Hi, i'm just wondering why lin dan ties his grip in that manner- leaving half of it naked? http://www.internationalbadminton.org/newscontent.asp?pageid={FBBEADFA-E429-451E-BA58-A36CD3242935} it's the last picture... very interesting though..
i think his grip has been discussed long b4.. previously we tend to believe that it is becuase LD tend to grip the handle too far up so the grip is done this way inorder to correct that habbit but seems like he is using this grips for long enough if there was a bad habbit..it would've been corrected by now.. i guess it serve as a reminder
http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=29859&highlight=lin+dans+grip Tells you all you need to know. All I did was type in the thread title into the search function.
Just remember yoiu heard it here first, but you might read it on WBF website 8 months later! NB. the weblink has a picture. http://www.internationalbadminton.org/newscontent.asp?pageid={FBBEADFA-E429-451E-BA58-A36CD3242935} QI-IBF World Championships 2006 China & England all the way 29 September 2006 Report by Raphael Sachetat, photos by Badmintonphoto.com Our reporter recalls his best on and off court memories of the 15th World Championships in Madrid China and England have dominated this event, leaving bits and pieces to other countries. In Anaheim last year, four continents had won medals. This time, only Europe and Asia. China get 4 titles The clear domination of China is evident in the three all-Chinese finals and the men’s double against England - gave them a fourth gold medal. This was actually the final that everyone was waiting for that evening, as it was the only final with two different nations on the opposite side of the net from each other. Cai and Fu may have killed the suspense from the very start but Robert Blair and Anthony Clark did not exactly give in easily. It’s just that the Chinese were outstanding all through the match, taking every opportunity to attack no matter what position they were in. A blessing for badminton fans who saw a demonstration of the speed the sport can be played at, but on the other hand, it was a rather uneven match, the British had no solutions and lost 9/21 – 13/21. The women’s single event was a repeat of last year, with the same outcome. Only this time, Zhang Ning was not half as sharp as she was in California. And far from her level which had seen her clinch the 2004 Olympic gold. Maybe it was the fact that her opponent of the day was her teammate and friend Xie Xingfang. Maybe a lack of motivation. But the statistics speak for themselves; 26 unforced errors for the Liaoning born Chinese! That leads to 26 points given to Xie with the new scoring system… The latter just had to fare her regular pace to get a second straight title in two games 21/16 – 21/14, but a clear disappointment for the fans. For once, however, Xie Xingfang could celebrate with her boyfriend Lin Dan, who secured his first major individual title. Lin Dan had been clearly dominating the tour for few years, but no major wins so far outside the Grand Prix events. Against Bao Chunlai, in the final, Lin Dan was close to losing when led by one game and trailing 16/17 in the second one. But he managed to remain focussed, gearing up to score five points in a row and clinch the second game, with a clear psychological advantage for the third which he won 21/12. Probably the most memorable final however, would be the first one played that evening, the mixed doubles between two English pairs, Nathan Robertson / Gail Emms, against their respective roommates and training buddies Anthony Clark / Donna Kellogg. Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms got the title they had been hoping for quite some time. Last year, after making the long trip to Anaheim, Nathan had to watch from the sidelines after sustaining an injury during practice, even before he had played his first match. This year, things worked well all the way around for the popular pair – they didn’t look invincible before the event as they did before Anaheim, yet, they went all the way, beating their compatriots in straight games 21/15 – 21/12. Robertson and Emms were confident they could win as they usually beat their sparring partners but it was not the same kind of exhilaration they thought they would experience had they beaten any other team. “It’s a little strange to win like this. To beat your friends but at the same time, it’s great that we have both the medals (gold and silver),” said Robertson as Emms nodded in agreement. And they concluded a perfect week for England, leaving Madrid with one gold and two silver medals, the second best country in this world championships, after China. The worst fate was for Indonesia, which came back from Madrid without any medals – a first ever in the history of the World Championships, while Malaysia got one bronze medal in an event they probably didn’t expect to – the mixed double, with Koo Kien Keat and Wong Pei Tty. Germany has definitely entered the world of high level badminton with some impressive wins, amongst which the ones of Petra Overzier over top players, reaching a dream bronze medal with Xu Huaiwen who scooped in Madrid her second straight medal in the world champs. But the whole Q-IBF World Championships were not only happening on court… Lee Chong Wei is a gentleman and a fair play sportsman, but he left very angry after his match against Bao Chunlai. The reason behind this anger was China’s chief coach Li Yongbo. Lee Chong Wei claimed that Li Yongbo shouted at him during one of the controversial line calls. This kind of behaviour from a player would have earned him or her a yellow or red card. Stars and fans The world of badminton is widely known to be a friendly world, even between top stars and their fans. Peter Gade and Gail Emms recently proved it so in Madrid. The Dane helped pull a trick on a fan, pretending that he was the fan and willing to get an autograph from his fan. The trick worked beautifully and the fan was just on another planet for few days. Gail Emms also showed her good sense of humour when she laughed at a little film showed to her by fans who had previously dressed up as herself and Nathan Robertson for a funny impersonation of the English duo. Lin Dan’s grip If some players pay a lot of attention to the way they prepare their grip, some obviously have strange ideas on how to do it. Lin Dan is one of a kind with grips that he simply cuts half way down leaving the other half “naked” with only the wood of the original racket showing… Organisation – the good and the bad Spain held the world championships for the second time after Sevilla in 2001, and as with everything, there is the good and bad side. One of the bright ideas was to have a lot of kids involved, with some badminton courts outside the stadium and sessions where students could go in and enjoy some high level badminton in sunny Spain. The setting of the Hall was perfect, with the usual gloomy courts under the spotlight while the public remained in the shade, giving a smooth overall impression. The staff of the organisers were at all times efficient and smiling, which made it very nice to work in the Palacio de Desportes and every effort was made to help people out. The number of spectators also was quite high compared to Sevilla. Sadly, there was a down side to this event which involved poor communications which then led to security problems and disrupted the opening times of the arena. A lot of people who had come a long way to see the very best got angry because they could get in only few minutes before the start. Some days, the public entered the Arena only when the first game of their favourite players was almost done. And the same public was kicked out as soon as the last match was over, with no time to shop around. The press also had a lot of problems because of security, with some TV commentators – amongst others – who were able to enter the stadium only few minutes before live broadcast. This led to many articles sent from the reporters to their respective publications which were not kind to the local organisation and security. Overall, in spite of these little problems along the way, this edition of the World Championships will remain in fan’s minds as a good edition, thanks mainly to the athletes – with somehow justice over the world of badminton as the ones who were crowned had deserved the title in the past. It will remain also a good edition because of the city it was held in – Madrid – with its perfect weather and beautiful settings. Next year’s edition will be held in Kuala Lumpur, going back to Asia after a long stay in Europe and the States. Results : Gao/Huang (CHN) battent Zhang/Wei (CHN) : 23/21 – 21/9 Roberston/Emms (ENG) beat Clarke/Kellogg (ENG) : 21/15 – 21/12 Lin Dan (CHN) beat Bao Chunlai (CHN) : 18/21 – 21/17 – 21/12 Xie Xingfang (CHN) beat Zhang Ning (CHN) : 21/16 – 21/14 Cai/Fu (CHN) beat Blair/Clarke (ENG) : 21/9 – 21/13
