Hello, I would like to get some advice and tips on how to adjust to new environment. I'm sure many have experienced change in timing due to differnt ceiling height, wall dsitance, color of wall and celing and lighting. how do you adjust to this? any good tips? I would say I'm just above intermediate level playing at differnt locations. when i travel, i try to find a place to play but it takes me some time and effort to adjust LOL any ideas?
I don't understand how things like ceiling height, wall distance, color of wall, lighting etc affects the timing of the shot?!? The only things I know that can affect your "timing" are... 1. Flight of shuttle 2. Your swing / stroke If you're talking about being about to "see" the shuttle clearly then it's not really about timing. It's more a case of visibility. If you had no problems with visibility, you can still mis-time the shot. However if you had a problem seeing the shuttle, you can be Lin Dan with the best timing and still not be able to hit the shuttle! FYI, you can get different coloured shuttles, although I personally can't stand them, I guess they would stand out more. In terms of lighting, not a great deal you can do, but I tend to play a safe shot if the light is in my eyes. On the subject of playing environment, one thing that really stops me playing well is dusty hard courts. I just can't move at all on them, it's like trying to play on ice. I've seen some players clean their soles on a wet towel after each game, but I was wondering if anyone has come across another way of improving your grip on dusty courts.
LOL yeah I know! I play at a local club, I doubt any player is going to turning up early to wet-mop the floor, let it dry fully before the sessions starts. Besides, there's usually people occupying the sports hall before the badminton club. Mopping the floor is obviously the best, but if it's still a little wet when people come to play, it could make it even more slippery. I'm wondering if there are some shoes/rubber soles that give better grip on dusty hard floors?
Beat me to it. Haha.. Helping to set up/take down the nets is as much contribution as you can expect from the club members I play with!
Depth perception (ceiling height, wall distance, etc) is the most important and can be a huge factor when going to a new place. After hitting a few shots though things should start to fall into place. Start off simple and low with drives to just get a feel for the place and then slowly work into clears and don't worry if you miss a few. I know I have had that issue before a difference from training in my club with 30 foot ceilings and then when travelling for tournaments and playing in stadiums that have 100/150+ foot ceilings. The initial few hits are a little sketchy to put it but after practicing there for a little everything settles in and the depth perception becomes normal. It just takes that little time period (will vary from person to person) for you to adjust to your new conditions.
I just saw a post on the effect of ceiling height. I concurred. If the ceiling is a lot higher, suddenly you would start to mis-time your overhead shots. I notice a lot of people have the same problem. The same thing is true when you're facing the side with a wall/curtain very far away. You may find it hard to see the shuttle. Same with color of wall - if it's lighter color, or same color as your shuttle, it may slow down your brain's interpretation speed, and you react slower. This in turn could affect your initiation of your stroke and thus affect your timing. I suppose it takes time to adjust. Just play more there??
Ceiling height and wall distance actually do affect play because it affects the air. Different gyms "play" differently and it's not entirely psychological/comfort. Temperature and air currents do affect flight path. Humidity also varies from gym to gym, and that has an effect too. That being said, it's still the same game, right? I don't know if there's a tip for getting used to it aside from playing there more often.
Also the differences in the lighting... just feel a bit off when the tourny's gym lighting is different (also different color light) from my club.
Yup, had this happen when I went to my first tournament. Unfamiliarity and nerves made my shots a lot worse than they usually are. You just have to practice in that location until you're comfortable.
I don’t disagree with what you said as it amounts to the same thing. But in answering the OP’s question: “How to correct timing..." if there is an external factor that affects your sight of the shuttle, then it’s not your timing that you need to adjust, it’s more to do with getting your eyes used to the environment so that you can see the shuttle better. Assuming the shuttle is flying as it should, your racquet travels through the air as it should, your technique and form is as it should and your timing is spot on - the only thing that’s not right is your ability to see the shuttle correctly. Yes, of course not being able to see the shuttle well will affect how well you hit the shuttle, just as heavy fog will affect the way you can drive. But you cannot “correct your timing” to hit something you can’t see very well – there’s nothing to correct! It’s a bit like saying I’ll “correct my driving” so that I can drive through heavy fog at the same speed as I normally would – you can’t! You can slow down but you can’t “correct your driving” to maintain the same speed of driving as you normally would. When we talk about timing, we are generally referring to how well we are hitting the shuttle - cleanly. If we are not hitting the sweetspot, say, we are hitting the shuttle at the top of the racquet all the time, then we compensate and adjust our stroke to make sure we hit it a bit lower. Just as I had to when I first used the Z-Slash – which moved through the air much quicker. Or if the shuttle is flying too fast or too slow, we may change it for a different speed class. If we don’t, then we would need to correct our timing to suit the speed of the incoming shuttle. And we do this normally by hitting the shuttle may be a fraction later or earlier – you can’t do this if you can’t judge where the shuttle is. Now, when we are struggling to see the shuttle well, we are having difficulty judging the precise position of the shuttle, often until it is very close to us, even then it may be a very hazy sight, and so we are having to react with less time available and a rough idea of where the shuttle is. You cannot “correct” this with timing as such. What you will subconsciously be doing is getting your eyes/brain used to the new environment, and the perceived effect and gradually be able to “see” the shuttle better. As for high ceilings, I personally don’t have too much of a problem with them. It must be impossible for people to play badminton outdoors if they have trouble with high ceilings?!
If there is no mop around, you can have a wet towel lying next to the court and now and then you can rub your shoes on it then they will stick nicely to the floor. otherwise rub the shoes off with a towel or with your hand