... with the racquet. Well, personally I've never bothered to because... I 1) like my racquets to be pristine 2) don't mind bending down to retrieve while stretching at the same time 3) have tried (not a serious effort) but did not mastered it I get teased by my significant other sometimes by my inability, but I think it's not really a big thing; besides, I'd rather spend time to play better. Are any of you in my shoes? What do you guys think?
i'm fortunate to play only in badminton gyms with pvc floor mats, so our rackets don't get scratched at all when we scoop the bird from the floor
it's not a matter of right or wrong it's a matter of scratching up your racket or not, if you play on hardwood floors like community centres and school gyms where there's inevitably some dirt and grit
I often have white streaks from scraping up little bits of hardwood floor varnish after every badminton session. But they're not permanent, you just rub them of with your hands and your racket is back to new. Over time though I can't say you'll eventually scratch your racket permanently. I used to be like you too, but I will say that I eventually learned and it's a little more convenient not having to bend over (as far) to grab a shuttle. Perhaps it helps prevent back issues in the future because of this =D?
i scope up on rubber floor but not those wooden floors. It is not a big deal, but it does help to train up ur fingers and your grip. For those who watch the xiaojie and zhao jianhua's video before, there is an episode where xiaojie ask them to scoop up the shuttles both with the forehand and backhand. Til now, I still cant scoop up the shuttle using backhand consistently. The trick is to use your fingers and wrist to scoop it up rather than a big arm movement which will definitely scratch the racket.
I once heard someone say that being able to scoop up shuttles is about having a loose grip and controlling the racket with your fingers--if you learn to do it, it will improve your net play (so they said). Has anyone else heard of this?
i feel it is true for me. especially if you can scoop up the shuttles with your backhand as well, it does improve your crosscourt netplay. but alot of people scoop up with big arm movement rather than having a loose grip.
I feel like it takes up more energy to fully bend down to retrieve the shuttle than it is to scoop it up with your racket? Or is that just me.
yes, because one uses the larger muscles against gravity, while the other mostly uses the smaller muscles
Definitely less energy required. Good thought about stretching though, can consider the needs of the moment when pickup up shuttles - practice racket handling or stretch? Maybe for a brand new racket I would worry about the chance of scratching the frame (or the strings!?) but after the first chip on the frame they pretty much become moot. Otherwise its an frequent opportunity to get the feel of shuttle weight and racket balance at low speed - may help for delicate shots. Returning the retrieved shuttle to the server's free hand from different parts of the court can also covertly practice accurate placement. (rather than just hitting it in their general direction and letting them practice their footwork ;-) Good idea to try it backhand as well as forehand - so many options.
Don't try this at home. [video=youtube;0RJlgHn2MCY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RJlgHn2MCY[/video]
Ahhh... the vast concensus seems to be there are benefits associated with acquiring the skill. Scratches be damn! So it shall be then...
from my understanding. Its 90 degree angle and with speed and look at the direction of the shuttle and go in the opposite direction. Trick is "go with the flow". or just get a thin frame racket...
While "bending down to retreive" once in a while can be nice, I think scooping up the shuttle with the racquet is a very basic skill that everyone who is not calling themselves "beginner" should master!
Little tips to help you start! Fast, quick, and compact motions are the way to go. If you do a large drawn out scoop, you're just going to push the shuttle further away. Just watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zls0natZqFM
First of all, if u are scooping it right, it shouldnt leave any obvious scratch or chips to your racket. You might wanna learn the way to do it properly first. It will save a bit of your energy and keep you from straining your back. Second, I have seen some pros scooping without touching the floor and I thought they are doing it just because they can, not for any beneficial reason. But when I did it by myself, i believed that it might help me to train my fingers to be firm and relaxed at the same time. Maybe it is, maybe it isnt.
^^^ there is a way to get the bird without touching the floor, but it only works with feather birds and may even damage them slightly (!). (so its a neat trick, but don't say I didn't warn you! ) the trick is to make it jump up by hitting the feathers while it is still on the ground... the racket has to swing in a specific direction ie from cork towards feather tip at which point contact is made and the shuttle will jump up and you can catch it with your racket.
I find it quite easy to scoop without touching the floor. Make sure the frame is below the halfway point of the cork, then just quick forward acceleration and the shuttle just rolls in
this. i was just thinking "how are people scraping their rackets?" and even if you place the racket on the floor as a starting position, the scoop motion it side/upwards, not down/across the floor.