Just recently, I made the switch from plastic to feather; however, my wrist and shoulder are a little sore (tender) after my first 2 1/2 hour feather session. I generally do not have any wrist or shoulder soreness after a session with plastic birdies; I am assuming that the switch to feather is the cause of my soreness. Is this common? Thanks
Generally speaking, feathers are slower than plastics. Many players can easily clear end-to-end with plastics, but struggle to do so when they change to feathers. So one possible cause is that you're needing more physical effort to hit the feather shuttles. This isn't always true, by the way. You can get slow plastics as well as fast ones; but usually clubs play with fast plastics. Regardless of which type of shuttle you're playing with, it's worth testing the speed. Clubs playing with plastics often use shuttles that are too fast, and clubs playing with feathers sometimes use shuttles that are too slow. Ideally, you want a shuttle of the correct speed. But slow shuttles are a serious problem, because they increase the likelihood of injury.
Funnily, at my place, I'm one of the few that prefers feather. And whenever I pull them out I get shouted at by the majority who prefers "green" plastics who travel so abysmally slow that *I* get shoulder pain because I just have to hit them with a lot more force. I try to get them to use blue plastics if they insist, but they start crying about that as well. Yes, nobody does the back-to-back test here. :crying:
Maybe I overdid it on the smashing, I usually don't smash that often as I prefer deception shots. Is the swinging motion the same for plastic and feather? I noticed my swing motion was a little different, I could be wrong. Thanks
Your own motion would be the same, I guess. The major difference is that a feather shuttle flys in a different way.
It is my experience that most clubs use shuttles that are too slow as it slows down the pace of the game and makes it easier for social players to have longer rally's. Not a big deal to me either way.
on recreational level i've seen mavis used (ie.without testing) that are both too fast and too slow, it depend on which clubs and sometime, on certain players as well. I have to make stroke adjustment just on whether i'm playing yellow or white mavis of the same type (ie. green 300). i think for JustinG's case, he was accustom to striking plastic. To compensate for striking feather shuttles, he had to exert more power. Since he said he had sore wrist and shoulder, it tells me his stroke is not well developed. A proper stroke can be use on both plastic and feather shuttle, maybe with some adjustment for personal preference but should not hurt muscles or joints.
Agreed, it does not cause me any more effort between the two as long as they are of the same speed. If you're used to fast plastic shuttles though and switch to the proper speed feather then you'd need more effort. Of course the same can be said about switching to slower plastic shuttles too.
IMO, in this case of changeover for JustinG, it has little to do with difference in shuttlecock speed ratings.
We don't know that for sure as he never actually stated what plastic and what feather shuttles he was using. Basically, not enough information provided to determine either way.
I was using Black Knight (orange birdie) but I don't remember the speed rating; however, I can tell you that they were fast and I often complained to the other club members that the birds were fast. As for the feather shuttlecocks, I use RSL.Tourney 1. My swing motion is not perfect and that is something that I am working at. Thanks
There are certain differences between the birdies to remember when switching. Feathers repel from the stringbed faster(1) and has a faster initial speed(2). However, by the later 1/3 of the trajectory, it slows down much faster(3). What this means is that drives are quicker, drops have sharper angle, and clears descend more vertically. Because of (1), shots have to be hit crisply, with a sharp snap. Timing becomes even more critical than with plastic. Because of (3), skill and timing becomes very important in smashing as the feather bird you're about to smash descends slower and more vertically, so it is very easy to fluff it or swat the feather part of the shuttle. And because of 1, 2, and 3, the slice or fake drop shot is a very effective attacking shot.
You are using more power to hit the feather then the plastic and it is possible to get sore in this way. Keep playing with feather and see.
I love feather birdies 'cause of the sound they make. They sound so much more epic than the plastic ones. No, just kidding. xD I actually really like the fact that 1.) they spin and tumble more dramatically when you slice them and 2.) they drop at a much sharper angle. I love doing those tight spinning drops and attacking clears that go super-fast and force your opponent back quickly, but somehow don't go out. Gotta say the most annoying part is that your coordination and technique have to be up a notch to play with them. It's really easy to mishit and smack the feathers and make them go the wrong way when you're low-intermediate or just aren't used to them. Not to mention that slicing, while more effective, is alot harder to perform.
RSL Tourney Classic is really better than Tourney 1. Just try a tube of RSL Classic and see the difference in consistent speed (shuttle), trajectory and durability!
To me its easier to control a slice with a feather shuttlecock. It slows down faster than a plastic shuttlecock. I don't really play with plastic shuttlecocks because of its feel. When you smash.. you can't really feel the UMPPPH with plastic cocks. Notice the weight of the shuttlecocks too. Some shuttlecocks are relatively heavier.
Depend on what kind of shuttle you play with if you play with feather then it is usually "faster" than plastic. You maybe thinking that's not right? Well to tell the truth plastic shuttles become fast when you strike it then it becomes slow, whereas good quality feather shuttle will gradually become faster then slow when it drops.