I would like to update the grips guide available on this site. The current guide is here: http://www.badmintoncentral.com/badminton-central/content/view/81/35/ BADMINTON England have changed their teaching on grips recently; I would like to consider their new ideas before writing a new guide. I expect to attend a workshop in late June. I will probably write the new guide in August (big holiday first!). In the meantime, I would like feedback on the current guide. I want the discussion to remain focused, so please keep individual queries ("Is my grip okay?") out of this thread. This is what I want to know: How can I best improve the effectiveness of the photographs? Some people commented that the towel grip obscures the racket bevels. What should I use instead? Did I miss anything out that you would like to see, or to be explained? Do you think some of the advice in my guide is faulty, or could be improved? Is the writing clear? Do you find it easy to understand? I already know of several faults, but I'd like to hear your opinion too. I am considering changing the way I describe the grips. I believe that each stroke or situation needs a slightly different grip, and I would like the new guide to be sensitive to this issue. This would enlarge the scope of the article, by presenting grip advice together with some relevant thoughts about stroke technique. What do you think?
Would a different colour on the bevels make a difference? You could have alternate colour scheme on each bevel. I think it is difficult to be fully comprehensive. Even the pros vary. Perhaps it would be better to have one basic one (for the majority of people who just drop by), and an advanced one for those who play more seriously. Even BAofE are changing!
Maybe something like this? Not sure this is ideal. I could do something simpler and more intuitive, like marking all the diagonal bevels white. Yes, I was thinking about this possibility too. I think it may be more effective than trying to serve both purposes with one article.
Just some comments popping out of my head... 1. You should erase the white line that separates the racket head from the grip, as I found it confusing at first. Maybe make a picture of the whole racket, hand and a little forearm. 2. Make a section to practice interchanging grips rapidly. Overall, a pretty good guide, and more grip options than Han Jian's book.
Good ideas. The only problem with (1) is that it means much larger photographs. I might be able to compromise, by using some digital editing to make the racket seem very short, but without a break in the picture. If I take the photos against a bright contrasting mono-colour background, then digital editing would be easy.
I agree with Cheung with colour coding the bevels. I would also suggest to colour code the two smaller bevels, example in the above picture, instead of red/black/yellow/black, it would be red/black/yellow/white (then it will repeat itself). This way, if you have to refer to any of the smaller bevels, it can be referenced with ex/ Lefties using white & Righties using black, or vise versa. Additionally, you may want to extend the colours onto the cone but only the primary bevel colours red & yellow. Cheers!
look the grip guide of tennis at tennis.com their system i very comprehensive for the lots of different tennir grip. It should be good for badminton
It'd be nicer I think if you can take pictures of the full racquet not just the handle and the head. It's kinda hard to follow just like that, well that's for me.
and to continue on the photo thing, it's easier to see when we see the whole body, I explain the forehand grip by the V pointing a the opposite shoulder. it could be great to see the whole thing
This may not be quite what you were looking for, but in addition to your guide for how to grip a racket I'd like to see a chart of correct grip diameter based on hand size - say palm crease to middle fingertip dimension. I have always wondered why none of the manufacturers produce such a chart - they make a number of different size grips, they must have made them to suit certain hand sizes, what were they? Perhaps we could have a poll so we could build up this information - I ripped this off a web site for sizing computer mice but I think it would apply. (in case I haven't explained this well here is the link http://www.contourdesign.com/perfit_size.htm) Measure from the tip of your middle finger to the crease at the base of your palm. Find where you are on the chart and put in the circumference of your grip. I know this wont be hugely accurate but if enough people put in the data there might be some trends which lead to a general rule. Hand Size Imperial---------------Metric--------------Grip Circumference (mm) Up to 6-1/4"---------Up to 16cm 6-1/4" to 6-3/4"-----16 to 17cm 6-3/4" to 7-1/2"-----17 to 19cm 7-1/2" to 8-1/4"-----19 to 21cm 8-1/4" and above---21cm and above
Cheung asked for info like this a while back, grip size v hand size. Dunno if he ever did anything with it Gollum, maybe take the overgrips off and go all the way down to the wood to make it easier to see how it's being held
But then I will be holding a racket far too small for my hand, and it will be a poor representation of my actual grip I need the racket handle to be the right size for my hand.
how about creating a ring that can just be wrapped around the top, that way yo can slide it on and off different racquets, maybe a different one for each of the standard sizes. ? or maybe some ingenious engineer can come up with a ring that can be tightened and loosened but which still maintains the bevel marks? just a thought... Neil
