[Tejas@perioimpl]

That was marking powder / pure chalk. But water works better.

Sometimes, poor glazing and waxing of the floors makes the residue stick on the soles and that's what causes the slipping. Sandpaper removes it.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

The Classic Debate - 21 points Vs 15 points

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.

Well, as you mentioned.. The 21 points Vs 15 points IS a classic debate.

I learnt my game and have achieved whatever I did in the 15 point game. Afterwhich, now, I have put on a lot of weight.

I'm no where a pro, but a few points I have noticed in both formats.

21 point: As you mentioned, it requires less stamina. Yes, the technique is more important, but IMO, the most important, or the winning factor is 'make no mistakes' . I have seen that, a consistent player with moderate technique always has an edge, over an inconsistent player with better technique (I mean, former has slightly more edge than in the 15 point version) .

15 Point: Requires more stamina. Here, IMO, there is, some room for errors than a 21 point one. The best part I like about the 15 point game is that, even if your opponent is at 13 and you are at say, 4 or 5, the game isn't finished. The thrill of playing/watching such a game is just great!

But in the 21 point game, what I have experienced is, if your opponent has a good lead, then the game is almost done. ie, its very difficult to recover from 18-8 or so.

P.S: These are some of the non-professional thoughts of an occasional player (hence the talk of errors). Please throw in your opinions.

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Well, as you mentioned.. The 21 points Vs 15 points IS a classic debate.

15 Point: Requires more stamina. Here, IMO, there is, some room for errors than a 21 point one. The best part I like about the 15 point game is that, even if your opponent is at 13 and you are at say, 4 or 5, the game isn't finished. The thrill of playing/watching such a game is just great!

But in the 21 point game, what I have experienced is, if your opponent has a good lead, then the game is almost done. ie, its very difficult to recover from 18-8 or so.

Absolutely agree with this. You made me remember a match during my college days. While playing for my college in the University Zonal finals, I was down 1-14 in the deciding set (best of three games for 15 points). Somehow, I managed to keep my nerve and finally won the game and the match

If it were a 21 point game, maybe the result would have been different, who knows??

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

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.

Originally Posted by dhanushs

But in the 21 point game, what I have experienced is, if your opponent has a good lead, then the game is almost done. ie, its very difficult to recover from 18-8 or so.

Quoting myself, from the same section but a different text. This is what differentiates both the types of games, and these days i play 21 point (and trust me i love this as well, it really sweats me out) game when playing singles and believe me its very intense. I don't have a second to relax and have to be constantly on the accelerator to push the opponent out of contention. Unless i do that there are very good chances i make a few mistakes and he comes right next to me points tally. On a 15 pointer i would in most probably relax a bit in between, the game does go longer in terms of time.

That being said what you said makes perfect sense. So if i am leading 18/8 then i can relax and the opponent will surely make a few mistakes, but in this case one guy is dominating the other and in most probably if they played 15 pointer one would loose under 5.

The fun starts when both are equally good players albeit slightly differently, and can have different results if they played different points game. Otherwise a one sided game in one will in most probably lead to same results in the different form as well.

I would call one as a Cardio and other as a Fat Burner (Using treadmill options as example)

Finally i would encourage you to pick up the game again, find time, in terms of cutting down the belly its just amazing.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

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).

Did it help make any difference?

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

What are the good brands of shuttles available nowadays? We used to have skylark and the cheaper albatross a decade ago. What's the cost. I hated those plastic shuttles.

1. A decade ago we used 2 brands called "Penguin" and "Samrat". Very very good quality feather shuttles, true flight, durable, and were quite inexpensive to buy (atleast in Kolkata).

A friend once got a pack of Yonex feathers from abroad, claimed "These are the ones approved for most international tournaments". I don't remember what model of Yonex feather that was, and we never tested his claim. What I remember is, after a few days we went right back to playing with Samrat and Penguin! Of course we were ignorant amateurs (maybe what he bought were basic Yonexes, or worse, counterfeits!). But the quality of the 2 brands was undeniable, and something I stand by even today.

Gives me great pleasure to see those 2 brands are on sale even today, and some online forums have praised these brands (particularly Samrat). The prices (550-600) are shocking compared to what we paid then!!! Take a look.

Buy Samrat Badminton Feather Shuttlecocks online

Buy Penguin Super Fine Feather shuttlecocks Online | PlayGroundOnline


2. Duttson (another local brand) was a budget choice. True flight, though not as well finished or durable, and about Rs 100 per box cheaper than the above 2 brands. Don't think this one is available outside Kolkata.

My recent shuttle hunt

I have very recently resumed playing on a regular basis with a friend. The only box of shuttles I had left was a 4 yr old pack of Duttsons, which seemed to be fossilized when I played with them. So today went looking for shuttles. Some observations:

1. The market is flooded with plastic shuttles! The club where we play is hosting a tournament with Yonex Mavis plastics. A decade ago this would have been unthinkable in Kolkata!

2. I didn't find Samrat and Penguin in the 2 shops I looked. Duttsons is still available in plenty, as are some Yonex Feathers (very expensive).

3. A shop was offering 50pct off on a brand called Wilson Topline 20. A pack of 12 (original cost Rs 1000) for just Rs 500. Seemed a good deal, so bought a pack. Does anyone have any experience of playing with these shuttles? Let me know. Else will post a review in a few days.

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Did it help make any difference?

Wanted to give a detailed response of the trial hence the delay. So this weekend was the time when i tried rubbing sand paper on the base of the shoes here are the details.

The Sand paper



Shoes, the sole looks as good as new, only slightly dirty with constant play.




I was slightly apprehensive as you can see the base looks good and there are no signs of any damage, rubbing sand paper could mean End of Life for the shoes, but the recommendation came from not just anybody . So surely worth the try.

Rubbed the sand paper nicely on the base of the shoes both, there is no rubber coming off because of sand paper (i.e. the rubber sole seems genuine).

Once i started playing the grip was good, so was quiet happy that this solution would probably work now, but after about 15mins we are back to square one. It starts slipping again. Now i cannot take brake from the running game hence went and wet the shoes slightly and rubbed it on the rubber mat which gave the same result i.e. nice grip that could last ~15mins.

So i guess the result is similar to one that i get when i wet my shoes or rub it on Chalk powder. It does give grip for sometime and every now and then i need to step out for few seconds and rub it again, to get the grip back.

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

1. The market is flooded with plastic shuttles! A decade ago this would have been unthinkable in Kolkata!
3. A shop was offering 50pct off on a brand called Wilson Topline 20. A pack of 12 (original cost Rs 1000) for just Rs 500. Seemed a good deal, so bought a pack. Does anyone have any experience of playing with these shuttles? Let me know. Else will post a review in a few days.

Ahh, same situation as i was when i started again, when some one said they play with plastic Yuck! was the response, as only under aged kids playing in the open garden used to play with plastics those days.

But, trust me, do give Mavis 350/500 a chance so as it can impress you. They are as good as feathers and only last longer. Much more uniform in flight and speed over long periods of time.

Wilson is particularly bad when it comes to making good shuttles, you would find them wawy quiet a few times, and some decent smashing and they are out and start wobbly.

So when i have to do some tournament preparation i use Yonex Aerosensa 30/40/50 either of them are good. I have a pack of Aerosensa 40's and pull them out when i need to experience the feather shuttles.

Now, this strategy went for a toss when i played a tournament last year, they used some local brand, the shuttle was way too heavier and hence way to much faster making it impossible to control my returns/backhand for its speed. In short most local tournaments do not use international grade shuttles.

Hence i have stopped buying Yonex feathers and only play with plastics now. When i have to prepare for a tournament, i get a pack of shuttles that they would be using in the tournament to practice for its speed and weight.

Sorry, very long answer for a short question.

[dingolphie]

Mayank, you could try my way of ensuring grip. Put on so much weight that there's no question of slipping . Just kidding

Why don't you guys post some videos of yourself playing? I used to play for my university, but it all came to a halt when I started working. I did a stint in the UK recently when I got back into the game.

Should be easy to pick me out in this bunch but I'm the guy in the white T and black shorts and you'll notice I only put the game I won

link

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by dingolphie

Why don't you guys post some videos of yourself playing?

Good idea, i have been thinking of doing just that, not for publishing on a blog like this one, but to analyze my game and make changes and improvements in the same. There are problems in ones game that can be quiet evident when one sees their own playing video, as otherwise its quiet difficult to figure out what one is doing wrong.

As of now there is no one to take video on the court, you see being a morning person there is difficulty in finding play mates leave alone someone to shoot a video :(.

[dingolphie]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

As of now there is no one to take video on the court, you see being a morning person there is difficulty in finding play mates leave alone someone to shoot a video :(.

Thats too bad. Come down to Kochi, I'm facing a similar problem!

[mayankjha1806]

SLVC (Sobha Lake View Club House) is going to run competition all formats (Singles, Doubles and mixed Doubles). I am going to participate and hopefully will have some videos, pictures that i can post here.

Before the competition starts i will change my shoes, yesterday went to Decathlon, and looked at Artengo, and Babolat. Any ideas how Babolat shoes are? They seemed expensive hence i might buy Artengo.

Also the guy commented that shoes will start slipping after 3 months of usage, and its normal, i somehow do not buy that argument.

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Before the competition starts i will change my shoes, yesterday went to Decathlon, and looked at Artengo, and Babolat. Any ideas how Babolat shoes are? They seemed expensive hence i might buy Artengo.

The ones you checked out were Babolat Shadows? You might want to check this out.

Anyone wearing Babolat Shadow?

On a different note, if they're the blue shadows, I think they're the coolest looking baddy shoes around. Could you check with Decathlon if they're available in size 11? and the price?

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

The ones you checked out were Babolat Shadows?
Could you check with Decathlon if they're available in size 11? and the price

Yes they were Babolat Shadows, and yes they were blue. Although i did not specifically check the size hence not sure about 11 but i saw and the manager there did mentioned that they were available on all sizes. The price was INR ~4200/-.

Yeah they look cool, although i am not looking for good looking shoes , i already have explosive Red color Yonex for looking good. I guess i want more function then looks.

This morning we had a visitor who plays few international tournaments (Non BWF ones), and is sponsored by Yonex. He is good and when talking to him he felt the problem is not with Shoes but with Court, The floor needs to me mopped at least once a day to make sure its clean. The small dust particles on the court make it slippery.

BTW, are you in Kolkata, or Bangalore?

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

The price was INR ~4200/-.

4200!.

On second thoughts, considering Babolat claims the shoes were tailormade to Joachim Persson's specifications, and the retail on these is GBP70, maybe 4200 isn't a bad price after all.

Try out the nearest Planet Sports outlet. They're running a 50pct discount on Prince court shoes. Prince NFS for just Rs 1500. I couldn't find one in size 11, but you just might find what you like.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Yeah they look cool, although i am not looking for good looking shoes , i already have explosive Red color Yonex for looking good. I guess i want more function then looks.

BTW, are you in Kolkata, or Bangalore?

Arre baba, why so serious? I'm only interested in the shadows because the reviews promise as much function as their looks .

And I'm in Kolkata. Why do you ask?

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

SLVC (Sobha Lake View Club House) is going to run competition all formats (Singles, Doubles and mixed Doubles). I am going to participate and hopefully will have some videos, pictures that i can post here.

Good piece of info Mayank-thanks for this.Could you kindly share the details of the tourney?(venue/date/registration formalities and contact details).

Also where in Bangalore is Decathlon?

On the topic of shoes,my pro ultima is due for change,am looking for a good one to change to,shall keep this thread updated.Hyderabad has limited options as opposed to blore.The Yonex Sunrise Showroom has now opened so intend to go take a look at it this week.