It’s been a good month for Malaysian Badminton Doubles player, Tan Boon Heong. First, he and Koo Kien Keat (currently the number 2 men’s doubles pair in the world) won a tight Men’s Doubles final against Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen in the Denmark Open.

Secondly, Yonex announced that using their new badminton racket, the ArcSaber Z-Slash, he hit the fastest badminton smash ever recorded – 421 km/h (262mph).  This beats Naoki Kawamae’s record of 414 km/h (257mph) from earlier in the same test.  Boon Heong’s responded to the announcement with a winning combination of pride and modesty,

“People started to notice my smashing ability when I was 17-years-old. And aware that it is one of my strong points, I spent extra hours working on it.”
“Having a strong smash alone is not enough. It is also important to have a good defence and to complement well with the partner. Kien Keat and I still have to work in these areas.”

The New Badminton Racket: ArcSaber Z-Slash

Kawamae’s record is being used as part of Yonex’s promotion of the ArcSaber Z-Slash – presumably because, as a Japanese company they wanted to advertise with a Japanese player for the Japanese open.  Here’s the video of Kawamae hitting his 414km/h badminton smash – just listen to the sound of the impact!

This video is from Yonex’s ArcSaber Z-Slash website.

The Badminton Smash Record – still 332 km/h

For reasons I will outline below, the official badminton smash record is still 332km/h (206mph).  This record was set by Chinese Badminton Doubles player Fu Haifeng (a left-hander like Boon Heong) in the 2005 Sudirman Cup.  Boon Heong’s and Kawamae’s badminton smash records are significantly faster – is this because these players have much more powerful smashes, or because the ArcSaber Z-Slash is far superior to the Yonex Titanium 10 which Fu Haifeng used when he broke the record in 2005?  I think not.

The badminton smash speeds with the ArcSaber Z-Slash are not comparable to Fu Haifeng’s record for three reasons:

• Measuring method: High speed video equipment was used in the Yonex speed trials rather than the microwave technology which is used to record shuttlecock speed in matches.
• Situation: The smash was not hit during a match.   It is much easier to smash harder when the shuttlecock is being fed to you in a relaxed situation.
• Unofficial status of readings: The speed was recorded by Yonex rather than by badminton officials.

In fact, even in 2005, Fu Haifeng’s smash was not the fastest badminton smash to have been measured.  At the 2001 Swiss Open, high speed video was used to measure badminton smash speeds in speed tests similar to that performed by Yonex at the Japan Open.  The results included a 364km/h smash from J. Laugesen of Denmark.  But of course Fu Haifeng’s smash was considered to be the official record.

And of course, if Yonex are so confident they’d have compared the ArcSaber Z-Slash to other badminton rackets in the speed test and be publishing those results too.

You can draw your own conclusions about the effect that being in a speed test has on a player’s smash speed, but the technology used in each case is interesting too – so here’s some information about radar guns and high speed video compares for measuring shuttlecock speeds.

The Technology: Radar Guns and High Speed Video

Fu Haifeng’s record badminton smash was measured the same way speeds are measured during all sporting events: using a radar gun, which measures the change in frequency of microwaves bouncing off the moving object (in other words the gun measures the Doppler effect on the microwaves).  The advantage of this method is that every shot in a rally can be logged, and the fastest can be displayed as soon as the the rally ends.

The Yonex speeds were measured using high speed video, which requires manual analysis of the speed, so cannot provide instant feedback.  For this reason it is more suitable in test situations such as Yonex’ speed test.  Here’s the high speed video in action measuring Boon Heong’s 421km/h smash:

This equipment, provided by NAC, typically records video at 300fps, allowing slow motion 6-12x slower than normal speed.  This technology was used at the Olympics and is being used increasingly in sports for showing slow-motion replay – regular slow motion in sports coverage is around 3x slower than normal speed – approximately 75fps.

According to their site, their equipment will be used by SKY during their coverage of the All England next year.  NAC’s site has a variety of  interesting slow motion videos.

So is the big difference between Fu Haifeng’s record and Boon Heong’s badminton smash speed due to the measuring equipment used?  Possibly.

TeHa’

Shuttlecocks are light and have high air-resistance, so they slow down significantly over a short distance.  Slow-motion video captures can be used to measure the speed at any point in its flight, so Yonex’s measurement presumably measure the speed of the shuttlecock immediately after the initial impact, when it is at its fastest.

I am not convinced that the radar guns used in the Sudirman cup would have captured the speed immediately after impact.  I have not been able to find much information on the internet about this – the most relevant information was from a baseball chat forum:

“The Jugs Speed Gun (Fast Gun) will pick up the speed of the fast ball after it has travelled 3.5 feet”

So it’s entirely possible that the radar gun speed measured the shuttlecocks a foot or so after impact, which would means that Fu Haifeng’s smash was actually significantly faster than the 332km/h which was recorded.  However, this is pure speculation on my part as I not been able to discover what type of radar gun equipment is used now, let alone during the 2005 Sudirman Cup.

There’s also this information on a badminton forum:

“When the system gets a good lock onto the shuttlecock trajectory it is able to provide detailed measurements of the shuttlecock’s speed at more than 20 different points in its trajectory, illustrating the deceleration of the shuttlecock as it reaches the receiver. The top speeds measured at the Sudirman Cup are the speeds of the shuttlecock as it leaves the racket.”

Which does make it sound like the speed is measured immediately after impact.  But I’m still not entirely convinced – it would be nice to have a more specific description than ‘immediately’.

Either way, it’s a shame the deceleration data is not available on the internet anywhere as it would be very interesting to know what speed the shuttlecocks are travelling at when they’re returned.

The ArcSaber Z-Slash – Ideal Badminton Doubles Racket?

So let’s forget about the 421km/h headline speed, and put aside Yonex’s bold claims that it makes players smashes 9.5% faster, and talk about the badminton racket itself.

I have not used an ArcSaber Z-Slash, but in this detailed review, Paul Stewart, a Yonex affiliated coach, has said,

“This is a pedigree racquet that requires coaxing into greatness. When you time your shot right, this beauty delivers power in abundance. And here lies the crux of the matter…’when.’ This racquet takes more getting used to than any I’ve used before.”

And here are some of the opinions from Badminton Central’s forum, in my opinion the best place on the internet to read the opinions of badminton enthusiasts:

”At first, the timing of the racquet was a problem.  I often swung it too early.
Its small sweet spot also poses mishits during power shots such as smashing.
But the control and defence was superb and the small frame didn’t pose for these kind of shots.

After a few more days, it just improves. I stop myself from expecting strong smashes every time I smash the shuttlecock.  My smashes then got stronger. Combined with the control and defence, it was just exciting playing with this racquet. Like others said, it is an unforgiving racquet when mis-hits.

All in all, this is one racquet that can surely deliver.”

http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1279537&postcount=1104

”I now have about 12 hours on my ZS so here is my updated review.

Essentially I found out where I was going wrong with this badminton racket. I was being too passive, and it took a couple of games of singles to blow the cobwebs out and get in tune with the racket.

The Z isn’t a very forgiving racket, so if you try to be too clever or passive, it’ll bite you. But the reward is some serious power shots and speed around the court.”

http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1272162#post1272162

“After accumulated 20 hours of play using the Arc Z i must say…….i am starting to LIKE IT!!!.
I dunno how to put it, this afternoon everything just click in. The smash, the overhead clears, the drives, even the net plays, net kills, drops. And the best “feel” is once everything clicked, ur overall game play actually speed up a lot. It was noticed even by my club captain.

Hope this is because finally i got used to the Arc Z and the reward it brings, Will test again this Tuesday to make sure it wasn’t a ONE OFF lucky day for me.
Till then, stay tune…..
TODAY MY ARC Z ROCKS BIG TIME!!!”

http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1279208&postcount=1098

It sounds like the ArcSaber Z-Slash is a badminton racket which rewards perseverance, and while it’s not going to give you a 400+km/h badminton smash (not unless you happen to be a world-class player already), if you have an aggressive style it could suit your play once you’re consistently hitting with the sweet spot.

I’ve had a look round at prices, here’s a list of the best prices I’ve found for different areas.  By the way, if you find it cheaper elsewhere, please post in the comments and I’ll update the table for everyone’s benefit.

Best Racket Prices: Yonex ArcSaber Z-Slash

ArcSaber Z-Slash on eBay US

ArcSaber Z-Slash on eBay UK

If you’re looking for other badminton products,  then have a look at the badminton shop page where I’ve researched the best places to buy badminton kit, especially shuttlecocks and books.

So if you’ve found this article interesting and decide to buy an ArcSaber Z-Slash, please buy through my site and I’ll get a commission.  Which will encourage me to write more articles – everyone’s a winner!

Technorati Tags: ArcSaber Z-Slash, badminton, Badminton England, badminton facts, badminton news, badminton players, badminton racket, badminton smash, badminton statistics, buy, Carsten Mogensen, Denmark Open, Fu Haifeng, high speed video, Japan Open, Koo Kien Keat, Malaysian badminton, Mathias Boe, Naoki Kawamae, Olympics, professional badminton, radar gun, shuttlecocks, Simon Archer, Swiss Open, Tan Boon Heong, world record, Yonex

There are many incorrect badminton techniques and bad habits which beginners pick up, and which lead to mistakes and errors.  Like all bad habits, while its easy to pick them up, it’s very hard to shake them off!

So to help you improve your badminton techniques, here are 5 bad habits and mistakes which are common in badminton doubles. These mistakes have a tendency to surface when you’re under pressure, so try and cut them out of your friendly games now…so that when you want to play well or show off, they don’t trip you up!

1. Hitting cross-court too much

   Hitting cross-court often seems like a good idea, but is often a foolish badminton tactic, especially if you catch your partner by surprise with your shot.  Beginners invariably hit too many cross-court shots.  Sure, your opponents may have to move further to get to it.  But the shuttlecock has further to go too – and shuttlecocks slow down a lot towards the end of their flight – so your opponent has more time than you probably realise.

   If you hit it cross court and your opponent anticipates well, he’ll usually have open space to hit it straight into – plus your partner will more than likely be caught off-guard.  Particularly risky is the cross-court drop shot when your partner is at the front – he won’t realise where the shuttle is going until the last moment, by which time your opponent will be playing an easy net-shot return  which your partner will be forced to lift.  Also see this article about playing drop-shots to the middle of the court for more reasons why it’s a bad idea to hit cross-court.

   Particularly beware of hitting cross-court from your forehand side – as you’re putting it on your opponet’s forehand and he can hit it straight onto you or your partner’s backhand side, which will immediately put you both under pressure. (Obviously it’s more complicated if left-handed players are involved).

   So keep your cross-court shots infrequent – pick your moments carefully, and when you do play them, put them onto your opponent’s backhand.

2. Being too static

   Just because your partner’s doing all the work in a rally, it doesn’t mean you should be patiently standing still, waiting for your chance to get involved.  Every time a shot is hit the circumstances change, and you should be adjusting your court position to compensate.

   If you’re at the front, shift sideways each time the shuttlecock is hit so you’re covering the main angles of return.  If you’re at the back, you should be somewhere between the centre of the court and the hitting opponent’s position.  For more about your positioning, see badminton tactics in doubles – attack and defence.

3. Serving badly

   A good low serve is crucial in badminton doubles.  Doubles is an attacking game so good opponents will try to attack your serves, putting you under lots of pressure.  If you regularly serve out, into the net, or so high that your serves are regularly killed, then your opponents will get a lot of free points and it will be almost impossible to win.  One bad serve in a doubles match is almost unavoidable.  Two is forgivable.  More than that is too much – you need to practice!  So the low serve is one of the most important badminton doubles shots.  I do plan to write about this thoroughly, in the mean time have a look at badminton bible, a great source for badminton techniques, which has articles about forehand and backhand serve.  Also check out this badminton video:

4. Going for a winner when you’re off-balance

   Like tennis, percentage play is important in badminton.  This means not going for a more ambitious shot than necessary.  You should only smash at full power when you’re on balance and you have time to hit it properly (see this advice on hitting a smash, which outlines principles applicable to other badminton shots).

   If you’re moving backwards, hitting on the run, stretching or otherwise improvising, don’t try to win the point outright – hit at reduced strength, push the shuttle down into a space, or to be extra safe lift/clear as high as possible.  If you go for a kill under difficult circumstances, then you’re likely to miss, and even if you don’t, you’ll be very vulnerable to counter attack.

   So keep the rally going and wait for a better opportunity to win – even if you’re losing the rally, make your opponent work for the point.  Of all the badminton techniques I’m describing, this is probably the one made most by experienced players – reducing errors in your game is very hard (as I’m all too painfully aware!) and takes a lot of self-discipline, practice and drilling.

5. Bad Footwork

   Footwork is key in badminton doubles, and probably the most important of all badminton techniques in singles. If you can start, stop and change direction quickly, and move with economy, then you will have a big advantage, and will find the rest of the game much easier. This badminton video shows you the basic principles:

   Once you’ve absorbed these principles, try shadow badminton during your warm up – move about on court, imagine the shuttlecock is being played to various corners of the court, and move and swing at them as if you’re really playing.  Concentrate on your movement as you do this. It feels weird but it helps you absorb this technique into your game.

   Another great way to understand the right footwork techniques style is to watch the top players in action.  Here’s a badminton video of Lee Chong Wei moving in slow motion:

   Look at how he moves, the footwork he uses and the way he starts and stops, and how the rest of his body moves at the same time. Try and picture this way of moving in your mind when you play.

   I hope these badminton techniques are of use to you!  If you wish to see more examples of professional badminton doubles, look at the articles in the badminton video category of my site.

Technorati Tags: backhand serve, badminton, badminton basics, badminton doubles drills, badminton drills, badminton footwork, badminton serve, badminton skills, badminton smash, forehand serve

Men’s Doubles

tpower1978

Markis Kido / Hendra Setiawan(INA) vs. Yonathan Suryatama Dasuki / Rian Sukmawan (INA)

Not even the 2005 World champions Tony Gunawan and Howard Bach of the USA could stop all-Indonesian men’s doubles final showdown!

First seeds and Men’s Badminton Doubles Olympic champions, Kido and Setiawan had been sidelined for most of the season while Kido battled a knee injury and high-blood pressure.  So this pair were hungry for victory.

The whole match was characterised by aggressive play from both sides, which results in short, though often spectacular rallies, with hard jumping smashes and behind the back defensive shots and dives, particularly from Dasuki who is a real showman as well as a fantastic badminton doubles player.

It took just 3 minutes of play to reach the first mid-game interval at 11-8 to Kido/Setiawan.  Dasuki/Sukmawan showed style and composure but Kido/Setiawan committed fewer errors and hard the edge throughout the first game, taking it 21-19.

The second game was equally fast and furious, with plenty of spectacular shots.  This time Dasuki/Sukmawan were ahead most of the time, reaching 20-16.  But then 2 unforced errors plus brilliant net play from Setiawan and Kido brought it to 20-20.

Nerves were free-flying on both sides of the court, as both pairs committed one unforced error after another to reach a 22-all deadlock.  In the end Kido finished the match with a decisive jump-smash.  Kido/Setiawan saved 5 match points in total, winning 24-22 and putting an end to the country’s eight-month Super Series title drought.  The whole badminton doubles match went at a blistering pace, over in under 29 minutes.

“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for,” Markis told the Jakarta Globe in a text message. “We finally ended our title drought in Japan. I’m very happy.”

“This win is special for us because it is also our first Super Series title this year.  However we need to improve on our defence,” added his ice-cool partner Setiawan.

And following on this success, the pair have big badminton doubles plans,

“We want to win the upcoming Yonex All England next year, and the Asian Games,” said Setiawan, before his partner added “and of course, the Thomas Cup”.

Men’s Badminton Doubles Final score: 21-19 24-22

Badminton Video: Highlight from early part of the final game (quality improves after first 8 seconds):

Full men’s doubles match on video (with English commentary):

Japan Open 2009 Badminton Video Men Doubles Finals

Ladies’ Doubles

Jin Ma / Xiaoli Wang(CHN) vs Miyuki Maeda / Satoko Suetsuna (JPN)

The home crowd were really behind Maeda / Suetsuna, the first Japanese to enter a final for 19 years.  Against them were a young Chinese badminton doubles pair who have been playing outside their home country for just 1 year – yet had already won 2 major badminton doubles titles.

They  proved strong at the start of the first game, demonstrating superb defensive skills which consistently frustrated the Chinese attack.  However, the Chinese started to work more patiently against the Japanese defence, going from 9-11 down to 16-13 up, eventually taking the set at 21-19.

Recovering quickly from this setback, the Japanese took a strong lead to 4-0, but the Chinese kept varying their shots, mixing in slower pushes and deceptive cross-court drops to keep the Japanese off balance, and slowly narrowed the gap, until the Chinese pulled ahead at 11-10.  At this point, the sheer exertion required by the Chinese to sustain their attack began to show, and the Japanese pulled ahead again, scoring 5 points in a row to get to 15-12.

Kudos to the Chinese though – they renewed their attacking efforts and scored 4 straight points to pull into the lead again, going on to win 21-18.

The game showed an interesting contrast of badminton doubles tactics – the Japanese, demonstrating a formidable defence, but in the end they were too content to react in this match, failing to capitalise on attacking opportunities, while the the Chinese pair were much more dynamic and energetic, showing a flair for imaginative shots.  The difference in aggressiveness is illustrated by the fact that the Chinese hit 18 smash winners in the match – compared to just 9 hit by the Japanese.

Women’s Badminton Doubles Final score: 21-19 21-18

Badminton Video: Full ladies’ doubles match (with English commentary):

Japan Open 2009 Badminton Video Women Doubles Finals

Mixed Doubles

Songphon Anugritaywon / Kunchala Voravichitchaikul (THAI) vs Joachim Fischer Nielsen / Christinna Pedersen (DEN)

The most dramatic badminton doubles match of the tournament was unseeded Anugritayawon and Voravichitchaikul of Thailand in a monumental struggle against sixth-seeded Nielsen and Pedersen of Denmark, in the mixed doubles final.

The Danish pair dominated the first game over the clearly nervous Thai pair, getting an early lead which slowly widened, finishing 21-13.  But the Thais regained their composure in the second game and it was tight until they pulled ahead to 13-10.  A lead they maintained until they won four consecutive points, finishing 21-16.

The third game proved to be a dog fight as the Danish pair consistently force their game on their more inexperienced opponents, maintaining a constant lead. Trailing 15-18 in the decider, the Thais started to dominate the rallies with great attacking play, rattling off 5 consecutive points to put them in the lead for the first time in this game.

At 19-19 in the decider, suspense was at its peak, but it was the Thais who gained the first match point, which Voravichitchaikul wasted on a bad serve.  But she got a second chance, and this time capitalised on it, clinching their first major international victory with the game clock counting down to an hour on court.  This was easily the biggest upset of the tournament.

“This was a great win for us here with all the fans cheering us on. We now want to remain focused and continue to train hard in an effort to be a great pair like our more senior compatriots Prapakamol and Thungthogkam [who won the Japan Open mixed badminton doubles final in 2005]“, said an elated Anugritayawon after their epic victory.

“At the beginning of the first set we were so nervous, we tried to play our best but the nervous tension affected our technique and we were no match for the Danes in that opening set.”

Altogether a truly memorable badminton doubles match!

Mixed Doubles Final score: 13-21 21-16 22-20
Badminton Video: Highlight from the end of the final game of Badminton Mixed Doubles:

The Japan Open ended with 3 titles for the Chinese, and one badminton doubles title each for the Indonesians and the Thais.  Once again China dominate, even without many of their strongest players.  But altogether a fantastic set of badminton doubles matches!

Sources:

• http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/markis-and-hendra-win-badminton-doubles-crown-taufik-falls-in-final/332028
• http://tarzenworld.com/2009/09/28/yonex-japan-open-2009-finals/
• http://www.badzine.info/index.php/news/international/2097-yonex-japan-open-all-indonesian-mens-doubles-final-.html
• http://www.badzine.info/index.php/news/international/2081-yonex-japan-open-when-the-cats-away-the-mice-will-play.html
• http://www.badzine.info/index.php/news/international/2103-yonex-japan-open-finals-indonesian-badminton-at-its-best-.html
• http://stephen-badminton.blogspot.com/2009/09/yonex-japan-open-2009-easy-for-bao-ma.html

Japan Open Links:

• Yonex Japan Open Official Site
• Previous winners of the Japan Open
• Tournament draw, results and statistics

Technorati Tags: badminton, badminton 2009, badminton ladies' doubles, badminton men's doubles, badminton mixed doubles, badminton players, badminton tournaments, badminton women's doubles, Fu Haifeng, international badminton, Japan Open, ladies' doubles, men's doubles, mixed doubles, professional badminton, results, scores, women's doubles

Joits

In a badminton doubles rally you will either be attacking or defending, and it’s important to understand which tactical situation you’re in, where you and your partner should be standing, and the effect your shot will have on the situation. In other words, it is important to understand basic badminton tactics! So if you are uncertain about these tactical aspects, read on.

Note that, although tactics are different in mixed doubles, the basic principles are the same – I will discuss the differences in another article.

Positioning Yourself for Attack and Defence in Badminton Doubles

You may already be familiar with the standard attack and defensive formation in badminton doubles. But to understand badminton tactics it’s also important to know why you stand in this way – especially in fast rallies where the situation is not so clear cut and you need to improvise. So let me talk about what the attack and defensive formations are, and why you stand in those positions.

The Smash

The key to understanding attacking and defensive badminton tactics is the smash. A smash is a powerful shot which is hit steeply downwards, with the objective of getting a weak return or finishing the rally.

The standard badminton doubles tactic is to gain control of the rally by forcing your opponents to lift, and then playing increasingly aggressive shots until you can finish the rally with a smash. So attack and defence in badminton doubles is determined by which side has lifted the shuttlecock so the other side has the opportunity to smash.

(To learn more about smashing see the proper technique for a smash)

Badminton Doubles Defensive formation

Let’s say your partner lifts the shuttlecock up high enough for an opponent pair to smash it into the mid-court. This opponent can smash, drop shot or clear the shuttlecock; but as the smash is the hardest shot to return, it is the smash that you should prepare yourself for.

So you and your partner should stand side by side in the mid-court so that between you, you cover the full court width.  These are the proper badminton tactics to ensure that one of you is within reach wherever the shuttlecock is smashed.

Your positioning in this instance is the badminton doubles defensive formation, and maximises your chance of returning the smash. The players at the bottom of the photo below are in the typical defence formation.

www.uniceg.org

As you’re both in the mid-court, if your opponent plays a drop shot, you should be close enough to the net to return it. If he clears, you should have time to move back and hit it.

Badminton Doubles Attacking formation

So let’s say your opponent clears the shuttlecock to your partner’s side, and he’s quick enough to get in position to smash it. Your opponents will also move to maximise their chance of returning his smash – they’ll stand side to side in the mid-court, ready.

So where should you be standing? In this situation you assume your partner will smash, so that’s what you should prepare for.

Assuming your partner smashes well, then your opponents should only be able to either lift or play a net shot. If they lift it your partner can hit it again, so your main task is to cover any replies to the net, and you should stand so you’re in easy reach of these. This is the badminton doubles attack formation – one of you covering lifts to the back, the other net shots at the front.

The players on the left in this photo are in the attacking formation:

Joits

However, if your partner’s smash is weak, or your opponents are very sharp, then the best badminton tactics for them are to drive the shuttlecock in a flat arc to the back (typically cross court away from your partner), or push the shuttlecock past you to the mid court, so your partner has to stretch forward to return it.

So an additional role for you is to anticipate other shots, particularly cross-court drives, so you can intercept them and maintain the attack. Standing just behind the T is usually the best place – close enough to the net to cover it, but far enough back that it’s difficult to push the shuttlecock past you, and you have a chance of intercepting those cross court drives.

Standing behind the T gives you the additional benefit of seeing the shuttlecock sooner after your partner hits it, so you have more chance to react to his shot.  An important piece of badminton tactics advice is: if you’re at the front you should never look back at your partner when he’s about to hit the shuttle – you risk being hit in the eye and also won’t be watching your opponents to see how they react to the shot.  Watch your opponents as your partner takes the shot, and if you watch where they’re looking you’ll get a clue to where the shuttlecock is going too.

If you get possession of the shuttlecock while you’re at the front, your partner should assume you’ll play a net shot, a drive, or a kill (smash) in front of you, and that the opposition will lift to the back tramlines, either directly in front of them or to the centre. He should therefore stand within easy reach of both these shots – but not so far back that he can’t reach any push shots that get past you.

The diagram below shows this situation after you’ve hit the shuttlecock down to player 2’s feet:

Diagram adapted from badminton-information.com

The shuttlecock is by Player 2’s feet, so he has to hit the shuttlecock up. So player 1 assumes that player 2 will lift it, and moves to cover the two places that 2 is most likely to lift to – the middle of the rear-court and down the line to the rear-court.

Changing formation during a rally

In a badminton doubles rally both sides will often switch between attacking and defending many times. To see how this works in practice, watch this video, featuring a rally from the Men’s Doubles final at the 2004 Olympics. Watch the changes in formation that occur as the opportunity to smash passes from one side to another. It’s fast-paced so it’s concentrating on a single pair to get a better feel of how fluidly the formation changes should be.

Badminton Tactics Summary

• Positioning in badminton doubles is determined by who has the opportunity to smash.
• If the shuttlecock is lifted high in your side so one of you can smash, then you should be in the attacking formation. One player will cover the front of the court, the other the back of the court.
• If the shuttlecock is lifted high into your opponents’ side so they can smash, then you should be in the defensive formation. You will cover the mid-court, one side each.

This is the simplest way to look at the badminton tactics involved in positioning. However, you will want to vary your approach based on your own skills and ability, your partner, your opponents, and the way the rally is working out. I hope to write more about  this in another article.

For more badminton tactics, see this badminton doubles shot selection article.  Also check out the badminton tactics category on this site to see all badminton tactics articles.

Technorati Tags: attacking formation, badminton, badminton basics, badminton diagrams, badminton doubles tactics, badminton formations, badminton skills, badminton smash, badminton strokes, badminton tips, defensive formation, doubles tactics, how to

The smash is vital to winning doubles games.  I’ve just published an article on HubPages about the proper technique for hitting a badminton smash.  It includes illustrations and a slow motion video of Fu Haifeng smashing to help you learn.

Please have a look….and why not post a comment as well, or respond to the poll?  Thanks!

Technorati Tags: badminton, badminton doubles tactics, badminton skills, badminton smash, badminton strokes, badminton tips, doubles tactics, Fu Haifeng, how to

I’ve just written a lens on Squidoo: a biography about badminton player Fu Haifeng – who (along with his badminton doubles partner Cai Yun) is the world men’s doubles champion.

He also has the world’s fastest badminton smash – 332kph (206mph), so he’s a formidable player.  (Note that faster smash speeds of over 400kph (250mph) have been recorded unofficially during speed tests used for promotional purposes).

I’d love some feedback about it, so please use the comment box at the bottom.  And if you like it, why not rate it?  Just click on the stars under the title. Thanks!

There are a few badminton doubles videos of Fu Haifeng & Cai Yun on this site.  If you want to see full matches, then this site, badmintonfreak, has a list of recent badminton videos from the Chinese Masters, the World Badminton Championships, the Sudirman Cup and others.  Well worth a look!

By the way, Squidoo itself is pretty cool – a simple, free way of quickly putting a website together, without any technical knowledge, similar to blogger or wordpress.com.   If you wish to create a website for the first time, it’s well worth a look.  Click here to sign up.

Technorati Tags: badminton, badminton 2009, badminton player biography, badminton players, badminton smash, badminton statistics, Cai Yun, Fu Haifeng, professional badminton

sportpictures

I’ve put together a brief document talking about why badminton should be better regarded as a sport.   Feel free to distribute or reuse it as you see fit – just don’t forget to credit me and link back to my website!

Why Badminton’s Smashing!

Technorati Tags: badminton, badminton facts, badminton smash, badminton statistics, Fu Haifeng

Technorati Tags: badminton, badminton doubles drills, badminton doubles tactics, badminton drills, badminton men's doubles, badminton skills, badminton smash, badminton strokes, badminton tips, badminton training, buy, gift, gift idea, how to

Joits

Like tennis, Badminton is split into 5 disciplines: men’s and ladies’ singles, men’s and ladies’ doubles, and mixed doubles.  Badminton doubles is a fast and furious combination of aggression and teamwork which is thrilling to watch when played well.

In contrast to singles, doubles players will go for all out attacks, as their partner can protect them from quick counter-attacks to the net.  Doubles games at the international level tend to involve one player firing multiple high speed jump smashes at his opponents.

At this level, high speed means over 300kph (186mph) - the record for the badminton smash (and also the fastest stroke in any racket sport) is an intimidating 332kph (206mph), set in 2005 by Fu Haifeng of China.^[1] (Faster smash speeds of over 400kph / 250mph have been recorded by Yonex during speed tests used for promotional purposes).

So doubles at the top level requires incredible anticipation and reaction time, as well as powerful leg muscles to propel the players into the air so they can smash at a steep angle onto their opponents.

What’s fascinating about doubles is the dynamics you get between different pairings.  You need to trust your partner and understand his strengths and weaknesses to play well with him.  You need to be aware of what he can see and how much ground he can cover, so you avoid playing shots which expose him to attack.  It is a great challenge to master this aspect of the game, but also deeply rewarding.

To finish, this video shows an incredible rally in a mixed doubles game in the final of the Sudirman cup. Not only does it demonstrate the athleticism and consistency required to compete in international badminton, but also how easy it is to lose a hard fought point if you and your partner leave part of the court open!

1. ^ “Chinese Fu clocks fastest smash at Sudirman Cup”, People.com.cn

Technorati Tags: badminton, badminton players, badminton skills, badminton smash, badminton statistics, badminton strokes, badminton tips, Fu Haifeng

Sugeo

Welcome to my website. This is the place to read all about badminton doubles – its shots, tactics, techniques and players, as well as see badminton doubles videos and learn about kit such as rackets and shuttlecocks.

If you want to read about one of these topics specifically then use the navigation menu above, or click on a word in the tag cloud – the collection of words found in the sidebar on the right.

I’d also be grateful for feedback about my badminton doubles website – just click here and fill out the form.

Badminton Doubles Content

This blog discusses many aspects of badminton doubles, including:

• The subtleties and tactics of badminton doubles;
• Proper technique for badminton shots, such as the smash.
• The players who have mastered the game;
• Drills and kit (shuttlecocks, rackets, string and shoes) you can use to improve.

I will also keep you entertained and informed by passing on links to interesting articles and videos that I find on the internet.

The best way to navigate this site is, using the navigation menu above – just click on one of the categories, such as badminton tactics. Alternatively you can use the tag cloud in the sidebar on the right.  Click on an area of interest like badminton smash and you’ll see the articles I’ve written about that subject.

Don’t forget to visit again as I’m publishing new material regularly. I’d also be grateful for feedback – please tell me what you have found interesting and what you want to read more about.  Just click here and fill out the form.

And don’t forget to tell your friends about this blog – the more traffic and feedback I get, the more motivated I’ll be to write new articles!

Technorati Tags: badminton, badminton doubles tactics, badminton players, badminton skills, badminton smash, badminton strokes, badminton tips, Fu Haifeng, how to