Modernizing Badminton: Increasing the Height of the Net

Discussion in 'Rules / Tournament Regulation / Officiating' started by quisitor, Jul 11, 2005.

  1. quisitor

    quisitor Regular Member

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    People, athletes, badminton players have evolved.

    We are taller, stronger, more explosive, and in general, athletic phenomena.

    Much of the skill, thought and heart to the game have been eroded.

    The men's singles game is characterized by short rallies, down-the-line smashes, crosscourt smashes, net drop winners and a high number of unforced errors.

    Technology has also played a role with rackets becoming increasingly powerful.

    In many sports, measures have been taken to accommodate the evolution of the athlete and technology. The hope is to restore a balance to the sport such that all factors involved in the outcome of the game have at least some significance and form an optimal equilibrium. Golf, for example, has lengthened its courses in recognition of the modern hitter striking the ball further.

    Isn't it about time badminton accommodated the modern athlete by increasing the height of its net by 4cm?
     
  2. Kamikaze

    Kamikaze Regular Member

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    with all due respect, this has to be one of the worst ideas for badminton, ever
     
  3. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    1. Racket is more powerful (lighter), but both sides have it. You give me a AT700, I don't think I can use it as Taufik. I give u a AT800, I don't think u can smash like Fu Haifeng.

    2. Golf lengthen it's course, but not smallern it's hole. Driving ength in golf is a fairly less important factor, when compare to game as a whole. Otherwise, golf does not need the holes, just see who drive it the furthest.

    Badminton is not all about how tall u r, or how much power u have. It's a combo of strength, agility and more important strategy. Just being tall or powerful, can't produce a good player. Otherwise, why Asian dominates the badmtinon world?

    I think this suggestion is not good, due to lack of scientific proof (why 4cm, not 0.5 cm, or even lower it by 4cm?)
     
  4. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    i don't know where your statistics come from. but since when is men's singles characterized by short rallies?

    the men's singles game to me is characterized by lightning court coverage and clever shuttle placement. players try to maneuver their opponent in order to force a bad quality return, and then when that comes, they perform their final "kill" to win the rally. the main part of the rally is not the kill, but the placment of the shuttle.

    like ever before, it is very difficult to produce a winning smash from a good quality lift that lands near the baseline.
     
  5. Quan

    Quan Regular Member

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    i dont think theyve changed anything about tennis even with all this new technology... so i dont think change is really needed, or atleast the change you suggested isn't really a great idea.
     
  6. Average

    Average Regular Member

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    raising the net by 4cm will make it a whole lot harder than it already is for some people that arent tall, dont get me wrong though, i know people who can play very well and is short. but im speaking in general for people who play it casually
     
  7. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    I tried to think of logical arguments but the initial argument was so illogical, I couldn't think of the right words :D :crying: LOL
     
  8. cappy75

    cappy75 Regular Member

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    Totally and wholeheartedly second this opinion:p!

     
  9. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    bad bad idea. yes, racket and player are better and more powerful these days but do u know ANY badminton players select a lower speed shuttle than his usual game because he gained extra strength, better string and racket? The shuttle more or less would land the same distance whether u use cab 8 (over 20 years old racket) or ns8000. That is what so good about badminton, the game pace and tactic remain intact in all these years since it was founded.
     
  10. Dave18

    Dave18 Regular Member

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    The nets are fine as they are, I don't see how increasing the height would "modernize" badminton. Not everyone is tall you know... some people who play badminton are relatively short and raising the height of the net would make it more difficult for them.


    But making the height of the net as high as a volleyball net would be pretty funny.
     
  11. ErrBerr

    ErrBerr Regular Member

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    If players are 'modernizing' and becoming more 'powerful' and 'athletic'.. shouldn't we be lowering the net to pick up the pace of the game? :confused:
     
  12. jkad65

    jkad65 Regular Member

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    I'd rather see a rally end in a down the line smash than a smash into the net.


    Kwun's right, singles is all about setting up the one killer smash. Players now are so good at defense that you can never really overpower someone without forcing him out of position first.
     
  13. ants

    ants Regular Member

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    Instead of net height. I would rather have the shuttle faster or even have the court extend to few cms. Basically it is not a good idea to have the net go higher.
     
  14. Dave18

    Dave18 Regular Member

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    Fast shuttles are no fun, but it does test your reflexes. I had a shuttle that was deformed and it was realy slow, now that was a challenge. To play with a slow birdie, you have to use so much more power. Maybe the birdies need to be slower. :p
     
  15. Neil Nicholls

    Neil Nicholls Regular Member

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    crikey, talk about backlash.

    worse than the IBF ideas?

    I think they did something to the balls to try to limit the dominance of the serve. Made them heavier and lower pressure or something

    And golf put limits on golf ball technology to reduce distance.

    Formula 1 puts limits on cars to slow them down

    Javelin and Discus were made heavier or less aerodynamic to reduce distance thrown.

    So the pros just string their racquets at a lower tension to get more power.



    The game has got faster over the years.
    If the game needed to be slowed down, I think this idea would go some way to achieving that without all the disruption that other proposed changes might have.

    I don't think the game needs to be slowed down though.
    WD might never end :p
     
  16. juris

    juris Regular Member

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    With due respect, not the height of the net, but revive the old age debate on the scoring system. In table tennis, they changed the scoring system from 21 to 11. In volleyball, the non-serving team can now score and changed the scoring system from 15 to 25. In our place, most tournaments here adopt a single game race to 21 scoring system, due to time constraints. A single game race to 21 scoring system will give the organizers and players a definiate playing time. Under the regular rules (e.g. 1 to 15, best of 3), the schedule will be disrupted if there is a deciding set and the players are evely matched. Sometimes, it takes ages for the score to move. Personally, I find single's play very slow and overdrawn. :eek:
     
  17. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Come to think of it, they should increase the tennis net height since it is so much lower than that of badminton.

    But, on the other hand, despite tennis' lower net, even regular pro players can double-fault on service? And there are so many times that badminton players hit into the net as well and even at the net, they just couldn't get the bird to cross over!

    Oh no, badminton can be so delicate and so precise! Increase the net height??? What will become of it??? :crying:
     
  18. DaN_fAn

    DaN_fAn Regular Member

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    Your logic is interesting but there is no need whatsoever for a changes.

    Professional badminton players have spent their entire life practising strokes and skills.And giving them a new net height will be like asking them to play a different game[coz at the highest level players are very very accurate].

    But why do u say 4cms..how come the exact figure?
     
  19. Neil Nicholls

    Neil Nicholls Regular Member

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    And during their entire life (from junior to adult) they have grown taller, got heavier or lighter, faster or slower, used heavy racquets, used light racquets...etc

    but they adapted to all these different conditions.
    I think they could easily get used to a higher net.
     
  20. fanatico

    fanatico Regular Member

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    why you so funny?

    IBF's considering shortening the game of badminton and here you are, suggesting an increment in height of net, resulting in longer rallies and boredom! AHH. fan xing fan xing yi xia bah.
     

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