Strangest thing - I am able to hit a proper backhand clear using a feather shuttle but not with plastic. I don't understand why? The result with plastic, no power, no length - lands in the middle of the court. With the feather - exact opposite. Any ideas? Thanks in advance
Hi, Feather shuttles drop down due to loss in horizontal speed, where as plastic loses less horizontal speed. Therefore when you hit the shuttle, the cork for feather is pointing down whereas plastic might be a little more horizontal, which would mean you may not be hitting the shuttle with the sweet spot.
If your backhand is that developed with feathers then you must have ran through all the reasons when you were learning so you just apply your theory. Is the shuttle hitting the middle? Am I catching it flush (racket square to shuttle)? Is shuttle going too high? (late on contact) is it going too low? (early on contact) How was my grip for catching it flush? Did I concentrate enough power at point of contact? Did I pronate then supinate to catch shuttle flush or did I just flick my wrist?
If your backhand was better (stronger) it would still go end to end. However, plastic shuttles require more "muscle" to hit them hard, whereas feathers require more timing. Most people make the mistake of using the same tension when playing with plastics, when actually a few pounds less is advisable. Rest assured - if you bothered to practice more, it would go all the way. Remember not to hit the backhand clear upwards, but flat!
These are good points. Tension is a key element with adjusting to plastic. Also, plastic are softer than feather, so the repulsion is quite different. I personally don't have any problems with plastic, in fact I find it quite easy to play backhands with plastic, but I just don't like the feel of plastics.
Thanks everyone for your feedback and suggestions. I will practice more with both and see if I can spot the various issues mentioned. With regards to the tension - If the same racquet is being used for both - one just has to hit the plastic shuttle a little harder to get the same result correct?
You would do well to forget about the tension comments. I don't adjust or change tension and it works for me fine.
I don't know where exactly you play, but if it is at the community centres, they are usually better heated than the private "clubs". You'd face more issues playing at the private clubs right now because of the cold. The dense air can further emphasize the difference in speeds between feather and plastic birds. Morever, plastics have different speeds as well as weights, depending on the model you've been playing with. What you buy and play with could be significantly different from what your partner or opponent brings to the game, and can significantly affect your game. Many plastic birds have pretty heavy cork bases, others are more balanced. This affects flight and speed, and the power needed to address the bird. I think it's just a question of adjusting your timing and power, and even this may change from game to game if the plastic birds come from various sources.
I play in school gymnasium - the environment was the same for both plastic and feather. I switched from one to another and noticed the difference. Normally use the Yonex Mavis 350 plastic. Had Aerosensa 30 feather - I may be off on the names - not used to all the models out there. Tension on my racquet - it's the original strings - so not sure what tension is on there. I will try to pay more attention the various items that were mentioned above and see if I can figure out what it is I might be doing. Thanks for the suggestions
The birds -plastic as well as feather both sound ok to me. If you have been playing with this racquet for quite some time with factory strings, it may be that the stringbed is pretty dead by now (factory tension is usually 19 or 20 lbs with the cheapest possible string -guaranteed to lose any tension it came with! ) Maybe it's time to restring your racquet. Just a suggestion. When asking about any issue with playing, its better to give more info and data than less. Level of play; environment; equipment used; strings- type, tension etc; any unusual physical conditions; and so on...
I strongly disagree. with what some1 said. Plastic shuttles are considerably easier to hit, but be careful they are a lot more injury prone >.<. Your problem is simply to do with timing. No need for any other crappy explanation.If u can clear with feather, and cant with plastic all it is is timing.
