The problem with the common speed test is that you can give the shuttle to three different people and let them test it and you get three different results.
But then it's very simple to decide: Take the one farthest and discard the others, because only that player is hitting with full power.
I don't know. Maybe I don't get this test, but let's say I do the test and hit with full power (to my capabilities) and then a real pro like LD hits it. LD is stronger and has faster acceleration, so the shuttle flies farther... Right? I know a guy who hits like a maniac when testing the shuttle speed, he can make a very slow shuttle go way past the doubles service line.![]()
The rules state "low full swing over the back line", so yeah, debatable whether going full power is the right way.Starting at a certain level, the difference shouldn't be that much - once the technique is correct, strength does little to affect the length. But yes, if you and LD are playing each other, as an umpire I'd go with LD's length.
Seen another way, if a player's strength or technique is lacking, they should improve that instead of asking their opponents to play at their level.
A guy from another club visited ours today. We played a match of singles and after my shuttle was broken we used one of his. After a few points his new shuttle already was heavily damaged. So I asked for a shuttle change and was about to walk to my tube of shuttles. What happened then surprised me! He said we can use another one of his shuttles because it was his shuttle which got damaged so fast. After all the bull crap I was going through the last few months it was so nice to see that there are still decent people around (sportsmanship is still alive!). I didn‘t even expect him to do that, don‘t get me wrong.
Normally it‘s the other way round. People give me an already used shuttle and after it‘s broken (much faster than a new one of course) they expect me to use one of my new ones...
Also experienced this with a few people who have cheaper/worse shuttles than mine. Somebody also said to me that his shuttles are 1/3 less expensive/lower quality than mine and want to even out by giving one more.
I don't know how much shuttles you need for one singles game? Depending on quality and sets 3,4,5,6?
Yeah, depends on the sets of course. But also the opponent and the opponents' style of play. If the opponent always unintentionally heavily slices all the shots I need more of course, or if it's a fast attacking game. But I've played three long and hard sets with only one shuttle and it was still okay after the match.
Did you play against Chong Wei Lee?
Last Saturday, we had a league match with shuttles that were... Slower than slow.
When trying the shuttle, one of the other players was standing at least one meter inside the court, 'tested' the shuttle that still fell around 30 cm short of the double service line: "they are good."
For singles, I put all my effort in the hit when testing the shuttles and I managed to make them look fast enough (well almost)... But the result were oval shuttles.
Und jetzt bitte ein wenig Mitleid!![]()
During league we had a home game. During WD, MD, WS and MS the speed of the shuttles where right. Nobody wanted to bend and accepted the speed. Before I started the XD game (normally the last team match) the female opponent told me to bend every 4th. I asked my partner, if they did it in the WD as well and she said "No." Also the male which I face in the MD before didn't wanted to bend. So I gave 4 shuttles to the opponents to test the speed. After the male player did the speed test the land 10cm infront of the doubles service line. I also did the speed test. Hit them also slightly infront of the doubles service line.
Than the female said: "They are too fast we need to bend every 4th, even every second." I said: "According to the rules and the speed test we got the right speed." She: "But they are still flying very fast." I: "Let us see."
We started the game, I finished the first rally with a thunderous smash, because the opponents lifted not deep enough. The female picked up the shuttle and said "This is the evidence, the shuttle is too fast" and bend without asking every 4th feather and tipped around 1cm of the feather part outwards and returned the shuttle. My partner rolled with her eyes and said to me "Let us not accept this". I did the speed test, shuttle landed in the mid court. The female opponent said: "It's okay." I get mad as **** and asked an opponent who came from a different club and faced our 1st team at this day, who sit around to do the speed test for us, because we can't agree on the speed. He picked up his racket and wanted to come over to our court, than the male opponent said: "The speed of the shuttles are okay, let us pick a new one."![]()