RSS Feed RSS
搜索 Search

I Love Badminton

作者： JP | 发布： 2005年07月24日

Subtitle: Continuing My Love for Badminton

The badminton shuttlecock is light as a feather (hehe) and white as silk. At your first glimpse, it might look ugly and unattractive, but it is still cute. With 16 pieces of feather inserted on its base, it looks like a beautiful blooming white lotus lily and as well as a flying comet. Its unique shape can make people confused and curious. Who know that the badminton shuttlecock possesses such special charm and power? It has the power to make people active, happy, invest in their fitness, and even prevent injury and sickness. No matter how old you are, you will find that you have been attracted to the sport when you start to play it.

It was a really long time ago when I first started playing badminton. I was in high school during the period of time in China known as “The Great Cultural Revolution”. One of the notorious slogans of this messed up period was “There’s no need to learn English in order to continue the revolution.” I had an English teacher who came back China from Indonesia. Even though he was very short, he still managed to become a very good badminton player. He had nothing better to do after school other than teach a few of students how to play badminton. I was lucky to be one of his students. We all enjoyed his flexible footwork, adroit hand skills and amazing advanced knowledge of badminton. It was pity that I could not learn more from him before my high school career was over. After graduating from high school, like most of high school graduators, I had to spend two years of my life in the countryside to accept the re-education by peasants, and then, by good fortune, I was part of the first group of students to attend university after the end of “The Great Cultural Revolution” in China. In that period, I didn’t play badminton at all. Instead, I was a member of the university track and field team and I played sports such as sprinting, high jump and long jump. I was also a good player in basketball and volleyball. Badminton, however, was totally forgotten from my memory. Therefore, I had missed the best chance to train myself into a superstar of badminton.

Everything has changed in the last three decades of the 20th century. China experienced an unprecedented metamorphosis and opened some of its doors to the rest of the world. Following the current of cultural exchange between western countries and China, I got a chance to get familiar with the world outside of my home country. Keeping my hopes high and looking for the new life in a developed country, I immigrated to the country of the Maple Leaf and started a totally new life in this strange land.

At the beginning of my life in Canada, everything was not as easy as I thought it would be. I had no family and friends close by and had to start everything from scratch. You couldn’t guess how difficult it was during that time. It was obvious that there was a huge pressure on me to adapt myself to the new environment and circumstances, to accept the new challenge and to keep my mind in balance. Originally, I thought if I had enough mental preparation and if I am in good physical condition, I could deal with and overcome all difficulties. But, in fact, the things were quite different from what I thought. The stress of living in a new environment drained me both physically and mentally, and I eventually developed sleeping problems. At first, I couldn’t sleep as well as before. Then, it developed into total insomnia. Simultaneously, my career problems put me in a tough situation. Eventually I started to feel hopeless. I was at the lowest point of my life and no medicine I knew of could help me. It was a time of crisis, and what rescued me from this negative state was badminton. Its appearance made me to rekindle my love for the sport thirty years since the last time I played for real. Looking back now, this was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life.

I remember during that period of time when I was down and out, my landlord, who happened to have played badminton for over 20 years and was looking for people to play with, asked me if I knew how to play badminton. I told him that I learned how to play badminton a long time ago and haven’t played the game for 30 years. I only had a small amount of knowledge and skill at that point of time. My landlord didn’t really care about my lack of skill and experience and encouraged me to go with him and provided me with some of his equipment. This was my first step toward truly playing badminton, and from that point on, nothing could stop my love for this sport. I was fascinated by the little white shuttle greatly and thought about badminton even in my spare time. In order to improve my knowledge of badminton and to correct my style of play, I went to library to read books written by former players and watched the tapes of badminton matches between world class players to learn more theory, tactics, techniques and skills. In the meantime, I kept playing badminton 2 or 3 times each week. Due to great amount of physical exertion and my improved state of mind, my sleeping problems were gone, and I developed the skills necessary for success and enjoyment in the badminton. My mental and spiritual attitude was greatly improved. I started to live my life optimistically and adapt myself to the customs of the foreign country. Finally, I reached the point where I started to enjoy my new life living abroad.

Canada is one of the developed countries in the world and has abundant natural resources and a low population. You couldn’t imagine how good the conditions were for playing badminton. All badminton courts are indoor courts with good ventilation. Community centers, schools, colleges, university and even some churches have badminton courts. Some places possess three or four courts, some places get eight or more courts. I was very fortunate to learn how to play badminton in such a wonderful country.

In my relatively short three year career in badminton, it could be said that my landlord was my first coach. He was a badminton enthusiast and enjoyed playing badminton. He paid 800 Canadian dollars for a membership at the exclusive Vancouver Racquets Club so he can play anytime he wants. He was a fairly good player who knew most of the skills. Like the all beginners, the first thing I tried to learn in badminton was the clear. In order to play well, I watched instructional videos and imitated the stances and styles of the best players in the world. After practicing and learning for months, one day, I saw that my shuttlecock could fly through the air with a beautiful trajectory. I was so excited, so happy and so enchanted. Over the last three years, I improved my skills and got instructions from better and better players. Among the instructors and coaches, there was a former member of the Canadian Olympic Team, a former champion of the Zhe Jiang Provincial Team in China, and many other people who were the good amateurs and/or former professional players from different parts of the world, such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Out of these people, a former professional badminton player from China taught me a lot of badminton and enabled me to advance to another skill level. He is a left-handed player and the partner of famous Mr. Da Sha. They played together for a long time in men’s double and dominated local tournaments in the northwestern parts of China. His name is Su Zhi. He has many splendid skills and his killer move is a frighteningly fast forehand drive that is very difficult to defend against. Not only is Mr. Su a good player, but he is also a pretty good coach. Whenever I exposed my weak points or got some questions, Mr. Su could give me solutions to my problems. He likes to share his knowledge and experiences with people. Because of the excellent conditions here for playing badminton and having such a good friend and coach, my efforts eventually paid off and my skills in badminton and also physical fitness improved dramatically. Even though I did not reach the level of Mr.Su, but I can still manage to make the doubles matches between him and me competitive. One of these unforgettable games happened in the gymnasium of BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology) on the summer vacation of 2004. I partnered up with my son, who was trained by me, against the combination of Mr. Su and his high-level student. It was a closely fought game and a grueling contest. At the end, my son and I won the last game point with 17:16, sneaking off with the victory. After the game, Mr. Su praised my son’s performance and said that my son knew how to use his brain to play the game. Even though my son didn’t play badminton very often and didn’t have a lot of experience, he compensated with his length, power, and quick thinking. We always play together as teammates and we are very familiar with each other’s style, so we make a good team in a doubles game. Sometimes, even players with more than 10 or 20 years experience still lost games to us. But we understand that no matter how well we play, there always will be better players than us. As long as we could enjoy the fun and excitement of badminton, it is doesn’t matter if we win and lose in a game.

Badminton can bring us health, liveliness and friendship. It also brings us amusement and excitement. I love it very much and it will be a part of the rest of my life. Nowadays, I still play badminton 3 or 4 times each week with my friend, and play 2 to 3 hours for each time. In my leisure time, if I am not on the court, I do some physical exercise to strengthen my body and I keep studying and practicing the various skills of badminton. Sometimes I surf the Internet to read the news and reports of badminton games. I research and analyze the skills, tactics, and strategies of the top players in the world and I try to use these new skills, tactics, and strategies myself. I understand that the degree of skill achieved will be directly related to the time and diligence spent in practicing all the skills involved in the sport. What are my future expectations of badminton? The answer is: I wish that badminton would bring more and more happiness and rewards to us.

文章中文版

发布在个人体会/Personal | 已有标签 | 发表评论

解除伤痛问题还得靠增强自身的身体素质

作者： JP | 发布： 2005年07月9日

近来在网上看到不少的球友们给伤痛折磨，有的甚至开始怀疑自己还能否继续打球，真让广大球迷们的关注和同情。自己也曾经有过类似遭遇，所以更是有同病相怜之感。本来打羽毛球是为了强身健体，结交朋友，追求人生快乐的时刻。可由于忽视羽毛球运动是一项比较激烈的竞技项目，小看了羽毛球的运动份量，总想一日之间就能打得似摸似样，并大幅度地提升自己羽毛球的竞技水平，好让球友们刮目相看，结果成了欲速则不达的样板，落得伤痛之患。

曾记得几年前自己再与羽毛球续上情缘的一段日子里（有兴趣可参阅我爱羽毛球），对羽毛球的兴趣很高，但对羽毛球却认识不深，没有什么技术，全凭猛冲猛打，尽吃体力饭。而年龄摆在那里，不饶呈强，所以用不到多久，就伤痛缠身，不得不全副武装起来，什么护腕、护膝、护脚腕，什么护肘、护肩，再加上护腰带，真是应有尽有，后来又加上护小腿、护大腿和护小手臂及护胳膊等用品，简直把自己在打球前裹成为MUMMY（木乃伊）了。如今回想起来还感到好笑。

无可置疑，伤痛会给继续提高打羽毛球的水平带来很大的影响。人在伤痛时就期望快点恢复，也就想方设法寻找解救伤痛的好办法。俗话说：久病成医。为改变自己的处境和状况，只有读阅有关方面的书籍和上网查询有关文章，咨询有经验的理疗人士，倾听前辈羽毛球专业球员的心得体会，然后就开始有针对性的补救工作。

引起伤痛的因素很多，诸如打球前未WARM-UP（热身），准备工作不充分，基本击球动作不对，或者打得过于疲劳还继续打，等等。而绝大多数的本质原因是起源于自身的肌肉不够强壮，肌肉的弹性和柔韧性差。也就是力不从心还在打，结果就拉伤了肌肉或筋腱。

为了能继续享受打羽毛球的乐趣，自己就下决心全面提高自身身体素质，一定要与伤痛说拜拜。在暂时离开球场的日子里，除了反复观看世界级羽毛球比赛的影视带和学习羽毛球的技术理论知识之外，有些时候就在家中练搓放小球，练发网前小球，对着镜子学习正确的击球姿势和技术，再就是开始进行自我体能训练了，而且是循序渐进的方式。

刚开始，设备很简单，就只有几对低磅数的哑铃。然后不断地增添新设备以求达到有针对性的训练。例如不同重量的哑铃，不同用途的设备器械，如HOME-GYM（多功能重量训练器），TREADMILL（多功能跑步机），训练腹肌专用的倾斜长凳，多功能卧举训练器，举重杠铃等等。久而久之已在家中建立了一个健身房。这样一来，不但自己受益，也培养了孩子自觉健身的好习惯，真是一举多得。

原来，自己打球后双膝就十分疼痛，上下楼梯都感到困难。为改善膝关节的状况，开始采用负重下蹲法，能有些效果。但本人体会最好的效果是在多功能的器械上练习。坐在HOME-GYM器械的平椅上，两条大腿搁在椅面上，两小腿自然下垂，与大腿成九十度。将双脚面放在重力杆的下边，然后以膝盖为轴点，使脚面和小腿向上翘到与大腿成一直线。起初双脚只能负荷50磅的重量，经过循序渐进后，现在可以负荷到120磅（54点5公斤）。自己坚持每天花15分钟，做4组训练，每组20次。由于大小腿肌肉加强，膝关节的韧带增强，双膝的疼痛就不治而愈，从此就告别了护膝。再打起球来，可以多次反复急停后快速起步和起跳，运动能力大大提高。

对于胳膊疼痛，也是采用力量训练来补救。开始是借助无器械的方式，如伏卧撑，引体向上等，后来发展到器械上练习和持哑铃挥臂，强化手臂和肩部的肌肉群。开始使用5磅（约2点3公斤），渐渐的增加到目前使用15磅（近7公斤重）的哑铃，完全按照击高远球挥拍的方式，每组挥40到50次，每次训练做3到4组，并按正手和反手击高远球分别进行。由于坚持练习，胳膊疼痛的毛病也得到了解除。

打羽毛球最讲究腕力和小手臂的力量及爆发力。如果手臂的肌肉群不够强壮，打球时容易患网球肘的伤痛。要解除网球肘伤痛也得从力量练习着手。采用15到20磅的哑铃，快速做以肘子为轴的上下摆动（也分正手和反手的摆动），坚持每次做3到4组，每组30次左右。一般情况下，可以一边看电视一边做该练习。娱乐和健身两不误。

打羽毛球，还非常讲究腹部和腰部的力量。为了能与护腰说拜拜，坚持隔天训练法，每次大约花上10分钟左右。坐在倾斜长橙上，完成两组训练，每组120次，两组240次。长期坚持下来确有功效。原来腹部松弛，毫无肌肉而言。现在腹肌开始显露，腰肌和背肌也强壮了，打起球来更加POWERFUL 了。

羽毛球运动涉及大范围的变向和变速移动，所以脚脖子的承受力需要很大。如果脚脖子跟腱弱，很容易扭伤。改善的办法就是经常做提跟练习，可以是非负重的（就靠自身的体重），也可以是负重的练习（双手各握一个30到40磅的哑铃），站在门坎上，进行单脚或双脚的提跟练习。该练习可以增强脚脖子和小腿的肌肉强度。

对于奔跑能力，都可以在室内外训练。本人多半喜欢在多功能的跑步机上训练。想提高奔跑耐力时，就按匀速跑20 到30 分钟；想提高冲刺能力就设定变速跑的电脑程序，按加速 – 极速冲刺 – 减速，再加速 – 极速冲刺 – 减速慢跑的方式进行。跑步训练强度以自己的心跳频率来控制。不要使自己的心脏的负荷过大。（跑步机上有测心跳的功能）

在加强弹跳力的自我训练方面，以负重练习为主，在辅以跳绳和打篮球。弹跳力好了，自然跳杀的感觉就大不一样。

就是因为加强了身体素质的自我训练，不断的解除各部位伤痛的影响。原来所戴用的一切保护用品都已摘除和不再使用。如今没疼没伤，完全摆脱了护用品的束缚，打起球来就更加ENJOYABLE。

总之，本人的经验是：有了伤痛就一定要治疗，而且要及时和彻底，以免手尾长，后患无穷，受影响更大。如不幸患伤痛，应该狠心暂时离开球场，小伤小痛都需认真对待。那种轻伤不下火线，重伤咬牙继续打的拼劲不值得提倡。应该承认，有时争强好胜也是一种病态，它会使你走火入魔，累及你患上伤痛。本人衷心祝愿患有伤痛的羽毛球球友们能早日康复。相信人人只要能根据自己所具备的不同情况和条件，因地制宜地进行有益的身体素质训练，就可达到完全与伤痛说拜拜的目标。到那时，也就能更好地体验打羽毛球的乐趣了。

English version of this article

发布在个人体会/Personal, 羽球技术/Skills and Techniques | 已有标签 , | 发表评论

Physical Training is a Good Way to Avoid Injuries

作者： JP | 发布： 2005年07月9日

I know of a lot of people who have injured themselves while playing badminton, and some of them question whether or not they should keep playing. I have sympathy for those people and I know how it feels, because I’ve been in that kind of situation myself before. Most people play badminton to get exercise, make friends, and have fun, but many don’t realize the intensity of badminton and the large amount of physical exertion needed to play this sport. A lot of players want to improve their skills quickly and fail to see that trying to do too much too quickly will increase their chances of injury.

I remember years ago when I first started playing badminton. I was in love with the sport, but I had little badminton knowledge at that point of time, and played the game too physically. After just a short time, I started getting pains all over and had to resort to buying lots of wrist bands, elbow pads, waist belts and knee pads etc. in order to continue playing. Looking back now, I think I sort of looked liked a mummy back then, and I can’t help not laugh at myself.

Obviously, injuries have a profound effect on how a person plays badminton. When I was injured, I really wanted to recover quickly, and also wanted to know how to avoid injuring myself in the future. To accomplish these goals, I read many books and asked many people for their advice, and over the years I’ve learned many things about preventing injury, and I’m here to share this knowledge with you.

There are many causes to injuries, such as not warming up enough, having the wrong posture, or playing too much etc. Many of these injuries stem from the fact that our muscles are not strong enough, flexible enough, and/or don’t have enough endurance. When a person tries to play too hard, it’s really easy to lose track of the situation and get injured.

In order to continue playing badminton, I made a vow to myself to improve my physical fitness, and say goodbye to the pain. When I’m not playing on the court or studying badminton skills, I started to practice net plays, short serves at home and practice in front of a mirror to improve my posture. I also gradually start to train myself physically. In the beginning I only had some small dumbbells, and after a short time I knew I had to get some new equipment to fit my needs. I eventually collected lots of items, including heavier dumbbells, a home gym, a treadmill, a sit-up bench, and a multi-use weight bench. Not only do I benefit from these equipments, my son has also gotten the habit of lifting weights, which is great.

Before I started weight training, my knees would hurt from playing badminton and I felt pain when I climbed stairs. In order to strengthen my knees, first I started doing squats with dumbbells, which helped quite a bit, but I found that doing leg extensions on the home gym had the most effect. A leg extension is where a person its upright on a chair with the knee bent at 90 degrees, with a cushioned bar in front of the lower legs connected to the weights. The person will then try extend the legs so that they are straight, lifting the bar and weights in the process. After months of training, I now lift 120lbs (around 54.5kg), and I try to spend 15 minutes each day doing four sets of this exercise. Each set consists of 20 repetitions. Nowadays I don’t wear knee support anymore and I can change directions, start, stop and jump better than before.

In order to alleviate elbow pains, I do push-ups and also use dumbbells. I use lightweight dumbbells and practice swinging them like I would with a racket. I started using 5lbs (2.3 kg) dumbbells and worked up to 15lbs (7kg) dumbbells for this exercise, and I do 3-4 sets of around 40-50 reps.

Arm and wrist strength is very important in badminton. If your arms aren’t strong enough, then it’s much easier to sustain injury. I exercise my arms mainly by doing bicep curls with 15-20 lbs dumbbells and do 3-4 sets of around 30 reps each. I use both the normal and reverse grip (palm facing outward when arm is curled) for this exercise. You can do this while sitting on the couch and watching the TV.

The abdominal and waist muscles are also very important for badminton, particularly when hitting clears and smashing. I exercise these muscles by spending 10 minutes a day on my inclined sit-up bench. I do two sets of 120 sit-ups for a total of 240 sit-ups. Nowadays I don’t have to wear my waist support belt anymore, and my six-pack is starting to show.

Badminton is a sport that involves a lot of sudden starts and stops, which puts strain on the ankles. The best way I know of to strengthen the ankles is to do calve raises. You do this by standing on the edge between two areas of slightly different elevation. Stand on the higher area but have your heels off the edge and extend your calves by trying to do a tip-toe on the edge. You can do this exercise with one or both legs, and with or without weights.

Cardiovascular fitness is important in almost all sports, and one can easily improve this by jogging regularly indoors or outdoors. You can run at a constant speed for an extended period of time or change speeds. Make sure that you don’t put too much strain on your body though.

Lastly, in order to improve your jumping ability, you can do weight bearing exercises such as lunges or squats coupled with some basketball and jump rope.

Because I spent all this time improving my physical health, now I don’t have to use any of those protection equipment I had before, and most if not all of my pains are gone, making playing badminton an even more enjoyable experience for me.

Here’s a last piece of advice for everybody. If you are injured, no matter how small the injury is, stay off the courts and rest until you are absolutely sure that you have recovered. A small injury may lead to a more serious injury if you keep playing. Sometime you have to curb your will to win in order to preserve your health. I hope that all of you injured players out there recover quickly and start exercising, so you can stay injury-free, and continue to enjoy this wonderful sport.

文章中文版

发布在个人体会/Personal, 羽球技术/Skills and Techniques | 已有标签 , | 发表评论

The Connection between Math and Badminton #3: When 1 + 1 in a Doubles Game is Bigger than 2

作者： JP | 发布： 2005年07月7日

I recently saw two unbelievable doubles games with my own eyes, and after these matches, I thought of a connection between these matches and the age old mathematical question: 1 + 1 =?

Okay, these matches happened between two pairs of players. Mr. A and Mr. B are on one side, while Mr. C and Mr. D are on the other. Mr. A and Mr. B have never paired with each other and they play only with their individual skills in a side by side formation. At the first part of the game, the AB pair was successful and built up a 13 to 5 lead, but suddenly, Mr. C and Mr. D noticed that Mr. B is significantly weaker than Mr. A, so they changed their strategy to attack only Mr. B. This strategy worked out very well. The CD pair was about to force a 14-14 tie and at the end won the game 17-15. This game demonstrated the offensive prowess of the CD pair.

At the beginning of the second game, Mr. A and Mr. B still retained their side by side formation while Mr. C and Mr. D stuck to their strategy of attacking Mr. B. The CD pair quickly jumped out to a 9 to 1 lead. Realizing that they were in trouble, the AB pair boldly changed to an offensive formation, with Mr. B in the front handling the net, and Mr. A handling everything else. Now the CD pair can only attack the much stronger Mr. A. The result: the AB pair held their opponents to only one point while they scored 14 to win the game 15-10, completing an amazing comeback victory.

In a badminton doubles game, two individual players have to work together as a team, so you can represent them as the mathematical addition of 1 + 1. After watching many professional and amateur competitions, I found there are five answers to this 1 + 1 question. (1) 1 + 1 < 1; (2) 1 +1 =1; (3) 1 < 1 + 1 < 2; (4) 1 + 1 = 2; (5) 1 + 1 > 2. For those who didn’t understand, I’ll explain in words. In the first case, the two players added together are actually less effective than the skills of one individual of the pair. In the second case, the two players are about as effective as the skills of one player. In the third case, the two players combined are more effective than one player, but not as effective as the combined skills of both players. In the fourth case the two players are about as effective as the sum of the skills of two players. In the final case, the pair has a level of effectiveness that surpasses both of their skills combined.

Obviously, the last case is the best case scenario for a doubles match. Most people would want to avoid the first three cases and at least be at the fourth case, and people have different opinions in how to achieve those levels of effectiveness. In my opinion, the most important thing in a doubles pairing is using the correct strategy that will allow both members of the team to use their skills to the fullest extent possible to give the team maximum power.

If a team consists of two players of very different skill levels, then this team should play like a mixed doubles pair and use the front and back formation. If the two teammates are of a similar skill level, then it’s best for them to stand side by side.

In terms of shot selection in a doubles game, avoid hitting high shots (especially against opponents with good offensive capabilities) and use drops and drives to create opportunities. Try to intercept returning shot near the net and smash towards the middle of the sidelines for maximum effect.

There are a lot of factors that can determine the results of a doubles game. Of course, the individual skills of players who make up the team is important, but even more importantly is using the correct strategy, which will enable the team to play to at its very best and increase the chances of victory. If both members of the team can unleash their potential, then the case of 1 + 1 > 2 can come true.

Here are two last pieces of advice. Firstly try to nourish your doubles mentality, like covering for your partner etc. Secondly, you need to be enthusiastic and excited when playing which means that you’ll have more fun and a mental advantage over your opponents.

文章中文版

发布在羽球技术/Skills and Techniques | 已有标签 | 发表评论

The Connection between Math and Badminton #2: Timing and Place for Hitting

作者： JP | 发布： 2005年07月7日

Subtitle: Improve your hitting power, accuracy and control

In the sport of badminton, it’s very important to be able to hit well with both forehand and backhand strokes, and make all the shots, such as defensive clears, attacking clears, smashes and drops. How to master these techniques is the question most badminton aficionados are pondering.

A beautiful shot is a shot that has the right power, speed and is right on target. When watching professionals or even very good amateur players play a game, everyone else would wish that he/she has the level of skill that the people on the court have. If you go ask a good playing how can you improve your strokes, the person would most likely tell you the obvious things like hold the racket correctly, use the correct motion and know the correct timing etc. These are all good advices but they are all fairly vague. Is there something that we can understand immediately that can used to improve our hitting? Yes there is, and it again involves mathematics.

For those who have taken relatively high level math, the equation for a straight line in space shouldn’t look too strange. The formula is:
(X – X’) / l = (Y – Y’) / m = (Z – Z’)/ n

While a flat plane in space can represented by the following formula:
Ax + By + Cz + D = 0

For a the line to travel straight through the plane, the following conditions must be met:
l / A = m / B = n / C

Let’s say that the hitting surface of the racket is the plane in space and the instantaneous direction of the birdie is the straight line and picture it in you head. You should be able to figure out that the maximum force is delivered if the racket hits the bird head on (The plane being perpendicular to the line). This is the secret for hitting most type of power shots and you’ll get the most distance and control for the amount of work you do by hitting the bird head on with the sweet spot of your racket.

Now that you know the secret to getting good hits, the question is how can you translate this knowledge into actual good shots on the court. You can do it by keeping this knowledge in mind every time you hit the bird and spend lots of the practicing and perfecting your stroke. When you get to the point when your whole body is coordinated, and you are able to get to the right position, maintain the perfect posture and know when the bird will arrive at the sweet spot, then you would have reached a very high level of skill in badminton.

I suggest to you that in your spare time, spend some time in front of a mirror practicing your hitting posture. You don’t even need a racket for this exercise; you just have to pretend that you are holding the racket. Try to mimic the posture of the instructors on badminton videos and such, and check your posture every so often to make sure it’s correct. Repeat over and over so that the correct hitting posture will be etched inside your mind and the next time you play a game the right posture would be the instinctive reaction.

文章中文版

发布在羽球技术/Skills and Techniques | 已有标签 | 发表评论

The Connection between Math and Badminton #1: The Trajectory of the Shots

作者： JP | 发布： 2005年07月7日

Subtitle: Improve your understanding of badminton and enable you to play smarter.

A famous person once said that “an uneducated army is a stupid army.” We know that a stupid army can’t win any battles. This also applies to badminton as well, as a person can’t win a game by brute force alone.

If you think about it, badminton is a sport with four dimensions. The height, width and length of the playing space, plus time, make it so that players must have a lot of skill, speed, fitness and accuracy. That’s why it takes a long time for a novice to become a skilled veteran, but there is a shortcut where a player can greatly increase his/her “combat” power with the same fundamental skills, and it involves understanding the connections between math and badminton.

Other than fundamental skills, accuracy, angle, power, and speed are the most important factors in a game of badminton. If you pay attention to the trajectories of the birds, you’ll notice that the trajectories are all different curves. Because of the way the shuttlecock is designed, it is easily affected by wind and air resistance. At the same time, the bird is also affected by gravity, which means the bird will eventually enter a state of free fall. From a mathematical point of view, the trajectories of a shuttlecock are a bunch of mathematical functions. Here are some common examples:

1) A powerful smash from mid court will have an almost straight trajectory represented by a function such as:
AX + BY +C = 0

Picture 1:

2) A long serve can be represented by the following function:
Y = 5SinX

Picture 2:

3) The trajectory of a backhand short serve has a function of:
Y = COS X

Picture 3:

4) A back court drop shot looks like:
Y = arc tan x

Picture 4:

5) A hairpin drop looks like:
Y =5 Sin 2x

Picture 5:

6) A cross court drop near the top of the net looks like half an ellipse:
YY/AA + XX/BB = 1

Picture 6:

7) An underhand drop shot from back court can be represented by this complicated function:
(XX+YY)(XX+YY) – 2AA(XX-YY) = 0

Picture 7:

8) A crosscourt drop shot near the net using an underhand grip looks like a semi-circle:
YY + XX = RR

Picture 8:

9) A defensive clear looks like part of this function:
(XX +YY)(XX+YY)-2AX(XX+YY)=AAYY
or X =A COSt (1 + COS t)

Picture 9:

10) An attacking clear also looks like half an ellipse:
XX/AA + YY/BB = 1

Picture 10:

11) An underhand clear looks like part of this complicated function:
(XX+YY)(XX+YY) – 2AA(XX-YY) = 0
or pp = 2 aa cos 2?

Picture 11:

12) A mid court interception drop shot looks like this:
XX/AA – YY/BB = 1

Picture 12:

13) The trajectory of the bird after blocking a smash:
X = a (cos t + t sint), Y = a (sin t – t cos t )

Picture 13:

The point of the above examples is to illustrate the connection between mathematical formulas and badminton. People don’t need to actually remember that actual function of each curve, but they should remember the basic characteristics of each so they can try and create these trajectories in practices and competitions.

Badminton is a fluid and ever changing game. Using appropriate shots to counter your opponents shot can make your opponents deplete their strength, move out of their best position, commit errors and create opportunities for you to attack. You can compare this to chess where every move you make is important. If you can control what shots are being made, then you can control the pace of the game. If you can’t control the shots, then all you can do is defend yourself while your opponents attack you continuously. You need to be able to think, react, and adapt quickly to a situation. If you are able to think of three counters for every shot your opponent makes, then you have a really high badminton “IQ.” Just remembering one response to every shot doesn’t work, since your opponent will catch on eventually, and counter your only counter, which will put you in a precarious situation.

It’s not difficult to improve your badminton “IQ.” Just take some time to think about the appropriate returns to shots people normally would make in certain situations, and also watch some high level competition and see how world class players react. Throw in some practice, and you can easily ascend to a higher level of playing badminton.

文章中文版

发布在羽球技术/Skills and Techniques | 已有标签 | 发表评论

Badminton Fundamentals Self Practice Methods #3

作者： JP | 发布： 2005年07月7日

The serve is one of the most important aspects of badminton, especially during a doubles match. Unfortunately serving is a weak point of many badminton enthusiasts. This is a problem that badminton lovers are trying to solve.

There are lots of instructional materials out there, such as videos, books, web articles etc. that can help out a lot, but all of these materials can only teach you the theory. There is still only one way to get real skills, and it is, you guessed it, by doing lots of practice.

Most of the time when people rent a badminton court, they use it to play games and not many people use the time to practice their serves. In an average length game of around 15 minutes, every player only has a limited opportunity to serve. This is why there are a lot of players out there with years of experience by still have a lackluster serve.

There are ways you can practice serving by yourself. You don’t necessarily need a court to practice. If you are doing long serves, then you’ll need a large space, like outdoors, to practice. As long as you have good posture and enough forearm and wrist strength, long serves shouldn’t be too difficult to master. In modern times, the type of service that decides the game is the short serve. You don’t need a lot of space to practice short serves. A 3m x 2m space will do fine. Here are the steps you should take to set up a good practice session:

1) Determine where you should stand (In a real game: the inner front corner of your service area);
2) Determine the target of your serve (In a real game: the inner or outer front corners of your opponent’s service area);
3) Put a string half way between your position and the target and make the string as high as the net. If you have a real badminton net available, use that instead.
4) Find some sort of open top container, such as a box or bucket, and put it on the target area.
5) Get lots of birdies (24-30) and practice your forehand and backhand short serves. You want the bird to fly just over the “net” and land inside of the container. At the start you might miss a lot but after a while most of the birdies should hit their target. You want to be accurate at least 90% of the time. Of course, 100% accuracy is even better.
6) Monitor and mentally note down your posture and the quality of your serves. Try to adjust yourself to improve your accuracy.
7) If you have a large enough space, you can have to containers and pretend that they are the two front corners of the opponent’s service area, so that you practice switching between two different targets.

If you keep practicing, the accuracy, quality, and consistency of your serves will improve.

文章中文版

发布在羽球技术/Skills and Techniques | 已有标签 , | 发表评论

Badminton Fundamentals Self Practice Methods #2

作者： JP | 发布： 2005年07月7日

I remember a while ago there was a special doubles match event in Guangzhou, China. On one side was a pair of the best amateur players in the city, while the other side consisted of two former international players and badminton legends. A lot people went to see that match, curious about how this match would turn out. The result was, as expected, victory for the former pros. After the match, one of these former pro players said to the fans, “There isn’t much difference in skill level between the best amateur and pro players in the areas of hitting clears, smashing, and hitting other overhead shots, but in terms of playing up in the net and tactics, there is a much wider gap between amateurs and pros.” As badminton lovers, we all want to know how we can improve our drop shots at the net, and here’s are some ways you can get some practice.

There are two ways you can practice net plays: with a net or without a net. If you want to practice with a real net, then you’ll need a real court and a partner to practice together. If you don’t have these things available then you’ll have to practice by yourself, and below are some methods for self practice:

Method 1: This method can improve both your hand posture and your footwork in net plays. Find a long string and tie the birdie to one end. Tie the other end of the string to the ceiling or somewhere else high up. How far should the birdie be off the ground is dependent upon which type of net drops you wanted to practice. For example, if you want to practice plays near the top of the net, then make the bird at around 1.5 to 1.55 meters. With this method you can practice over and over again without having to pick up the bird every so often, which means more time spent improving your skills.

Method 2: Hit the bird against the wall. This is sort of like practicing with another player. Make sure that your posture is correct when you are practicing with this method and you want your shots to be consistent and of high quality.

Method 3: In an empty court or relatively wide area, practice your crosscourt drops. Make sure every time when you hit the bird that the bird will rise 20-30cm and tumble several times in the air. This is to make sure that the bird will get over the net in a real game.

If you keep practicing and improving yourself, eventually your skills up in the net will grow to a level that you are proud of.

文章中文版

发布在羽球技术/Skills and Techniques | 已有标签 , | 发表评论

Techno Pro Quartz I7000 Offensive PowerPoint Badminton Racket

作者： JP | 发布： 2005年07月6日

My weapon of choice in battle:

About two years ago, the Yonex badminton racket I was using started showing signs of breakage at the joint. At that moment, I wished I had a joint-less, single piece, high quality racket at my disposal. That wish came true when I saw a racket that met my criteria on sale at a local sports equipment store: The Quartz I7000 from Techno Pro, a German company.

The racket I have on hand for comparison purposes is the Dasha S002, a Chinese brand that manufactures high quality rackets at a cheap price. The Techno Pro is about the same length as the S002, but the face of the racket is slightly larger in area (see photo below).

Techno Pro I7000 and Dasha S002 racket face area comparison

The Techno Pro I7000 has a unique feature no other racket has: The “PowerPoint” that is located at usual place where the joint on the racket would be. The PowerPoint is constructed using titanium and other special materials to increase flexibility in the shaft, which supposedly leads to more powerful hits and better feel. The frame of the racket is designed to produce the least air resistance possible (see photos below).

The "PowerPoint"

Techno Pro I7000's racket face with stock string

The Techno Pro I7000 feels heavier than my old Yonex or the Dasha S002, but its assembly and paint job are easily first rate. At the time of purchase, I bought two of these rackets: one for my son, and one for myself. The strings that came with the rackets are very durable. It took me over a year of playing around 10 hours per week to wear these strings out. This year I already broke the new “titanium mesh” strings twice, and I only stringed the racket to 20lbs, which is not a very high number for tension. The first set of strings broke in less than 5 weeks. The second set lasted a bit longer at around two months. The YY B65 strings I used after lasted about 3 months. By comparison, the stock strings from Techno were very durable indeed.

Because I almost always play doubles, it’s hard to avoid clanging rackets with my partners once in a while. My first Yonex racket broke the first time I used it in competition. My second Yonex racket started showing some twisting in the shaft after several months. The Techno Pro, however, has endured a lot of abuse. Just look at the “battle scars” on the frame of the racket (see photo below). I’m very fortunate that my racket hasn’t broke yet. I remember once when my racket and a teammate’s new YY MP99 racket collided together and both rackets fell to the floor. It was an unfortunate incident, but thankfully my racket only suffered some superficial damage. My teammate wasn’t so lucky. His new racket was broken for good.

My battle scarred I7000

Recently, I’ve acquired an even newer racket, which is the Dasha S002. It’s a bit lighter than the Techno Pro. I also like this racket a lot. I was using this racket before the incident described in the previous paragraph too, and luckily I switched back to my trusty I7000. If the S002 was involved in the accident, then it might not have reacted as well as the sturdy I7000. The S002 is actually a prize won by me, and it had to cross the Pacific Ocean to come into my possession. The S002 has a much lower street price than the Techno Pro I7000, but it is still a nice racket. Below is a side by side picture of the S002 and my son’s relatively unscathed I7000 for comparison’s sake.

Dasha S002 and Techno Pro I7000 side by side

文章中文版

发布在羽球器械/Equipment | 已有标签 , | 发表评论

What to Do When the Opponent Hits a High Quality Drop Shot Close to the Net

作者： JP | 发布： 2005年07月6日

In a game of badminton, when you are playing close to the net against your opponent and the opponent makes a beautiful drop shot, and raises his/her racket to block your return, what can you do? Because of the quality of the drop shot, you probably won’t be able to clear the bird to the back court. You also can’t swat it because the bird just grazes the net and you have no space or angle. It’s also difficult to return the drop shot with a drop shot of your own, because the bird is so close to the net and touching the net with your racket results in a violation. A lot of players “freeze” when they encounter this kind of situation, thinking that there’s no way to return the shot. Is this situation completely helpless? No, there are ways to handle these shots, and if you handle them correctly, your opponent now would have a hard time hitting the bird back to you.

When your opponent makes a drop shot that drops right beside the net, you have three ways to return the birdie.

1) If the drop shot is going to land near the corners, you can make a drop shot to the diagonally opposite front corner. There are two ways to do this.

a) Right after your opponent’s drop shot crossed the net, immediately execute the diagonal drop shot. It’s quite easy to touch the net this way, and most of people need a lot of practice and luck to be able to this correctly.

b) Right after your opponent’s drop shot crossed the net and is falling toward you forehand corner, immediately move towards the falling bird, but don’t hit it yet. You should change your grip to a backhand grip, with the head of the racket pointing downwards, sort of like holding a shovel. Make sure the face of the racket is directly facing the bird and wait until the bird fall to below the net. At this moment, bend your wrist inwards, which will tilt the racket and make the birdie fly really close to the net, toward the diagonal corner. Of course, using the right amount of force and getting the timing right is very important for the success of this shot. (The trajectory is like a sine wave. Read here for more information.) You can also do a backhand version of this if the bird is going to land at your backhand corner.

2) If the bird is going to land in the middle or near the middle of the net, then you don’t have room to hit diagonal drop shots. In this situation, you need lift the bird straight up. Wait until the bird falls past the net, and then hit it gently with the racket. The racket face should point straight up, and use only your fingers and wrist to power the hit. With the right amount of force, the bird will roll right across the top of the net, making it impossible for your opponent to attack it. This is also known as a hairpin drop shot.

3) This is similar to number 2, but instead of hitting the bird head on, you can “slice” (hit the bird with the racket at an angle) the bird which will make the bird go tumbling up. With the right amount of force, the bird will roll across the top of the net.

All of the three techniques listed above are quite advanced, so you’ll need a lot of practice before you can use them effectively in a real game of badminton.

文章中文版

发布在羽球技术/Skills and Techniques | 已有标签 | 发表评论