Hi all, I will have a badminton tournment next month and only feather shuttle will be used. When I played with my friends, we only used those yellow plastic shuttles. My question is, 1.) what is the main difference between the 2 in terms of gameplay? is the feather shuttle heavier? do I need to use a bit more power just to get the same effect as hitting a yellow plastic shuttle? 2.) Feather shuttle does not last long. We are given 1 new feather shuttle for each set (21 points). As more and more feathers come off as the game progresses, do I need to adjust my swing (hitting power)?
you need more power to hit feather, it is light, require more power from your swing, it is most evident when you're smashing, try it out. you do not necessarily need to put in more power when the feather wears out, the main concern here is the flight trajectory will be worse, more inconsistent. my advise, either go feather all the way, or plastic all the way, switching inbetween is not a good thing.
Plastics and feathers are two entirely different types of game. The sheer variety of strokes and tactics in badminton are only possible with feathers, not plastics. One example is the attacking clear in which a feathers shutle will travel or fly straight and then descend almost vertically. Plastics cannot do this. This means you can hit an attacking clear well over the head of your opponent but the feather shuttle will still fall safely inside the court because of its "vertical" descend. This degree of control increases the infinite number of spaces you can hit the shuttle to, which no plastics can come close. Also, one of the spectacular joys of the modern doubles game is the jump smash. Only feathers shuttles make the jump smash possible. This is because feathers float gently before dropping, which provides an ideal setting for the jump smash possible. Plastics do not float gently. Of course you can hit a feather shuttlecock with power but it requires proper technique. You can find young kids or girls in their teens who can hit a feather shuttle harder than a 200lb man. There are some senior citizens of 70 plus years of age who can hit harder than players in their twenties or thirties. The key is technique.
1) the main difference between the 2 are initial speed. because feather has higher initial speed, you feel the feather coming at you faster. trajectory, the feather will comes down at steeper angle during a lift. if you look at the as30 vs mav350/300. the average weight is the same, 5g. most of the cheaper shuttles do not stay with the standard. yes, you need to adjust your timing and put in a little more power. but you do that during tournament anyway. 2) no, the official give you 1 shuttle. they expect you to bring additional shuttle of your own. if the feather break during the game and become unplayable in your opinion, you have to use your own feather shuttle. they are different and need adjust your style and tactic. just play your best game. both has it's own pro and con. just play what official is required.
with a new feather, u have more time to get to the bird so it is easier in that sense. Also, feathers decelerate faster so don't worry about hitting it out, or attempt hard flat drive shots that u usually crank down on plastic shuttles. As feathers start losing feathers or breaking up, u have to adjust your shot, as it will start to flies more and more like used plastic. Since u r a plastic player, resist feather shuttle change if u can, it would only benefit the good feather players. Good feather players hate beat up feathercock, it would screw them right up. It would no longer float down like a dream for them to jumpsmash, their attack clear flies out, as per taneepak's description above no longer apply. Cooler's strategy.