KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 (Bernama) -- The emergence of the Formula One (F1) team from Malaysia, the inconsistent performance of the country's elite athletes for the London Olympics and the success of the Malaysian contingent at the recent SEA Games in Laos made headlines in the country's sports scene in 2009.
Although the year began with the spread of Influenza A(H1N1), resulting in many sports tournaments, locally and abroad, to be cancelled or postponed, the pandemic was contained in Malaysia and this enabled the sports activities for the year to be carried out as planned.
The announcement on the formation of the Malaysia F1 team, the Lotus Racing Team, sponsored by three corporate figures -- Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and S.M. Nasarudin S.M. Nasimuddin - through the establishment of 1Malaysia Racing Team Sdn Bhd (1MRT), made front-page headlines in all newspapers in Malaysia in September.
The Lotus Racing Team's entry as the 13th team on the F1 grid, as confirmed by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), will make its first appearance at the Bahrain Circuit in March.
Malaysia's involvement, previously, was through the national petroleum company, Petronas, as a partner in the Sauber Petronas and BMW Sauber teams.
The first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Sports Development held in September and chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, announced an allocation of RM16 million for 2009-2012 for the "Road to London 2012" programme.
Nineteen national athletes are being trained under the programme with the aim of bringing Malaysia's first Olympic gold from the London Games.
Early this year, Malaysia pinned its gold medal hopes on cycling and badminton at the London Olympics, but the hopes were dashed at the end of this season with their dismal performance and the excuse given was that the athletes were tired from taking part in one competition after another.
In cycling, especially the track event, the hope was on Terengganu's Azizulhasni Awang, who won two silver medals in the 200m sprint at the World Track Championship in Poland in March and then two gold medals in the same event at the Asia Cycling Championship in Kalimantan, Indonesia, in August.
His best achievement was winning the Grand Prix Medellin in Colombia in October, defeating world champion Gregory Bauge from France.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek was full of praise for the young cyclist, regarding him as Malaysia's "golden boy".
However, Azizulhasni, 21, did not perform as expected at the UCI Track World Cup in Manchester, England and in Melbourne, both held in November, as he was tired and had to also give time to his studies at Deakin University, Melbourne.
The cyclist, nicknamed Pocketrocketman by the foreign media, won a bronze in the Keirin event in Manchester and silver in the same event in Melbourne.
Badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei continues to be world number one men's singles shuttler, winning the super series championships this year - the Indonesia, Switzerland, Malaysia and Hong Kong Open and the World Super Series in Johor Baharu in early December.
He also won the Grand Prix in Malaysia and Macau. But he did not compete in the 25th SEA Games in Laos, giving fatigue as the reason.
National doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong were back in the top ranking of the World Badminton Federation in early November.
Malaysia is also hoping for gold at the London Olympics in the diving event through Leong Mun Yee and Pandelela Rinong, who won a bronze medal in the World Championship in Rome in June.
For the SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos from Dec 9 to 18, Malaysia sent 348 athletes and 120 officials and they surpassed the 35-medal target by bringing home 40 gold, 40 silver and 59 bronze medals.
Although most of the gold, totaling 15, came from the aquatic events, the one gold medal that Malaysia had been waiting for 20 years was won by the national men's Under-23 football team.
The team, coach by K.Rajagobal, defeated Vietnam 1-0, a victory which could indicate the return of the glory days of Malaysian football.
Malaysia took part in 21 of the 25 sports events at the SEA Games. They were aquatics (swimming, diving), archery, track and field, badminton, snooker & billiard, boxing, cycling, football, golf, judo, karate, silat, petanque, sepak takraw, shooting, ping-pong, tennis, volleyball, weight-lifting, wushu and taekwondo.
It did not take part in four events - soft tennis, wrestling, muay thai and shuttle jiggling.
Malaysia will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Bath in Britain in February next year to enable Malaysian athletes for the 2012 Olympic Games in London to train there.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Lin Dan
Lin Dan born October 14, 1983 in Longyan, Fujian) is the current dominant player of world badminton from China, his ethnicity belongs to the Hakka ancestry. He has been nicknamed "Super Dan" by his fans. Lin won the men's singles gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
He is the only player in badminton history to have won three singles world championship titles having done so consecutively in 2006, 2007, and 2009. He currently has a romantic relationship with fellow Chinese badminton player Xie Xingfang.
Lin became one of the dominant players of men's singles, winning nine top tier international championships between 2002 and 2004. In a surprise loss, he was eliminated as the no.1 seed in the first round of the badminton men's singles in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. However, he has continued his dominance in international tournaments and has been continuously ranked number one in the world since early 2004, except for a very brief period of time in 2006 when Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia overtook him.
Among the tournaments Lin Dan have won are the All-England Open (2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009), the BWF World Championships (2006, 2007 and 2009), and the Olympic Games (2008). He has helped China win three consecutive Thomas Cup (men's world team) championships in 2004, 2006, and 2008 and has also been a major contributor to Chinese teams which won the Sudirman Cup (combined men's and women's team championship) in 2005, 2007 and 2009.
Lin Dan is a left-handed player whose most defining characteristic is his ability to attack with fast smashes at steep angles. He combines quick movements around the court with the ability to maintain long aggressive rallies to win the majority of his matches. He relies on diving to retrieve his opponents attacking shots with an exceptionally fast recovery. His well built physique helps him to produce powerful straight and cross court jump smashes, and his fast penetrating footwork makes him one of the toughest active badminton players in the open circuit. At one time he was criticized for a lack of precision or refinement, especially when compared to competitors such as Taufik Hidayat and Peter Gade. However, Lin now occasionally uses deceiving wrist movements and employs a wider variety of shots, developing into a more complete player.
He is the only player in badminton history to have won three singles world championship titles having done so consecutively in 2006, 2007, and 2009. He currently has a romantic relationship with fellow Chinese badminton player Xie Xingfang.
Lin became one of the dominant players of men's singles, winning nine top tier international championships between 2002 and 2004. In a surprise loss, he was eliminated as the no.1 seed in the first round of the badminton men's singles in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. However, he has continued his dominance in international tournaments and has been continuously ranked number one in the world since early 2004, except for a very brief period of time in 2006 when Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia overtook him.
Among the tournaments Lin Dan have won are the All-England Open (2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009), the BWF World Championships (2006, 2007 and 2009), and the Olympic Games (2008). He has helped China win three consecutive Thomas Cup (men's world team) championships in 2004, 2006, and 2008 and has also been a major contributor to Chinese teams which won the Sudirman Cup (combined men's and women's team championship) in 2005, 2007 and 2009.
Lin Dan is a left-handed player whose most defining characteristic is his ability to attack with fast smashes at steep angles. He combines quick movements around the court with the ability to maintain long aggressive rallies to win the majority of his matches. He relies on diving to retrieve his opponents attacking shots with an exceptionally fast recovery. His well built physique helps him to produce powerful straight and cross court jump smashes, and his fast penetrating footwork makes him one of the toughest active badminton players in the open circuit. At one time he was criticized for a lack of precision or refinement, especially when compared to competitors such as Taufik Hidayat and Peter Gade. However, Lin now occasionally uses deceiving wrist movements and employs a wider variety of shots, developing into a more complete player.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
East Asian Games Results
A big team, including 97 sports’ athletes from Mongolia has participated in the events of Badminton, Bowling, Cycling, Judo, Shooting, Weightlifting, Wushu Sanshou, Table-tennis, Tennis, Cue Sports and Taekwondo at the Fifth East Asian Games 2009.
Mongolian Taekwondo athlete N.Erdenebaatar won a silver medal in the men’s 67kg event; Kim Eung hyun from South Korea took the gold medal; Chen Jiande from China and Lo Tsubg Jui from Taipei received bronze medals in the event.
D.Lkhagvadorj from Mongolia won a gold medal in the men’s 58kg’s event and B.Tuyasaikhan took a bronze medal in the women’s 59kg event; Lim Chulho from South Korea won the gold medal and Chan Yi Chieh from Taipei took the silver medal and Xu Yong Zeng from China received a bronze medal in the competition.
Wizard of Mongolia, B.Tuyasaikhan and Wu Qiong from China grabbed bronze medals in the women’s 59kg event.
Tseng Pei-Hua from Taipei won a gold medal and Lee Sung Hye from South Korea was awarded a silver medal in the event.
Mongolia ranked seventh overall and China placed first in the competition on December 7, 2009.
The 5th East Asian Games will continue to be held in Hong Kong from December 5 to 13 2009. Around 2,300 elite athletes have competed for 262 package medals in 22 sporting events, making it the largest international multi-sport event ever held in Hong Kong.
Mongolian Taekwondo athlete N.Erdenebaatar won a silver medal in the men’s 67kg event; Kim Eung hyun from South Korea took the gold medal; Chen Jiande from China and Lo Tsubg Jui from Taipei received bronze medals in the event.
D.Lkhagvadorj from Mongolia won a gold medal in the men’s 58kg’s event and B.Tuyasaikhan took a bronze medal in the women’s 59kg event; Lim Chulho from South Korea won the gold medal and Chan Yi Chieh from Taipei took the silver medal and Xu Yong Zeng from China received a bronze medal in the competition.
Wizard of Mongolia, B.Tuyasaikhan and Wu Qiong from China grabbed bronze medals in the women’s 59kg event.
Tseng Pei-Hua from Taipei won a gold medal and Lee Sung Hye from South Korea was awarded a silver medal in the event.
Mongolia ranked seventh overall and China placed first in the competition on December 7, 2009.
The 5th East Asian Games will continue to be held in Hong Kong from December 5 to 13 2009. Around 2,300 elite athletes have competed for 262 package medals in 22 sporting events, making it the largest international multi-sport event ever held in Hong Kong.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Koo-Tan need to tighten defence to beat Koreans
PETALING JAYA: Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong will have to work on their defensive aspects of play if they harbour hopes of making a successful defence of the men’s doubles title in the Super Series Masters Finals, which will be played in Johor Baru from Dec 2-6.
The world No. 1 failed in their bid to become the first Malaysian pair to win a China Open men’s doubles title when they lost to world No. 2 Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae of South Korea in the final in Shanghai on Sunday. The battling Koreans won the 76-minute match 21-13, 19-21, 21-18.
Despite the defeat, Kien Keat-Boon Heong will remain as the top ranked pair in the world until the new season begins in January.
The duo still have two tournaments left to play this year. After the Masters Finals, they will feature in the Laos SEA Games.
And national doubles coach Rosman Razak said that Kien Keat-Boon Heong would have to strengthen their defence in the Masters Finals.
“They can expect to play against the Koreans for the Masters Finals title. Koo-Tan will have to more solid in defence apart from maintaining their attacking pace,” he said.
“The Korean pair showed (in the China Open) that they were much better in defence and at times could retrieve more than 10 consecutive shots.
“The good thing is Boon Heong is showing greater determination and does not get frustrated when he fails to kill a rally with his powerful smashes. It’s good for their partnership as they must try to maintain their attacking pace even when things are not going their way.”
Although Kien Keat-Boon Heong failed to get the better of Jae-sung-Yong-dae in Shanghai, Rosman felt that the situation should be different in Johor Baru.
“The shuttle was a bit slow in Shanghai but I think it will be different if this element is taken care of,” he said.
“For Koo-Tan, their recovery is more important as it has been a hectic schedule over the last two months for them, competing in four straight Super Series tournaments (Denmark, French, Hong Kong and China). Overall, they did well to reach three finals and winning one of them.”
Kien Keat-Boon Heong won in Denmark, beating Danes Carsten Mogensen-Mathias Boe but fell to Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the French Open. They lost to compatriots Lee Wan Wah-Choong Tan Fook in the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open.
The world No. 1 failed in their bid to become the first Malaysian pair to win a China Open men’s doubles title when they lost to world No. 2 Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae of South Korea in the final in Shanghai on Sunday. The battling Koreans won the 76-minute match 21-13, 19-21, 21-18.
Despite the defeat, Kien Keat-Boon Heong will remain as the top ranked pair in the world until the new season begins in January.
The duo still have two tournaments left to play this year. After the Masters Finals, they will feature in the Laos SEA Games.
And national doubles coach Rosman Razak said that Kien Keat-Boon Heong would have to strengthen their defence in the Masters Finals.
“They can expect to play against the Koreans for the Masters Finals title. Koo-Tan will have to more solid in defence apart from maintaining their attacking pace,” he said.
“The Korean pair showed (in the China Open) that they were much better in defence and at times could retrieve more than 10 consecutive shots.
“The good thing is Boon Heong is showing greater determination and does not get frustrated when he fails to kill a rally with his powerful smashes. It’s good for their partnership as they must try to maintain their attacking pace even when things are not going their way.”
Although Kien Keat-Boon Heong failed to get the better of Jae-sung-Yong-dae in Shanghai, Rosman felt that the situation should be different in Johor Baru.
“The shuttle was a bit slow in Shanghai but I think it will be different if this element is taken care of,” he said.
“For Koo-Tan, their recovery is more important as it has been a hectic schedule over the last two months for them, competing in four straight Super Series tournaments (Denmark, French, Hong Kong and China). Overall, they did well to reach three finals and winning one of them.”
Kien Keat-Boon Heong won in Denmark, beating Danes Carsten Mogensen-Mathias Boe but fell to Olympic champions Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the French Open. They lost to compatriots Lee Wan Wah-Choong Tan Fook in the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Xie vows to stand by her man in retirement
SHANGHAI: After competing alongside her star boyfriend, Lin Dan, on the badminton court, China's former women's singles world No 1 Xie Xingfang has decided to support her sweetheart in another way in retirement - by getting behind him.
"In retirement I want to live a real ordinary life I want to be the woman that cooks soup for Lin," said the 28-year-old Xie, who officially announced her retirement on Sunday.
"When both of us were athletes, he always took time to watch my matches and made suggestions.
"Now that I am retired, he can focus on his own play."
On the final day of the China Open on Sunday in Shanghai, the Chinese badminton national team held a farewell ceremony for Xie and women's doubles player Zhao Tingting, marking the official retirement of the two world champions.
Less than two hours later, Lin beat Jan Jorgensen of Denmark to defend his men's singles title. That was his fourth title at the tournament, making him the most successful player in the event's history.
Xie did not compete at the event where she won the women's singles title in 2004. However, she was in the stands cheering for Lin throughout the tournament.
Xie appears comfortable leaving the game she took up at the age of seven.
"It took a long time for me to make the retirement decision. So when it came, I did not feel emotional."
She is now looking forward to life after retirement.
"Now Lin Dan's job is to earn money and I am responsible for spending it," Xie said.
"I have tried different cuisine while competing around the world and I have always wanted to learn cooking.
"Continuing to study has always been my dream as well and the most important thing is to learn English.
"Lin also wants to learn English but he won't have much time to study before the London Games. So, I want to learn first and be his interpreter."
The Xie-Lin romance came to light at the 2004 Thomas Cup when the media caught them kissing.
Since then they have become comfortable with the attention on and off the court. They have appeared courtside at each other's matches and have posed together for fashion magazines. At the 2007 All-England Open, where both claimed the singles titles, Lin presented Xie with a bunch of roses and a kiss at the awards ceremony.
Lin, the undisputed king of the men's badminton, said he understood his girlfriend's decision.
"Now, the most important thing for Xie is to start her second stage of life," Lin said. "We should give her some time to decide what she wants to do..
"As her teammate and boyfriend I am very happy that there are lots of people to support her. I also hope her fans will support her like before."
People close to the couple expect to hear wedding bells soon but the pair has declined to comment on that matter.
Although declaring she has no set plans in retirement, Xie, a Guangdong native, has joined the Guangzhou Asian Games organizing committee. She also said she might consider playing in the Chinese Badminton League.
"I have a deep love of sports, so I may continue to support sports in retirement," Xie said.
Her contribution to badminton was praised by her coach.
"I didn't want her to retire as she is still such a good player but I can understand her choice as she is about to turn to 30," said Li Yongbo, head coach of the Chinese national team. "I hope she does well in the future and I will always support her and give her help when she needs it."
"In retirement I want to live a real ordinary life I want to be the woman that cooks soup for Lin," said the 28-year-old Xie, who officially announced her retirement on Sunday.
"When both of us were athletes, he always took time to watch my matches and made suggestions.
"Now that I am retired, he can focus on his own play."
On the final day of the China Open on Sunday in Shanghai, the Chinese badminton national team held a farewell ceremony for Xie and women's doubles player Zhao Tingting, marking the official retirement of the two world champions.
Less than two hours later, Lin beat Jan Jorgensen of Denmark to defend his men's singles title. That was his fourth title at the tournament, making him the most successful player in the event's history.
Xie did not compete at the event where she won the women's singles title in 2004. However, she was in the stands cheering for Lin throughout the tournament.
Xie appears comfortable leaving the game she took up at the age of seven.
"It took a long time for me to make the retirement decision. So when it came, I did not feel emotional."
She is now looking forward to life after retirement.
"Now Lin Dan's job is to earn money and I am responsible for spending it," Xie said.
"I have tried different cuisine while competing around the world and I have always wanted to learn cooking.
"Continuing to study has always been my dream as well and the most important thing is to learn English.
"Lin also wants to learn English but he won't have much time to study before the London Games. So, I want to learn first and be his interpreter."
The Xie-Lin romance came to light at the 2004 Thomas Cup when the media caught them kissing.
Since then they have become comfortable with the attention on and off the court. They have appeared courtside at each other's matches and have posed together for fashion magazines. At the 2007 All-England Open, where both claimed the singles titles, Lin presented Xie with a bunch of roses and a kiss at the awards ceremony.
Lin, the undisputed king of the men's badminton, said he understood his girlfriend's decision.
"Now, the most important thing for Xie is to start her second stage of life," Lin said. "We should give her some time to decide what she wants to do..
"As her teammate and boyfriend I am very happy that there are lots of people to support her. I also hope her fans will support her like before."
People close to the couple expect to hear wedding bells soon but the pair has declined to comment on that matter.
Although declaring she has no set plans in retirement, Xie, a Guangdong native, has joined the Guangzhou Asian Games organizing committee. She also said she might consider playing in the Chinese Badminton League.
"I have a deep love of sports, so I may continue to support sports in retirement," Xie said.
Her contribution to badminton was praised by her coach.
"I didn't want her to retire as she is still such a good player but I can understand her choice as she is about to turn to 30," said Li Yongbo, head coach of the Chinese national team. "I hope she does well in the future and I will always support her and give her help when she needs it."
Sunday, November 8, 2009
BWF WORLD SUPER SERIES - YONEX FRENCH OPEN: China's top guns make a return
With the recent ending of the Denmark Open in Odense, the badminton caravan is now flying to Paris for the second leg of the European Super Series. With the whole team of China back in the loop, only Lee Chong Wei and the Koreans are missing.
Usually, Asians either travel to both European events, or none. This time, after their National Games, most of the Chinese shuttlers had withdrawn from the Denmark Open – a shame considering the quality of the organization.
But the French organizers can be reassured – the whole Chinese team is already in Paris, ready to take on the other best shuttlers in the world.
The men’s singles will have a very strong line up in spite of the absence of the 2007 champion Lee Chong Wei, who is still undergoing treatment in Malaysia after his knee injury became more troublesome in the recent Yonex Japan Open. FrenchOpen-wanglin
Top seed will then be Lin Dan, a spot he’s had left for quite some time in spite of his Olympic Gold medal – the Chinese, having played a lot less tournaments than his direct rivals had slipped down the ranking.
This time, the Chinese will hope to shine in an event he’s never won, having skipped 2008 and beaten in 2007’s semi-finals by Bao Chunlai. After having scooped a second National Games title in Qindao last week, Lin Dan might have to start the tournament on a high note : he could be playing Anup Shridar or Anand Pawar from India, who are to play against each other in the qualifying – unless Ireland’s Scott Evans or Sweden’s Henri Hurskainen pull an upset on Tuesday.
The Chinese would then probably face Hans Kristian Vinttinghus of Denmark “I hope he shows up and if he does, I’d absolutely would love to play and beat him,” said Vitthingus, before adding : “ but I will be aware of my first round against qualifying player as there is no easy rounds in Super Series”. Lin Dan could then meet Joachim Persson in the quarter – if Simon Santoso allows that to happen, while Chen Jin and Wong Choong Hann are set to play each other in the other quarter-final. Chen, however, will take on last week’s Hero, Marc Zwiebler, in his first round.
The lower part of the draw will be quite interesting as well. With Peter Gade as second seed and Jan Jorgensen as a potential opponent for the great Dane, giving Gade the perfect opportunity to avenge his defeat in Odense last week.
No easy path, then for the great Dane. And, also, in the semi final, awaits the shadow of Taufik HIdayat, which could be a rematch of last’s year final, where Hidayat had blamed a blister on his foot for his last game loss. Taufik has the easiest draw in theory, with Hafiz, Chan Yan Kit and Chen Long in his part, who are good shuttlers on paper, but who have failed to prove much on the court lately. FrenchOpen-markis-hendra
In the women’s singles, Pi Hongyan will be hoping to shine in front of her home crowd, as she had in 2007 when she had reached the final, bowing only to Xie Xingfang in the final. This time, no Xie, No Zhang Ning to get in her way, but just herself as she 30 year old has been feeling in a poor form.
And her draw could see her play Eriko Hirose as the Japanese has to go through qualifying to make it to the main draw in spite of her recent semi-finals in Japan and Denmark. China’s Wang Lin and Wang Yihan will be eager to shine, with the former coming from Qindao with a golden medal around her neck after she was crowned in her home National Games.
Wang Lin will take on Japan’s new rising star Sayaka Sato in the first round to hope for a quarter final revenge against Saina Nehwal, who had beaten her in Indonesia this year. Wang Yihan is seeded third and has no easy task as she is to play her younger compatriot Wang Xin as early as the first round before a potential quarter final against the world Champion Lu Lan.
The men’s doubles draw looks pretty much the same as last week in Denmark with one extra adding – not the least- China’s Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng. The Olympic silver medalists are back together after having split last year in the French Open, and once again few weeks ago when they represented their provinces in the China National Games.
Cai Yun had beaten his partner Fu in the men’s doubles final, but their reunification for the event held in Paris could be bad news for their opponents, who didn’t look in their best forms – except Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen and Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong. FrenchOpen-rytter-frier
Top seeds Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan are on for two rounds against Japanese pairs probably, while the highlight of the first rounds will be a match between 5th seeds Fairuzizuan/Abdul Latif and the newer Indonesian pair of Yonathan Dasuki and Rian Sukmawan.
Even when they sent only one scratch pair, China dominated the women’s doubles in Denmark last week, with Pan Pan and Zhang Yawen crowned champions in Odense. This week in Paris, three other pairs – better on paper – will be entering the draw – no good news for the rest of the world. Especially since the Koreans have not entered, it might be an all China affair, with the draw giving only one quarter left without a Chinese pair – a part of the draw which could see Lena Frier Kristiansen/Kamilla Rytter Juhl (for their last tournament together), Greysia Polii/Maheswari or Japan’s Miyuki Maeda/Satoko Suetsuna come on top.
Malaysia’s Chin and Wong are top seed and start with a Bye but can expect a tough fight from Ma Jin and Wang Xiaoli as early as the quarters. Olympic Champions Du Jing and Yu Yang might have to play their compatriots Zhang and Pan in the quarters while Cheng Shu and Zhao Yunlei are promised a semi final spot in the lower part of the draw.
The mixed double event should be quite open. If Korea’s Lee Young Dae and Lee Hyo Jung are missing, and the duo of Thomas Laybourn/Juhl probably to skip as well unless Laybourn’s knee recovered fasters than expected, all other top pairs are in the draw. China’s Zheng Bo and Ma Jin are back on top of the draw, with Antony Clark and Donna Kellogg as second rounds potential opponents.
Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir of Indonesia are second seeds with qualifiers for a start, who could be Koo Kien Keat and Wong Pei Tty. They are set to meet up with Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen for another world championship rematch in the semis. The Danish will be all fired up after their success in Denmark this Sunday. They’ll have to go past He Hanbin and Yu Yang first, in the quarters as the Beijing bronze medalist stand in their way as 5th seeds.
edit post
Usually, Asians either travel to both European events, or none. This time, after their National Games, most of the Chinese shuttlers had withdrawn from the Denmark Open – a shame considering the quality of the organization.
But the French organizers can be reassured – the whole Chinese team is already in Paris, ready to take on the other best shuttlers in the world.
The men’s singles will have a very strong line up in spite of the absence of the 2007 champion Lee Chong Wei, who is still undergoing treatment in Malaysia after his knee injury became more troublesome in the recent Yonex Japan Open. FrenchOpen-wanglin
Top seed will then be Lin Dan, a spot he’s had left for quite some time in spite of his Olympic Gold medal – the Chinese, having played a lot less tournaments than his direct rivals had slipped down the ranking.
This time, the Chinese will hope to shine in an event he’s never won, having skipped 2008 and beaten in 2007’s semi-finals by Bao Chunlai. After having scooped a second National Games title in Qindao last week, Lin Dan might have to start the tournament on a high note : he could be playing Anup Shridar or Anand Pawar from India, who are to play against each other in the qualifying – unless Ireland’s Scott Evans or Sweden’s Henri Hurskainen pull an upset on Tuesday.
The Chinese would then probably face Hans Kristian Vinttinghus of Denmark “I hope he shows up and if he does, I’d absolutely would love to play and beat him,” said Vitthingus, before adding : “ but I will be aware of my first round against qualifying player as there is no easy rounds in Super Series”. Lin Dan could then meet Joachim Persson in the quarter – if Simon Santoso allows that to happen, while Chen Jin and Wong Choong Hann are set to play each other in the other quarter-final. Chen, however, will take on last week’s Hero, Marc Zwiebler, in his first round.
The lower part of the draw will be quite interesting as well. With Peter Gade as second seed and Jan Jorgensen as a potential opponent for the great Dane, giving Gade the perfect opportunity to avenge his defeat in Odense last week.
No easy path, then for the great Dane. And, also, in the semi final, awaits the shadow of Taufik HIdayat, which could be a rematch of last’s year final, where Hidayat had blamed a blister on his foot for his last game loss. Taufik has the easiest draw in theory, with Hafiz, Chan Yan Kit and Chen Long in his part, who are good shuttlers on paper, but who have failed to prove much on the court lately. FrenchOpen-markis-hendra
In the women’s singles, Pi Hongyan will be hoping to shine in front of her home crowd, as she had in 2007 when she had reached the final, bowing only to Xie Xingfang in the final. This time, no Xie, No Zhang Ning to get in her way, but just herself as she 30 year old has been feeling in a poor form.
And her draw could see her play Eriko Hirose as the Japanese has to go through qualifying to make it to the main draw in spite of her recent semi-finals in Japan and Denmark. China’s Wang Lin and Wang Yihan will be eager to shine, with the former coming from Qindao with a golden medal around her neck after she was crowned in her home National Games.
Wang Lin will take on Japan’s new rising star Sayaka Sato in the first round to hope for a quarter final revenge against Saina Nehwal, who had beaten her in Indonesia this year. Wang Yihan is seeded third and has no easy task as she is to play her younger compatriot Wang Xin as early as the first round before a potential quarter final against the world Champion Lu Lan.
The men’s doubles draw looks pretty much the same as last week in Denmark with one extra adding – not the least- China’s Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng. The Olympic silver medalists are back together after having split last year in the French Open, and once again few weeks ago when they represented their provinces in the China National Games.
Cai Yun had beaten his partner Fu in the men’s doubles final, but their reunification for the event held in Paris could be bad news for their opponents, who didn’t look in their best forms – except Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen and Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong. FrenchOpen-rytter-frier
Top seeds Markis Kido and Hendra Setiawan are on for two rounds against Japanese pairs probably, while the highlight of the first rounds will be a match between 5th seeds Fairuzizuan/Abdul Latif and the newer Indonesian pair of Yonathan Dasuki and Rian Sukmawan.
Even when they sent only one scratch pair, China dominated the women’s doubles in Denmark last week, with Pan Pan and Zhang Yawen crowned champions in Odense. This week in Paris, three other pairs – better on paper – will be entering the draw – no good news for the rest of the world. Especially since the Koreans have not entered, it might be an all China affair, with the draw giving only one quarter left without a Chinese pair – a part of the draw which could see Lena Frier Kristiansen/Kamilla Rytter Juhl (for their last tournament together), Greysia Polii/Maheswari or Japan’s Miyuki Maeda/Satoko Suetsuna come on top.
Malaysia’s Chin and Wong are top seed and start with a Bye but can expect a tough fight from Ma Jin and Wang Xiaoli as early as the quarters. Olympic Champions Du Jing and Yu Yang might have to play their compatriots Zhang and Pan in the quarters while Cheng Shu and Zhao Yunlei are promised a semi final spot in the lower part of the draw.
The mixed double event should be quite open. If Korea’s Lee Young Dae and Lee Hyo Jung are missing, and the duo of Thomas Laybourn/Juhl probably to skip as well unless Laybourn’s knee recovered fasters than expected, all other top pairs are in the draw. China’s Zheng Bo and Ma Jin are back on top of the draw, with Antony Clark and Donna Kellogg as second rounds potential opponents.
Nova Widianto and Lilyana Natsir of Indonesia are second seeds with qualifiers for a start, who could be Koo Kien Keat and Wong Pei Tty. They are set to meet up with Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen for another world championship rematch in the semis. The Danish will be all fired up after their success in Denmark this Sunday. They’ll have to go past He Hanbin and Yu Yang first, in the quarters as the Beijing bronze medalist stand in their way as 5th seeds.
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Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Five Singles Players March Into Fourth Round
ALOR SETAR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Five Malaysian singles players - three men and two women - marched into the fourth round of the World Junior Badminton Championships at the Sultan Abdul Halim Indoor Stadium Thursday.
Leading the charge was Sonia Cheah Su Ya, the younger sister of national senior women's singles player Lydia Cheah, who beat Japan's Sayaka Takahasi 22-20, 21-16 in straight sets.
The 16-year-old Kuala Lumpur lass, making her debut here will next face her toughest hurdle tomorrow when she faces Xiaojia Chen of China, the top seed in the competition.
"I am happy with my performance so far because I was able to beat a number of seeded players in the championships," she told reporters after here match.
National women's junior ace Tee Jing Yi also booked her ticket to the fourth round of the women's singles with an easy 21-14, 21-13 win over Thailand's Jindapol Nitchaon.
Three men's singles players Zulfadli Zulkifli, Misbun Ramdan Mohamed Misbun and Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin also joined the duo in the fourth round after beating their respective opponents.
Iskandar, the country's number one junior player, cruised past Singapore's Gerard Ong Soon Lee 21-16, 21-11 before Zulfadli overcame India's Pranoy H.S 24-22, 21-12 while Misbun Sidek's son Misbun Ramdan encountered a tougher opponent in Ari Trisnanto from Indonesia and had to go the distance before winning 21-11, 21-23, 21-19 in three sets.
Leading the charge was Sonia Cheah Su Ya, the younger sister of national senior women's singles player Lydia Cheah, who beat Japan's Sayaka Takahasi 22-20, 21-16 in straight sets.
The 16-year-old Kuala Lumpur lass, making her debut here will next face her toughest hurdle tomorrow when she faces Xiaojia Chen of China, the top seed in the competition.
"I am happy with my performance so far because I was able to beat a number of seeded players in the championships," she told reporters after here match.
National women's junior ace Tee Jing Yi also booked her ticket to the fourth round of the women's singles with an easy 21-14, 21-13 win over Thailand's Jindapol Nitchaon.
Three men's singles players Zulfadli Zulkifli, Misbun Ramdan Mohamed Misbun and Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin also joined the duo in the fourth round after beating their respective opponents.
Iskandar, the country's number one junior player, cruised past Singapore's Gerard Ong Soon Lee 21-16, 21-11 before Zulfadli overcame India's Pranoy H.S 24-22, 21-12 while Misbun Sidek's son Misbun Ramdan encountered a tougher opponent in Ari Trisnanto from Indonesia and had to go the distance before winning 21-11, 21-23, 21-19 in three sets.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
French Open Super Series 2009: Draws Released
The draws for the French Open Super Series have been released, and from the looks of things the only big name missing from the men’s singles is Lee Chong Wei. Now, of course that is a very big name, but certainly with Lin Dan in the mix we can expect some excellent badminton. Lin Dan will be seeded first, and on the opposite side of the draw we have Peter Gade as second seed. In the second round we will have a rematch between Gade and Jan O Jorgensen, and after losing to Jorgensen last week in Odense you can be sure that he will be ready for another fight. It will be much more difficult for Marc Zwiebler to replicate last week’s great run in Paris as he has to face Chen Jin in the first round, but with some new found confidence perhaps Chen Jin has something to be worried about.
With the Chinese team back in full force the womens singles is also jam packed tough competition. Wang Lin is back and is first seed, although Hong Kong’s Zhou Mi has withdrawn for unknown reasons. Denmark’s Tine Rasmussen is the fourth seed, and she will meet her first big test in the quarters against Jiang Yanjiao. Wang Yihan will be the third seed and she has to face the strong youngster Wang Xin in the first round.
With the Chinese team back in full force the womens singles is also jam packed tough competition. Wang Lin is back and is first seed, although Hong Kong’s Zhou Mi has withdrawn for unknown reasons. Denmark’s Tine Rasmussen is the fourth seed, and she will meet her first big test in the quarters against Jiang Yanjiao. Wang Yihan will be the third seed and she has to face the strong youngster Wang Xin in the first round.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Malaysia Goes Down Tamely To China In Final
ALOR SETAR, Oct 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's junior badminton squad lost 0-3 to China in the final of the World Junior Badminton Championship at Sultan Abdul Halim Indoor Stadium here Monday.
The mixed double pair of Ow You Han-Ng Hui Ern lost 5-21,19-21 to Lu Kai-Boa Yixin while first single player Muhammad Syawal Mohd Ismail lost 15-21,23-25 to Tian Houwei.
China's domination was complete when Lu Kai-Liu-Peixuan beat Ow Yao Han-Chooi Kang Ming in three sets, 21-18,18-21 and 21-17.
With the win, China defended the title it won in Pune, India last year.
Head coach Sun Chenghua said becoming runners-up was quite an achievement although he had hoped that Malaysia would emerge champion.
"I am satisfied with their achievement. There are several events left and I am confident that they will rise to the occasion," he said.
Malaysia is banking on Muhammad Syawal and Iskandar Zulkarnain to reach the single semi-finals.
The mixed double pair of Ow You Han-Ng Hui Ern lost 5-21,19-21 to Lu Kai-Boa Yixin while first single player Muhammad Syawal Mohd Ismail lost 15-21,23-25 to Tian Houwei.
China's domination was complete when Lu Kai-Liu-Peixuan beat Ow Yao Han-Chooi Kang Ming in three sets, 21-18,18-21 and 21-17.
With the win, China defended the title it won in Pune, India last year.
Head coach Sun Chenghua said becoming runners-up was quite an achievement although he had hoped that Malaysia would emerge champion.
"I am satisfied with their achievement. There are several events left and I am confident that they will rise to the occasion," he said.
Malaysia is banking on Muhammad Syawal and Iskandar Zulkarnain to reach the single semi-finals.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Yonex New Racquet – ArcSaber Z-Slash
Yonex New Racquet – ArcSaber Z-Slash
Main Features:
New Frame;
Nanoscience + cs carbon nanotube;
compact frame + super slim long shaft;
ultra PE Fiber + super hmg;
new control support cap
It recorded 414km/h. (by top men’s player)
yonex arcsaber z-slash
yonex arcsaber z-slash
Some Results – Yonex Japan Open Super Series 2009
MS
Simon SANTOSO [INA] vs [MAS] Chong Wei LEE (with Arc-Z-Slash) (19-21 21-15 21-19)
MS – Final
Bao Chunlai (with Li-Lang Racquet) VS Taufik HIDAYAT (with Arc-Z-Slash) (21-15 21-12)
Chong Wei Lee with ArcSaber Z-Slash
Chong Wei Lee with ArcSaber Z-Slash
Taufik HIDAYAT
Taufik HIDAYAT
Bao ChunLai with Li-Ning
Bao ChunLai with Li-Ning
Bao ChunLai - MS Winner - Japan Open Super Series 2009
Bao ChunLai - MS Winner - Japan Open Super Series 2009
Main Features:
New Frame;
Nanoscience + cs carbon nanotube;
compact frame + super slim long shaft;
ultra PE Fiber + super hmg;
new control support cap
It recorded 414km/h. (by top men’s player)
yonex arcsaber z-slash
yonex arcsaber z-slash
Some Results – Yonex Japan Open Super Series 2009
MS
Simon SANTOSO [INA] vs [MAS] Chong Wei LEE (with Arc-Z-Slash) (19-21 21-15 21-19)
MS – Final
Bao Chunlai (with Li-Lang Racquet) VS Taufik HIDAYAT (with Arc-Z-Slash) (21-15 21-12)
Chong Wei Lee with ArcSaber Z-Slash
Chong Wei Lee with ArcSaber Z-Slash
Taufik HIDAYAT
Taufik HIDAYAT
Bao ChunLai with Li-Ning
Bao ChunLai with Li-Ning
Bao ChunLai - MS Winner - Japan Open Super Series 2009
Bao ChunLai - MS Winner - Japan Open Super Series 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Malaysia Storm Into Semis
ALOR SETAR, Oct 24 (Bernama)-- The national junior badminton squad stormed into the semifinals of the World Badminton Youth Championships after they edged Japan 3-2 in their final qualifying match in Group Z at the Sultan Abdul Halim Indoor Stadium here Saturday.
Malaysia topped the group and were unbeaten in all the qualifying matches.
Malaysia's mixed doubles pair Chooi Kah Mong-Ng Hui Ern won the first point when they defeated Otaki Naoto-Kanako Konishi 16-21,21-16 and 21-16.
The main singles player Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin gave the home fans much to cheer when he took the second point downing Watanabe Tatsuya in straight sets of 21-12,21-15.
However, the boys' doubles pair of Phang Zheng Lin-Goh Jian Hao were beaten by Hoshiro Shohei-Kobayashi Akira 16-21,19-21.
Malaysia's girls' singles player Tee Jing Yi had the crowd in delirium when she scored the winning point against Mitani Minatsu in 21-18,21-11.
The girls' doubles pair Ng Hui Ern-Lai Pei Jing lost to Takahashi Sayaka-Fukuman Naoko in 16-21,2-21.
Results (Night):Group W: China bt Indonesia (4-1), Russia bt New Zealand (5-0), Group Z: Malaysia bt Japan (3-2), Singapore bt France (3-2).
In the play-offs, Taiwan bt India (3-2); Thailand bt Hong Kong (3-2).
Malaysia topped the group and were unbeaten in all the qualifying matches.
Malaysia's mixed doubles pair Chooi Kah Mong-Ng Hui Ern won the first point when they defeated Otaki Naoto-Kanako Konishi 16-21,21-16 and 21-16.
The main singles player Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin gave the home fans much to cheer when he took the second point downing Watanabe Tatsuya in straight sets of 21-12,21-15.
However, the boys' doubles pair of Phang Zheng Lin-Goh Jian Hao were beaten by Hoshiro Shohei-Kobayashi Akira 16-21,19-21.
Malaysia's girls' singles player Tee Jing Yi had the crowd in delirium when she scored the winning point against Mitani Minatsu in 21-18,21-11.
The girls' doubles pair Ng Hui Ern-Lai Pei Jing lost to Takahashi Sayaka-Fukuman Naoko in 16-21,2-21.
Results (Night):Group W: China bt Indonesia (4-1), Russia bt New Zealand (5-0), Group Z: Malaysia bt Japan (3-2), Singapore bt France (3-2).
In the play-offs, Taiwan bt India (3-2); Thailand bt Hong Kong (3-2).
Friday, October 23, 2009
Badminton – The Sport Everyone Loves
Badminton has captivated the hearts of the multi-generational family for decades, as the young toddler who hasn’t reached pre-school can play, as well as the grandfather and even the great-grandfather. In England over 2 million people actively, regularly, play badminton.By combining skill, speed and subtlety, one can become a top pro.
The racket is usually about 26 inches long and only weighs about 5 or 5 ½ ounces. And, toddlers can handle the same weight racket as the parents — if their hands reach around the handle. The ‘bird’ is super-light, weighing only 4 to 5 grams. Winter winds blowing don’t stop the badminton lovers. Played indoors with a net, the sport is a year-round possibility. Schools have found that even students who are not athletically inclined can enjoy learning and playing badminton.Many schools offer classes from kindergarten on through high school,increasing the skill level as the students grow.
Hand-eye coordination increases, as does depth perception, concentration, and spatial awareness. Older students learn organizational skills and coaching techniques. Fast! That little ‘bird’ can travel in excess of 100 kph. Players lurch, twist, jump, run forwards, backwards, and sideways while lunging to flip the shuttle back to the other side.
Because both the shuttle and the racket are so light, the slightest twist of one’s wrist can direct where the bird will fly.
Fun! Delightful fun! Badminton brings much joy and laughter to the players.
Carlton Badminton Rackets- a Cheaper Alternative?
If you are looking for an alternative to Yonex, then Carlton badminton rackets could well fit the bill. Carlton are badminton specialists, they only manufacture badminton products, unlike many of their competitors. This focus has enabled them to create high quality rackets, full of innovative technology.
The new Carlton range features the Fireblade and Aeroblade series, which recently replaced the old Powerblades and Airblades. The prices range from £80 for the flagship Fireblade Elite, to around £30 for the bottom of the Aeroblade range. A welcome addition to the Carlton range is the isometric head shape. Almost all the range have this alternative, and is comparable to the Yonex rackets. The Aeroblade rackets are aimed at intermediate players, but in all honesty, if you have good technique, you can use just about any badminton racket and be successful.
The technology in the most expensive Carlton’s is nanopulse carbon, which can also be seen in many Yonex rackets.
The racket is usually about 26 inches long and only weighs about 5 or 5 ½ ounces. And, toddlers can handle the same weight racket as the parents — if their hands reach around the handle. The ‘bird’ is super-light, weighing only 4 to 5 grams. Winter winds blowing don’t stop the badminton lovers. Played indoors with a net, the sport is a year-round possibility. Schools have found that even students who are not athletically inclined can enjoy learning and playing badminton.Many schools offer classes from kindergarten on through high school,increasing the skill level as the students grow.
Hand-eye coordination increases, as does depth perception, concentration, and spatial awareness. Older students learn organizational skills and coaching techniques. Fast! That little ‘bird’ can travel in excess of 100 kph. Players lurch, twist, jump, run forwards, backwards, and sideways while lunging to flip the shuttle back to the other side.
Because both the shuttle and the racket are so light, the slightest twist of one’s wrist can direct where the bird will fly.
Fun! Delightful fun! Badminton brings much joy and laughter to the players.
Carlton Badminton Rackets- a Cheaper Alternative?
If you are looking for an alternative to Yonex, then Carlton badminton rackets could well fit the bill. Carlton are badminton specialists, they only manufacture badminton products, unlike many of their competitors. This focus has enabled them to create high quality rackets, full of innovative technology.
The new Carlton range features the Fireblade and Aeroblade series, which recently replaced the old Powerblades and Airblades. The prices range from £80 for the flagship Fireblade Elite, to around £30 for the bottom of the Aeroblade range. A welcome addition to the Carlton range is the isometric head shape. Almost all the range have this alternative, and is comparable to the Yonex rackets. The Aeroblade rackets are aimed at intermediate players, but in all honesty, if you have good technique, you can use just about any badminton racket and be successful.
The technology in the most expensive Carlton’s is nanopulse carbon, which can also be seen in many Yonex rackets.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
SIR CRAIG REEDIE DOES BADMINTON PROUD!
In a terrific honour for badminton, Sir Craig Reedie, CBE, a former Badminton World Federation president, has been elected to serve on the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
BWF president Dr Kang Young Joong expressed delight at Reedie’s election and said it was a recognition of Reedie’s contribution to sport in general and badminton in particular.
“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Sir Craig on his election to the Executive Board. It is a testimony to his dedication and significant contribution to sport over many years,” said Dr Kang. craig-medium
“The new role is recognition of his commitment and service to sport and I am confident his vast experience and abilities will be valuable assets to the IOC Executive Board.”
Reedie, who is also a member of the London 2012 Organising Committee Board, was chairman of the IBF from 1970 to 1981 and later its president from 1981 to 1984. He was also formerly chairman of the British Olympic Association and a key figure in London’s successful bid for the London 2012 Games. In 2006 he gained further recognition of his dedication and achievement in sport with a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
The Executive Board manages the affairs of the IOC and amongst its responsibilities are to ensure the observance of the Olympic Charter, administration of the IOC, enacts codes, rulings, norms, guidelines, guides and instructions where necessary to ensure the proper implementation of the Olympic Charter and the organisation of the Olympic Games.
The Board is chaired by the IOC president and comprises four vice presidents and 10 other members.
Besides Reedie, Australian National Olympic Committee president John Coates was also elected at the 121st IOC session which ended on Saturday in Copenhagen.
The Executive Board now comprises Dr Jacques Rogge (Chair), Thomas Bach, Zaiqing Yu, Mario Pescante, Ng Ser Miang, Sam Ramsamy, Gerhard Heiberg, Denis Oswald, Rene Fasel, Mario Vazquez Rana, Frank Fredericks, Nawal El Moutawakel, Richard L. Carrion, Sir Craig Reedie and John Coates.
BWF president Dr Kang Young Joong expressed delight at Reedie’s election and said it was a recognition of Reedie’s contribution to sport in general and badminton in particular.
“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to Sir Craig on his election to the Executive Board. It is a testimony to his dedication and significant contribution to sport over many years,” said Dr Kang. craig-medium
“The new role is recognition of his commitment and service to sport and I am confident his vast experience and abilities will be valuable assets to the IOC Executive Board.”
Reedie, who is also a member of the London 2012 Organising Committee Board, was chairman of the IBF from 1970 to 1981 and later its president from 1981 to 1984. He was also formerly chairman of the British Olympic Association and a key figure in London’s successful bid for the London 2012 Games. In 2006 he gained further recognition of his dedication and achievement in sport with a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.
The Executive Board manages the affairs of the IOC and amongst its responsibilities are to ensure the observance of the Olympic Charter, administration of the IOC, enacts codes, rulings, norms, guidelines, guides and instructions where necessary to ensure the proper implementation of the Olympic Charter and the organisation of the Olympic Games.
The Board is chaired by the IOC president and comprises four vice presidents and 10 other members.
Besides Reedie, Australian National Olympic Committee president John Coates was also elected at the 121st IOC session which ended on Saturday in Copenhagen.
The Executive Board now comprises Dr Jacques Rogge (Chair), Thomas Bach, Zaiqing Yu, Mario Pescante, Ng Ser Miang, Sam Ramsamy, Gerhard Heiberg, Denis Oswald, Rene Fasel, Mario Vazquez Rana, Frank Fredericks, Nawal El Moutawakel, Richard L. Carrion, Sir Craig Reedie and John Coates.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Smashing on-court record
TWO Lloyd Elsmore Park Junior Badminton Club players have returned from the national age-group championships with plenty of prizes.
The winning achievements of Victoria Cheng and Lilian Shih throughout 2009 continued at the nationals, with both claiming every title possible in their respective age groups.
Shih, captain of Auckland’s under-15 team one, clinched the singles, doubles and mixed doubles competitions, as did Cheng, the skipper of Auckland’s under-17 team one.
Cheng partnered another Lloyd Elsmore club player Jason Leung in capturing the under-17 mixed doubles title.
Club coach Michael Chi, who was part of Auckland’s coaching line-up at the national tournament in the Waikato, says Shih and Cheng’s performances this year have been nothing short of outstanding because of their consistency.
Chi says Shih has won more than 30 titles this season, while Cheng has captured almost 20, including North Island champs and provincial tournaments in the singles and doubles events.
Other Lloyd Elsmore Park Junior Badminton Club members selected for Auckland squads at the nationals were: under-15 team one – Angie Leung, Rowena Devathasan, Daniel Hillier and Daniel Lee; under-15 team two – Angela Luk, Cindy Chou and Matthew Chan; under-17 team one – Carmen Yuen, Gabrielle Ip and Benny Suen.
Auckland Badminton development officer Cliff Freeman says coach Chi has been a key to the successes of Lloyd Elsmore Park Junior Badminton Club players at provincial tournaments in 2009.
“Michael has had a huge part in developing and coaching these players over the years in teams and as individuals.
“This year he was the coach of the under-15 team one in local competitions leading up to the North Island champs.
“It’s heartening to see such a strong pathway for young talent in Auckland and bodes well for the future.
“At the nationals, the games are tough, fast, dynamic and you have to be very fit to compete,” says Freeman.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
London 2012: Badminton, gymnastics move to Wembley
Badminton, rhythmic gymnastics will be held at Wembley Arena for 2012 London Olympics
The badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events for London 2012 will be held at Wembley Arena instead of constructing a temporary Olympic venue.
The venue in north London will be visited this week by international gymnastics officials and next week by badminton's world federation.
The switch is expected to save organizers $31.5 million.
British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan said Tuesday that the decision is subject to approval by the International Olympic Committee and international federations.
The badminton and rhythmic gymnastics events for London 2012 will be held at Wembley Arena instead of constructing a temporary Olympic venue.
The venue in north London will be visited this week by international gymnastics officials and next week by badminton's world federation.
The switch is expected to save organizers $31.5 million.
British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan said Tuesday that the decision is subject to approval by the International Olympic Committee and international federations.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Badminton England set for start of key season with Japan internationals
England’s two-match series with Japan, starting this week, launches an important few months for the national side after the eight-man squad pulled out of the World Championships in Hyderabad, India two months ago.
The opening match will be at the University of Bath on Friday with the second at the Loughborough University on Saturday evening, which will be a prelude to the 100th All England Open Championships in March and the European Individual Championships the following month.
It will be the first time either venue has staged an international badminton match although the City of Bath hosted a match against China in 1999 with England losing 3-2 at Bath Sports and Leisure Centre.
Japan last toured England in November 2000 when the hosts won a six-match series 5-1. The wins came at Guernsey (4-1), Boston (5-0), Huddersfield (4-1), Wigan (4-1) and North Shields (4-1) with the only defeat at Stevenage (4-1) in the final match.
The previous Japan visit was in 1998 when England won 3-2 at both Bath and Boston. However the last time the two nations played was in the Sudirman Cup in May in Guangzhou, China, when they scored a resounding 4-1 during a campaign which marked doubles stars Nathan Robertson’s 100th appearance and Robert Blair’s 50th England appearance.
The Japan matches will offer the first opportunity for badminton fans to see Robertson in action at home since reaching his milestone cap. He is likely to feature in the men’s doubles in at least one match with partner Anthony Clark with whom he had success at the Singapore Open in June when they became England’s first Super Series winners. It was the first win by a British pair since 2006.
Derbyshire pair Clark and Donna Kellogg, the European mixed doubles champions who will be defending their title in Manchester in April, will be the No 1 pairing for the mixed doubles and both players will be looking to follow Robertson to 100 caps. Clark, who lives just 10 miles from the Loughborough venue at Ellistown, has so far won 91 caps and Kellogg 87.
The squad, supported by Center Parcs, is also likely to feature Rajiv Ouseph (Middx), who has joined Andrew Smith (Hants) in the world’s top 30 in the men’s singles, and promising doubles players Chris Adcock (Notts), Gabby White (Yorks) and Jenny Wallwork (Yorks).
Adcock and White and White and Wallwork are both in the world top 25 in their respective doubles events.
England will be led by Performance Director Ian Moss, who is taking charge for the first time in a home fixture. He said: “I am looking forward to leading Team England for the first time at home and I am pleased that we are going to two venues that are so important with the training of our emerging squad members.”
The opening match will be at the University of Bath on Friday with the second at the Loughborough University on Saturday evening, which will be a prelude to the 100th All England Open Championships in March and the European Individual Championships the following month.
It will be the first time either venue has staged an international badminton match although the City of Bath hosted a match against China in 1999 with England losing 3-2 at Bath Sports and Leisure Centre.
Japan last toured England in November 2000 when the hosts won a six-match series 5-1. The wins came at Guernsey (4-1), Boston (5-0), Huddersfield (4-1), Wigan (4-1) and North Shields (4-1) with the only defeat at Stevenage (4-1) in the final match.
The previous Japan visit was in 1998 when England won 3-2 at both Bath and Boston. However the last time the two nations played was in the Sudirman Cup in May in Guangzhou, China, when they scored a resounding 4-1 during a campaign which marked doubles stars Nathan Robertson’s 100th appearance and Robert Blair’s 50th England appearance.
The Japan matches will offer the first opportunity for badminton fans to see Robertson in action at home since reaching his milestone cap. He is likely to feature in the men’s doubles in at least one match with partner Anthony Clark with whom he had success at the Singapore Open in June when they became England’s first Super Series winners. It was the first win by a British pair since 2006.
Derbyshire pair Clark and Donna Kellogg, the European mixed doubles champions who will be defending their title in Manchester in April, will be the No 1 pairing for the mixed doubles and both players will be looking to follow Robertson to 100 caps. Clark, who lives just 10 miles from the Loughborough venue at Ellistown, has so far won 91 caps and Kellogg 87.
The squad, supported by Center Parcs, is also likely to feature Rajiv Ouseph (Middx), who has joined Andrew Smith (Hants) in the world’s top 30 in the men’s singles, and promising doubles players Chris Adcock (Notts), Gabby White (Yorks) and Jenny Wallwork (Yorks).
Adcock and White and White and Wallwork are both in the world top 25 in their respective doubles events.
England will be led by Performance Director Ian Moss, who is taking charge for the first time in a home fixture. He said: “I am looking forward to leading Team England for the first time at home and I am pleased that we are going to two venues that are so important with the training of our emerging squad members.”
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Hafiz looks good for first-ever title on local circuit
PETALING JAYA: Coming under the wings of coach Hendrawan has done good to shuttler Mohd Hafiz Hashim.
The former All-England champion Hafiz took the advice of the Indonesian to compete in the Terengganu Open despite being under the weather and he now looks good to win his first-ever title on the national circuit.
Hafiz showed his determination to get the monkey off his back on the circuit when he steamrolled Syamsul Rizalman Mohd of Terengganu 21-6, 21-8 yesterday to check into the quarter-finals. He will play against Kuan Kam Chung for a place in the semi-finals of the second-leg tournament of the national circuit.
Hafiz said that he almost withdrew from the tournament after his nose bled during a training session last Thursday.
“I was taken ill two days before Hari Raya and came back to train last week. But my nose bled and I was left breathless. This is the worst bout of viral fever that I have had,” he said.
“I would have skipped the tournament if not for Hendrawan. He asked me to take some time to recover and not give up the opportunity to play in the tournament. Fortunately, I got better by the day.”
Hafiz added that he enjoyed spending time discussing about badminton with Hendrawan.
“His approach is quite different. We share a lot about badminton and that has helped me to re-ignite the love I have for the sport. I am able to be open to him,” he said.
“Overall, my fitness has improved under him. He always encourages me and that really helps.”
Hafiz now has a golden opportunity to nail a local circuit title in the absence of world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei.
“Chong Wei has been dominating the local circuit for the last seven years. I have not won a domestic Open tournament since 1999. In his absence, I will make the best of the opportunity,” he said.
Another senior Kuan Beng Hong, who is also under the charge of Hendrawan, also made it to the quarter-finals, beating Lim Fang Yang 21-8, 21-13 to set up a match against Mohd Syawal Ismail.
The other two quarter-final matches pit Liew Daren against Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and Tan Chun Seang against Chan Kwong Beng.
The former All-England champion Hafiz took the advice of the Indonesian to compete in the Terengganu Open despite being under the weather and he now looks good to win his first-ever title on the national circuit.
Hafiz showed his determination to get the monkey off his back on the circuit when he steamrolled Syamsul Rizalman Mohd of Terengganu 21-6, 21-8 yesterday to check into the quarter-finals. He will play against Kuan Kam Chung for a place in the semi-finals of the second-leg tournament of the national circuit.
Hafiz said that he almost withdrew from the tournament after his nose bled during a training session last Thursday.
“I was taken ill two days before Hari Raya and came back to train last week. But my nose bled and I was left breathless. This is the worst bout of viral fever that I have had,” he said.
“I would have skipped the tournament if not for Hendrawan. He asked me to take some time to recover and not give up the opportunity to play in the tournament. Fortunately, I got better by the day.”
Hafiz added that he enjoyed spending time discussing about badminton with Hendrawan.
“His approach is quite different. We share a lot about badminton and that has helped me to re-ignite the love I have for the sport. I am able to be open to him,” he said.
“Overall, my fitness has improved under him. He always encourages me and that really helps.”
Hafiz now has a golden opportunity to nail a local circuit title in the absence of world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei.
“Chong Wei has been dominating the local circuit for the last seven years. I have not won a domestic Open tournament since 1999. In his absence, I will make the best of the opportunity,” he said.
Another senior Kuan Beng Hong, who is also under the charge of Hendrawan, also made it to the quarter-finals, beating Lim Fang Yang 21-8, 21-13 to set up a match against Mohd Syawal Ismail.
The other two quarter-final matches pit Liew Daren against Mohd Arif Abdul Latif and Tan Chun Seang against Chan Kwong Beng.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Hubei wins last berth of women's badminton semifinals at National Games
QINGDAO, East China, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Hubei beat Zhejiang to win the last berth of semifinals of women's badminton team event at the China's 11th National Games here on Saturday.
The other berths went to Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangsu.
After two losses in first singles and first doubles matches, Zhejiang was put on the cliff as another loss meant they cannot reach the semis. Then current women's singles world No. 1 Wang Lin defeated Chen Xi of Hubei to earn one point for Zhejiang. However, former world champion Gao Ling and Wei Yili dashed the hopes of Zhejiang by pipping Li Xiao and Shen Xiaobo, helping Hubei to the victory of 3-1.
"As our doubles cannot challenge Hubei, three singles players are under great pressure," Wang explained their loss.
Olympic runner-up Xie Xingfang outplayed Cheng Wen of Hunan 21-15, 21-13, putting Guangdong on the right track for the 3-0 victory.
"I have been taking up systematic training with Guangdong team," the 28-year-old veteran said. "We are working hard to play each match no matter how strong our rival is."
Apart from Xie, Guangdong also has Olympic women's doubles champions Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen. They are eyeing for the team champion to better their second placing in last National Games.
Hosts Shandong notched up their first match by frustrating Fujian 3-2. Liu Jie, serving as Shandong's first singles player, said: "We played a better match than before."
Shanghai, who reserved big names like Wang Yihan and Zhu Lin, lost to Liaoning 3-0. Jiangsu, who has secured a semi berth, gave way to People's Liberation Army 3-0.
The other berths went to Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangsu.
After two losses in first singles and first doubles matches, Zhejiang was put on the cliff as another loss meant they cannot reach the semis. Then current women's singles world No. 1 Wang Lin defeated Chen Xi of Hubei to earn one point for Zhejiang. However, former world champion Gao Ling and Wei Yili dashed the hopes of Zhejiang by pipping Li Xiao and Shen Xiaobo, helping Hubei to the victory of 3-1.
"As our doubles cannot challenge Hubei, three singles players are under great pressure," Wang explained their loss.
Olympic runner-up Xie Xingfang outplayed Cheng Wen of Hunan 21-15, 21-13, putting Guangdong on the right track for the 3-0 victory.
"I have been taking up systematic training with Guangdong team," the 28-year-old veteran said. "We are working hard to play each match no matter how strong our rival is."
Apart from Xie, Guangdong also has Olympic women's doubles champions Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen. They are eyeing for the team champion to better their second placing in last National Games.
Hosts Shandong notched up their first match by frustrating Fujian 3-2. Liu Jie, serving as Shandong's first singles player, said: "We played a better match than before."
Shanghai, who reserved big names like Wang Yihan and Zhu Lin, lost to Liaoning 3-0. Jiangsu, who has secured a semi berth, gave way to People's Liberation Army 3-0.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
London told to choose 2012 venues
The International Olympic Committee has told London 2012 organisers they need to finalise venues for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics at the Games.
The sports were initially set to be held in a temporary arena, but could now be housed in existing facilities.
"I have to express a concern that three years before the Games their venue has not been finalised," chief co-ordinator for the Games Denis Oswald said.
However, London's chief executive Paul Deighton has moved to allay his fears.
"We are finalising our venue masterplan working with the two sports and we will have this resolved by the end of the year," he said.
"We are focusing right now on finding the right venue for the two sports that meets the needs of the athletes, legacy and costs and it has always been about balancing those," he said.
Both badminton and rhythmic gymnastics were originally planned to be located in a temporary venue called North Greenwich Arena 2. However, organisers are now looking to site them in existing venues, which could save £40m.
Speaking at an IOC meeting in Copenhagen, Oswald added: "London has still not yet achieved the final masterplan and two venues are still under discussion."
Oswald added that he was impressed by London's overall preparations, but stated the venues issue should be resolved before the next IOC visit in November.
Chairman of London 2012 Sebastian Coe told the session that the venues and Olympic Park would be ready "in plenty of time to test and practise".
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Super Dan spearheads PLA in badminton team event at National Games
QINGDAO, East China, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- "Super Dan", as Chinese top shuttler Lin Dan was nicknamed, led Peple's Liberation Army (PLA) to beat Hong Kong 3-1 in the first round of men's team badminton tournament at China's 11th National Games here on Thursday.
Lin, world No. 2, served as PLA's second singles player and beat Wong Wing Ki from Hong Kong 21-10, 21-17.
"I was a little bit nervous in the first set but restored my composure in the second," said Lin after the match.
Acturally Lin won easily in the first set at 21-10 but received a tough challenge from Wong in the second but Lin finally notched up the match 21-17.
"PLA is not expected to be a strong candidate for men's team champion." added Lin. "We have to fight hard match by match."
Lin crowned in the world championships this year in India and became the first player to win three world titles in a row and only the second to hold the Olympic and world titles at the same time. He has also kept a good form recently by clinching the title in China Masters in September.
China's No. 3 men's singles player Bao Chunlai, representing Hunan, defeated Liu Jingru of Shandong in a comfortable way at 21-18, 21-5, putting Hunan on the right track for the 3-0 victory.
Bao said after the match, "I was under pressure from Shandong fans and my opponent fought very hard in the first set. However, I found my rhythm in the later match and gained the upper hand."
When talking about his singles tour at the National Games, Bao said, "I will do my utmost as there will be many tough rivals."
Chen Hong, former world champion, made a good start for Fujian by nipping Du Pengyu of Beijing 21-18, 17-21, 21-12 and helped Fujian seal the win 3-1.
In other matches, Guangdong came from behind to beat Hubei 3-2 and Liaoning frustrated Shanghai 3-2.
Earlier in the first round of women's team competition in the morning, Guangdong nipped Fujian 3-0. Olympic runner-up and world No. 6 Xie Xingfang served as Guangdong's first singles player, beating Wang Yini 21-11, 21-7.
"I'm now back in good form," said Xie after the match, who may retire after the National Games.
In the 3-1 victory that Zhejiang beat Hong Kong, the duel between current world No. 1-2 Wang Lin and Zhou Mi was highlighted with the victory going to Wang 22-20, 20-15.
"I'm not physically well recently but I played well today. Though I lost to Wang Lin, I enjoyed the whole match," said Zhou.
Hunan beat Liaoning 3-0, Shanghai defeated Shandong 3-0, Hubei outlasted PLA 3-1 and Jiangsu overcame Sichuan 3-0.
According to the schedule, two team events will be played from Oct. 8 to 13 while five singles and doubles events are slated from Oct. 14 to 18.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tien Minh ranks among highest-earning athletes in Vietnam
Nguyen Tien Minh, Vietnam’s number one badminton player, earns approximately VND 100 million per month, becoming one of the highest earning athletes in Vietnam.
His income comes from a newly signed contract with Becamex Binh Duong which offers VND50 million per month for his progress in the world’s ranking, US$2,000 funded by Victor Company and monthly salary.
Minh has made great efforts to advance to the 7th place in the world.
He will protect his championship at the Vietnam Open tournament, which will kick off in Ho Chi Minh City on October 6.
His income comes from a newly signed contract with Becamex Binh Duong which offers VND50 million per month for his progress in the world’s ranking, US$2,000 funded by Victor Company and monthly salary.
Minh has made great efforts to advance to the 7th place in the world.
He will protect his championship at the Vietnam Open tournament, which will kick off in Ho Chi Minh City on October 6.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
BAM have failed to elevate the status of the national circiut
PETALING JAYA: The absence of several top elite shuttlers and many walkovers took the shine off the Terengganu Open, which ended on Saturday.
The poor participation certainly showed that the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) had failed in their bid to elevate the status of the national circuit even though there had been big talk about popularising the domestic championships.
If the BAM continue to waver in their stand to make the event compulsory for the best of best, the local circuit is set to suffer a natural death.
And Malaysia can forget about using the tournament as a platform to unearth new stars for the country.
Missing from the Terengganu Open were world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, top men’s doubles pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and No. 1 national women’s shuttler Wong Mew Choo.
The BAM had given Chong Wei, who wanted a break from a hectic schedule, the nod to skip the Open before the player suffered a knee injury in the Japan Open.
They also allowed Kien Keat-Boon Heong to skip it because of the duo’s commitment to sponsors, which saw them extending their stay in Tokyo for days more after the international Super Series tournament last week.
And it seems that Mew Choo’s absence is due to her injury acting up again.
Their absence failed to provide the back-up shuttlers and upcoming juniors an avenue to brush shoulders with the best in the country.
On top of that, the entries for the women’s singles in Division One was also pathetic with only seven players in the fray.
There were also 14 walkovers in the Division Two competition. The girls’ doubles and mixed doubles events had fewer than 16 entries respectively.
The limited number of local Open tournaments also reflected several state’s poor running and promotion of the sport.
The Terengganu Open was not only the second leg of the circuit but also the final stop on the calendar this year. Pahang hosted the other Open in May.
In the past, the states compete against each other to win the right to host tournaments. The states’ lack of interest could be due to poor funding, lack of facilities or the office bearers were probably too occupied in ensuring their seats in the association.
Selangor and Kuala Lumpur were the badminton powerhouses in the country. But they are currently clearing the mess as far as their administration is concerned to ensure that development of the sport is not neglected.
It seems that the BAM are unable to get some of the “sleeping states” back on their feet. Probably, some of the officials in the BAM are also trying to keep their seats. After all, they are selected to the “hot seats” by the states representatives.
The BAM general manager, Kenny Goh, agreed that their circuit needed to be reviewed to make it a main attraction event for the local players.
“Scheduling is a problem. Sometimes, we are put in a spot because the elite players also have commitments to play in international tournaments,” he said.
“But I agree that the participation of top players is important to maintain the stature of the circuit championships. We will look into this and work on making it a popular event on our calendar.”
The National Grand Prix Finals will be held in Johor Baru from Dec 20-23.
The poor participation certainly showed that the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) had failed in their bid to elevate the status of the national circuit even though there had been big talk about popularising the domestic championships.
If the BAM continue to waver in their stand to make the event compulsory for the best of best, the local circuit is set to suffer a natural death.
And Malaysia can forget about using the tournament as a platform to unearth new stars for the country.
Missing from the Terengganu Open were world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, top men’s doubles pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and No. 1 national women’s shuttler Wong Mew Choo.
The BAM had given Chong Wei, who wanted a break from a hectic schedule, the nod to skip the Open before the player suffered a knee injury in the Japan Open.
They also allowed Kien Keat-Boon Heong to skip it because of the duo’s commitment to sponsors, which saw them extending their stay in Tokyo for days more after the international Super Series tournament last week.
And it seems that Mew Choo’s absence is due to her injury acting up again.
Their absence failed to provide the back-up shuttlers and upcoming juniors an avenue to brush shoulders with the best in the country.
On top of that, the entries for the women’s singles in Division One was also pathetic with only seven players in the fray.
There were also 14 walkovers in the Division Two competition. The girls’ doubles and mixed doubles events had fewer than 16 entries respectively.
The limited number of local Open tournaments also reflected several state’s poor running and promotion of the sport.
The Terengganu Open was not only the second leg of the circuit but also the final stop on the calendar this year. Pahang hosted the other Open in May.
In the past, the states compete against each other to win the right to host tournaments. The states’ lack of interest could be due to poor funding, lack of facilities or the office bearers were probably too occupied in ensuring their seats in the association.
Selangor and Kuala Lumpur were the badminton powerhouses in the country. But they are currently clearing the mess as far as their administration is concerned to ensure that development of the sport is not neglected.
It seems that the BAM are unable to get some of the “sleeping states” back on their feet. Probably, some of the officials in the BAM are also trying to keep their seats. After all, they are selected to the “hot seats” by the states representatives.
The BAM general manager, Kenny Goh, agreed that their circuit needed to be reviewed to make it a main attraction event for the local players.
“Scheduling is a problem. Sometimes, we are put in a spot because the elite players also have commitments to play in international tournaments,” he said.
“But I agree that the participation of top players is important to maintain the stature of the circuit championships. We will look into this and work on making it a popular event on our calendar.”
The National Grand Prix Finals will be held in Johor Baru from Dec 20-23.
Things To consider when Choosing Their Set of Badminton
Have you been asking over and over again that sound to choose from in store for all badminton badminton, or probably what kind of transfer where the use, feathers or plastic? Well, I like to help you build the right decision with ease. Before you even contemplate until the racket and clothes to buy, ask yourself this question, “Am I taking this sport purely for fun or competitive?”
If it’s for fun, then today is what to do when choosing your badminton set. You can just buy according to supermarkets or stores multiple sports utility. You do not need to go to stores that are experts in badminton rackets as rackets do not make such high quality. The cost will be definitely able to put a hole in your wallet. Besides rackets, you also have to make shuttles for use in the game.
There are two types of craft, ie, feathers and plastic. I suggest that plastic to be used for casual play. This is because properties last longer, while ferries are required to be changed feather on several occasions as the wearing properties with ease. The disadvantage of plastic is a ferry that is heavier and you do not feel the same as a wheel with feathers. There are also several other things to ponder, such as badminton bags, shoes, tiaras, etc. These are optional elements.
Now, for those planning to play competitive badminton, I mean that to go to stores that are experts in snowshoes. I would not hesitate to help or personalized service experience in choosing a racket. Choosing a bad racket will result in wrist injuries and lack of precision, so be sure to get a racket that you feel comfortable. You may need a minimum of two rackets and one of them can act as a reserve, provided it is in a tournament. It ensures what you are buying any small detail certainly makes a difference.
In vogue the box of launch, we like a lowest amount of 2 packs of plume shuttles each generation you train as definitely disappear and proper to be untouched habitually. Plastic shuttles and can be spent, but be affirmative so as to the head is made of cork and not plastic. Also tell somebody to positively you contain a proper woo to train in. It has to be equipped with an authorized measurements of the size of the woo and a system to the correct height. Add-on items such as clothing, shoes, badminton, and special bands necessity be sold as properties not no more than offer comfort through the game, but serving them given away of the lesions.
If it’s for fun, then today is what to do when choosing your badminton set. You can just buy according to supermarkets or stores multiple sports utility. You do not need to go to stores that are experts in badminton rackets as rackets do not make such high quality. The cost will be definitely able to put a hole in your wallet. Besides rackets, you also have to make shuttles for use in the game.
There are two types of craft, ie, feathers and plastic. I suggest that plastic to be used for casual play. This is because properties last longer, while ferries are required to be changed feather on several occasions as the wearing properties with ease. The disadvantage of plastic is a ferry that is heavier and you do not feel the same as a wheel with feathers. There are also several other things to ponder, such as badminton bags, shoes, tiaras, etc. These are optional elements.
Now, for those planning to play competitive badminton, I mean that to go to stores that are experts in snowshoes. I would not hesitate to help or personalized service experience in choosing a racket. Choosing a bad racket will result in wrist injuries and lack of precision, so be sure to get a racket that you feel comfortable. You may need a minimum of two rackets and one of them can act as a reserve, provided it is in a tournament. It ensures what you are buying any small detail certainly makes a difference.
In vogue the box of launch, we like a lowest amount of 2 packs of plume shuttles each generation you train as definitely disappear and proper to be untouched habitually. Plastic shuttles and can be spent, but be affirmative so as to the head is made of cork and not plastic. Also tell somebody to positively you contain a proper woo to train in. It has to be equipped with an authorized measurements of the size of the woo and a system to the correct height. Add-on items such as clothing, shoes, badminton, and special bands necessity be sold as properties not no more than offer comfort through the game, but serving them given away of the lesions.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Minh climbs to seventh in world badminton rankings
Minh moved up thanks to the 2,820 points he earned for advancing to the semifinals of the Yonex Open Japan Super Series, which ended Sunday. He has 50,310 points in total.
He replaced Thailand’s number one player Poonsak Ponsana in the seventh spot as Ponsana was swept aside in the first round of the Tokyo tournament by the world’s number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia.
The only Vietnamese badminton player to enter the world’s top one hundred had climbed from ninth to eighth last week.
Minh qualified for the Super Series in England and Switzerland last year, but bowed out after the first round at both events.
However, his ranking moved from 38th to 33rd after the events, initiating his dramatic climb to 15th by the end of the year.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Buy a badminton set as part of your workout equipment
Playing badminton is an excellent way to workout. Most physicians recommend some form of strenuous activity that will raise the heart rate for at least 30 minutes. A typical 3 game badminton match will take approximately this long. By raising your heart rate each day for a half an hour, you will be increasing your metabolism, as well as lowering your resting heart rate. Physical activity is a great way to build and tone muscles in the body, and badminton is one of the best physical activities to accomplish this! The consistent moving back and forth across the court and swinging of the badminton racket, works nearly all the muscles in your arms and legs, as well as some muscles you may not even be aware that you are using. A badminton set will be one of the least expensive additions to your workout equipment, and will likely provide the most benefits.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Badminton Newfoundland and Labrador to Focus on Developing Players
The officials of the Badminton Newfoundland and Labrador revealed that as of this moment, the highest priority of the organization is to develop its players in order to excel in tournaments, both local and international events.
In a recent annual general assembly conducted at St. John’s, Corner Brook’s John Gillam got the nod from the members to become the Western Director for the association. This will give Gillam the chance to share his badminton racket experiences as a badminton coach to the players.
Being a Level 3 Coach, Gillam was the clear choice to take the post. He’s been certified by the National Coaching Certification Program and has also undergone trainings with other international coaches. He also served as coach to both college and university levels.
Gillam revealed that one of the projects that will be implemented is the weekend coaching clinics which will be held in different locations to aid the aspiring young players to play the game better.
The program will concentrate first on intermediate or beginners with ages 12 to 16.
Badminton is already gaining popularity in this part of the world after it was cited as one of the members sports of the 2011 Canada Games. Badminton Newfoundland and Labrador set up a selection team specifically for this prestigious sporting event.
This team will discover fresh talents which can be coached for the upcoming Games.
Other officials were voted during the general assembly including those for the post of Central Director, Easter Director, Board Vice President and many more.
Disabled world champ debarred from exams
SAMBALPUR: Pramod Bhagat's joys knew no bounds after winning the world championship in badminton for the disabled in Seoul recently. But Pramod's
institute in Hirakud decided to "honour" him differently. The promising lad was debarred him from appearing in the final exams because of poor attendance.
But this setback did not dent the youth's will to excel. "I am now studying hard for next year's examination," said Pramod, who won the single standing-waist-below-class-one category beating Sub Pong of Thailand in the final of the 2009 championship hosted by the International Badminton Association for Disabled (IBAD). "I was absent from my institute for two months because I had gone to participate in a preparatory training at Angul ahead of the championship in South Korea," he added.
ITI (Hirakud) principal Nisakar Mallick confirmed that Pramod was not allowed to sit for his final year exam. "We have, however, told him to give an application so that we can reconsider his case," Mallick added.
Pramod, who has a defect on his left leg, hails from Attabira in Bargarh district. He started his career while he was 15.
Despite his disability, he continued playing badminton. His talent was discovered by the members of a club at Attabira and they encouraged him to go ahead. But financial crunch made him lose the golden chance of participating in the Israeli Open championship held in Jerusalem in 2005.
The efforts of a few generous people from the locality, led by Rabi Panda, saw him launch his international career in 2006, when he participated in the Asia Pacific games in Malaysia. "I lost in the quarter finals, but the international exposure and experience helped me a lot," Pramod said.
In the 2007 World Badminton Championship for the Disabled held in Bangkok, Pramod established his credentials in the international arena by grabbing the bronze medal in both the single and doubles categories.
He went on to win the gold in the doubles and the bronze in the singles categories in the Asia Para-Olympic held in Thailand in 2008. But the crowning moment came when he got the gold in the Seoul world championship.
Pramod's on court heroics, however, has failed to impress the district administration. "When we saw Pramod's talent, we tried to encourage him. We are grateful to everyone who helped him to become the world champion. But we are sorry to say that neither the government nor the district administration has till date come forward to reward his talent," said Rabi Panda, senior member of Players' Club at Attabira.
Hailing from a poor family, Pramod is one among six brother and sisters. He has shouldered the responsibility of the family ever since the death of his father two years ago.
"He is a jewel of Orissa. The government should provide a scholarship to him. The OCA has provided Rs 25,000 to him on our request. He would bring more gold to the country if he gets proper financial assistance and promotion," Sambalpur sport association general secretary Sabbir Hussein said.
institute in Hirakud decided to "honour" him differently. The promising lad was debarred him from appearing in the final exams because of poor attendance.
But this setback did not dent the youth's will to excel. "I am now studying hard for next year's examination," said Pramod, who won the single standing-waist-below-class-one category beating Sub Pong of Thailand in the final of the 2009 championship hosted by the International Badminton Association for Disabled (IBAD). "I was absent from my institute for two months because I had gone to participate in a preparatory training at Angul ahead of the championship in South Korea," he added.
ITI (Hirakud) principal Nisakar Mallick confirmed that Pramod was not allowed to sit for his final year exam. "We have, however, told him to give an application so that we can reconsider his case," Mallick added.
Pramod, who has a defect on his left leg, hails from Attabira in Bargarh district. He started his career while he was 15.
Despite his disability, he continued playing badminton. His talent was discovered by the members of a club at Attabira and they encouraged him to go ahead. But financial crunch made him lose the golden chance of participating in the Israeli Open championship held in Jerusalem in 2005.
The efforts of a few generous people from the locality, led by Rabi Panda, saw him launch his international career in 2006, when he participated in the Asia Pacific games in Malaysia. "I lost in the quarter finals, but the international exposure and experience helped me a lot," Pramod said.
In the 2007 World Badminton Championship for the Disabled held in Bangkok, Pramod established his credentials in the international arena by grabbing the bronze medal in both the single and doubles categories.
He went on to win the gold in the doubles and the bronze in the singles categories in the Asia Para-Olympic held in Thailand in 2008. But the crowning moment came when he got the gold in the Seoul world championship.
Pramod's on court heroics, however, has failed to impress the district administration. "When we saw Pramod's talent, we tried to encourage him. We are grateful to everyone who helped him to become the world champion. But we are sorry to say that neither the government nor the district administration has till date come forward to reward his talent," said Rabi Panda, senior member of Players' Club at Attabira.
Hailing from a poor family, Pramod is one among six brother and sisters. He has shouldered the responsibility of the family ever since the death of his father two years ago.
"He is a jewel of Orissa. The government should provide a scholarship to him. The OCA has provided Rs 25,000 to him on our request. He would bring more gold to the country if he gets proper financial assistance and promotion," Sambalpur sport association general secretary Sabbir Hussein said.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Swiss Open Super Series 2009 Results: Classic finals
52 minutes after they started what can be called as a modern classic encounter, Lee Chong Wei, MAS, had beaten Lin Dan, CHN, in straight games 21-16, 21-16. It was number 1 and 2 of the event meeting in the 2009 WBSO final, and judging by reaction from the numerous crowd they most definitely liked what they saw! And how could they not!
The Women's Singles was a clash between two young Chinese players, Yanjiao Jiang and Yihan Wang. Yihan Wang came out on top after nearly one hours play - 59 minutes to be exact! 21-17, 17-21, 21-13 Yanjiao Jiang have been on the international scene almost a couple of years now while it's the first year Yihan Wang really has made herself known to the World.
They went all the way in the Mixed doubles, Zheng Bo/Ma Jin, CHN, when they Sunday won their first Super Series by beating the number 2 seed Lee Yong Dae/Lee Hyo Jung, KOR, in straight games. Throughout the event the Chinese pairing have shown positive badminton and enjoyment on court and it is well deserved that they made it to the top.
There was not any doubt who was to come out on top in the Women's doubles when Du Jing/Yu Yang, CHN, seeded 4 was up against number 3 seeded Lee Hyo Jung/Lee Kyung Won, KOR. The Chinese won in two games 21-11,21-12
The 2nd and 3rd seeds met in the Men's Doubles final! That was a sure win for the Malaysians who was just pushing and pushing for those vital points.... even lying down they managed to scoopthe shuttle over the net, sometimes even making winners! Boe/Mogensen seemed to have used up all of their energy yesterday in the Semi final, having said that it was an incredible match with a lot of throwing themselves on court, simply selling themselves at the highest price....!! Malaysia won in straight games!
The Women's Singles was a clash between two young Chinese players, Yanjiao Jiang and Yihan Wang. Yihan Wang came out on top after nearly one hours play - 59 minutes to be exact! 21-17, 17-21, 21-13 Yanjiao Jiang have been on the international scene almost a couple of years now while it's the first year Yihan Wang really has made herself known to the World.
They went all the way in the Mixed doubles, Zheng Bo/Ma Jin, CHN, when they Sunday won their first Super Series by beating the number 2 seed Lee Yong Dae/Lee Hyo Jung, KOR, in straight games. Throughout the event the Chinese pairing have shown positive badminton and enjoyment on court and it is well deserved that they made it to the top.
There was not any doubt who was to come out on top in the Women's doubles when Du Jing/Yu Yang, CHN, seeded 4 was up against number 3 seeded Lee Hyo Jung/Lee Kyung Won, KOR. The Chinese won in two games 21-11,21-12
The 2nd and 3rd seeds met in the Men's Doubles final! That was a sure win for the Malaysians who was just pushing and pushing for those vital points.... even lying down they managed to scoopthe shuttle over the net, sometimes even making winners! Boe/Mogensen seemed to have used up all of their energy yesterday in the Semi final, having said that it was an incredible match with a lot of throwing themselves on court, simply selling themselves at the highest price....!! Malaysia won in straight games!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Badminton: Khim Wah aims to impress to keep partnership alive
KUALA LUMPUR: National back-up doubles shuttler Lim Khim Wah will go all out to save his partnership with Chan Peng Soon by doing well in back-to-back tournaments in Terengganu and Vietnam.
The Terengganu Open begins today and the Grand Prix Gold event in Ho Chi Minh City will be held next week.
Although Khim Wah-Peng Soon have been named as the third ranked pair for the Laos SEA Games behind Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boong Heong and Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif, their future together is not assured.
Break-up?: Lim Khim Wah (front) and Chan Peng Soon could go separate ways.
Coach Pang Cheh Chang said that they had until the end of October to decide on whether to split or retain the partnership.
The fate of five other pairs – Hoon Thien How-Ong Soon Hock, Mak Hee Chun-Tan Wee Kiong, Vountus Indra Mawan-Goh Wei Shem, Teo Kok Siang-Mohd Lutfi Zaim Abdul Khalid and Mohd Razif Abdul Latif-Khoo Chung Chiat – will also be known by then.
Cheh Chang added that the pairs they formed after the two tournaments would be retained for the whole of next year.
“The coach is looking for a good results from us, especially in the Vietnam Open,” said Khim Wah yesterday.
“We remain as a pair if we reach the semi-finals. It is a good challenge and it will motivate us to do even better.
“I have had three different partners and was also without one for some time. Now I want to continue seeking my badminton fortunes with Peng Soon.”
Khim Wah-Peng Soon became the first back-up pair from the current batch to win an international Open tournament – in Thailand in July. They defeated former national pair Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah in the final.
In the Terengganu Open, their biggest stumbling block will be second seeds Fairuzizuan-Zakry following the withdrawal of top seeds Kien Keat-Boon Heong.
“The absence of Koo-Tan will not make a big difference to us. Our first real test will still be against Fairuzizuan-Zakry as early as the second round. We will give our best,” said Khim Wah.
“A good showing in either the Terengganu Open or Vietnam Open will also be a big boost for us ahead of our first outing in the SEA Games. In Laos, we will be more than happy if we get to chance to play in the team event.”
For the Terengganu Open, the pairs in the same half of the draw as Fairuzizuan-Zakry and Khim Wah-Peng Soon are Thien How-Soon Hock, Razif-Chung Chiat and former national pair Chan Chong Ming-Chew Choong Eng.
In the absence of Koo-Tan, veterans Tan Fook-Wan Wah are the favourites to reach the final from the other half of the draw, which also has Hee Chun-Wee Kiong and Wei Shem-Vountus.
Meanwhile, it was also confirmed at the team managers’ meeting yesterday that women’s singles shuttler Wong Mew Choo has withdrawn because of injury.
In the men’s singles, Mohd Hafiz Hashim is the favourite to win the title in the absence of world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, who is recovering from a knee injury.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BADMINTON
Nagpur: Nikhil Kanetkar won his first state title in 1998 when, as a 19-year old, he defeated Rajeev Bagga in the final. And on a memorable Sunday afternoon, this man from Pune, who is now 30, won his second state title with a masterly performance against the 25-year old Nigel D’Sa of Greater Mumbai.
Of course, his eleven year drought of winning another state title was mainly because, as a distinguished employee of Indian Oil, he had to play for them for a good ten years. During that period Kanterkar, who is now based in Bangalore, got better and better as a player and even earned the distinction of representing India in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Now that he is no more burdened with the responsibility of playing for his employers, Kanetkar returned to the state circuit much experienced, much fitter and more hungry to win.
After he had given some badminton lessons to the young and athletic third seed, Eshan Naqvi, in the semifinals, the top seeded Kanterkar was up against the fifth seed Nigel D’Sa who had put out the fourth seed Prashant Bahatre and second seed Manish Rawat on way to the final. However, when it came to the crunch, Kanetkar simply had too much skill, class and experience for his young opponent whom he tamed in straight games winning 22-20, 21-9.
“It gives me a very good
feeling,” Kanetkar told TOI. “It is great to have won the tournament because that is what you look to do every time you enter an event.”
Much like Nikhil Kanetkar, his Pune colleague Sampada Sahasrabuddhe too lived up to her top billing as she stopped her unseeded Mumbai Suburban rival Sonal More 21-16, 21-19. This was the third state title for the 22-year-old Sampada, an M. Com Part II student.
The 23-year old Sonal, who was at her brilliant best in the semifinals against Arundhati Pantawne, found the going tough against the left-handed Sampada who outthought and outduelled her with enough skill and deception.
Of course, his eleven year drought of winning another state title was mainly because, as a distinguished employee of Indian Oil, he had to play for them for a good ten years. During that period Kanterkar, who is now based in Bangalore, got better and better as a player and even earned the distinction of representing India in the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Now that he is no more burdened with the responsibility of playing for his employers, Kanetkar returned to the state circuit much experienced, much fitter and more hungry to win.
After he had given some badminton lessons to the young and athletic third seed, Eshan Naqvi, in the semifinals, the top seeded Kanterkar was up against the fifth seed Nigel D’Sa who had put out the fourth seed Prashant Bahatre and second seed Manish Rawat on way to the final. However, when it came to the crunch, Kanetkar simply had too much skill, class and experience for his young opponent whom he tamed in straight games winning 22-20, 21-9.
“It gives me a very good
feeling,” Kanetkar told TOI. “It is great to have won the tournament because that is what you look to do every time you enter an event.”
Much like Nikhil Kanetkar, his Pune colleague Sampada Sahasrabuddhe too lived up to her top billing as she stopped her unseeded Mumbai Suburban rival Sonal More 21-16, 21-19. This was the third state title for the 22-year-old Sampada, an M. Com Part II student.
The 23-year old Sonal, who was at her brilliant best in the semifinals against Arundhati Pantawne, found the going tough against the left-handed Sampada who outthought and outduelled her with enough skill and deception.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Picking Up Badminton As A Regular Sport
It's been great fun picking up badminton as a regular sport. Despite everyone's busy life, we do try to play as regularly as we can and I can't wait for the next one!
I think, if I had been more active in sports during highschool, I would not be this klutzy with poor foot coordination! And not to be perasaan (be vain), but I think I had possible potential to excel in sports. Oh well. That's the past and you know how we can't change the past but only dream about it.
Or rather live in the present and work towards the future. =)
I did contemplate signing up for some training but with my impending unemployment, I shall stick to the current weekly sessions first (it was more of me being freaked out seeing the trainees getting tortured last badminton session). With the help of my fellow badminton kakis, I do see a slight improvement with each session.
First lesson, I had to be vigilant with my stance and had to constantly remind myself to keep my racket up. Pairing up with my aunty was grueling in some sense and boy was she fierce! As the sessions progressed, I now know more about positioning, a bit on footwork (which I still need to improve on), NOT blocking my partner's line of vision and to MOVE!
I tend to just stay stuck in a spot than run.
Badminton sessions not only gives me my weekly exercise (and hopefully burn up ALL my fats!), I also get to widen my social network and meet new people as DanSan and Gill intro their friends.
Despite the after effects of badminton- butt aches and muscle aches, I can't wait for the next badminton session!!
I think, if I had been more active in sports during highschool, I would not be this klutzy with poor foot coordination! And not to be perasaan (be vain), but I think I had possible potential to excel in sports. Oh well. That's the past and you know how we can't change the past but only dream about it.
Or rather live in the present and work towards the future. =)
I did contemplate signing up for some training but with my impending unemployment, I shall stick to the current weekly sessions first (it was more of me being freaked out seeing the trainees getting tortured last badminton session). With the help of my fellow badminton kakis, I do see a slight improvement with each session.
First lesson, I had to be vigilant with my stance and had to constantly remind myself to keep my racket up. Pairing up with my aunty was grueling in some sense and boy was she fierce! As the sessions progressed, I now know more about positioning, a bit on footwork (which I still need to improve on), NOT blocking my partner's line of vision and to MOVE!
I tend to just stay stuck in a spot than run.
Badminton sessions not only gives me my weekly exercise (and hopefully burn up ALL my fats!), I also get to widen my social network and meet new people as DanSan and Gill intro their friends.
Despite the after effects of badminton- butt aches and muscle aches, I can't wait for the next badminton session!!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The best way to train for badminton
Badminton is a fast-paced game filled with quick movements and even quicker thinking. When deciding how to train for badminton, one must consider what areas of the game are the most important. Also, examine the workout plans of other similar sports such as tennis, and racquetball. These can help expose similar areas that you should consider when beginning your training regiment. All of these sports require great footwork, and excellent hand-eye coordination. By combining simple footwork drills and coordination drills, you will be better able to improve your skill in badminton, and other sports as well. Before starting any type of physical training you should consider contacting your physician to ensure that you are healthy enough to begin training. In all of these drills the focus should be to build skills, while building the level of physical conditioning. Jogging, and sprints can be simple ways to help in the area of conditioning. As well as bike riding and walking can be very simple ways to start training for sports such as badminton. The ability to maintain your level of physical conditioning, and react quickly can be the deciding factor in becoming a good player or a great player.
Footwork
Footwork may be the one area in all of sports where an athlete can easily increase their skills. Although, it does require a fair amount of work, it is an area that can be improved easily, and at little to no cost. One drill that can be easily set up is the Z' drill. In this drill the person begins by shuffling to their left to a designated place. Then you shuffle at an angle to the next position, then shuffle sideways to the left to complete the Z' formation. This drill can be segmented out in sections of five or ten yards apiece. Another simple drill can be formed by boxing out in area with cones, or any other type of marker. This drill requires the simple motion of shuffling in a box formation. By maintaining a low, active stance, you begin by running ahead, shuffling to the right, running backwards, than finish by shuffling to the left. This drill can be inverted to the other side as well. While working on these types of drills, it provides the function of building up the cardiovascular portion of the training. One drill that can also be helpful is using the ladder. In this drill there is a piece of equipment that is sectioned out to look like a ladder. It is laid on the ground and requires the participant to run through the ladder touching their feet in between each rung of the ladder. There are some different variations in drills that can be done with this piece of equipment. A training ladder can cost anywhere from $10-$30 dollars, but with some creativity a similar training tool can be made from at-home objects.
Hand-eye coordination
Coordination is one of the major determining factors in how effective a person will be when playing sports. The idea of the Natural athlete may be one explanation for high levels of coordination, however, this is another area where a person can develop and improve their skills through work. Some basic things such as participation in other sports, working with both hands, and even playing video games can help improve your coordination skills. The best way to develop skills is by participating in multiple sports. Playing sports such as tennis, racquetball, and even catch with a baseball or football, can greatly increase a person's coordination. While doing these different sports the focus should be on working both your dominant, and non-dominant hands. A simple way to practice this is by lightly throwing a tennis ball against a brick or cement wall. By tossing the ball and catching it with both hands, you can greatly improve your coordination with both the left and right hand.
Footwork
Footwork may be the one area in all of sports where an athlete can easily increase their skills. Although, it does require a fair amount of work, it is an area that can be improved easily, and at little to no cost. One drill that can be easily set up is the Z' drill. In this drill the person begins by shuffling to their left to a designated place. Then you shuffle at an angle to the next position, then shuffle sideways to the left to complete the Z' formation. This drill can be segmented out in sections of five or ten yards apiece. Another simple drill can be formed by boxing out in area with cones, or any other type of marker. This drill requires the simple motion of shuffling in a box formation. By maintaining a low, active stance, you begin by running ahead, shuffling to the right, running backwards, than finish by shuffling to the left. This drill can be inverted to the other side as well. While working on these types of drills, it provides the function of building up the cardiovascular portion of the training. One drill that can also be helpful is using the ladder. In this drill there is a piece of equipment that is sectioned out to look like a ladder. It is laid on the ground and requires the participant to run through the ladder touching their feet in between each rung of the ladder. There are some different variations in drills that can be done with this piece of equipment. A training ladder can cost anywhere from $10-$30 dollars, but with some creativity a similar training tool can be made from at-home objects.
Hand-eye coordination
Coordination is one of the major determining factors in how effective a person will be when playing sports. The idea of the Natural athlete may be one explanation for high levels of coordination, however, this is another area where a person can develop and improve their skills through work. Some basic things such as participation in other sports, working with both hands, and even playing video games can help improve your coordination skills. The best way to develop skills is by participating in multiple sports. Playing sports such as tennis, racquetball, and even catch with a baseball or football, can greatly increase a person's coordination. While doing these different sports the focus should be on working both your dominant, and non-dominant hands. A simple way to practice this is by lightly throwing a tennis ball against a brick or cement wall. By tossing the ball and catching it with both hands, you can greatly improve your coordination with both the left and right hand.
Badminton Basic Rules
Of course if you intend to play competitively, it's important that you know all of the badminton rules. For social and leisure purposes, I think this will do.
Introduction
Before the 2006 Thomas/ Uber Cup, the official scoring format was the 15 points format. The IBF (International Badminton Federation) then tested a new scoring format which is the 21 points rally format in the 2006 Thomas/Uber Cup. This 21 points rally format has since become the official one replacing the 15 points format.
15 Points Format
There are a lot of people who still prefer the old format. So I have listed down the basic badminton rules for this format here if you have this preference.
- To win a match, you have to win 2 out of 3 games.
- To win a game, you have to score 15 points for men and 11 points for women.
- If the score becomes 14-all (10-all in women's singles), the side which first scored 14 (10) shall exercise the choice to continue the game to 15 (11) points or to 'set' the game to 17 (13) points.
- If you win a rally in which your opposition served, you win back the service rights.
- Only the serving side can add a point to its score.
- You score a point when your opponent could not return the shuttle or the shuttle he/she returns fall out of bounds.
- In singles, you will serve on the right service court when your score is an even number while you will serve on the left service court when your score is an odd number.
- In doubles, if you serve and receive first on the right service court during a match, you will continue to serve there when the score of your side in an even number. Reverse pattern for your partner.
For the full version, please check out this page.
21 points Format
Currently, this is the official format used by the IBF. Here are the basic badminton rules for this format.
- To win a match, you have to win 2 out of 3 games.
- To win a game, you have to score 21 points.
- If a score becomes 20-20, the side which scores 2 consecutive points shall win that game.
- If the score becomes 29-29, the side that scores the 30th point shall win that game.
- There are no "service over", meaning you can score a point no matter who serves.
- One service only for doubles.
- Other rules shall remain the same.
For a more detailed explanation, please visit this page.
So what is the difference between these two formats you may ask? For one, the old format requires more time to finish a match as there are 'service overs'. The level of fitness and stamina is really important. It is not unusual to see a match last for 2 hours.
The new format however requires less time to finish a match as it is a rally point system. It is now quite common to see matches finished just below an hour. Avoiding making unforced errors is crucial here because every rally counts.
Decide for yourself on which format you want to use. I would suggest that you familiarize yourself with the new format in case you become more serious with this game. Understand the basic badminton rules already?
Introduction
Before the 2006 Thomas/ Uber Cup, the official scoring format was the 15 points format. The IBF (International Badminton Federation) then tested a new scoring format which is the 21 points rally format in the 2006 Thomas/Uber Cup. This 21 points rally format has since become the official one replacing the 15 points format.
15 Points Format
There are a lot of people who still prefer the old format. So I have listed down the basic badminton rules for this format here if you have this preference.
- To win a match, you have to win 2 out of 3 games.
- To win a game, you have to score 15 points for men and 11 points for women.
- If the score becomes 14-all (10-all in women's singles), the side which first scored 14 (10) shall exercise the choice to continue the game to 15 (11) points or to 'set' the game to 17 (13) points.
- If you win a rally in which your opposition served, you win back the service rights.
- Only the serving side can add a point to its score.
- You score a point when your opponent could not return the shuttle or the shuttle he/she returns fall out of bounds.
- In singles, you will serve on the right service court when your score is an even number while you will serve on the left service court when your score is an odd number.
- In doubles, if you serve and receive first on the right service court during a match, you will continue to serve there when the score of your side in an even number. Reverse pattern for your partner.
For the full version, please check out this page.
21 points Format
Currently, this is the official format used by the IBF. Here are the basic badminton rules for this format.
- To win a match, you have to win 2 out of 3 games.
- To win a game, you have to score 21 points.
- If a score becomes 20-20, the side which scores 2 consecutive points shall win that game.
- If the score becomes 29-29, the side that scores the 30th point shall win that game.
- There are no "service over", meaning you can score a point no matter who serves.
- One service only for doubles.
- Other rules shall remain the same.
For a more detailed explanation, please visit this page.
So what is the difference between these two formats you may ask? For one, the old format requires more time to finish a match as there are 'service overs'. The level of fitness and stamina is really important. It is not unusual to see a match last for 2 hours.
The new format however requires less time to finish a match as it is a rally point system. It is now quite common to see matches finished just below an hour. Avoiding making unforced errors is crucial here because every rally counts.
Decide for yourself on which format you want to use. I would suggest that you familiarize yourself with the new format in case you become more serious with this game. Understand the basic badminton rules already?
BADMINTON
This article is about the sport. For other uses, see Badminton (disambiguation).
Team members Single or doubles
Categorization Racquet sport
Equipment Shuttlecock
Olympic 1992-present
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the ground, and each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net.
The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently from the balls used in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Shuttlecocks have a much higher top speed, when compared to other racquet sports. Because shuttlecock flight is affected by wind, competitive badminton is best played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.
Since 1992, badminton has been an Olympic sport with five events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair is a man and a woman. At high levels of play, the sport demands excellent fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility, strength, speed and precision. It is also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination and the development of sophisticated racquet movements.
Contents
* 1 History and development
* 2 Laws of the game
o 2.1 Equipment laws
o 2.2 Scoring system and service
+ 2.2.1 The basics
+ 2.2.2 Details
+ 2.2.3 Faults
+ 2.2.4 Lets
o 2.3 Equipment
+ 2.3.1 Racquets
+ 2.3.2 Strings
+ 2.3.3 Grip
+ 2.3.4 Shuttlecock
+ 2.3.5 Shoes
o 2.4 Strokes
+ 2.4.1 Forehand and backhand
+ 2.4.2 Position of the shuttlecock and receiving player
+ 2.4.3 Vertical position of the shuttlecock
+ 2.4.4 Other factors
+ 2.4.5 Deceptions
o 2.5 Strategy
+ 2.5.1 Doubles
+ 2.5.2 Singles
+ 2.5.3 Mixed doubles
o 2.6 Governing bodies
o 2.7 Competitions
o 2.8 Records
o 2.9 Comparisons with other racquet sports
+ 2.9.1 Comparisons of speed and athletic requirements
+ 2.9.2 Comparisons of technique
+ 2.9.3 Distinctive characteristics of the shuttlecock
# 2.9.3.1 Aerodynamic drag and stability
# 2.9.3.2 Spin
History and development
Battledore and Shuttlecock. 1854, from the John Leech Archive[1]
According to Jean-Yves Guillain, the author of Badminton, an Illustrated History[2], the first traces of a game involving the use of a shuttlecock can be found in Asia, and specifically in China. It supposedly has its origins in T’su-chü, a Football game created 2,500 years BCE at the time of the legendary Huang-Di in order to improve the skills of soldiers fighting Chi-You, the leader of the Miao people. In Japan, the related game Hanetsuki was played as early as the 16th century. In the west, badminton came from a game called battledore and shuttlecock, in which two or more players keep a feathered shuttlecock in the air with small racquets.
The modern form of Badminton however can be traced to India, where British military officers stationed there in the late 19th century became interested in a similar local game which was known to them as Poona (derived from Pune, an Indian garrison town).[3][4] This game was taken back to England where the rules of badminton were set out.[3][4] Another early version of the game was recorded in the 1850s in the southern Indian city of Tanjore, called pooppanthu vilayattam (Tamil for flower-ball game) in which balls made of wool and cardboard were used in the place of the modern-day shuttlecock.[4]
Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet, Badminton Battledore - a new game in 1860, but unfortunately no copy has survived.[5]
The new sport was definitively launched in 1873 at the Badminton House, Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke of Beaufort. During that time, the game was referred to as "The Game of Badminton," and the game's official name became Badminton.[6]
Until 1887, the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in India. The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. The basic regulations were drawn up in 1887.[6] In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations, similar to today's rules, and officially launched badminton in a house called "Dunbar" at 6 Waverley Grove, Portsmouth, England on September 13 of that year.[7] They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now known as Badminton World Federation) was established in 1934 with Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales as its founding members. India joined as an affiliate in 1936. The BWF now governs international badminton and develops the sport globally.
While set-out in England, competitive badminton in Europe has traditionally been dominated by Denmark. Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia are among the nations that have consistently produced world-class players in the past few decades and dominated competitions on the international level, with China being the most dominant in recent years.
Laws of the game
The following information is a simplified summary of the Laws, not a complete reproduction. The definitive source of the Laws is the BWF Statutes publication,[8] although the digital distribution of the Laws contains poor reproductions of the diagrams.ig ghhg kolia molki ndff .
Playing court dimensions the Badminton court 3d|right|thumb|250px|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 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.
The width of all lines is 40mm and the effective boundary is the outside of the line. That is if the shuttle touches any part of the line it is deemed to be IN.
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.
Equipment laws
The Laws specify which equipment may be used. In particular, the Laws restrict the design and size of racquets and shuttlecocks. The Laws also provide for testing a shuttlecock for the correct speed:
3.1
To test a shuttlecock, use a full underhand stroke which makes contact with the shuttlecock over the back boundary line. The shuttlecock shall be hit at an upward angle and in a direction parallel to the side lines.
3.2
A shuttlecock of the correct speed will land not less than 530 mm and not more than 990 mm short of the other back boundary line.
Scoring system and service
Main article: Scoring system development of badminton
The basics
Each game is played with 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 (see court dimensions). 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.
Details
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 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 he 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.
Faults
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 in, but the back tramline is out. Doubles: the side tramlines are out, but the back tramline is in.). 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.
Lets
If a let is called, the rally is stopped and replayed with no change to the score. Lets may occur due to some unexpected disturbance such as a shuttlecock landing on court (having been hit there by players on an adjacent court) or in small halls the shuttle may touch an overhead rail which can be classed as a let.
If the receiver is not ready when the service is delivered, a let shall be called; yet, if the receiver attempts to return the shuttlecock, he shall be judged to have been ready.
There is no let if the shuttlecock hits the tape (even on service).
[edit] Equipment
Badminton racquets
Racquets
Badminton racquets are light, with top quality racquets weighing between 79 and 91 grams including the strings.[10][11] They are composed of many different materials ranging from carbon fibre composite (graphite reinforced plastic) to solid steel, which may be augmented by a variety of materials. Carbon fibre has an excellent strength to weight ratio, is stiff, and gives excellent kinetic energy transfer. Before the adoption of carbon fibre composite, racquets were made of light metals such as aluminum. Earlier still, racquets were made of wood. Cheap racquets are still often made of metals such as steel, but wooden racquets are no longer manufactured for the ordinary market, due to their excessive mass and cost. Nowadays, nanomaterials such as fullerene and carbon nanotubes are added to rackets giving them greater durabilty.
There is a wide variety of racquet designs, although the Laws limit the racquet size and shape. Different racquets have playing characteristics that appeal to different players. The traditional oval head shape is still available, but an isometric head shape is increasingly common in new racquets.
Strings
Badminton strings are thin, high performing strings in the range of about 0.65 to 0.73 mm thickness. Thicker strings are more durable, but many players prefer the feel of thinner strings. String tension is normally in the range of 80 to 130 N (18 to 36 lbf). Recreational players generally string at lower tensions than professionals, typically between 18 and 25 lbf (110 N). Professionals string between about 25 and 36 lbf (160 N).
It is often argued that high string tensions improve control, whereas low string tensions increase power.[12] The arguments for this generally rely on crude mechanical reasoning, such as claiming that a lower tension string bed is more bouncy and therefore provides more power. This is in fact incorrect, for a higher string tension can cause the shuttle to slide off the racquet and hence make it harder to hit a shot accurately. An alternative view suggests that the optimum tension for power depends on the player:[10] the faster and more accurately a player can swing their racquet, the higher the tension for maximum power. Neither view has been subjected to a rigorous mechanical analysis, nor is there clear evidence in favour of one or the other. The most effective way for a player to find a good string tension is to experiment.
Grip
The choice of grip allows a player to increase the thickness of his racquet handle and choose a comfortable surface to hold. A player may build up the handle with one or several grips before applying the final layer.
Players may choose between a variety of grip materials. The most common choices are PU synthetic grips or towelling grips. Grip choice is a matter of personal preference. Players often find that sweat becomes a problem; in this case, a drying agent may be applied to the grip or hands, sweatbands may be used, the player may choose another grip material or change his grip more frequently.
There are two main types of grip: replacement grips and overgrips. Replacement grips are thicker, and are often used to increase the size of the handle. Overgrips are thinner (less than 1 mm), and are often used as the final layer. Many players, however, prefer to use replacement grips as the final layer. Towelling grips are always replacement grips. Replacement grips have an adhesive backing, whereas overgrips have only a small patch of adhesive at the start of the tape and must be applied under tension; overgrips are more convenient for players who change grips frequently, because they may be removed more rapidly without damaging the underlying material.
Shuttlecocks with feathers
A shuttlecock with a plastic skirt
Shuttlecock
Main article: Shuttlecock
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 goose 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), 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.
Shoes
Badminton shoes are lightweight with soles of rubber or similar high-grip, non-marking materials.
Compared to running shoes, badminton shoes have little lateral support. High levels of lateral support are useful for activities where lateral motion is undesirable and unexpected. Badminton, however, requires powerful lateral movements. A highly built-up lateral support will not be able to protect the foot in badminton; instead, it will encourage catastrophic collapse at the point where the shoe's support fails, and the player's ankles are not ready for the sudden loading, which can cause sprains. For this reason, players should choose badminton shoes rather than general trainers or running shoes, because proper badminton shoes will have a very thin sole, lower a person's centre of gravity, and therefore result in fewer injuries. Players should also ensure that they learn safe and proper footwork, with the knee and foot in alignment on all lunges. This is not only a safety concern, as proper footwork is critical in order to move effectively around the court.
Strokes
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Francesca Setiadi, Canada, flies high at the Golden Gate Badminton Club (GGBC) in Menlo Park, 2006
Forehand and backhand
Badminton offers a wide variety of basic strokes, and players require a high level of skill to perform all of them effectively. All strokes can be played either forehand or backhand. A player's forehand side is the same side as his playing hand: for a right-handed player, the forehand side is his right side and the backhand side is his left side. Forehand strokes are hit with the front of the hand leading (like hitting with the palm), whereas backhand strokes are hit with the back of the hand leading (like hitting with the knuckles). Players frequently play certain strokes on the forehand side with a backhand hitting action, and vice versa.
In the forecourt and midcourt, most strokes can be played equally effectively on either the forehand or backhand side; but in the rearcourt, players will attempt to play as many strokes as possible on their forehands, often preferring to play a round-the-head forehand overhead (a forehand "on the backhand side") rather than attempt a backhand overhead. Playing a backhand overhead has two main disadvantages. First, the player must turn his back to his opponents, restricting his view of them and the court. Second, backhand overheads cannot be hit with as much power as forehands: the hitting action is limited by the shoulder joint, which permits a much greater range of movement for a forehand overhead than for a backhand. The backhand clear is considered by most players and coaches to be the most difficult basic stroke in the game, since precise technique is needed in order to muster enough power for the shuttlecock to travel the full length of the court. For the same reason, backhand smashes tend to be weak.
[edit] Position of the shuttlecock and receiving player
Lemuel Sibulo, USA, does a forehand service, 2009, Philadelphia.
The choice of stroke depends on how near the shuttlecock is to the net, whether it is above net height, and where an opponent is currently positioned: players have much better attacking options if they can reach the shuttlecock well above net height, especially if it is also close to the net. In the forecourt, a high shuttlecock will be met with a net kill, hitting it steeply downwards and attempting to win the rally immediately. This is why it is best to drop the shuttlecock just over the net in this situation. In the midcourt, a high shuttlecock will usually be met with a powerful smash, also hitting downwards and hoping for an outright winner or a weak reply. Athletic jump smashes, where players jump upwards for a steeper smash angle, are a common and spectacular element of elite men's doubles play. In the rearcourt, players strive to hit the shuttlecock while it is still above them, rather than allowing it to drop lower. This overhead hitting allows them to play smashes, clears (hitting the shuttlecock high and to the back of the opponents' court), and dropshots (hitting the shuttlecock so that it falls softly downwards into the opponents' forecourt). If the shuttlecock has dropped lower, then a smash is impossible and a full-length, high clear is difficult.
Rookie Camaclang, Philippines, prepares for a vertical jump smash
[edit] Vertical position of the shuttlecock
When the shuttlecock is well below net height, players have no choice but to hit upwards. Lifts, where the shuttlecock is hit upwards to the back of the opponents' court, can be played from all parts of the court. If a player does not lift, his only remaining option is to push the shuttlecock softly back to the net: in the forecourt this is called a netshot; in the midcourt or rearcourt, it is often called a push or block.
When the shuttlecock is near to net height, players can hit drives, which travel flat and rapidly over the net into the opponents' rear midcourt and rearcourt. Pushes may also be hit flatter, placing the shuttlecock into the front midcourt. Drives and pushes may be played from the midcourt or forecourt, and are most often used in doubles: they are an attempt to regain the attack, rather than choosing to lift the shuttlecock and defend against smashes. After a successful drive or push, the opponents will often be forced to lift the shuttlecock.
[edit] Other factors
When defending against a smash, players have three basic options: lift, block, or drive. In singles, a block to the net is the most common reply. In doubles, a lift is the safest option but it usually allows the opponents to continue smashing; blocks and drives are counter-attacking strokes, but may be intercepted by the smasher's partner. Many players use a backhand hitting action for returning smashes on both the forehand and backhand sides, because backhands are more effective than forehands at covering smashes directed to the body.
The service is restricted by the Laws and presents its own array of stroke choices. Unlike in tennis, the servers racket must be pointing in a downward direction to deliver the serve so normally the shuttle must be hit upwards to pass over the net. The server can choose a low serve into the forecourt (like a push), or a lift to the back of the service court, or a flat drive serve. Lifted serves may be either high serves, where the shuttlecock is lifted so high that it falls almost vertically at the back of the court, or flick serves, where the shuttlecock is lifted to a lesser height but falls sooner.
Deceptions
Once players have mastered these basic strokes, they can hit the shuttlecock from and to any part of the court, powerfully and softly as required. Beyond the basics, however, badminton offers rich potential for advanced stroke skills that provide a competitive advantage. Because badminton players have to cover a short distance as quickly as possible, the purpose of many advanced strokes is to deceive the opponent, so that either he is tricked into believing that a different stroke is being played, or he is forced to delay his movement until he actually sees the shuttle's direction. "Deception" in badminton is often used in both of these senses. When a player is genuinely deceived, he will often lose the point immediately because he cannot change his direction quickly enough to reach the shuttlecock. Experienced players will be aware of the trick and cautious not to move too early, but the attempted deception is still useful because it forces the opponent to delay his movement slightly. Against weaker players whose intended strokes are obvious, an experienced player will move before the shuttlecock has been hit, anticipating the stroke to gain an advantage.
Slicing and using a shortened hitting action are the two main technical devices that facilitate deception. Slicing involves hitting the shuttlecock with an angled racquet face, causing it to travel in a different direction than suggested by the body or arm movement. Slicing also causes the shuttlecock to travel much slower than the arm movement suggests. For example, a good crosscourt sliced dropshot will use a hitting action that suggests a straight clear or smash, deceiving the opponent about both the power and direction of the shuttlecock. A more sophisticated slicing action involves brushing the strings around the shuttlecock during the hit, in order to make the shuttlecock spin. This can be used to improve the shuttle's trajectory, by making it dip more rapidly as it passes the net; for example, a sliced low serve can travel slightly faster than a normal low serve, yet land on the same spot. Spinning the shuttlecock is also used to create spinning netshots (also called tumbling netshots), in which the shuttlecock turns over itself several times (tumbles) before stabilizing; sometimes the shuttlecock remains inverted instead of tumbling. The main advantage of a spinning netshot is that the opponent will be unwilling to address the shuttlecock until it has stopped tumbling, since hitting the feathers will result in an unpredictable stroke. Spinning netshots are especially important for high level singles players.
The lightness of modern racquets allows players to use a very short hitting action for many strokes, thereby maintaining the option to hit a powerful or a soft stroke until the last possible moment. For example, a singles player may hold his racquet ready for a netshot, but then flick the shuttlecock to the back instead with a shallow lift. This makes the opponent's task of covering the whole court much more difficult than if the lift was hit with a bigger, obvious swing. A short hitting action is not only useful for deception: it also allows the player to hit powerful strokes when he has no time for a big arm swing. The use of grip tightening is crucial to these techniques, and is often described as finger power. Elite players develop finger power to the extent that they can hit some power strokes, such as net kills, with less than a 10 cm racquet swing.
It is also possible to reverse this style of deception, by suggesting a powerful stroke before slowing down the hitting action to play a soft stroke. In general, this latter style of deception is more common in the rearcourt (for example, dropshots disguised as smashes), whereas the former style is more common in the forecourt and midcourt (for example, lifts disguised as netshots).
Deception is not limited to slicing and short hitting actions. Players may also use double motion, where they make an initial racquet movement in one direction before withdrawing the racquet to hit in another direction. This is typically used to suggest a crosscourt angle but then play the stroke straight, or vice versa. Triple motion is also possible, but this is very rare in actual play. An alternative to double motion is to use a racquet head fake, where the initial motion is continued but the racquet is turned during the hit. This produces a smaller change in direction, but does not require as much time.
Strategy
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To win in badminton, players need to employ a wide variety of strokes in the right situations. These range from powerful jumping smashes to delicate tumbling net returns. Often rallies finish with a smash, but setting up the smash requires subtler strokes. For example, a netshot can force the opponent to lift the shuttlecock, which gives an opportunity to smash. If the netshot is tight and tumbling, then the opponent's lift will not reach the back of the court, which makes the subsequent smash much harder to return.
Deception is also important. Expert players prepare for many different strokes that look identical, and use slicing to deceive their opponents about the speed or direction of the stroke. If an opponent tries to anticipate the stroke, he may move in the wrong direction and may be unable to change his body momentum in time to reach the shuttlecock.
Doubles
Both pairs will try to gain and maintain the attack, smashing downwards when possible. Whenever possible, a pair will adopt an ideal attacking formation with one player hitting down from the rearcourt, and his partner in the midcourt intercepting all smash returns except the lift. If the rearcourt attacker plays a dropshot, his partner will move into the forecourt to threaten the net reply. If a pair cannot hit downwards, they will use flat strokes in an attempt to gain the attack. If a pair is forced to lift or clear the shuttlecock, then they must defend: they will adopt a side-by-side position in the rear midcourt, to cover the full width of their court against the opponents' smashes. In doubles, players generally smash to the middle ground between two players in order to take advantage of confusion and clashes.
At high levels of play, the backhand serve has become popular to the extent that forehand serves almost never appear in professional games. The straight low serve is used most frequently, in an attempt to prevent the opponents gaining the attack immediately. Flick serves are used to prevent the opponent from anticipating the low serve and attacking it decisively.
At high levels of play, doubles rallies are extremely fast. Men's doubles is the most aggressive form of badminton, with a high proportion of powerful jump smashes.
A mixed doubles game - Scottish Schools under 12s tournament, Tranent, May 2002
Singles
The singles court is narrower than the doubles court, but the same length, with the exception that a serve in the single can reach the end of the court while a serve in the doubles could not. Since one person needs to cover the entire court, singles tactics are based on forcing the opponent to move as much as possible; this means that singles strokes are normally directed to the corners of the court. Players exploit the length of the court by combining lifts and clears with dropshots and netshots. Smashing is less prominent in singles than in doubles because players are rarely in the ideal position to execute a smash, and smashing often leaves the smasher vulnerable if the smash is returned.
In singles, players will often start the rally with a forehand high serve. Low serves are also used frequently, either forehand or backhand. Flick serves are less common, and drive serves are rare.
At high levels of play, singles demands extraordinary fitness. Singles is a game of patient positional manoeuvring, unlike the all-out aggression of doubles.
Mixed doubles
In mixed doubles, both pairs try to maintain an attacking formation with the woman at the front and the man at the back. This is because the male players are substantially stronger, and can therefore produce smashes that are more powerful. As a result, mixed doubles requires greater tactical awareness and subtler positional play. Clever opponents will try to reverse the ideal position, by forcing the woman towards the back or the man towards the front. In order to protect against this danger, mixed players must be careful and systematic in their shot selection.[13]
At high levels of play, the formations will generally be more flexible: the top women players are capable of playing powerfully from the rearcourt, and will happily do so if required. When the opportunity arises, however, the pair will switch back to the standard mixed attacking position, with the woman in front.
Governing bodies
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the internationally recognized governing body of the sport. Five regional confederations are associated with the BWF:
* Asia: Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC)
* Africa: Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA)
* Americas: Badminton Pan Am (North America and South America belong to the same confederation; BPA)
* Europe: Badminton Europe (BE)
* Oceania: Badminton Oceania (BO)
Competitions
A mens doubles match. The blue lines are those for the badminton court. The other coloured lines denote uses for other sports – such complexity being common in multi-use sports halls.
The BWF organizes several international competitions, including the Thomas Cup, the premier men's event, and the Uber Cup, the women's equivalent. The competitions take place once every two years. More than 50 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within continental confederations for a place in the finals. The titing supot involves 12 teams, following an increase from eight teams in 2004.
The Sudirman Cup, a mixed team event held once every two years, began in 1989. It is divided into seven groups based on the performance of each country. To win the tournament, a country must perform well across all five disciplines (men's doubles and singles, women's doubles and singles, and mixed doubles). Like association football (soccer), it features a promotion and relegation system in every group.
Individual competition in badminton was a demonstration event in the 1972 and 1988 Summer Olympics. It became a Summer Olympics sport at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. The 32 highest ranked badminton players in the world participate in the competition, and each country submitting three players to take part. In the BWF World Championships, only the highest ranked 64 players in the world, and a maximum of three from each country, can participate in any category.
All these tournaments, along with the BWF World Junior Championships, are level one tournaments.
At the start of 2007, the BWF also introduce a new tournament structure: the BWF Super Series. This level two tournament will stage twelve open tournaments around the world with 32 players (half the previous limit). The players collect points that determine whether they can play in Super Series Final held at the year end.[14][15]
Level paybtawsan tournaments will consist of Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix event. Top players can collect the world ranking points and enable them to play in the BWF Super Series open tournaments. These include the regional competitions in Asia (Badminton Asia Championships) and Europe (European Badminton Championships), which produce the world's best players as well as the Pan America Badminton Championships.
The level four tournaments, known as International Challenge, International Series and Future Series, encourages participation by junior players.[16]
Records
The most powerful stroke in badminton is the smash, which is hit steeply downwards into the opponents' midcourt. The maximum speed of a smashed shuttlecock exceeds that of any other racquet sport projectile. The recordings of this speed measure the initial speed of the shuttlecock immediately after it has left the player's racquet.
Men's doubles player Fu Haifeng of China set the official world smash record of 370 km/h (230 mph) on June 3, 2005 in the Sudirman Cup. The fastest smash recorded in the singles competition is 350 km/h (209 mph) by Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.[17]
Comparisons with other racquet sports
Badminton is frequently compared to tennis. The following is a list of uncontentious comparisons:
* In tennis, the ball may bounce once before the player hits it; in badminton, the rally ends once the shuttlecock touches the floor.
* 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, the server is allowed two attempts to make a correct serve; in badminton, the server is allowed only one attempt.
* In tennis, a let is played on service if the ball hits the net tape; in badminton, there is no let on service.
* The tennis court is larger than the badminton court.
* Tennis racquets are about four times heavier than badminton racquets, 10-12 ounces (approximately 284-340 grams) versus 85-93 grams.[18][19] Tennis balls are more than eleven times heavier than shuttlecocks, 57 grams versus 5 grams.[20][21]
* The fastest recorded tennis stroke is Andy Roddick's 153 mph (246 km/h) serve;[22] the fastest recorded badminton stroke is Fu Haifeng's 206 mph (332 km/h) smash.[23]
Comparisons of speed and athletic requirements
Statistics such as the 206 mph (332 km/h) smash speed, above, prompt badminton enthusiasts to make other comparisons that are more contentious. For example, it is often claimed that badminton is the fastest racquet sport.[24] Although badminton holds the record for the fastest initial speed of a racket sports projectile, the shuttlecock decelerates substantially faster than other projectiles such as tennis balls. In turn, this qualification must be qualified by consideration of the distance over which the shuttlecock travels: a smashed shuttlecock travels a shorter distance than a tennis ball during a serve. Badminton's claim as the fastest racquet sport might also be based on reaction time requirements, but arguably table tennis requires even faster reaction times.
There is a strong case for arguing that badminton is more physically demanding than tennis, but such comparisons are difficult to make objectively due to the differing demands of the games. Some informal studies suggest that badminton players require much greater aerobic stamina than tennis players, but this has not been the subject of rigorous research.[25]
A more balanced approach suggests the following comparisons, although these also are subject to dispute:
* Badminton, especially singles, requires substantially greater aerobic stamina than tennis; the level of aerobic stamina required by badminton singles is similar to squash singles, although squash may have slightly higher aerobic requirements.
* Tennis requires greater upper body and core strength than badminton.
* Badminton requires greater explosive leg strength than tennis, and badminton men's doubles probably requires much greater explosive leg strength than any other racket sport due to the demands of performing multiple consecutive jumping smashes.
* Badminton requires much greater explosive athleticism than tennis and somewhat greater than squash, with players required to jump for height or distance.
* Badminton requires significantly faster reaction times than either tennis or squash, although table tennis may require even faster reaction times. The fastest reactions in badminton are required in men's doubles, when returning a powerful smash.
Comparisons of technique
Badminton and tennis techniques differ substantially. The lightness of the shuttlecock and of badminton rackets allow badminton players to make use of the wrist and fingers much more than tennis players; in tennis the wrist is normally held stable, and playing with a mobile wrist may lead to injury. For the same reasons, badminton players can generate power from a short racket swing: for some strokes such as net kills, an elite player's swing may be less than 5 cm. For strokes that require more power, a longer swing will typically be used, but the badminton racket swing will rarely be as long as a typical tennis swing.
It is often asserted that power in badminton strokes comes mainly from the wrist. This is a misconception and may be criticised for two reasons. First, it is strictly speaking a category error: the wrist is a joint, not a muscle; the forearm muscles control its movement. Second, wrist movements are weak when compared to forearm or upper arm movements. Badminton biomechanics have not been the subject of extensive scientific study, but some studies confirm the minor role of the wrist in power generation, and indicate that the major contributions to power come from internal and external rotations of the upper and lower arm.[26] Modern coaching resources such as the Badminton England Technique DVD reflect these ideas by emphasising forearm rotation rather than wrist movements.[27]
Distinctive characteristics of the shuttlecock
The shuttlecock differs greatly from the balls used in most other racquet sports.
Aerodynamic drag and stability
The feathers impart substantial drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate greatly over distance. The shuttlecock is also extremely aerodynamically stable: regardless of initial orientation, it will turn to fly cork-first, and remain in the cork-first orientation.
One consequence of the shuttlecock's drag is that it requires considerable skill to hit it the full length of the court, which is not the case for most racquet sports. The drag also influences the flight path of a lifted (lobbed) shuttlecock: the parabola of its flight is heavily skewed so that it falls at a steeper angle than it rises. With very high serves, the shuttlecock may even fall vertically.
Spin
Balls may be spun to alter their bounce (for example, topspin and backspin in tennis), and players may slice the ball (strike it with an angled racket face) to produce such spin; but, since the shuttlecock is not allowed to bounce, this does not apply to badminton.
Slicing the shuttlecock so that it spins, however, does have applications, and some are particular to badminton. (See Basic strokes for an explanation of technical terms.)
* Slicing the shuttlecock from the side may cause it to travel in a different direction from the direction suggested by the player's racket or body movement. This is used to deceive opponents.
* Slicing the shuttlecock from the side may cause it to follow a slightly curved path (as seen from above), and the deceleration imparted by the spin causes sliced strokes to slow down more suddenly towards the end of their flight path. This can be used to create dropshots and smashes that dip more steeply after they pass the net.
* When playing a netshot, slicing underneath the shuttlecock may cause it to turn over itself (tumble) several times as it passes the net. This is called a spinning netshot or tumbling netshot. The opponent will be unwilling to address the shuttlecock until it has corrected its orientation.
Due to the way that its feathers overlap, a shuttlecock also has a slight natural spin about its axis of rotational symmetry. The spin is in a counter-clockwise direction as seen from above when dropping a shuttlecock. This natural spin affects certain strokes: a tumbling netshot is more effective if the slicing action is from right to left, rather than from left to right.[28]
Team members Single or doubles
Categorization Racquet sport
Equipment Shuttlecock
Olympic 1992-present
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles), who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court. A rally ends once the shuttlecock has struck the ground, and each side may only strike the shuttlecock once before it passes over the net.
The shuttlecock (or shuttle) is a feathered projectile whose unique aerodynamic properties cause it to fly differently from the balls used in most racquet sports; in particular, the feathers create much higher drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate more rapidly than a ball. Shuttlecocks have a much higher top speed, when compared to other racquet sports. Because shuttlecock flight is affected by wind, competitive badminton is best played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game.
Since 1992, badminton has been an Olympic sport with five events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair is a man and a woman. At high levels of play, the sport demands excellent fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility, strength, speed and precision. It is also a technical sport, requiring good motor coordination and the development of sophisticated racquet movements.
Contents
* 1 History and development
* 2 Laws of the game
o 2.1 Equipment laws
o 2.2 Scoring system and service
+ 2.2.1 The basics
+ 2.2.2 Details
+ 2.2.3 Faults
+ 2.2.4 Lets
o 2.3 Equipment
+ 2.3.1 Racquets
+ 2.3.2 Strings
+ 2.3.3 Grip
+ 2.3.4 Shuttlecock
+ 2.3.5 Shoes
o 2.4 Strokes
+ 2.4.1 Forehand and backhand
+ 2.4.2 Position of the shuttlecock and receiving player
+ 2.4.3 Vertical position of the shuttlecock
+ 2.4.4 Other factors
+ 2.4.5 Deceptions
o 2.5 Strategy
+ 2.5.1 Doubles
+ 2.5.2 Singles
+ 2.5.3 Mixed doubles
o 2.6 Governing bodies
o 2.7 Competitions
o 2.8 Records
o 2.9 Comparisons with other racquet sports
+ 2.9.1 Comparisons of speed and athletic requirements
+ 2.9.2 Comparisons of technique
+ 2.9.3 Distinctive characteristics of the shuttlecock
# 2.9.3.1 Aerodynamic drag and stability
# 2.9.3.2 Spin
History and development
Battledore and Shuttlecock. 1854, from the John Leech Archive[1]
According to Jean-Yves Guillain, the author of Badminton, an Illustrated History[2], the first traces of a game involving the use of a shuttlecock can be found in Asia, and specifically in China. It supposedly has its origins in T’su-chü, a Football game created 2,500 years BCE at the time of the legendary Huang-Di in order to improve the skills of soldiers fighting Chi-You, the leader of the Miao people. In Japan, the related game Hanetsuki was played as early as the 16th century. In the west, badminton came from a game called battledore and shuttlecock, in which two or more players keep a feathered shuttlecock in the air with small racquets.
The modern form of Badminton however can be traced to India, where British military officers stationed there in the late 19th century became interested in a similar local game which was known to them as Poona (derived from Pune, an Indian garrison town).[3][4] This game was taken back to England where the rules of badminton were set out.[3][4] Another early version of the game was recorded in the 1850s in the southern Indian city of Tanjore, called pooppanthu vilayattam (Tamil for flower-ball game) in which balls made of wool and cardboard were used in the place of the modern-day shuttlecock.[4]
Isaac Spratt, a London toy dealer, published a booklet, Badminton Battledore - a new game in 1860, but unfortunately no copy has survived.[5]
The new sport was definitively launched in 1873 at the Badminton House, Gloucestershire, owned by the Duke of Beaufort. During that time, the game was referred to as "The Game of Badminton," and the game's official name became Badminton.[6]
Until 1887, the sport was played in England under the rules that prevailed in India. The Bath Badminton Club standardized the rules and made the game applicable to English ideas. The basic regulations were drawn up in 1887.[6] In 1893, the Badminton Association of England published the first set of rules according to these regulations, similar to today's rules, and officially launched badminton in a house called "Dunbar" at 6 Waverley Grove, Portsmouth, England on September 13 of that year.[7] They also started the All England Open Badminton Championships, the first badminton competition in the world, in 1899.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) (now known as Badminton World Federation) was established in 1934 with Canada, Denmark, England, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and Wales as its founding members. India joined as an affiliate in 1936. The BWF now governs international badminton and develops the sport globally.
While set-out in England, competitive badminton in Europe has traditionally been dominated by Denmark. Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia are among the nations that have consistently produced world-class players in the past few decades and dominated competitions on the international level, with China being the most dominant in recent years.
Laws of the game
The following information is a simplified summary of the Laws, not a complete reproduction. The definitive source of the Laws is the BWF Statutes publication,[8] although the digital distribution of the Laws contains poor reproductions of the diagrams.ig ghhg kolia molki ndff .
Playing court dimensions the Badminton court 3d|right|thumb|250px|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 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.
The width of all lines is 40mm and the effective boundary is the outside of the line. That is if the shuttle touches any part of the line it is deemed to be IN.
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.
Equipment laws
The Laws specify which equipment may be used. In particular, the Laws restrict the design and size of racquets and shuttlecocks. The Laws also provide for testing a shuttlecock for the correct speed:
3.1
To test a shuttlecock, use a full underhand stroke which makes contact with the shuttlecock over the back boundary line. The shuttlecock shall be hit at an upward angle and in a direction parallel to the side lines.
3.2
A shuttlecock of the correct speed will land not less than 530 mm and not more than 990 mm short of the other back boundary line.
Scoring system and service
Main article: Scoring system development of badminton
The basics
Each game is played with 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 (see court dimensions). 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.
Details
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 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 he 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.
Faults
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 in, but the back tramline is out. Doubles: the side tramlines are out, but the back tramline is in.). 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.
Lets
If a let is called, the rally is stopped and replayed with no change to the score. Lets may occur due to some unexpected disturbance such as a shuttlecock landing on court (having been hit there by players on an adjacent court) or in small halls the shuttle may touch an overhead rail which can be classed as a let.
If the receiver is not ready when the service is delivered, a let shall be called; yet, if the receiver attempts to return the shuttlecock, he shall be judged to have been ready.
There is no let if the shuttlecock hits the tape (even on service).
[edit] Equipment
Badminton racquets
Racquets
Badminton racquets are light, with top quality racquets weighing between 79 and 91 grams including the strings.[10][11] They are composed of many different materials ranging from carbon fibre composite (graphite reinforced plastic) to solid steel, which may be augmented by a variety of materials. Carbon fibre has an excellent strength to weight ratio, is stiff, and gives excellent kinetic energy transfer. Before the adoption of carbon fibre composite, racquets were made of light metals such as aluminum. Earlier still, racquets were made of wood. Cheap racquets are still often made of metals such as steel, but wooden racquets are no longer manufactured for the ordinary market, due to their excessive mass and cost. Nowadays, nanomaterials such as fullerene and carbon nanotubes are added to rackets giving them greater durabilty.
There is a wide variety of racquet designs, although the Laws limit the racquet size and shape. Different racquets have playing characteristics that appeal to different players. The traditional oval head shape is still available, but an isometric head shape is increasingly common in new racquets.
Strings
Badminton strings are thin, high performing strings in the range of about 0.65 to 0.73 mm thickness. Thicker strings are more durable, but many players prefer the feel of thinner strings. String tension is normally in the range of 80 to 130 N (18 to 36 lbf). Recreational players generally string at lower tensions than professionals, typically between 18 and 25 lbf (110 N). Professionals string between about 25 and 36 lbf (160 N).
It is often argued that high string tensions improve control, whereas low string tensions increase power.[12] The arguments for this generally rely on crude mechanical reasoning, such as claiming that a lower tension string bed is more bouncy and therefore provides more power. This is in fact incorrect, for a higher string tension can cause the shuttle to slide off the racquet and hence make it harder to hit a shot accurately. An alternative view suggests that the optimum tension for power depends on the player:[10] the faster and more accurately a player can swing their racquet, the higher the tension for maximum power. Neither view has been subjected to a rigorous mechanical analysis, nor is there clear evidence in favour of one or the other. The most effective way for a player to find a good string tension is to experiment.
Grip
The choice of grip allows a player to increase the thickness of his racquet handle and choose a comfortable surface to hold. A player may build up the handle with one or several grips before applying the final layer.
Players may choose between a variety of grip materials. The most common choices are PU synthetic grips or towelling grips. Grip choice is a matter of personal preference. Players often find that sweat becomes a problem; in this case, a drying agent may be applied to the grip or hands, sweatbands may be used, the player may choose another grip material or change his grip more frequently.
There are two main types of grip: replacement grips and overgrips. Replacement grips are thicker, and are often used to increase the size of the handle. Overgrips are thinner (less than 1 mm), and are often used as the final layer. Many players, however, prefer to use replacement grips as the final layer. Towelling grips are always replacement grips. Replacement grips have an adhesive backing, whereas overgrips have only a small patch of adhesive at the start of the tape and must be applied under tension; overgrips are more convenient for players who change grips frequently, because they may be removed more rapidly without damaging the underlying material.
Shuttlecocks with feathers
A shuttlecock with a plastic skirt
Shuttlecock
Main article: Shuttlecock
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 goose 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), 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.
Shoes
Badminton shoes are lightweight with soles of rubber or similar high-grip, non-marking materials.
Compared to running shoes, badminton shoes have little lateral support. High levels of lateral support are useful for activities where lateral motion is undesirable and unexpected. Badminton, however, requires powerful lateral movements. A highly built-up lateral support will not be able to protect the foot in badminton; instead, it will encourage catastrophic collapse at the point where the shoe's support fails, and the player's ankles are not ready for the sudden loading, which can cause sprains. For this reason, players should choose badminton shoes rather than general trainers or running shoes, because proper badminton shoes will have a very thin sole, lower a person's centre of gravity, and therefore result in fewer injuries. Players should also ensure that they learn safe and proper footwork, with the knee and foot in alignment on all lunges. This is not only a safety concern, as proper footwork is critical in order to move effectively around the court.
Strokes
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Francesca Setiadi, Canada, flies high at the Golden Gate Badminton Club (GGBC) in Menlo Park, 2006
Forehand and backhand
Badminton offers a wide variety of basic strokes, and players require a high level of skill to perform all of them effectively. All strokes can be played either forehand or backhand. A player's forehand side is the same side as his playing hand: for a right-handed player, the forehand side is his right side and the backhand side is his left side. Forehand strokes are hit with the front of the hand leading (like hitting with the palm), whereas backhand strokes are hit with the back of the hand leading (like hitting with the knuckles). Players frequently play certain strokes on the forehand side with a backhand hitting action, and vice versa.
In the forecourt and midcourt, most strokes can be played equally effectively on either the forehand or backhand side; but in the rearcourt, players will attempt to play as many strokes as possible on their forehands, often preferring to play a round-the-head forehand overhead (a forehand "on the backhand side") rather than attempt a backhand overhead. Playing a backhand overhead has two main disadvantages. First, the player must turn his back to his opponents, restricting his view of them and the court. Second, backhand overheads cannot be hit with as much power as forehands: the hitting action is limited by the shoulder joint, which permits a much greater range of movement for a forehand overhead than for a backhand. The backhand clear is considered by most players and coaches to be the most difficult basic stroke in the game, since precise technique is needed in order to muster enough power for the shuttlecock to travel the full length of the court. For the same reason, backhand smashes tend to be weak.
[edit] Position of the shuttlecock and receiving player
Lemuel Sibulo, USA, does a forehand service, 2009, Philadelphia.
The choice of stroke depends on how near the shuttlecock is to the net, whether it is above net height, and where an opponent is currently positioned: players have much better attacking options if they can reach the shuttlecock well above net height, especially if it is also close to the net. In the forecourt, a high shuttlecock will be met with a net kill, hitting it steeply downwards and attempting to win the rally immediately. This is why it is best to drop the shuttlecock just over the net in this situation. In the midcourt, a high shuttlecock will usually be met with a powerful smash, also hitting downwards and hoping for an outright winner or a weak reply. Athletic jump smashes, where players jump upwards for a steeper smash angle, are a common and spectacular element of elite men's doubles play. In the rearcourt, players strive to hit the shuttlecock while it is still above them, rather than allowing it to drop lower. This overhead hitting allows them to play smashes, clears (hitting the shuttlecock high and to the back of the opponents' court), and dropshots (hitting the shuttlecock so that it falls softly downwards into the opponents' forecourt). If the shuttlecock has dropped lower, then a smash is impossible and a full-length, high clear is difficult.
Rookie Camaclang, Philippines, prepares for a vertical jump smash
[edit] Vertical position of the shuttlecock
When the shuttlecock is well below net height, players have no choice but to hit upwards. Lifts, where the shuttlecock is hit upwards to the back of the opponents' court, can be played from all parts of the court. If a player does not lift, his only remaining option is to push the shuttlecock softly back to the net: in the forecourt this is called a netshot; in the midcourt or rearcourt, it is often called a push or block.
When the shuttlecock is near to net height, players can hit drives, which travel flat and rapidly over the net into the opponents' rear midcourt and rearcourt. Pushes may also be hit flatter, placing the shuttlecock into the front midcourt. Drives and pushes may be played from the midcourt or forecourt, and are most often used in doubles: they are an attempt to regain the attack, rather than choosing to lift the shuttlecock and defend against smashes. After a successful drive or push, the opponents will often be forced to lift the shuttlecock.
[edit] Other factors
When defending against a smash, players have three basic options: lift, block, or drive. In singles, a block to the net is the most common reply. In doubles, a lift is the safest option but it usually allows the opponents to continue smashing; blocks and drives are counter-attacking strokes, but may be intercepted by the smasher's partner. Many players use a backhand hitting action for returning smashes on both the forehand and backhand sides, because backhands are more effective than forehands at covering smashes directed to the body.
The service is restricted by the Laws and presents its own array of stroke choices. Unlike in tennis, the servers racket must be pointing in a downward direction to deliver the serve so normally the shuttle must be hit upwards to pass over the net. The server can choose a low serve into the forecourt (like a push), or a lift to the back of the service court, or a flat drive serve. Lifted serves may be either high serves, where the shuttlecock is lifted so high that it falls almost vertically at the back of the court, or flick serves, where the shuttlecock is lifted to a lesser height but falls sooner.
Deceptions
Once players have mastered these basic strokes, they can hit the shuttlecock from and to any part of the court, powerfully and softly as required. Beyond the basics, however, badminton offers rich potential for advanced stroke skills that provide a competitive advantage. Because badminton players have to cover a short distance as quickly as possible, the purpose of many advanced strokes is to deceive the opponent, so that either he is tricked into believing that a different stroke is being played, or he is forced to delay his movement until he actually sees the shuttle's direction. "Deception" in badminton is often used in both of these senses. When a player is genuinely deceived, he will often lose the point immediately because he cannot change his direction quickly enough to reach the shuttlecock. Experienced players will be aware of the trick and cautious not to move too early, but the attempted deception is still useful because it forces the opponent to delay his movement slightly. Against weaker players whose intended strokes are obvious, an experienced player will move before the shuttlecock has been hit, anticipating the stroke to gain an advantage.
Slicing and using a shortened hitting action are the two main technical devices that facilitate deception. Slicing involves hitting the shuttlecock with an angled racquet face, causing it to travel in a different direction than suggested by the body or arm movement. Slicing also causes the shuttlecock to travel much slower than the arm movement suggests. For example, a good crosscourt sliced dropshot will use a hitting action that suggests a straight clear or smash, deceiving the opponent about both the power and direction of the shuttlecock. A more sophisticated slicing action involves brushing the strings around the shuttlecock during the hit, in order to make the shuttlecock spin. This can be used to improve the shuttle's trajectory, by making it dip more rapidly as it passes the net; for example, a sliced low serve can travel slightly faster than a normal low serve, yet land on the same spot. Spinning the shuttlecock is also used to create spinning netshots (also called tumbling netshots), in which the shuttlecock turns over itself several times (tumbles) before stabilizing; sometimes the shuttlecock remains inverted instead of tumbling. The main advantage of a spinning netshot is that the opponent will be unwilling to address the shuttlecock until it has stopped tumbling, since hitting the feathers will result in an unpredictable stroke. Spinning netshots are especially important for high level singles players.
The lightness of modern racquets allows players to use a very short hitting action for many strokes, thereby maintaining the option to hit a powerful or a soft stroke until the last possible moment. For example, a singles player may hold his racquet ready for a netshot, but then flick the shuttlecock to the back instead with a shallow lift. This makes the opponent's task of covering the whole court much more difficult than if the lift was hit with a bigger, obvious swing. A short hitting action is not only useful for deception: it also allows the player to hit powerful strokes when he has no time for a big arm swing. The use of grip tightening is crucial to these techniques, and is often described as finger power. Elite players develop finger power to the extent that they can hit some power strokes, such as net kills, with less than a 10 cm racquet swing.
It is also possible to reverse this style of deception, by suggesting a powerful stroke before slowing down the hitting action to play a soft stroke. In general, this latter style of deception is more common in the rearcourt (for example, dropshots disguised as smashes), whereas the former style is more common in the forecourt and midcourt (for example, lifts disguised as netshots).
Deception is not limited to slicing and short hitting actions. Players may also use double motion, where they make an initial racquet movement in one direction before withdrawing the racquet to hit in another direction. This is typically used to suggest a crosscourt angle but then play the stroke straight, or vice versa. Triple motion is also possible, but this is very rare in actual play. An alternative to double motion is to use a racquet head fake, where the initial motion is continued but the racquet is turned during the hit. This produces a smaller change in direction, but does not require as much time.
Strategy
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To win in badminton, players need to employ a wide variety of strokes in the right situations. These range from powerful jumping smashes to delicate tumbling net returns. Often rallies finish with a smash, but setting up the smash requires subtler strokes. For example, a netshot can force the opponent to lift the shuttlecock, which gives an opportunity to smash. If the netshot is tight and tumbling, then the opponent's lift will not reach the back of the court, which makes the subsequent smash much harder to return.
Deception is also important. Expert players prepare for many different strokes that look identical, and use slicing to deceive their opponents about the speed or direction of the stroke. If an opponent tries to anticipate the stroke, he may move in the wrong direction and may be unable to change his body momentum in time to reach the shuttlecock.
Doubles
Both pairs will try to gain and maintain the attack, smashing downwards when possible. Whenever possible, a pair will adopt an ideal attacking formation with one player hitting down from the rearcourt, and his partner in the midcourt intercepting all smash returns except the lift. If the rearcourt attacker plays a dropshot, his partner will move into the forecourt to threaten the net reply. If a pair cannot hit downwards, they will use flat strokes in an attempt to gain the attack. If a pair is forced to lift or clear the shuttlecock, then they must defend: they will adopt a side-by-side position in the rear midcourt, to cover the full width of their court against the opponents' smashes. In doubles, players generally smash to the middle ground between two players in order to take advantage of confusion and clashes.
At high levels of play, the backhand serve has become popular to the extent that forehand serves almost never appear in professional games. The straight low serve is used most frequently, in an attempt to prevent the opponents gaining the attack immediately. Flick serves are used to prevent the opponent from anticipating the low serve and attacking it decisively.
At high levels of play, doubles rallies are extremely fast. Men's doubles is the most aggressive form of badminton, with a high proportion of powerful jump smashes.
A mixed doubles game - Scottish Schools under 12s tournament, Tranent, May 2002
Singles
The singles court is narrower than the doubles court, but the same length, with the exception that a serve in the single can reach the end of the court while a serve in the doubles could not. Since one person needs to cover the entire court, singles tactics are based on forcing the opponent to move as much as possible; this means that singles strokes are normally directed to the corners of the court. Players exploit the length of the court by combining lifts and clears with dropshots and netshots. Smashing is less prominent in singles than in doubles because players are rarely in the ideal position to execute a smash, and smashing often leaves the smasher vulnerable if the smash is returned.
In singles, players will often start the rally with a forehand high serve. Low serves are also used frequently, either forehand or backhand. Flick serves are less common, and drive serves are rare.
At high levels of play, singles demands extraordinary fitness. Singles is a game of patient positional manoeuvring, unlike the all-out aggression of doubles.
Mixed doubles
In mixed doubles, both pairs try to maintain an attacking formation with the woman at the front and the man at the back. This is because the male players are substantially stronger, and can therefore produce smashes that are more powerful. As a result, mixed doubles requires greater tactical awareness and subtler positional play. Clever opponents will try to reverse the ideal position, by forcing the woman towards the back or the man towards the front. In order to protect against this danger, mixed players must be careful and systematic in their shot selection.[13]
At high levels of play, the formations will generally be more flexible: the top women players are capable of playing powerfully from the rearcourt, and will happily do so if required. When the opportunity arises, however, the pair will switch back to the standard mixed attacking position, with the woman in front.
Governing bodies
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the internationally recognized governing body of the sport. Five regional confederations are associated with the BWF:
* Asia: Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC)
* Africa: Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA)
* Americas: Badminton Pan Am (North America and South America belong to the same confederation; BPA)
* Europe: Badminton Europe (BE)
* Oceania: Badminton Oceania (BO)
Competitions
A mens doubles match. The blue lines are those for the badminton court. The other coloured lines denote uses for other sports – such complexity being common in multi-use sports halls.
The BWF organizes several international competitions, including the Thomas Cup, the premier men's event, and the Uber Cup, the women's equivalent. The competitions take place once every two years. More than 50 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within continental confederations for a place in the finals. The titing supot involves 12 teams, following an increase from eight teams in 2004.
The Sudirman Cup, a mixed team event held once every two years, began in 1989. It is divided into seven groups based on the performance of each country. To win the tournament, a country must perform well across all five disciplines (men's doubles and singles, women's doubles and singles, and mixed doubles). Like association football (soccer), it features a promotion and relegation system in every group.
Individual competition in badminton was a demonstration event in the 1972 and 1988 Summer Olympics. It became a Summer Olympics sport at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. The 32 highest ranked badminton players in the world participate in the competition, and each country submitting three players to take part. In the BWF World Championships, only the highest ranked 64 players in the world, and a maximum of three from each country, can participate in any category.
All these tournaments, along with the BWF World Junior Championships, are level one tournaments.
At the start of 2007, the BWF also introduce a new tournament structure: the BWF Super Series. This level two tournament will stage twelve open tournaments around the world with 32 players (half the previous limit). The players collect points that determine whether they can play in Super Series Final held at the year end.[14][15]
Level paybtawsan tournaments will consist of Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix event. Top players can collect the world ranking points and enable them to play in the BWF Super Series open tournaments. These include the regional competitions in Asia (Badminton Asia Championships) and Europe (European Badminton Championships), which produce the world's best players as well as the Pan America Badminton Championships.
The level four tournaments, known as International Challenge, International Series and Future Series, encourages participation by junior players.[16]
Records
The most powerful stroke in badminton is the smash, which is hit steeply downwards into the opponents' midcourt. The maximum speed of a smashed shuttlecock exceeds that of any other racquet sport projectile. The recordings of this speed measure the initial speed of the shuttlecock immediately after it has left the player's racquet.
Men's doubles player Fu Haifeng of China set the official world smash record of 370 km/h (230 mph) on June 3, 2005 in the Sudirman Cup. The fastest smash recorded in the singles competition is 350 km/h (209 mph) by Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.[17]
Comparisons with other racquet sports
Badminton is frequently compared to tennis. The following is a list of uncontentious comparisons:
* In tennis, the ball may bounce once before the player hits it; in badminton, the rally ends once the shuttlecock touches the floor.
* 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, the server is allowed two attempts to make a correct serve; in badminton, the server is allowed only one attempt.
* In tennis, a let is played on service if the ball hits the net tape; in badminton, there is no let on service.
* The tennis court is larger than the badminton court.
* Tennis racquets are about four times heavier than badminton racquets, 10-12 ounces (approximately 284-340 grams) versus 85-93 grams.[18][19] Tennis balls are more than eleven times heavier than shuttlecocks, 57 grams versus 5 grams.[20][21]
* The fastest recorded tennis stroke is Andy Roddick's 153 mph (246 km/h) serve;[22] the fastest recorded badminton stroke is Fu Haifeng's 206 mph (332 km/h) smash.[23]
Comparisons of speed and athletic requirements
Statistics such as the 206 mph (332 km/h) smash speed, above, prompt badminton enthusiasts to make other comparisons that are more contentious. For example, it is often claimed that badminton is the fastest racquet sport.[24] Although badminton holds the record for the fastest initial speed of a racket sports projectile, the shuttlecock decelerates substantially faster than other projectiles such as tennis balls. In turn, this qualification must be qualified by consideration of the distance over which the shuttlecock travels: a smashed shuttlecock travels a shorter distance than a tennis ball during a serve. Badminton's claim as the fastest racquet sport might also be based on reaction time requirements, but arguably table tennis requires even faster reaction times.
There is a strong case for arguing that badminton is more physically demanding than tennis, but such comparisons are difficult to make objectively due to the differing demands of the games. Some informal studies suggest that badminton players require much greater aerobic stamina than tennis players, but this has not been the subject of rigorous research.[25]
A more balanced approach suggests the following comparisons, although these also are subject to dispute:
* Badminton, especially singles, requires substantially greater aerobic stamina than tennis; the level of aerobic stamina required by badminton singles is similar to squash singles, although squash may have slightly higher aerobic requirements.
* Tennis requires greater upper body and core strength than badminton.
* Badminton requires greater explosive leg strength than tennis, and badminton men's doubles probably requires much greater explosive leg strength than any other racket sport due to the demands of performing multiple consecutive jumping smashes.
* Badminton requires much greater explosive athleticism than tennis and somewhat greater than squash, with players required to jump for height or distance.
* Badminton requires significantly faster reaction times than either tennis or squash, although table tennis may require even faster reaction times. The fastest reactions in badminton are required in men's doubles, when returning a powerful smash.
Comparisons of technique
Badminton and tennis techniques differ substantially. The lightness of the shuttlecock and of badminton rackets allow badminton players to make use of the wrist and fingers much more than tennis players; in tennis the wrist is normally held stable, and playing with a mobile wrist may lead to injury. For the same reasons, badminton players can generate power from a short racket swing: for some strokes such as net kills, an elite player's swing may be less than 5 cm. For strokes that require more power, a longer swing will typically be used, but the badminton racket swing will rarely be as long as a typical tennis swing.
It is often asserted that power in badminton strokes comes mainly from the wrist. This is a misconception and may be criticised for two reasons. First, it is strictly speaking a category error: the wrist is a joint, not a muscle; the forearm muscles control its movement. Second, wrist movements are weak when compared to forearm or upper arm movements. Badminton biomechanics have not been the subject of extensive scientific study, but some studies confirm the minor role of the wrist in power generation, and indicate that the major contributions to power come from internal and external rotations of the upper and lower arm.[26] Modern coaching resources such as the Badminton England Technique DVD reflect these ideas by emphasising forearm rotation rather than wrist movements.[27]
Distinctive characteristics of the shuttlecock
The shuttlecock differs greatly from the balls used in most other racquet sports.
Aerodynamic drag and stability
The feathers impart substantial drag, causing the shuttlecock to decelerate greatly over distance. The shuttlecock is also extremely aerodynamically stable: regardless of initial orientation, it will turn to fly cork-first, and remain in the cork-first orientation.
One consequence of the shuttlecock's drag is that it requires considerable skill to hit it the full length of the court, which is not the case for most racquet sports. The drag also influences the flight path of a lifted (lobbed) shuttlecock: the parabola of its flight is heavily skewed so that it falls at a steeper angle than it rises. With very high serves, the shuttlecock may even fall vertically.
Spin
Balls may be spun to alter their bounce (for example, topspin and backspin in tennis), and players may slice the ball (strike it with an angled racket face) to produce such spin; but, since the shuttlecock is not allowed to bounce, this does not apply to badminton.
Slicing the shuttlecock so that it spins, however, does have applications, and some are particular to badminton. (See Basic strokes for an explanation of technical terms.)
* Slicing the shuttlecock from the side may cause it to travel in a different direction from the direction suggested by the player's racket or body movement. This is used to deceive opponents.
* Slicing the shuttlecock from the side may cause it to follow a slightly curved path (as seen from above), and the deceleration imparted by the spin causes sliced strokes to slow down more suddenly towards the end of their flight path. This can be used to create dropshots and smashes that dip more steeply after they pass the net.
* When playing a netshot, slicing underneath the shuttlecock may cause it to turn over itself (tumble) several times as it passes the net. This is called a spinning netshot or tumbling netshot. The opponent will be unwilling to address the shuttlecock until it has corrected its orientation.
Due to the way that its feathers overlap, a shuttlecock also has a slight natural spin about its axis of rotational symmetry. The spin is in a counter-clockwise direction as seen from above when dropping a shuttlecock. This natural spin affects certain strokes: a tumbling netshot is more effective if the slicing action is from right to left, rather than from left to right.[28]
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