Smashing trouble

Are we talking about the correct sports here?

According to the Laws of Badminton, there is no mention of how you can smash, but the racket head must make only one contact with the shuttle, and no parts of the body is allowed to come into contact with the shuttle before or after the smash.

Also, badminton umpires and judges do not carry whistles...

 

Can you recall if those examples are smashing very close to the net? Maybe the ref is calling other faults rather than smashing faults. Eg: players can not touch the net during playing; players can not hit the shuttle while the shuttle has not come over the net to your side, etc..

 

theres no rule that tells you how you can and cant smash. maybe your contact with the shuttle was too close towards then net so the ref isnt sure if you touched it or not or maybe you're reaching over the net when you're making contact.

 

There are no rules about how you perform any stroke, except for the serve.

You can use any grip and any hitting action. You can hit the cork base only, feathers only, or both cork and feathers together. You can hit the shuttle with any part of the racket, including the frame and the handle. You can fake one shot (or more) before playing another. You can even make two separate contacts during the course of a single stroke motion.

So any technique is allowed. But there are still some rules that can bring about a fault:

• You can't carry the shuttle on your racket and then sling it
• You can't touch the shuttle with you body or clothes
• You can't hit the net
• You can't hit the shuttle before it has passed to your side of the net
• You can't reach over the net BEFORE hitting the shuttle

 

This is one of those rules (law 13.6) that is not well understood by most players. Clearly, one must not hit the shuttle up (first hit) and then smash it down (second hit). That would be like volleyball! For similar reasons, you cannot "carry" and then sling the shuttle on the racket. If carrying were allowed, then one could catch the shuttle on the racket, walk up to the net and sling it over!

The key to understanding the law is to distiguish between hits and strokes. The law is worded so that you can only make two hits (contacts) with the shuttle if they are both part of the same continuous stroke movement.

The idea behind this law is to allow the frequent double hits associated with sliced shots, or indeed with mishits. The hits almost always occur within a fraction of a second. But the law is worded to prevent players from exploiting it - for example by playing "volleyball" shots or "sling" shots.

 

Cheers Golum
If we disregard the extremes of 'volleyball' type play, I suppose my main reason for asking was to clarify if there is such a thing as a 'sling' or 'no shot' anymore.

For example when you play with some older players they tend to call a sling/no shot, if, for example the shuttle creates a slight sliding movement down the string bed, maybe hitting the cork then feather in a single motion but causing the shuttle to travel in a direction than was intended, therefore deceiving the opponent.

Another example, I was playing in a league match the other night. On a couple of occasions I smashed, the opponent defended but called his shot a 'no shot' giving me the point (I can only assume it was because he didn't hit the shuttle cleanly causing it to travel in a different direction than was intended).
Should these type of shots be called fouls or are they now classed as part and parcel of the game?
If these are foul shots Is it only the player who commits the foul that can call it or can the opponent question a good or bad shot? Is this something that is just down to genuine sportsmanship?

What is your relation with badminton gollum, if you don't mind me asking? I've notice you have a lot of input to a lot of threads, all with very valid points?

 

I had a longer reply, but twice now my browser has crashed submitting it! Here's a summary:

1. If a player calls "no shot" in a match, he is almost certainly wrong. You can query his call, but after all he is giving you a free point. Accept it graciously. You may discuss it with him later - he will probably be thankful for your advice, since it will save him points in future matches.

On some occasions, it really is "no shot". But that's only when you've actually caught the shuttle and carried or slung it. This doesn't happen very often.

2. If an opponent calls "no shot" against you, he is (as before) almost certainly wrong. In my experience, this is considered bad etiquette too - it is rude to call someone else's "no shot". You are in a match to win, so you have every right to dispute the call - politely. Ask him what law you have broken (keep a copy of the laws to hand!). But be prepared to give in - it's not worth a raging argument.

As you suggest, it's all about sportsmanship. Stick up for yourself, try to educate people where it's appropriate, but be sensitive to the mood of the other players. Without an umpire, you must rely on mutual agreement.

3. About me? Well, I've played badminton for about 8 years, recently becoming a coach. I play at a modest enough standard, but am always interested in learning about the game and trying to pass on knowledge and enthusiasm to others

 

That's very interesting to hear, thanks.

I've been playing for some time myself now and am pretty ofay with most rules and etiquette but there are a few grey areas which I am now starting to clear up thanks to badminton forum. Thanks for all your help.

Oh, did you find the training course useful? I've been tempted to have a crack at it myself. I think i could learn so much about my own game and tactics from it. Would you say it is worth pursuing?

Thanks again for all your input, I'll look out for more interesting threads from you!

Rich

 

I would definitely recommend the "Coach Part One" training course. I learned a great deal from it - not just coaching, but also playing tips