How do you pick a shuttle on the court floor?

**Bombshell** · 03-22-2003, 04:08 PM

You know how lots of people can just scoop a bird off the ground with the tip of their racquet? Well, I've been playing for three years. Three years! You'd think I'd have learned how to do that simple little trick. Yet I haven't. How on earth is it done? It's such a pain sometimes to have to bend all the way down to pick up the bird by hand...

**JChen99** · 03-22-2003, 04:12 PM

Originally posted by Bombshell
You know how lots of people can just scoop a bird off the ground with the tip of their racquet? Well, I've been playing for three years. Three years! You'd think I'd have learned how to do that simple little trick. Yet I haven't. How on earth is it done? It's such a pain sometimes to have to bend all the way down to pick up the bird by hand...

u gotta b fast! lol, take a few minutes to do it every time before u play badminton... say 20-30 scoops, and have someone show it to u... u can get it within a week, at least it did for me (but I was practicing during games so it kinda pissed a few pplz off

)

**Bombshell** · 03-22-2003, 05:07 PM

Lol. Thanks. Yeah, I think that's what happens to me most of the time. During rallies and stuff I try to scoop up the bird a lot with my racquet and people get annoyed at my futile little attempts, wanting to get on with the rally.

**AzNbOi2747** · 03-22-2003, 05:18 PM

lol i learned it in a few days and im only a little kid

**Yodums** · 03-22-2003, 05:58 PM

You just hook underneath the bird fast. Basically you have to pick up the bird by the cork.

Just keep trying, you'll get it

**Joseph** · 03-22-2003, 09:30 PM

what the? you guys scoop it up fast? i do it pretty slowly with one smooth motion. I dont even really touch the floor when i pick up the bird. you can throw the bird on the street and i can still pick it up w/o scratching. Just practice at home or something, on carpet. That's what i did and it worked out pretty well for me.

**sharkboy** · 03-22-2003, 09:33 PM

i would pick it up with my racqet

but scratching is one thing, and I think its easier to bend over since once I flick it up I have to chase after it,

"come here little birdie!"

**jwu** · 03-22-2003, 09:46 PM

haha one of those neat little tricks that ppl do. I used to know how to do it then I just decide to pick up the shuttle by hand instead. Now I don't know how to do it anymore.

O well.

**Joseph** · 03-22-2003, 10:25 PM

Originally posted by sharkboy
i would pick it up with my racqet

but scratching is one thing, and I think its easier to bend over since once I flick it up I have to chase after it,

"come here little birdie!"

you flick it up? it just stays on my racquet. so i just bring the racquet head with the shuttle on it next to my hand and grab it.

**tonten** · 03-23-2003, 02:22 AM

I've been playing 5 years and I still don't know how to do it (Though I haven't attempted it much)

I guess it comes with practice

But I hate it when people try to practice it while you are trying to have a ralley or in a middle of a game (Espcially if your time on the court is limited)

And I really hate it too when someone scoops it up and tosses it to you and the bird doesn't go far enough and than you have to walk to the front of the net to pick it up.

**Judyc** · 02-12-2004, 11:49 PM

but does it really matter if u can do it or not?

**Break-My-String** · 02-13-2004, 12:47 AM

Originally posted by Bombshell
How on earth is it done?

This is a very simple technique, it takes only minutes to master it...but you need to know a little secret.

Presuming the shuttle is lying on its side (not on the tips of the feather like a teepee)

1) the key is to place the face of your racquet so that it touches the feather & the cork at the same time
2) then you make a scoop (like an ice-scream scoop) or like a backwards letter "C" (if you're right-handed)
3) as you scoop, you need to drop your handle a bit and then bring it back up as you lift the racquet with the shuttle on its strings

Some common beginner's mistakes
1) the face of the racquet is perpendicular to the centre line of the shuttle (ie/ touching only the cork)
2) the racquet to too far away (more than 3inches) and you wind up sweeping the shuttle away from you
3) the scooping is done at a slowish-medium speed

Once you mastered this, try catching the shuttle in the air...

http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/sho...&threadid=9238

Cheers!

**taneepak** · 02-13-2004, 02:45 AM

Originally posted by Judyc
but does it really matter if u can do it or not?

No, it really doesn't matter, although scooping the shuttle up with your racquet doesn't require you to bend lower as would be the case if you were to pick it up with your hand. Maybe, a little energy saved. However, from a tactical point of view, picking up the shuttle with your hand can be an advantage when you are desparately trying to do your very best to change the outcome of the game that is not going your way. How, you may ask?

**Gollum** · 02-13-2004, 04:31 AM

...because you can secretly crush the shuttle as you pick it up

**Loh** · 02-13-2004, 04:51 AM

At one time in the past, past, it was considered rude to scoop the shuttle and flick it back over the net to your opponent if you had lost a point or service. It was even ruder to flick the shuttle back to your opponent with your racket from UNDERNEATH the net.

The more polite way is to either throw the shuttle with your hand if you are standing near the net or to hit it back non-aggressively over the net.

Nowadays, sometimes you see players use the racket to flick the shuttle from underneath the net to a short distance on the opponent's court before the service line. Therefore, the opponent has to walk forward to pick up the shuttle to start the game again. Yes, it may delay the game a little and give one a slightly longer time to recover, but this is bad taste.

Seemingly such actions are acceptable nowadays, but it smacks of unsporting/unsportsmanlike behaviour. It is something akin to throwing a coin and expecting your opponent to pick it up himself. Ideally, we should not pepetuate these actions. We should give our opponents due respect and exhibit some common courtesies as we would expect the same from them.

Unfortunately, I think it all started with the little act of successfully learning to scoop up the shuttle with our racket. By all means, make it easier for yourself by using the racket to pick up the bird but please try not to denigrate yourself or your opponent.

**taneepak** · 02-13-2004, 06:20 AM

Originally posted by Gollum
...because you can secretly crush the shuttle as you pick it up

Exactly, this was the little 'dirty trick' that the Indonesian Eddy Yusof, from the Ferry Sonneville and Tan Joe Hock era, used to great advantage.

**ArchDevil145** · 02-13-2004, 07:35 AM

You know, some people have the idea that picking up the shuttle with your racket makes you look like a great/ experienced player. The truth is, you can master this nifty trick in just days. Once you've successfully done one, then the rest are easy. Even catching the shuttle in mid-air makes you look like a cool player. The hard trick however, is scooping the shuttle using your backhand side.