Hello there everyone, I'm fairly new to the game of badminton, and I think that everyone should be able to play the game in some way, shape or form. I have a question though. As an older person (60+), I was wondering if anyone has any ideas about modifications (equipment, court size, etc.) that can be made to the game so that it is not so demanding on myself and others my age. My mobility surely isn't as good as it once was, and sometimes my vision and reflexes aren't good enough to pick up a fast moving shuttle. Any suggestions you might have or anything that you might have seen/experienced in the past would be helpful. Anyhow, thanks for reading this post. Christoper Douglas
For doubles play, I would suggest that the doubles back legal service line be also designated as the backcourt boundary. -dave
Only other thing is play half court singles instead of full court but your fitness has to be good because of the lack of space to hit the shuttle into
Actually, just like you, there are a few posters here who are in their early or mid-60s who still play regularly, including myself. But I suppose our fitness level must be above average amongst the senior citizens and we have no particular handicaps that may weigh use down. Of course we all suffer from weaker knees, lack of speed and power, poorer eyesight, slower coordination and reflexes, but we make up with better court coverage, better strokes and above all, experience. I'm talking about veteran players who have been playing the game for a long time and are still playing on a regular basis, therefore they can still enjoy a very good doubles games. If you are new to the sport, be sure you are fit enough to endure the 'physical punishment' in the court, especially the running or movement aspects which could be rather demanding. Sometimes you are pushed right to the back baseline and in a second or two, you are required to be upfront to receive a net shot. Then you have to make returns to your right and then to your left, high shots and low shots - jolting you all over! Against an opponent of about the same age and skill, it will be great fun but at the same time the rallies last much longer. So spending some hours first at the gym on the treadmill and with the weights to condition yourself until you feel you are fitter before transferring to the badminton courts may be a good idea. Maybe to start off, you could play the smaller part of full-size badminton court. Eg, for singles as suggested by Dill, play only half the court and if need be, only the first baseline and not the second baseline. For doubles, play only the "inner" lines, which will then reduce the space which you have to cover.
If you're using plastic shuttles 1) use the yellowed colored shuttles so that will contrast against the wall better. If yellow is not favourable, may be get the white ones and spay paint it yourself, but it will required practise to spray a light coat on the plastic skirt. Or you can try using a permanent marker & give it stripes! 2) use shuttles that are rated at a slower speed Cheers!
A few suggested modifications Welcome to the forum and to the sport of badminton. This is one game that you can play for ages (as long you are fit and careful not to injure yourself) and actually have fun playing others at the same level. If you are playing singles, then half court singles might be one to consider. For doubles, use the single court lines (to minimize the width) and/or doubles service line (to minimize the length of the court). Like BMS suggested, use slower speed shuttles. Have fun.
Another modification (although better for training or rallies) is to discount (not allow) or replay net shots that don't cross the service line. In other words, you won't have to run back and forth so much, just mainly stay from the service line to the back line. I've used this to help beginners hit deeper and flatter shots instead of looping (i.e. easy to read) shots that fall shot -trying for a drop. Regarding shuttles, the feather ones have speed ratings. Use the slowest ones you find. You can also slow down shuttles by pressing out the feathers (from the inside out) so that the feathers have a larger surface area.
if ur in canada use china speeds their REALLY SLOW here so yea, and i mean slow as in i miss the smash about like 1 metre off and when the raquest was come back up the birdy got hit.
