羽毛球是采用记分制的竞技运动。传统使用每局15分制，现行21分制。在比赛中，平均每个球员的球拍能接触多少次羽毛球? 在一般的业余选手中，要夺得一分大约需4 到 5 个来回就解决问题了。发生打多拍也是你来我往10多个回合。这样一来，每位球手的挥动球拍击球的次数都到不了100次。一般大约在60到70次左右。想一想，在自己这几十次的接触球中，发球占了几次? 拉高远球占了几次?杀球、劈吊、平抽、搓球又占了几次?平均一下，就会发现我们期待通过打比赛来提高自己技术动作是牵强人意了。
我们都知道，羽毛球的每个技术动作都需要上百过千次的练习才可掌握和领会。所以说，平时和场外的技术动作训练是不可缺少，而且，占有很重要的地位。如果平时不练功，比赛场上又能显神通，那真是奇才了。
Most avid players of badminton probably know how defend against smashes, but most people can’t do much about those extremely powerful, “head-hunting” smashes from the frontcourt. A few days ago, I saw with my own eyes a brilliant counter against a frontcourt smash, performed by my good friend and mentor Mr. Su. It’s really hard to describe how incredible that block-and-drop counter was, but I’ll try my best to explain the details.
A frontcourt smash is exactly what its name indicates: it’s a smash from the front court. Front court smashes usually occurs when one side makes a bad return, and they are typically very fast, powerful, steeply angled, so most of the time they are next to impossible to defend against. This is partly why Mr. Su’s block/drop return was so incredible. He also didn’t just return the smash; he actually deflected the shot and “guided” the bird into the opposing side’s empty front corner to win the rally. The only thing his opponents could do was to stand flatfooted and stare. After the amazement finally wore off, one of the guys in the opposing team exclaimed, “What the hell you did! It’s impossible!”
What I really should say is that Mr. Su’s badminton skills has reached such an advanced level that he can still stay calm and execute when his opponent is coming in for the kill. Mr. Su knew that his opponent was going to try and nail the bird to the ground, so without even moving his feet, he just placed his racket at where the bird was likely to land. By using the power of the original smash, Mr. Su managed to return with an incredible drop shot that was right on target. Even though I’ve known Mr. Su for quite a while now, he can still amaze me with some miraculous shots. I don’t know how long I’ll have to play and practice before I can gain that kind of skills.
在羽毛球的比赛中，相信有许多球友已掌握了接杀技术，而且运用起来得心应手。但对网前的凶猛追身扑杀，又有多少人能有办法和应付得了？这几天，有幸目睹了我的良师益友苏先生的精彩绝伦表演，真让人叹为观止和打开眼界。他的对网前大力扑杀的接杀技巧实在是一绝，有点不可思议。
所谓网前扑杀，就是对手在近网处获得进攻机会，挥拍大力击球，而且是高压攻击，球多数直接应声钉死在你的前场。由于距离短，威力大，又追身，一般来说是防不胜防和无可奈何。但这样的球也能被苏先生救起来，并回击到对手的死穴。不论是攻球方的对手还是在场外的观众，都不约而同地发出喝彩声。甚至对方的球员大叫：What the hell you did! It’s impossible!
要知道，二十来岁的羽毛球好手在网前大力扑杀，眼看球在钉地板前被苏先生拍面巧妙一弹，球低弹道飞向对手的远网角，贴网而过，过网就坠落。这一下真是让对方两位球员眼瞪目呆，反应不及，望球兴叹。
应该说，苏先生的球技已经到了炉火纯青的境地。在自己的双打队友在被动时回击给对方一个前场高球，他已经意识到对方要上网扑杀球了。他不躲闪，反应奇快，拍面倾斜，象是知道球会落在何处，球拍已放在该处等着扑杀球的到来。手中并不发力，借力反弹。角度和球的飞行曲线控制是那样的精确，真是绝活，让人看了五体投地。这样的绝活不知道要练多久才能到家和随心应手？
As the sport of badminton become more popular than ever, more and more people are looking to buy a good racket in order to give themselves an edge during competition. When choosing a racket, people tend to look at the brand name, features, price, workmanship, quality, design, and aesthetics of a given racket. Afterwards, the buyer will take into consideration of how much money he/she can spend and their skill level before making the final decision.
The most important single factor in making a buying decision is undeniably the first impression. If a racket looks perfect at first glance, then all other factors can get thrown out of the window. After the first impression, word-of-mouth from fellow players and the brand name have the most influence on the decision. People are more likely to buy something if a lot of other people say that this thing is good. Finally people will look at the performance and features of the racket, and of course its price. The old saying “you get what you pay for” holds true for badminton rackets, but there are some good deals to be had if you spend the time and effort to shop around.
Here is some basic racket knowledge for those who don’t know: A badminton racket is split into three major sections: the head (hitting surface), the shaft, and the handle (grip). Older and really cheap rackets typically have two joints: one between the head and the shaft and another between the shaft and the handle. Most new rackets fuse the head and the shaft together and only have one joint, and there are even some single-piece rackets that don’t have any externally recognizable joints. The “features” of a racket usually refers the strength of the racket (ex how much tension can the strings have), the weight, the balancing point, the overall balance, the resistance to twisting and the “power” (effort required to hit the bird a certain distance/at a certain speed) and more, but the listed attributes are the most important ones to consider.
When you are in a store, holding a racket in your hands, you can’t really accurately test the features and performance of racket, but you can get a good feel for the racket by just using your hands. Here are some simple tests you can perform when you are trying out a new racket:
1) The Balance Point: The balance point for a typical badminton racket lies on the shaft. The point is usually shifted towards the head on models that are designed for offense, due to the heavier head of these rackets. To obtain the balance point, just try to balance the racket on one of your index fingers. Hold your finger out straight and place the shaft of the racket on to the finger. Move the racket left and right until the racket balances or almost balances on your finger. (Note that the gripping material on the handle can shift the balance point.)
2) The Overall Balance: Because of the differences in manufacturing techniques, different rackets have a different overall balance. The balance of the racket affects its ability to control the direction and speed of the bird during a hit, so a racket with a bad balance may cause a lot more misplaced shots. It’s easy to check a racket’s overall balance. You need to find a flat surface, like a table, and press the handle of the racket on to the surface near the edge. The head and shaft of the racket should be hanging over the edge. Place the racket so that the head is parallel to the floor. Now push down lightly on the head of the racket and then immediately let go. This will cause the racket to vibrate in the air (keep holding down the handle). A racket with good balance will vibrate only up and down. If the racket wobbles sideways a bit, then its overall balance is not very good.
3) The Flexibility of the Shaft: Hold the handle of the racket in one hand and hold the tip of the head in the other hand. Now slowly and gently exert a force to bend the racket slightly. Some rackets have very flexible shafts which bend very easily, while other rackets have very rigid shafts that are hard to bend. It’s usually best to get a racket that’s not too flexible or rigid.
4) Resistance to Twisting. Place your hands at both ends of the racket and slowly try to twist the racket. If the head flexes easily, then the racket is not very resistant to twisting, and that might effect the direction of the shots produced by the racket.
To determine the strength and weight of the racket, you can usually check the racket or on the web for the maximum tension that the racket can be strung. For other attributes such as power and ease of handling, you’ll have to actually use the racket during a game or warm-up session in order to determine them.
Overall, there are many things to consider and check when buying a badminton racket. If you know what to look for and how to determine the features of racket, then you shouldn’t have a hard time finding one that’s right for you.
随着羽毛球运动在不断的普及和发展，越来越多的爱好者加入打羽毛球的行列中。为了打好羽毛球，大家一定都想自己的手中有一、二支称心如意的球拍。所以对如何选购球拍十分关心。总体上，大家都在将注意力放在球拍的品牌、性能价格比、做工、质量、款式和外观等方面上。然后就根据自己的经济实力去选购心头所爱。
不可否认，选购球拍要合眼缘是十分重要的因素之一。再者就是球拍品牌的口碑，人人都称赞的拍子会有更多的追随者。除此而外，购买球拍者当然最想知道的就是球拍的性能。俗话说：一分价钱一分货。但这个世界上也是有物美价廉的拍子的，就看我们自己是否会挑选。
球拍是由拍头（拍框）、中杆和拍柄组成的。老式的球拍有两个接口处。一个在拍头与中杆的连接位，而另一个在中杆与拍柄连接处。随着材料科学的进步，设计的改进已及做工工艺的提高，中杆与拍头的结合融为一体，只留下中杆与拍柄的接口。甚至有的球拍就是拍头、中杆和拍柄一体化，外表看上去已经没有任何结合处了。所谓球拍的性能，主要有材料的强度（表现在球拍能拉多少磅），球拍的重量，平衡点和平衡性，抗扭性和展现击球力度（POWER）的程度等。这些性能也是大家最关切的。
当一支新球拍拿在手中时，如何来识别该拍子性能的高低呢？使用相关的测试仪器设备当然是最科学，但一般的普通羽毛球爱好者是不容易使用上这些仪器和设备。所以学会凭自己的手、眼和挥拍感觉就也能够知道手中球拍的主要性能好坏是大有益处。以下是大家最关切的几个球拍主要性能的简单测试方法和技巧：
1）平衡点 一般球拍的平衡点都位于其中杆上。对于攻击型的拍子，由于拍头重的原因，其平衡点距离拍框一端近一些。买家只要将自己的指食伸直程水平状态， 并将球拍的中杆搁在食指上，并使两者正交（垂直），然后慢慢的的移动球拍，最终使球拍也程水平，就容易找到球拍的平衡点了。（有时拍柄上所缠把柄胶的重量会使球拍平衡点的移动。）
2）球拍面的平衡性 由于羽毛球拍的中杆纤细而拍头大，虽然有T字型连接，但伴随生产制作工艺的不同，其拍面的平衡性是存在着差别的。相信不少的球友们都有体会，感到自己的击球落点控制不好。或者有的球拍较难控制击球的准确方向。这些都与拍面的平衡性有关。其实，测试拍面平衡性的方法很简单。只要在水平的桌面或板凳面上，将球拍的手柄放在桌面的边缘，用一只手压住拍柄，使得球拍面程水平（与地面平行）。然后，用另一只手轻压拍头的顶部，再突然放松拍头。这时候，整个拍面会在中杆弹性的影响下进行上下抖动。如果平衡性好的球拍，其拍面的运动是垂直的。这点从观察拍框在震动的状态就可以看到。如果拍面在上下摆动的同时又有横向的颤抖运动，该球拍的平衡性就差劲了。要知道拍面的平衡性是直接影响击球准确性的因素之一。
3）球拍中杆的硬度和力度 将一只手握在拍柄上，另一只手握在拍框顶部，然后两手轻轻地发力，使得中杆稍微的弯曲。有的球拍中杆偏软，双手使一点点力就很容易弯曲。而有的球拍则偏硬，两手使了不少力中杆也难弯曲。现代的高性能材料使得中杆柔韧很好，中杆的硬度不是太高，有利于击球力量的增强。
4）球拍的抗扭性 同样将双手分别握在拍头和拍柄上，一只手作顺时针的转动，另一只手作反时针的转动。两手都是轻轻的柔和发力。如果拍框（拍面）容易偏转，其抗扭性就差。而抗扭性能差的球拍在击球和接杀球时容易出现难以控制球的飞行方向和落点。
至于球拍的强度，能上多少磅，这在拍柄上有标签。而球拍是否震手和击球是否有力量以及球拍的重量是否适合自己，这都需到球场上挥拍击球才可以感觉体会到的。
总之，买球拍是有不少学问在里边。花了钱能买到称心如意的好球拍才会心满意足。只要掌握了测试球拍主要性能的方法，就不难挑选到好拍子。
每人在打球的体验中，总有一、二个球是会使的自己毕生难忘和最感不可思义。比如世界高尔夫名将TIGER WOODS在去年一次公开赛上，在最后一杆击球入洞时，球滚到洞边就停留在洞的边缘数秒钟，然后才滚入洞。此球真似有如神助。其实，在我们普通人打羽毛球中，也会有这等事情发生，超水平神奇的一击，让对手惊叹而又让自己毕生难忘。
此事就发生在自己的无比快乐中。在一场混双比赛，比分停留在14 ：10。 我方领先。但最后一分就是相持不下，多次交换发球权也没有拿下来。大家你来我往，就是不长分。当发球权再次回到我方手中时，由我方女队员发球给对方的男对手接。当小球一发出，对方男选手就推我方网前死角，我的队友也不赖，马上移动并反手勾对方一个对角网前球。对方男选手反应更快，一个贴网小球就搓回来，几乎没有什么角度可回击该球了。怀着死马当成活马救的心态，我从自己的中后场箭步飞奔上网，在球将落地的一刹那，将球掂起，而且不可思义的事情发生了。羽毛球正好上升到网顶，并翻转一次，整个球反扣在网上，不偏不倚，立定停留在网顶一、二秒钟，然后才倒向对方一侧。虽然，对方的男选手已举拍准备回击，但最后也只能发出惊呀的目光和惊叹的叫唤。此球真是使自己毕生难忘。
For you experienced players of badminton or any other sports involving “balls” or other projectiles, have you ever made a shot that was so unbelievable that you’ll probably remember it for all your life? An example of such a shot would be the one made by Tiger Woods in last year’s (2005) Masters. The ball rolled right to the edge of the hole, and then it was stuck on the edge for what seemed like an eternity before it finally rolled into the hole. Even more ordinary people like us can sometime make a shot or a play that goes way beyond our own skill level, and it happened to me recently during a badminton game.
It was a mixed doubles game. My side had the lead at 14 to 10, but the score has been stuck there for a long time, and my partner and I just couldn’t get that last winning point. The game was back and forth and neither side was able to get any points. Anyways, we got the service back and this time my female partner was serving to the male opponent. My partner made a short serve and the opponent immediately made the drop shot to the far front corner. My partner was pretty quick on her feet and managed to return with a drop to the diagonally opposite front corner, but the male opponent was even quicker and he returned with a beautiful drop to our empty front corner. I charged forward at the fastest possible speed trying to make what seemed like an impossible return. My racket got the shuttle just before it hit the ground and the shuttle rose straight into the air. This is when something miraculous happened: the shuttle flipped once in the air and then it straddled itself on the top of the net. It stood there for at least two seconds and then it fell into our opponent’s side. The opposing male player was standing there ready to make a return, but he was so stunned by this amazing event that the only thing he could do was talk about it afterwards. This teardrop was the most amazing shot I’ve ever made in my badminton career, and I will probably never forget about it.
在羽毛球双打比赛中，有一项很特别的技术，它非常简练，又十分有效。如何称呼它？有人称之为“近网拦截”，有人管它叫“网前封杀”。但本人觉得自己的良师益友苏先生形象地称之这项双打技术为”上网捉球“更确切。
在双打中，经过多拍拉吊来回后，将对手压到底线，特别是对手的反手底线位置，或者将球击到对手难受的地方。一般的业余球手是很难回击出高质量的高远球。这时候，对方多数情况下是放网。如果你能有意识的提前起动，快速移位到网前，最好是来球方位的网前，你就可以举拍轻而易举地将来球在网上扑杀、或者轻抹放一个贴网小球，从而较容易地取分（或夺回发球权—-在15分比赛制中）。
其实，“上网捉球”是一项技术还不如称它是一种比赛的特有意识。有许多人虽然球打地好，但他们没有具备这种“捉球”意识，所以很多好的机会都不能捕捉到。如果你能在双打比赛中养成上网捉球的习惯，你的双打水平就上一个台阶了。
In a game of doubles badminton, there is a special skill that is easy to learn and extremely effective when used in battle. Some people call it “Front court interception” while others call it “Net swat,” but me myself feel that the term “Catching the Bird at the Net”, coined by my good friend and mentor Mr. Su, is the best phrase for describing this skill.
In a doubles game, you’ll usually try to push the opponents into their backcourt, or hit shots towards the holes in the opponent’s coverage in order to make it hard for the other side to make an effective return. When pressed, most amateur players usually won’t be able to make an effective high clear to get out of danger, so most of the time people will go for the drop shot. At that moment, if you manage to anticipate the return and move towards the net ahead of time, you’ll be at the right spot to make a kill with a front court smash or lightly tap the bird and roll it over the net. This skill will make it much easier for your side to get points (or get the service back, if you are playing the 15 points scoring system).
Actually, it’s probably more correct to call “Catching the Bird at the Net” a mind-set than a skill. There are many highly skilled players who lack this mind-set to try and intercept enemy returns in the front of the net, and they miss a lot of very good opportunities because of this. If you manage to train yourself to catch these low quality shots near the net, then your team’s competitive edge will be much sharper.
Badminton players utilize a wide range of style and specialized strategies when playing a real game. Some people like to use their power to their advantage, while others prefer using their skills. Some people like to use more sure-footed methods, and others are more inclined to take chances. This variety of playing styles and strategies is the reason why badminton is such an exciting sport to play and to watch.
In most situations, people usually would like to win when playing in a competitive game, and this is what drives some people to spend time coming up with strategies in order to have a better chance of winning. Everybody knows that there are many factors that can determine the outcome of a badminton game. The most obvious ones are the skill level of the player, physical conditioning, the ability to perform under pressure, and the utilization of strategies when playing in a real game. For most players, the first three factors will be pretty much constant in a given period of time, say within a week. Utilization of strategies, however, can easily change from game to game and in a lot cases, strategies is the factor that separates the winners from the losers.
Recently I witnessed a men’s doubles game between players with a fairly high skill level. One side (I’ll call them Team A) specializes in smashing, driving, and swatting shots near the net. They like to use their offensive power and quick pacing to overwhelm their opponents. In contrast, the players in the opposing team (Team B) have a wider skill set at their disposal. These guys primarily use attacking clears, half-smashes and drop shots, and they like to change the speed of their shots to catch their opponents off guard. Team B also has a strong defense and can make very good underhand shots. In the beginning of the game, Team A uses their powerful attacks to gain the upper hand. Team B tries to match the ferocity and speed of Team A but was unable to do so. However, after a while, Team B noticed that the players of Team A didn’t have very good footwork, so Team B adjusted their strategies accordingly, and used shots near the net, quick clears, and cross-court hits to target empty spots on the court and to force their opponents into moving. This changed the pace of the game in favour of Team B, as Team A could not utilize their advantage in power as they had earlier in the game. Needless to say, Team B emerged as the victor of this particular game.
The above is a good example of how strategies in finesse and can be used to overcome a disadvantage in power. In the sport of badminton, there are many strategies people can use. For each of these strategies, there is at least one opposing strategy that can be used to effectively counter the original strategy. When playing badminton competitively, remember that in a game between players of a similar skill level, the outcome is usually determined by use of strategies. If a player/team can adapt to their opponent(s)’ tactics and change their strategies on the fly, then they’ll have a much better chance of getting the victory.
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