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Another bunch of videos from Better Badminton (Better Badminton). These are by Anna Rice and are good. Anna is a Canadian badminton player in the top league.

The first one talks about Prep Jump and the movement thereafter, something that i wrote before about moving the right leg closer to the net (For a right hander).

How to return shots at the net quicker than ever - YouTube

Something about RAP which was new to me as well, although i was doing it with intuition this has more structure to it.

What R.A.P. is and how you can use it in the front court - YouTube

Another one on smooth movements around the court

#1 Secret to Better Footwork - Better Badminton - YouTube

About backhand clear

Backhand Stroke: The most powerful & accurate backhand stroke ever - YouTube

This is one of my favorite talks about listening to the body, also warm up and choosing the right racquet.

How to Handle Badminton Injury - Pro Coach Anna Rice - YouTube

Smashing in Singles and Doubles

One of the problems i have observed that the players continue to play their play style (Doubles or Singles) when they are playing a different game. So as an example folks who regularly play singles continue to adapt the same playing style when they play doubles (and vice a versa) which does not work.

Smashes are one area which i see mostly misused, in doubles there is a general tendency to smash more as compared to singles and the same playing style when adapted in singles will not get any success, in fact most of the times it makes the job of your opponent simpler.

In singles there is no partner to cover after you have hit a smash and are still recovering, hence its very simple for an opponent to read the smash and just touch it with the head of the racquet, and it goes back as a drop closer to the net making you run from smashing position to the net.

In singles you would mostly smash when you are presented with an opportunity to finish the rally. So you create gaps in the opponents movement and then when the opportunity is ripe kill it with a smash.

Hitting Flat returns in Singles and Doubles

Hitting flat returns (ones which go parallel on the ground) towards the opponents court is another area which is misunderstood when playing singles or doubles.

Generally speaking flat returns will increase the intensity of the game and the high elliptical returns will slow the intensity of the game.

Flat returns leave less time for your opponent to reach them and can surprise them, they are usually hit from a lower height then a normal return which is returned from the top of your head by extending your arms full length). The sad part of flat returns is if the opponent is positioned right at the center of the court he/she will not require to move at all to return a flat shot. All is needed is just a step to either side of the court and a gentle tap on the bird and it comes back as either a drop close to the net or a flat return.

So thumb rule is if your opponent is at a better position then you are then a flat return will only make it easier for him to win the rally. Hence this is sparingly (or sometimes not at all) used in singles. This is mostly a doubles shot to pressurize the opponent into corners and create opportunities to win the rally.

Other point to keep in mind is if you are playing fast flat returns consistently it would help you more if you strengthen your wrist so as to generate lots of power with just the wrist movement (and no need to move the full shoulder or elbow) giving you an ability to hit fast flat returns even if you are cramped for space and time to give the racquet a free full swing.

The Classic Debate - 21 points Vs 15 points

Today i relearnt something that i always knew. We usually get a visitor in the group who is a corporate tournament champion and i he became one by beating a very good player who regularly beats me (7 out of 10 games). So by my logic i was sure that this champion would beat me hands down. Surprised that was not to be the case.

To describe his playing style, he is good in technique in general, a weak backhand, and a slow mover on the court (because of his weight), and awesome on the nets.

On Sunday and today we got opportunity to play singles and on Sunday it came close and i lost 17/15, but always knew that i can beat him. Today we played again and i deployed a different technique and won 15/12. After the game i was wondering and asked him how could he beat the other player who i usually loose to, and the truth came out.

They played 21 points game and only one game (not best of three). That brings me to the point of whats is unique about each type of game.

A 15 point game tests more of your stamina in general and less your technique. So relatively speaking a slightly better technique player with lesser stamina would have higher chances of loosing a 15 point game then a 21 point game. The 21 point game in general is more intense and does not give any time to breathe easy as compared to a 15 point game. Think of a 15 point game as a marathon where in you can pace yourself and a 21 point game as a sprint in which you are at your top speed all the time.

So next time you play a player, do play to your strengths (and remember your strengths are relative to your opponent). So if you think you have a better stamina play a 15 point game or maybe a 21 point game (best of 3 or 5). Alternatively if you are better in technique then play a 21 point game (single one) as you have higher chances of winning.

Born to Run - Christopher McDougall on Fitness

Not sure if some of you have read this, i have been reading this book and watching his videos for sometime now, and they are eye opener for sure. Although this is not related to badminton but it is related to fitness in general.

Here are a few videos and links that you could go through, where in he talks about the right kind of shoes, and among other things for folks who are getting closer to 40 and consider themselves old here is what he says You have better fitness level then 19 year olds .

Very interesting read/watch indeed.

Christopher McDougall on why he was BORN TO RUN - YouTube
Christopher McDougall | Born to Run | National Bestseller

http://betterbadminton.com/footwork/...t/?page_id=111

Another video tutorial from Anna Rice. Here she talks about timing of hitting the bird and landing the foot. How does this impact the play and the opponent. Not sure if all can see the video but when lunging for returning the bird one should hit it at the same time as landing the feet and not after landing the feet.

She also talks about instant return to the original position after returning.

OFF TOPIC:There is a Doubles Tournament being held at GSC(Gopalan Sports Centre)this Sunday-11th Dec.I got to know of this just now.The last date for entries was yesterday,but anybody interested,they could give it a shot 98806-39869.

Advise for restringing

Last week i broke the strings on my racquet (Arcsaber 8Dx) and was floating around for getting it restrung. Now i usually go to SportsLine in Domloor and this time i did not want to waste too much time going there twice hence decided to look for a shop closer home.

There is one on Sarjapur Road (Next to Spencer) and i know this guy has spoilt two of my friends racquet hence did not want to give it to him. Went to HSR layout and gave it to one of the sports shop (Next to Hercules sports) hoping they would do a good and timely job.

Yesterday evening when i was there again to get the racquet back it was not yet ready, seeing me loosing my temper he said he would get it in 10mins, and sent a boy to get the racquet. I asked where did he go to get the racquet at first the guy was non disclosing on repeated probing he mentioned the racquet has gone to sarjapur road next to spencer (To the very same shop i was trying to avoid) stupid:

While we were waiting i was praying that my racquet be returned in one piece. After ~10 mins i get the racquet check everything in order, thank my stars, pay and push off.

Moral of the story, check if the repair shop has restringing machine and then only give your racquet to them.

What's the tension that you keep? You prefer the hand restringing or machine?

What brand of replacement do you prefer?

Two different types depending on my mood/fitness feel and opponent. I always use Yonex as have most of my experience with Yonex equipment.

BG65 for high durability, more power and high feel (0.70mm) strung at 22lb/24lb.

BG80 for High repulsion, low control and low durability (0.68mm) strung at 24lb.

Hand stringing, are they still done? I used to get it done many many years ago but these days its mostly machine strung.

When i used to play, there were a few guys who hand strung and gave you different tensions in the same racket. I used to have the last three strings on the sides a bit looser and i trained to use that area for net shots which gave me more control. I guess those master stringers are now a dying breed.

Anyone has any clue as to how do i get decent grip from my badminton Yonex shoes. I bought them ~5 months back and they are already feeling like slippery on wooden court. I do not use these shoes elsewhere (i.e. wear them on the court and take them off when i stop playing). Still skidding so soon is not really good. When i look at the grooves its all fine, there is hardly any damage to the underneath of the shoes.

Occasionally i wet them/clean them to get some grip back but i am looking for more decent solution.Someone told me Yonex does not make good shoes for wooden court (they are good for Synthetic court).

Yonex shoes are pretty bad when it comes to playing on wooden courts that too the amateur wooden courts that you get to see at most places.They are still better off at the glazed wooden courts,but on the rough-edged wooden courts you would be lucky if they last for more than a couple of months.They are best suited for the glazed wooden courts and the synthetic Hova courts.

For the amateur wooden courts,Ashaway/Reebok ones are good.Reebok has a good line of badminton shoes with good enough soles.Again the problem with Ashaway and Yonex accessories esp shoes is that only a small minority of them are OEM,the rest are all cheap quality rubber soles which begin to give away fast.I am having to change my shoes almost every 2-3 months, and I am done with the entire range of the Pro-Ultima series and I have come to realise that what you get in India are a whole bunch of duplicates.

Sandpaper the soles a bit. Serious. Try with fine grit and them move to medium. If the rubber sole is fake, it will start powdering and breaking. Don't do it in that case and throw the shoes away.

This technique is just to prolong the life of the shoes a bit. My marker had taught me this.

Yeah, i know they are bad on rough wooden courts, but the court that i play on is a nice and shiny one. Look at pictures that i have posted above (On post #53). I believe the reasons are very mild/small dust particles that make the sole slippery, hence cleaning them gets the grip back. Next month i am going to buy Artengo Badminton shoes, someone said they are better on wooden courts, and save existing new Yonex for synthetic court.

Seriously, if you wouldn't have typed "serious" i would surely had taken it as a leg pulling exercise :) lol. Now that you have recommended i might as well try that (Anyway they might be at their EOL).

When i used to play in school days, there used to be some sort of powder that folks used to get grip, and once in a awhile they would get out of the court and stand on that powder (Not sure what that powder was), anyone has any idea? Organizers would keep that on the side of the court.