I play at a place where they hang a black curtain from the ceiling to about 5 feet down. This is helpful when looking upward right before you hit a clear or smash. My question is, why not have the curtain go down all the way so you can benefit from the contrast during fast flat rallies as well? Seems like an easy thing to do
Shame, because having good contrast between shuttle and hall makes for a better game. What colour is the wall behind the curtain? I hope that it's similar to the curtain. Worst venue I played at was a dull grey until about 8 feet from the floor, when it switched to white. The time taken to readjust made smash defense difficult. This was compounded by the opposition who preferred to drive from shoulder level rather than play a proper overhead.
I play at a leisure centre where there are lights at the back of the court just above the tape level, defending against flat drives is a nightmare.