Team-BHP - The right way to play Badminton

This thread was on for the past so many years and i stumbled upon this only today, that too whilst i was searching for something related to Badminton on google. Phew !.

I spent the day reading thru all the very informative pages and a huge thanks to all those who contributed to this.

I used to be playing during my "Single" days at Pune, and remember representing Thermax in the corporate tournaments, that used to be held at the Model Colony wooden courts, cant remember the name of the club. Proudly used to be going strong till the Semi's those days. My partner and I were a good combo in the doubles and we used to pack quite a punch.

All of my badminton play was self learning, experimenting and playing and playing. After almost 2 decades, i chanced upon one of my apartment co-resident who was leaving one morning with a kit bag, and a casual enquiry revealed they were playing regularly in a club at JP Nagar. There started my journey all over again - ordered a Yonex NanoRay 10 Racket, and a Nivia non marking shoe.

Its been 2 months now, and we regularly play in the mornings. I havent enjoyed my mornings so much before. I am slowly, but surely gaining back my shots, though my movements are sluggish ( age ! ). I am sure that it will do me a world of good as far as my personal fitness and stamina and the passion for this game continues to sustain.

And yes - i read about the headahces for Mayank. I had the same ones too, last month. It used to persist for a few hours. I was advised Electral by one of the members in the club and that worked well for me too.

So glad i chanced upon this thread. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss (Post 4278512)

My 7 year old wants to start badminton and I feel it's a good age to see how he does. I'm wondering what beginners racquet will be right for him. I'll buy it online and hope I don't end up with a fake!! I was looking at the Yonex gr201 and gr303. Any other good ones 2specially under Rs. 1000 per racquet.

Start with a 3u racket as the weight helps with the lack of power being generated from the user. Going with a 5u category racket won't really help much. 3u weight category is 85-90gm's dry so around 92-94 with grips on.

Don't put too much strain on him/her with a 95+ gm (dry) racket like Gr-303. Any chance you could increase your initial range to 2k? If you really do want him to start coaching and whatnot, I'd recommend investing at least this much.

Muscle Power 29 Lite would be my recommendation. It'll last a decent while and you won't go around looking for a new racket every time. The stiffness is perfect as well. Not flexible like a noodle but not too stiff for someone that age like my duora z strike or z force ii perhaps. Apacs would be on my list at this price range but their grommet quality is shoddy and not upto mark so if your stringer isn't very competent / doesn't replace cracked grommets, the strings will eat into the grommet holes thus breaking the racket.

Order from Cloudtail India if you're stressed about getting a fake. They get their material from Meghraj Mannulal in Sadar who supply to practically everyone. Funny because I just came back from their shop today after stocking up on Aerosensa 10 tubes haha. Cheers and have fun. :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swarit19 (Post 4278540)

Thanks for the detailed reply. The reason I don't want to stretch my budget is that he is not getting coached and it's just to thrash around a shuttle for now. I don't have any coaches nearby.
Is 5u lighter than a 3u? I also saw a gr alpha. Is that any better.
Will probably buy this weekend based on your guidance and pointers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss (Post 4278868)

5u is lighter than even 4u which in itself is already too light unless the racket is really head heavy. Say a 4u ZF2 is a great racket

There's a great video by LJB on why kids shouldn't be given lighter than usual rackets. Nanoray 4i Light is a horrible racket in terms of durability for example.

If you are in fact wanting to remain in your budget, there's a new racket by the name of GR100 (isometric joint racket) that is the first racket ever to be produced in the new Yonex factory in India which went operational last month or so if I remember correctly. I'd say wait like a week or two for it. :D

Thanks. Nice thread indeed. I wanted to check something and was wondering whether you would have some advice. I have been playing badminton for the past 10 years..about 2-3 times a week. For the first time ever, I am experiencing some pain & inflammation in my knees. There was no injury or sudden jerk in the court..So I started to wonder, what could be the issue?..About 4-5 months back I changed my shoes from Nike to Artengo( bought in Decathlon Badminton section)
a) Could that be the issue? I was told these are good. They cost about 3K. I have attached some photos as well.
b) Which brand of shoes would you recommend which gives great protection for knees?
c) Is there merit in adding a Gel cusion? Does that help lessen the impact on knees?
d) How to plan for recovery now? Is some physiotherapy required? Do you recommend I see a doctor?
e) What can be some dos & donts going forward to take care of the knees?
Thanks in advance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sridharps (Post 4380308)

I have been playing badminton for the past 10 years..about 2-3 times a week. For the first time ever, I am experiencing some pain & inflammation in my knees. There was no injury or sudden jerk in the court..So I started to wonder, what could be the issue?..About 4-5 months back I changed my shoes from Nike to Artengo( bought in Decathlon Badminton section)
a) Could that be the issue? I was told these are good. They cost about 3K. I have attached some photos as well.
b) Which brand of shoes would you recommend which gives great protection for knees?
c) Is there merit in adding a Gel cusion? Does that help lessen the impact on knees?
d) How to plan for recovery now? Is some physiotherapy required? Do you recommend I see a doctor?
e) What can be some dos & donts going forward to take care of the knees?
Thanks in advance.

I am not sure how old you are.But from the symptoms that you have mentioned it looks more to be a case of wear n tear of the knee joint than anything else to do with the shoes(ofcourse artengo is just not good enough,yonex shoes are the best,the ones in the range of 5kplus and with power cushion offer a fair bit of protection for the knees and heels)Gel heel cups are ok but in the long run they cause imbalance due to the height difference,so i am not a big fan of those.Spenco insoles are good but expensive,however nothing comes close to a better shoes.
Maybe a slight narrowing of the knee joint has begun which is completely natural(for people involved in sports the narrowing sets in early),due to which the space between the upper and lower bones is reducing and they brush against each other at times causing the pain.The fluid in between the joints also must have undergone a degeneration in quality.All this is perfectly natural and nothing to scare you.My suggestion would be for you to visit an ortho and he would be able to diagnose perfectly.A simple xray will be able to show what exactly is the issue.If you want to avoid that doctor visit,I suggest you start on knee joint strengthening exercises.Get yourself two things.One is a pair of ankle sandbags of 2kgs and a theraband.Everyday do about 40 to 60 leg extensions(lie down on your back and lift the legs one after the other and bring it down)start off with sets of 6 and gradually increase.Using the theraband stretch the knee joint.Stay off the game for about 2 weeks and you should be ok I suspect,however continue with the strengthening exercises for life and you would see marked difference to your knee pain.Check if your knee pain is more when climbing down the stairs or up the stairs.If it is a joint degeneration the pain would be more during the climbing down as opposed to climbing up a staircase.All the best with the rehab and there is nothing to worry at all.Please do post back how you progress for the benefit of others.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ranjitp1 (Post 4380630)

Thanks for your comments. It is not so much pain but more like a burning sensation i.e inflammation. It is more when climbing up the stairs. I have had all kinds of injuries - elbow, back, shoulder etc..this is the first time knees are causing a problem..as you say, I will probably see an Ortho and get it checked..