Wacking the bird across the court to test the speed seems too subjective. Surely some big hitting professional would be able to hit the bird further than me? I usually play with aerosensa 40 or victor champ gold both 78. With these speed test seems fine and can in games cross court clear and my game is relaxed. Every year I enter a singles tournament that uses shuttles (Yehlex) that are much slower and it really messes up my game . I do have a slow arm but my technique is fine. Did a speed test with shuttles and they were about 5 foot short!!
It is subjective, sort of. But its not too subjective. I can step up to the line and hit it out the back, barely reach the net, or perfect length, depending on how much strength I use and how fast the shuttle is. That doesn't mean I don't know what a correct shuttle feels like to test and play with. And when I step up to test it, a good speed shuttle always lands on the back doubles service line or within a couple of inches. Does that mean I couldn't deliberately hit it shorter? Of course I could. I could also hit it twice as hard and have it land out the back. I still know its correct speed, regardless of where it lands. If it goes a foot short of the service line, I know its a little slow. If it goes 2 feet short, I don't play because its illegal and I request another shuttle. Yes the previous one was illegal, but its playable. Something too short is going to cause injury. The skill in badminton is keeping the shuttle in, not being able to hit full court - although its amazing how many people believe the skill is the other way around. Do people realize how fast shuttles are when professionals play? Yes professionals are strong, but the shuttles they use are crazy speeds - much faster than I am used to. Thats why they are professional - not their strength, but their ability to keep the shuttle in play! Now then, this tournament you played at, you tested the shuttle and its too slow. So complain - you do not have to play with it as the shuttle is illegal. If you find it slow, the other guy probably does too. This is regardless of whether he can physically test it and have it land somewhere. He probably thinks its too slow. What happens in this situation? You both complain, and you either speed up the shuttle or get a better one... or you both play with it, and you know its slow. Hence you play on the assumption that nobody will be able to attack effectively, and you need to make sure you get a good length on all your shots. If you disagree on the shuttle speed, then you talk to the tournament referee. Don't make it into a complicated or difficult situation - simply explain that the shuttle feels far too slow and you need one thats a better speed. What happens then? They get you another shuttle thats ok... or you get commanded to play with the slow one. If you play with the slow one, who cares? Just play! Try to get a better length. Keep a racket with slack strings on hand - this is where factory strung rackets are brilliant. They give you the extra meter in length you needed! The point is, that most people who are about the same standard will hit the shuttle about the same distance when they use a full, relaxed, underarm swing. As you gain experience, you learn what is correct speed and how to test it so that it lands in the legal area. Some players never learn to get their test in the right place - but they still know how THEY test it e.g. with a high serve, or a flick serve, or some sort of lift etc etc. Now we can only use common sense! Who cares where it lands - YOU know if its fast or slow. That should be enough.
If they are that slow, you need to take up the issue with the tournament referee and know the exact definition of the rule book. You can always test the shuttles before a game. You don't see it often done now. I once saw an All England match where the player actually tested all the shuttles before the match started. I think the player's name was Steve Baddley or something like that.
Thanks for your responses. All the players I spoke to thought the shuttles were slow. Enjoyed the tournament though. Matt do you have any idea what speed say Yonex is usually used for North of England? They used to hold the English Championships in Manchester in March, wonder what speed the pros were using there.
actually, it is an interesting discussion. the shuttlecock behaves very differently than a ball/rock. the distance in which it travel isn't as proportional as throw a rock. the shuttlecock is so light and so aerodynamically terrible for flying far. i actually wonder if you find a very strong guy, say the strongest quarterback in the NFL, teach him how to hit and let him do the shuttle speed test, how far out will be be able to hit more than a regular/decent club player? my guess is he won't be able to hit it more than a few inches. food for thoughts.
As kwun says, the shuttlecock is a high drag projectile, so significantly limits how fast and far it can effectively fly. Another factor is the underhand serve itself limits the amount of power one can put into the shuttle, because the racket ends up coming back towards your face. Doesn't matter how strong you are, you still don't want to hit your own face. Now if the serve was like the tennis overhead serve (ie like a smash) where the racket ends up away from you, then the stronger person will be able to hit much further... up to a point limited by the first factor above.
Slightly off topic. While strength does play a part. The racket doesn't weigh much. Its arm speed. I know some skinny guys with big smashes. Its more a question of what type of muscles you possess ie fast twitch or slow twitch. In tennis and american football strength comes into it more. Anyway that's digressing. It is interesting whether there is a limiting factor. There probably will be but it will be hard to reach. The faster and faster the shuttle is projected the less gains will be made. Its as my maths tutor used to say 'The Law Of Diminishing Returns'
At the start of the day the tournament organisers ask a player to test the shuttle, to select the speed of shuttle for the day. The players, when warming up for their game, if feeling it is too slow or too fast, can ask to,change the speed. But it is rarely the case. As was mentioned earlier, however hard you hit the shuttle won't go out. The Shuttles themselves are tested by hitting machines after production.
