not touch any of the lines of the court, until the server strikes the shuttlecock.

• A point is added to a player’s score as and when he wins a rally.

• A player only wins a rally when he strikes the shuttlecock and it landed on the floor of the opponent’s side of the court or when the opponent commits a fault.

• Each side can strike the shuttlecock only once before it passes over the net. Once hit, a player can't strike the shuttlecock in a new movement or shot.

References

http://badminton.isport.com/badminton-guides/common-mistakes-badminton-players-make

http://www.badminton-information.com/rules-of-badminton.html

Behind the Scenes

The story behind Dato Lee Chong Wei

An interview with Lin Dan

Source: Youtube
Credits: To Owners of the Video

Please Stay Tuned For More Updates! Thanks!

BASIC STROKES OF BADMINTON PART 1

In badminton, there are a lot of different basic strokes players can perform from the back of the court, from the mid-court or from the front of the court. Let me tell you what those strokes are

The basic strokes while playing are:
Net shot(Performed from front of the court)
Net Kill(Performed from front of the court)
Net Lift(Performed from front of the court)
Clear(Performed mostly from the back of the court)
Drop(Performed from mid court or back of the court)
Smash(Performed from mid court or back of the court)
Drive(Performed mostly from mid court, but can be from back of the court)
Lift(Performed from mid court)
Push(Performed mostly from mid court)

This are the basic strokes of badminton. But, today, I will only be talking about the 5 most basic strokes, which are Clear, Smash, Drop, Net shot and Net Lift.

Clear(also known as lob)

This stroke is performed by hitting the birdie high and far towards the back of the opponent's court. It can either be a defensive clear or an attacking clear. This stroke can be performed both in the forehand and backhand side of the court but generally, a lot of amateurs would find it easier to perform the clear from the forehand side of the court. For the backhand clear, only advanced to professional players would find it easier to do it. Today, I will only emphasize on the forehand clear.

Example of a defensive clear(normally high and far) and how to perform it:

Example of an attacking clear(normally lower and faster) and how to perform it:

Smash

The smash is an offensive shot that brings the birdie steeply downwards to the opponent court and it can be performed from the mid court or the back of the court. Normally, players executing this stroke at the mid court would tend to use more power than at the back court as when the birdie is  in the middle of the court, players see this as an opportunity to end the rally, thus using more power for the smash in mid court. Players doing a smash at the back of the court tend to emphasize more on bringing the birdie steeply down the opponent court rather than the power they use.

Example of a smash and how to perform it:

Drop

The drop shot is similar to the smash, just that now, the drop shot is slower and does not travel far into the opponent court. Normally, a drop shot that land just before the opponent short service line is considered as a good drop shot. A drop shot can be performed with both the forehand and backhand grip but generally, the forehand drop shot is easier. So today, I will only be emphasizing on the forehand drop shot.

Example of a drop shot and how to perform it:

Net shot

In the world of badminton, professional players like Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan and Peter Gade(Retired) can perform very good net shots. Net shots in badminton is a crucial stroke and it can help one to gain a point easily if it is performed well. The net shot is performed near the net by using a technique to spin the shuttlecock over and dropping the shuttlecock just over the opponent's court, as close to the net as possible. I feel that the net shot is a more advanced stroke as players must control their power well with their fingers and perform the correct technique at the same time. There is the backhand net shot and the forehand net shot.

Example of a forehand net shot and how to perform it: 

Example of a backhand net shot and how to perform it:

Net Lift

The net lift is a stroke that when the opponent perform a net shot to your court, you return the shot by lifting it upwards to the back of the opponent's court. Normally, players can return back a net shot when the opponent performs the net shot. But when players return back a net shot, there is a chance that the opponent can perform a net kill(To be emphasize in part 2) and thus, players will lose a point. So, the net lift is more preferred to be perform when the opponent return a net shot unless players have confidence in returning back a net shot too. There is the forehand and backhand net lift.

Example of a forehand lift and how to perform it:

Example of a backhand net lift and how to perform it:

That's it for the Basic Strokes of Badminton part 1! We hope you have now learn something new! Please comment and continue to support us. Part 2 will be coming soon so stay tuned!

Reference: http://www.badminton-information.com/badminton_shots.html

Credits to the owners for the videos

Major Tournament Highlights

Kenichi Tago V/S Chen Long Semifinals Li-Ning BWF Thomas and Uber Cups 2014

Winner - Kenichi Tago

Lee Chong Wei V/S Kenichi Tago Final Li-Ning BWF Thomas Cup 2014

Winner- Lee Chong Wei

Thomas Cup 2014 - men's singles highlights

Source: youtube.com 

Credits: To owners of the videos

BASIC SERVES OF BADMINTON

There are various types of badminton serves. Mastering the badminton serves is essential to your game as it can determine whether you lose a point or you gain a point.  Badminton serving is the starting of the point. If your an advanced badminton player who is able to execute the basic strokes well, sometimes, the badminton serve can be used as a weapon in the game to help you gain a point.  There are four types of badminton serves and they are called low serve, high serve, flick serve and drive serve.

 LOW SERVE

The purpose of low serve is to get the birdie over to your opponent court just over their short service line.  The low serve is executed by just pushing the birdie gently, getting it over the net just nice and landing it over and near the opponent short service line. It is important that the birdie is crossing low over the net as this could prevent the opponent from actually tapping the birdie over to your court, and hence, losing the point.

The low serve is used in singles and doubles of the game. In doubles, the low serve is more frequently used.

How to perform the low serve:

HIGH SERVE

The high serve is executed by hitting the birdie high and far towards the back of the opponent's service court and it will fall almost vertically downwards. To perform this serve, you must execute it with power. High serves are used frequently in singles but not in doubles as in doubles, if a high serve is performed, most likely the opponent would perform a powerful smash and the player would lose a point quickly. The high serve can only be performed using the forehand grip.

How to perform the high serve:

FLICK SERVE

The flick serve is also played upwards like the high serve, but it is not as powerful and the birdie would not be able to fly higher than the high serve. The flick serve is used to deprive the opponent of time, forcing him into an awkward position and hitting the birdie behind his body, which would require a lot of power from the wrist. Flick serve is used occasionally in both singles and doubles.

How to perform the flick serve:

DRIVE SERVE

The drive serve is played flat and fast towards the back of the opponent's service court. The birdie will pass over the net low, and it will travel flat and fast through the air. The idea of this service is to provoke an immediate reaction. Often, the drive serve can be used to gain a point easily if the opponent's reaction is slow. But in professional levels, players would not use the drive serve as their opponent is fast enough to counter the serve.

How to perform the drive serve:

Reference : http://www.badmintonbible.com/articles/serving-guide/badminton-serve-types.php

Credits to the owners for the videos.

BASIC GRIPS OF HOLDING THE BADMINTON RACKET AND BASIC POSITIONS IN THE COURT

As a badminton player, I believe that holding your racket correctly while playing is the most important thing you need to know. This is because holding your racket correctly will allow you to feel more comfortable when playing, your hand would not be stiff and holding it correctly will allow you to exert more power on your strokes while playing. There are two basic grips of holding the racket, one is the forehand grip, and the other is the backhand grip. First, let's talk about the correct way of holding the forehand grip.

BASIC WAYS OF HOLDING GRIPS

FOREHAND GRIP

From my point of view, holding a forehand grip is easy. Imagine that your shaking hands with a person. Now, shake hands with your racket handle, that's how you are supposed to hold the badminton racket with the forehand grip. As seen from the picture above, a V is supposed to be formed in between your index finger and thumb while using this grip.

The forehand grip is supposed to hit shots on the forehand side of your body and overhead shots. For example, if you are right-handed, your forehand side is on the right side of the court. To exert more force while hitting the birdie, hold the racket loosely in your fingers first and just before hitting the birdie, hold it tightly before that moment and hit the shuttle. Holding your racket loosely will improve the flexibility and allowing one to hit the shot more powerful and more accurately.

From my point of view, I believe that the forehand grip should be hold in the middle of the racket handle, but I believe that everybody have their own preference to choose whether they want to hold it nearer to the shaft, in the middle or further away.

BACKHAND GRIP

Holding the backhand grip is a bit complex. On the handle of the badminton racket, there is the narrow part and the wide part. In my opinion, there are 2 ways to hold the backhand grip, one is to place your thumb on the wider part of the handle and your thumb is facing towards the racket face, making the racket face parallel towards the ground(As shown in the picture). The another way is to place your thumb in between the wide and narrow part of the handle(Not shown). For me, I use both ways depending on where the birdie is coming towards me.

Similarly, the backhand grip is used to hit the backhand side of your body in the badminton court. Example, if you are right-handed, your backhand side would be the left hand side of the court. Before hitting the birdie, you should always loosen your fingers to create more power just before hitting as the force comes from the sudden tight grab of the badminton racket just before hitting the birdie.

From my point of view, I would normally hold the backhand grip nearer to the shaft as I feel that I can hit the birdie with my power like this and as I have said, everybody have their own preference of holding the grip.

POSITIONS

I believe that there are three positions while playing in the court, one is the forehand position, another is the backhand position and the last one is the overhead position.

FOREHAND POSITION

Above shows a player hitting the birdie in the forehand position. The body is supposed to be facing towards the net. There are different kinds of footwork as to reach the forehand position but I'm not going to discuss about it.

BACKHAND POSITION

This picture shows Lee Chong Wei in the backhand position, playing with his all-time rival, Lin Dan. While executing the backhand shots, being in the backhand position, one is not able to see their opponent movements as the body and face is facing away from the net.

OVERHEAD POSITION

The overhead position is in my opinion, is the hardest to get in to. To be in the overhead position, one must have very good core strength and needs to be fast in their footwork. The overhead position is playing the forehand in one's backhand side of the court. As shown above, the player is actually a right-hander but is able to execute a forehand stroke on her backhand side. This is known as the overhead position.

To end it off, I believe that holding the racket correctly is having a good head start in the game and learning about all this 3 positions is essential for a badminton player's knowledge. But, although a player may have known the basics, but other factors like footwork and your strokes play a part in the game. In order to be good, one must train and put in the effort and heart to improve his/her skills in Badminton.

Reference : My knowledge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badminton

http://www.badminton-information.com/badminton_grip.html

Credits to the owners for the photos.

5 interesting facts about badminton

Hi fellow readers, we’re back! And today we’ll be bringing you guys 5 interesting facts about badminton. Are you guys ready? Here we go!

1^st interesting facts

A single shuttlecock requires sixteen overlapping feathers.

2^nd  interesting facts

Shuttlecock were divided into category of grading. The best shuttlecock (Grade 1) actually comes from a goose. While the second grade shuttlecock are made from duck wing feathers, both mainly from the left wing only. The reason why goose feathers were so popular among players was because the feathers are thicker which is more durable as compared to the duck feathers which was soft and mechanically weaker. The goose feather comes from different regions in china, but the best ones come from the northeast region because the feathers are thicker due to colder weather.

3^rd interesting facts

Shortest match ever in history made by Ra Kyung-min a female badminton player from South Korea, took just 6 minutes to defeat her opponent Julia Mann female player from England (UK) during the 1996 Uber cup held in Hong Kong on May 19.

Scoreboard for Women’s Singles
Players name:	Ra Kyung-min	To	Julia Mann
Scores:	11		2
	11		1
Total	22		3

Longest match ever in history was made by Peter Rasmussen from Denmark and Sun Jun from China for the men’s single final at the World Championship held at Glasgow, Strathclyde, UK  on June 1, 1997, where the entire game lasted 124 minutes which is equivalent to 2 Hours and 4 Mins when Peter Rasmussen finally overcome his opponent Sun Jun. 

Scoreboard for Men’s Singles
Players name:	Peter Rasmussen	To	Sun Jun
Scores:	16		17
	18		13
	15		10
Total	49		40

4^th interesting facts

Badminton is officially the fastest racquet sports worldwide, as the shuttle is smashed around the court at the speeds of up to 180(mph) miles per hour – the same speed as Eurostar!

5^th interesting facts

The world’s largest shuttlecock is 18 feet tall and weighs 2,500kg. It is located on the Kansas City Museum’s lawn and is 48 times bigger than a real shuttlecock.

References 
http://www.badminton-information.com/undeniable-facts-of-badminton.html
http://www.ehow.com/list_7504177_feathers-shuttlecocks-made.html
http://badmintonmap.com/shuttle.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuttlecock
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-18350.html
http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-14764.html
http://s9.zetaboards.com/Badminton_Firebirds/topic/116991/1/
http://www.softschools.com/facts/sports/badminton_facts/788/

For that we've come to the end of the “5 Interesting facts about Badminton”.

Stay tune for more updates!!! J

General News and Latest Insights

Lin Dan returns to the badminton scene

Lin Dan

He’s back! Five-times Yonex All England Open champion Lin Dan has won his first Superseries title since his 2012 triumph in Birmingham.

The 30-year-old Chinese former world number one defeated Indonesia’s Singapore Open winner Simon Santoso 22-24 21-16 21-17 in a 75-minute duel to win the Australian Open. The win will push Lin Dan towards the world’s top eight sooner than the year-end goal that he set himself and the hints are that the Asian Games are his next target at the end of September, especially as he is unable to participate for the Li-Ning World Championships in Copenhagen in August despite being the 2013 champion.

Lin Dan was ranked as low as 104 after his latest “rest period” following his world title in Guangzhou last summer. He had played just a handful of tournaments between the Olympics in 2012 and the 2013 worlds. His latest comeback started with victories at the China Masters and the Badminton Asia Championships before playing in the Thomas Cup finals. Reaching the last eight of his first Super series event at the Japan Open earlier this month when he reached the quarter-finals. He was in position 22 after entering the Sydney tournament but now a return to the elite top 10 is within range. Lin Dan won his first All England title in 2004 when he beat Denmark’s Peter Gade in the final. However losing to team-mate Chen Hong in 2005, defeated Lee Hyun-ll of Korea and Chen Yu in 2006 and 2007, lost to Chen Jin in 2008 and defeated his all-time rival Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in 2009.

The Malaysian turned the tables in 2011 before Lin Dan defeated him in the 2012 final when Chong Wei retired through injury at a game and 6-2 down. Now that the man is back, wouldn’t All England fans love to see Lin Dan renew his enduring rivalry with this year’s champion Chong Wei one more time in 2015?A rematch between the two would be a perfect way to celebrate the first All England at the National Indoor Arena since its major facelift. So stay tuned!

All England champions named BWF Players of the Year

Reigning All England champion Lee Chong Wei joins 2012 winner Xuerui Li in being crowned 2013 Players of the year at a BWF Awards Ceremony. Although not participating in the 2013 All England Open final, Chong Wei Has won seven Super Series titles last year to claim Player of the Year for his fourth time. He topped the shortlist featuring 2013 All England champion Chen Long, fiver-time winner Lin Dan and reigning men’s doubles champions, Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan from Indonesia.

Japan stun China in Thomas Cup 2014

Japan’s men’s team defeating the defending champions of China 3-0 in the Thomas Cup Semi-Finals. Kenichi Tago started the win by taking down World number two Chen Long, 21-13 and 21-11. Followed by his teammates Kenichi Hayakawa and Hiroyuki Endo being victorious in the doubles event, beating Chai Biao and Hong wei, 22-20 and 21-19. Lastly, Kento Momota secured a place in the finals beating Du Peng Yu, 23-25, 21-18 and 21-14 win. With this, China’s Men’s team failed to reach their first Thomas Cup final for the first time since 2002.

Credits to: http://www.allenglandbadminton.com

BASIC EQUIPMENTS TO PLAY BADMINTON

Basic necessary equipment:

1. Badminton court (Preferably indoors) with a Badminton net
2. Badminton grips and strings
3. Badminton Racket
4. Shuttlecocks                   
5. Badminton Shoes

Badminton Court and Net

Official Badminton Court

The badminton court is rectangular and divided into halves by a badminton net. The width of the court is 6.1 meters and the length of the court is 13.4 meters. Divided into half, a net is tied to 2 posts that is 1.55 meters in height from the surface of the court but 1.524 meters high in the center of the court. The net is dark-colored and the thickness of the mesh must not be less than 15mm and more than 20mm. The net shall be 7.6cm in depth and at least 6.1 meters wide(since the width of the court is 6.1 meters.) . The top of the net is edged with a 75mm white cloth. The posts that the net is tied to must be placed outside of the court.

Badminton Rackets

Wilson Badminton Racket

There are many different brands of Badminton equipment like Yonex, Li-ning and Victor. Badminton rackets are light-weight and better quality rackets weigh between 70grams to 95grams not including the grips or strings. Badminton rackets nowadays are made from carbon fibers composite, solid steels, carbon nano tubes and fullerene in order to make better rackets. In the past, badminton rackets were made from light metals such as aluminium and even earlier, they were made from wood. Cheap rackets are often made from steel and it will feel heavier than better quality rackets. Wooden rackets are no longer manufactured in the market. There are a wide variety of badminton rackets designs that customers can choose from and different rackets have playing characteristics that appeal to different players.(For example. One of the newest racquet Voltric Z-Force ll is made for one of the best players in the world, Lee Chong Wei, and this racket is suitable for players that attack(smash) a lot when playing.) .

Shuttlecocks

Shuttlecocks

The badminton shuttlecocks are often called in short form, a shuttle or it can also be called a birdie. The birdie is an open conical shape; and each badminton shuttlecock is made up of 16 feathers overlapping one another and embedded into a round cork base. The cork is covered with a thin leather or synthetic material. There is also another type of shuttlecock that is made from nylon. It is constructed with either natural cork or synthetic foam base and a plastic skirt. The reason people uses nylon shuttlecocks is to save cost as feathered shuttlecocks breaks easily. The best shuttlecocks are made from the feathers from the left wing of a goose. The length of the shuttlecock is between 62mm and 70mm, weighing between 4.74grams and 5.50grams. Shuttlecocks are graded by their speed, and their speed will be affected by the weather, altitude and the temperature of surroundings. The birdie will fly faster in a hot environment, and slower in a cooler environment. A badminton tube(used to place the shuttlecocks), normally consists of 12 birdies, or more or less, depending on the size of the tube.

Badminton Shoes

Badminton shoe

Badminton shoes are light-weight with soles of rubber or similar high-grip, non-marking material. Badminton shoes have little lateral support as compared to general running shoes. The reason is because badminton players often play with explosive movements and a highly built-up lateral support won't be able to protect the foot while playing badminton and instead, it will encourage catastrophic collapse at the point the shoe's support fails and since the player's ankles are not ready for sudden loading, sprains may occur. Proper badminton shoes will have very thin sole, lower a person's center of gravity and thus resulting lesser injuries. So Badminton players are encouraged to choose a badminton shoes over a running shoes while playing badminton.

Badminton grips and strings

Ashaway Grips

Different type of badminton grip materials(towel and PU synthetic) and badminton strings.

There are two types of badminton grips, replacement grips and over grips. Replacement grips are often thicker and used to increase the size of badminton racket handles. Over grips are much thinner (less than 1mm), and are often used as a final layer. The two different materials of the grips are towel grips and PU synthetic grips. Choosing the grip material is a player's preference as often, sweat becomes a problem for players, thus, players would choose towel grips over PU synthetic ones. For players who does not mind the sweat would often use PU synthetic grip. Me personally would prefer to use the towel grips as I have sweaty palms and towel grips enable me to hold firmly to the handle without slipping it.

Badminton strings are thin, high-performing strings in the range of thickness between 0.62 to 0.73mm thick. Thicker strings are more durable than thinner ones. String tensions are normally in the range of between 18pounds to 36pounds. Similarly to the badminton grips, to choose the right string tension for a player, they must first try different tensions in order to find one that they think it is suitable for them. There are different kind of brands of badminton strings and the thickness of the strings will vary depending on the brand or the type. For example, the Yonex BG-66 string have a high-repulsion power and a medium feeling with thickness of 0.66mm but the Yonex BG-65 string is durable and have a soft feeling with thickness of 0.70mm.

Credits :

http://www.yonex.com/products/badminton/string/strings/bg65/
http://www.yonex.com/products/badminton/string/strings/bg66/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badminton
http://www.badminton-information.com/shuttlecock.html
http://www.badminton-information.com/badminton-court.html