How much do you hate plastic?

Discussion in 'Shuttlecock' started by wedgewenis, May 12, 2007.

  1. wedgewenis

    wedgewenis Regular Member

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    Some people are lucky enough to not have to play it.... but what if everyone else doesn't want to play feather and your always stuck with plastic? - no choice but to either play plastic or not play at all. I don't know how anyone can consider themselves a serious player but stick to plastic.

    I've been hearing other players talk about injuries from plastic.. bad shoulder tendonitis. Since I have the same shoulder injury from playing 80 percent plastic (train on feather)


    Heres why I hate plastic

    Probably the biggest reason I hate plastic is how it feels when I hit a good shot shot - I could hit an amazing shot on plastic and I don't really feel satisfied about it because I dont know how well that shot would work on a feather shuttle - so that really kills alot of the enjoyment of the game. Is there anything worse than hitting a great shot but not feeling anything for it?

    The shuttle doesn't slow down - it doesn't slow down between the time its smashed and the time it hits the floor. This makes placing good defensive shots harder and makes the rallies shorter

    The rallies are shorter - I have had longer rallies with weaker players on Feather - on plastic even with good players the rallies are shorter.

    Plastic is NOT satisfying to strike - the sound is not as loud - It encourages me too swing harder than I should to get a more satisfying smash. Swinging hard is bad for people who don't' have a solid technique.

    The durability is over-rated - In a game with alot of smashing a Plastic shuttle will shrink - It will either shrink or it will wobble during flight. A plastic shuttle can be ruined in a single game easily. Even in a game with few miss hits simply by players who have a strong smash.

    Net play is more difficult - there is less control or touch with net shots - you can see this simply be juggling the shuttle for a moment.

    Because the shuttle flies faster and doesn't decelerate as much its more difficult to get behind the shuttle when playing the back court in doubles - being forced to always taking the shuttle later is another reason for shoulder injury. Plastic in general forces tighter more stressful swings which is bad for the shoulder

    As soon as I switch to feather I feel I can hit more powerful clears and satisfying shots with far less effort. My shoulder is more relaxed and I'm rewarded for better technique - So I think feather encourages better technique while plastic encourages bad habits.

    Just my opinion.
     
    #1 wedgewenis, May 12, 2007
    Last edited: May 12, 2007
  2. Dreamzz

    Dreamzz Regular Member

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    Some people are lucky enough to not have to play it.... but what if everyone else doesn't want to play feather and your always stuck with plastic? - no choice but to either play plastic or not play at all. I don't know how anyone can consider themselves a serious player but stick to plastic.

    I've been hearing other players talk about injuries from plastic.. bad shoulder tendonitis. Since I have the same shoulder injury from playing 80 percent plastic (train on feather)


    Heres why I hate plastic

    Probably the biggest reason I hate plastic is how it feels when I hit a good shot shot - I could hit an amazing shot on plastic and I don't really feel satisfied about it because I dont know how well that shot would work on a feather shuttle - so that really kills alot of the enjoyment of the game. Is there anything worse than hitting a great shot but not feeling anything for it?
    Yes, absolutely!


    The shuttle doesn't slow down - it doesn't slow down between the time its smashed and the time it hits the floor. This makes placing good defensive shots harder and makes the rallies shorter
    Yes, just boring booming smashes!


    The rallies are shorter - I have had longer rallies with weaker players on Feather - on plastic even with good players the rallies are shorter.
    Yes, as above.

    Plastic is NOT satisfying to strike - the sound is not as loud - It encourages me too swing harder than I should to get a more satisfying smash. Swinging hard is bad for people who don't' have a solid technique.
    Yes, it's not satisfying, but i think it makes me swing less just cause the shuttle travels ridiculously fast already.


    The durability is over-rated - In a game with alot of smashing a Plastic shuttle will shrink - It will either shrink or it will wobble during flight. A plastic shuttle can be ruined in a single game easily. Even in a game with few miss hits simply by players who have a strong smash.
    No, can't really agree with this, i've seen plastics last for 5 sets or more, we would have gone through 15 feathers by then.


    Net play is more difficult - there is less control or touch with net shots - you can see this simply be juggling the shuttle for a moment.
    Yes, control is absolute crap, i get no feel at all for the shot.

    Because the shuttle flies faster and doesn't decelerate as much its more difficult to get behind the shuttle when playing the back court in doubles - being forced to always taking the shuttle later is another reason for shoulder injury. Plastic in general forces tighter more stressful swings which is bad for the shoulder
    Yes, because of the speed the shuttle travels at, it's harder to get into position.

    As soon as I switch to feather I feel I can hit more powerful clears and satisfying shots with far less effort. My shoulder is more relaxed and I'm rewarded for better technique - So I think feather encourages better technique while plastic encourages bad habits.
    Yes and no, yes i think plastic does encourage bad habits as you try to get used to it, but then if you play mostly with plastics then that's ok, and no i always hit more powerfully with plastics.

    Just my opinion.
     
  3. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    i 2nd dreamzz comments too. On durability, plastic wins out. THAT IS THE MAIN REASON WHY PLASTIC PLAYER PLAY PLASTIC, COST.

    In calgary where i live, the durability difference between plastic and feather is even more pronounce. We have to use extra slow shuttles, this mean the cork used is lower density (get soggy sooner) and feathers used are lighter grade which dun last longer as those thicker feathers found in speed 78-79 shuttles.
     
  4. Matt

    Matt Regular Member

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    Plastics = brute force badminton!! Encourages more smahes, and some of the smahese going at a bullet speed because of the skirt deformation.

    Feather all the way!!
     
  5. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    because plastic playing is harder:p
     
  6. bdbc74

    bdbc74 Regular Member

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    Have some one experience with the slower yonex-plastic shuttles?

    In Germany there are three speeds for plastic (the most used is mavis 350): with red cap = fast for cold, with blue cap = middle for normal conditions and with green cap = slow for warm.
    The slow ones are not sooo bad (for temperature below 25 degrees).
    One can play really tight drops from the baseline with it, maybe hard slicing get easier.
    For clears they are flying just a little bit faster than feather. Quite the same as yonex as 30 speed 3 or a little bit faster than victor champion 78. But they have almost the same flying curve and at the end of this they fall down almost like feather.

    Of course netplay with plastic is rubbish. And the sound is not so impressing. And this green slow ones are getting faster after just 2-3 games, maybe because the cork is done. They are good enough for 1 or 1 1/2 hours playing.


    By the way, when you play regularly with both, plastic and feather, you can get used to switch between, just the feeling for netplay is not easy to maintain.
     
    #6 bdbc74, May 12, 2007
    Last edited: May 12, 2007
  7. Dreamzz

    Dreamzz Regular Member

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    ah, i can never switch properly from feathers to plastics. it just puts me off somehow and by the time i get used to them (and this was normally in matches), most of the time it's too late!
     
  8. Hierkommtnils

    Hierkommtnils Regular Member

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    I dont hate plastic!!!

    Plastic shuttles are an important point for the game. Without plastic it wouldn't be easy for beginners...
     
  9. Matt

    Matt Regular Member

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    Hierkommtnils,

    Yes that is true but it can influence bad habits which can be done on plastics which may take some time getting rid of from the switch to feather.
     
  10. phaarix

    phaarix Regular Member

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    I don't really hate plastic. But I agree with most of the points. Usually I can play alright with them. But when we get into the badminton season and start to play tournaments and train with feathers, you start to realise how rubbish the plastics are. But I don't have much of a choice as most of the clubs I go to use plastics so I just have to get used to them when I don't have any tournaments.
     
  11. illusionistpro

    illusionistpro Regular Member

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    plastic is what is used for highschool play, at least in california (usa). Its what i learned on, so thats probably why i like it. still getting used to real feathers...

    also ive noticed on some of the feather birds ive hit, some feel like im not really hitting anything and some feel like my strings are going to break every swing!! for the most part all plastics feel the same to me, just some are faster and some are slower, but for feather like i said, some are 'harder' or denser than others and some are faster than others, in all very confusing for me a plastic player
     
  12. cappy75

    cappy75 Regular Member

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    Most people don't choose to play with plastic. They either play with plastics from the start or they have to switch to them due to cost. I started out with feathers when I was very young, but stopped playing baddy until many years later. When I did play regularly later, plastic shuttles were used.

    Personally speaking, I won't use my feather shuttles with certain players because shuttles are way too expensive to share liberally. Call me a snob but I do feel pain to my stomach every time I witness players hacking at feather shuttles to bits.

    People in Asia are fortunate to be in an established market where feathers are alot cheaper. Generally in North America, playing with plastics is the only viable solution since our drier environment and smaller market are not conducive to the feather shuttle's usage.
     
  13. CoolDoo6

    CoolDoo6 Regular Member

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    I play plastics and I play feathers. I like both. I think it is down to skill. If you have the skill, no matter what goes up in the air, you can wack it down. Although for optimum performance, plastics and feathers need slightly different racket configurations. For plastics, I suggest more flexible racket with stiffer string bed compared to racket used for feathers.

    If you need a super dooper plastics racket, you won't be able to do better than an Ashaway Ti-130.
     
    #13 CoolDoo6, May 19, 2007
    Last edited: May 19, 2007
  14. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    I'm almost proud to announce I have not played a comeptitive match with plastics for at least a year! ;)

    though I have been playing around with plastics about 3 months ago (once, I admit). And honestly, the only thing I liked was the sudden power-boost...the feeling, the touch at the net, everything is inferior to feathers... But god you can hit hard with those sturdy things...
     
  15. Pete LSD

    Pete LSD Regular Member

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    Yes, and a good target on the other side of the net makes your day :D.

     
  16. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    plus, people forcing you to play with plastics deserve it ;)

    is that a challenge? So far I've also tried gummibears, plastic shuttles, ping pong balls and feather shuttle crushed into a pulp :D.
    Can't recommend the gummibears...they sorta stick between your strings... but if you have the skill...
     
  17. Smichz

    Smichz Regular Member

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    i hate it because it's fast like hell.U can easily smash to 300kph with it.Good if it's to make ur self happy,that u can smash faster.
     
  18. fishmilk

    fishmilk Regular Member

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    If the price of feather is too much and everybody else wants to play plastic consider more feather-like plastics. I don't know about Nova Scotia, but in Ontario, Mavis 350 in the GREEN speed are the EXACT same speed as a feather bird. I hate the feel of that damn bird but I admit it's as close as you get to a feather and it's durability is even better.
     
  19. jgao_net

    jgao_net Regular Member

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    feather > plastic.

    plastic teaches poor form (for beginners) while players are greatly rewarded when hitting feather shuttles properly
     
  20. smash_master

    smash_master Regular Member

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    i do prefer feather over plastic anyday, but there are times when we do have to play with plastic and well yeah i can complain about it but i dont mind it as much. I was skimming through and some people said its harder to get behind it...well then get better footwork i dont find any probems when im trying to get behind a shot played when im playing with nylon and as for always smashing and just killing shots when its plastic not true at all. I play alot of slices, cleares, drops and net shots as well as for getting the same control as feather though it doesnt come really close you can get some control but yeah its all about how good your technique is thats that.

    The one thing i dont like though is when i play feather then play nylon right after the same shots i played with feather would be right in the court for a clear or serve but with plastic its out of the court so that takes a lil getting use to again but yeah nothing terribly big.

    Overall id still choose feather over nylon anyday though but i dont have a burning hatetred for nylon just a few things i dislike about it.
     

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