I would like to introduce myself as Ralph, 15 years of age, from Central Florida. I have recently quit tennis to focus on badminton. I was only playing badminton very casually and I don't really know too much. I know that you use mostly wrist. I don't know if I am hitting the shuttlecock right but it seems that badminton is not a very paced game and there are long rallies. My questions are: Am I too old to start? Is this game fairly easy as it looks? I have a racquet and shuttlecocks but what else should I know about the equipment? Where are the best places to buy badminton shoes? Any other information will be very appreciated. Thanks to all fellow badminton players and I love how I joined this beautiful sport. I have heard of Peter Gade as one of the professional badminton players, I would like to know some more information about him too. Thanks in advance.
I would also like to add that I have been playing with the Prince Axis 68 with Yonex Mavis 350 nylon shuttlecocks designed for normal conditions. Help from any player will be appreciated.
Hi Ralph, Welcome to BadmintonForum (BF)! Glad to have a fresh perspective to the sport. It's a fine community here at BF, keep us updated with your progress. To gain an insight into competitive badminton, sit and spectate at a local tournament and see professionals duke it out. Then get a coach to teach the basics. If you've just started, then you probably won't have ingrained bad habits to unlearn, and you've no where else to go but improve. -dave
y0 Ralph!! Welcome to this corner of the web. Proly as dave as said if you haven't got the bad habits to unlearn, you'll prolly start of fine... better than most of us....
Ralph, glad you have found this great sport. a beginner has a lot to learn in the sport of badminton, as a decade+ veteran, i am still finding that i learn new things and have new realizations about many aspects of badminton everyday. it is a sport for life for sure. check out the tournament video forum, download some video to see the way it is meant to be played.
hi ralph and welcome. badminton can be as easy as backyard badminton to as difficult and hard as can be at pro level. There are more things to learn from badminton than tennis as tennis is mostly 2D. Hope u can find some clubs to play in as i think florida isnt a badminton town.
Thank you for the welcome everyone and I will take your advice on starting the game. What do you think of my racket and the shuttlecocks I use? Can someone describe to me the game of Lin Dan? I have heard interesting things of him.
your rackets and birdies are fine. badminton isn't a game that focuses on equipment. instead, as a beginner, you should focus on your techinques and plan to spend more and more time in the gym. to find out about Lin Dan's game, download some video of his and you will enjoy it much more than we describing him to you...
Hey ... welcome to BadmintonCentral and no , badminton is not such an easy sport . It all depends on the level you wanted to be at . Cottage badminton is really easy to master . But to be a really good player , it'll take tons of training and such ... but I'm sure you'll do fine
Sorry to catch this thread late. Personally, I believe every sports could be easy, if u just play for fun. Football could be safe, if 2 ppl just toss the ball around, but no tackles. Basketball could be non-sweat, if u decide just walk around, and throw the ball to the basket every 2 min. However, once u know the tactics, and willing to play to a competitive lvl, every sport will have its way to worn u out faster than u expected.
Lazybuddy, I'm surprise you're still typing. Go out there and skip rope, and cardio work or something. YOU'LL NEED IT BUDDY!!!!! -dave
Hi Ralph, Welcome to the badminton community. I highly recommend you to start with shot to clear to backcourt and footwork. Since those are the basis for badminton. Try to avoid smash in the very begining. Have fun
Hi, Thanks again for the warm welcome. I have been practicing and working out furiously since I first started this thread a little more than a month ago. I now understand the basics and I am really playing. Of course, I am continuing to work, work, work, but I feel that I understand badminton a lot more now. On an update on my workout, it seems that I am developing a leaner frame right now and next time I go to the doctor's for a physical I will try to remember to ask the doctor to see how much body fat I have. On an update on just badminton, I am playing with a fast-attacking style and really working to develop my game even more. My dad has taught me all he knows from his training in Thailand before, and to improve more he recommends that I should start playing against different players/observe them also; I also may be getting a coach soon. So again thanks for the BCBF and all the people on here who's insights on the game have helped me so much. Sidenote: I have read some threads here about Taufik Hidayat and I recently read about him playing at the badminton clubs in Manila, Philippines. I am Pinoy, born and raised there until 2 when I moved to the States, and I was wondering if Taufik spoke Tagalog or another Filipino dialect, and if he has some Filipino blood or relation to a Pinoy. Thank you, Ralph