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Wouldn't dry fruit have same effect or you would recommend a proper fruit. I eat some Cashews and Almond's before i leave home

I think this is something to do with excersion, as when i do heavy run (10-15 Kms) then also i get it. Could it be because of not properly cooling down as well. Surely not related to eyesight as while running i wear glasses and while badminton i use contact lenses.

@ drbabuanand

Here is my feedback / thought

When your body is put through intense work out (Badminton is) the body looses a lot of fluids by means of sweat. I sweat much more playing 2 singles games compared to running 5 ~ 6 kms in less than 30 mins.

Here is what I do. Mix enerzal (orange flavoured electral) with water and keep sipping it. Keep one 500ml bottle for the energal and 1ltr for plain water. Keep sipping enough of both and you should be ok.

I prefer Enerzal to Gatorade as the sodium contents are low in Enerzal compared to Gatorade.. And you get Enerzal in any pharmacy store

Sometimes keeping your fluids level will do wonders.

Keep drinking water and you will be normal..

HTH doc :thumbs up

Cheers

Thank you @Ranjit and @csateesh, travel kept me away from court for sometime, but got a chance to use these suggestions today morning and it seems to work. I tried having something before heading for court, and then took glucose water along with me. After playing for 1.5 Hrs over 7 singles games (usually i get headache after playing after 5 games), there was no hint of headache. After coming home, and few hours later, still no signs of headache. Looks like i found the last problem that was bothering me.

Went and bought enerzal today, will try that tomorrow over similar number of games (or maybe more).

Now the whole objective of playing is to cut calories and stay fit, but drinking these means i am adding calories, but looks like this needs to be done hence do not have a choice. Right now i might restrict it to only when i play hard.

@predatorwheelz (Aniket) recommended we put in equipment review on this thread, Thanks for the suggestion Aniket, Second one coming up (First one being ArcSaber 8Dx review earlier), coming up tomorrow Love at first sight :)

Love at first sight

So what do folks like me do (Who zealously hate shopping for cloths of any kind) when wife and kids are busy doing clothes shopping therapy (kind of a stress buster for them). We look for stress buster for ourselves, and for me that is either a visit to the nearby electronics store, or a sports shop.

Now that the tournaments are closer, i desperately needed a second racquet, ArcSaber 8Dx is my full time use racquet, of it goes bad (like string gives away), the options that i have are

• Option 1 - Move to Nanospeed, which is kindof odd, as its headlight, and never gives me that comfort feeling and power. Doing daily games with this is ok, but not a tournament
• Option 2 - Move to Armortec 900 T (My Wife's) which is very-very head heavy, and on top of that its a 4U i.e. much much lighter, and hence transfers all the jerks from the shuttle to my elbow which i hate. Also being very head heavy i struggle at net play, and also it being a flex shaft the smashes go off as the shaft flexes slightly when moving through the air very fast. Don't even do daily games with it hence keeping it as a second racquet for tournament is out of question.
• Option 3 - Have another ArcSaber 8Dx, not the best use of cash as you do not get to try something else.
• Option 4 - Search for something else :)

I keep going to sports shops to try racquets swing them for few minutes to get a feel for it, and then go back home read something about it and then either keep it in a shortlisted list or reject it altogether. In past have gone through the Voltric Series and rejected it, Looked at Nanoray and rejected that as well, as it has similar characteristics to Nanospeed. Armortec i already have and do not like. Finally the ArcSaber series 9/10 the weight balance is slightly different so i was not feeling very comfortable with them, So it was time to look at something beyond Yonex.

So one saturday afternoon generally strolled into a shop to try something and never thought that i would fell in love, and that too at first sight. Held this baby in my hand, and instantly it felt different, Light, Fast, and yet powerful, took some shuttles from the shop to hit then and get a feel, still felt real nice.

I hate Chinese, anything that says Made in China, and i make faces, but this one was different. Now time to pun down some feelings. Wonderfully balanced, slight tinge of head heaviness, Shaft is stiff and weight is 83gm. Through the air it seemed all powerful, the woosh through the air felt great. Generally i do not like factory strung racquets but this one had decent strings on them and it felt like flirting with it for some time on the court, but in most probability i will change the strings before the tournament starts.

Have played with this one for past two days and its feeling great, i am able to tame immense power it provides, someone who is looking at slightly head heavy racquets and want to try something other then Yonex Li Ning is a good choice. The smashes felt powerful, but need to play for a few more days before i can conclusively say that, the net play was good, and so were the clears. Struggling with drops and backhand a little, nothing that my opponent will notice.

Please bear in mind the model numbers have changed. Will put in a video review later, till such time here are some pictures.







Excellent, gives all the info on the shaft, weight, balance, tension etc.



More Questions/Updates : Have tried Electrol and Glucose when i play hard, both have worked when it came to headaches, which one is preferable? Apart from this earlier i had reported my shoes were slipping and had tried sand paper on them, thought about changing my shoes, but tried on a different court (which has better polishing) and they aren't slipping at all. Quiet happy with them, once my regular court is also polished it would be as good as new.

@Mayank - Good to see you deciding to experiment with some brand other than Yonex. Good initial review, let me know how it pans out over a period of play.

I'm also a little surprised to see that you didn't know the necessity of GluconD/Electral. A little gyan on physiotherapy, gleaned off some guru years ago. Doctors/physiotherapists please correct me.

The human muscle has 2 sources of energy - aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic energy comes from oxygen in the blood stream, which is a function of many factors like your age, fitness level, blood circulation etc. However, even with the fittest athlete, aerobic energy only suffices for endurance activities like long distance running.

For activities which require short, intense bursts of energy (a sport called badminton comes to mind:)), aerobic energy always falls short. When you start a rally, the aerobic energy reserve gets depleted in the first few seconds, following which the anaerobic energy (first the phosphocreatine stored in the muscle, then the glucose reserves) provide the power to keep the rally going.

Its obvious that once you've played an hour or more of badminton, the fluid levels in your body become seriously low due to so much anaerobic energy getting used. This is why its better to carry oral re-hydration solutions.

As for the debate between electral and glucose, the doctor tells me electral is better as it contains a mix of vital salts and glucose. However, being untrained for most of my life, I continue to suffice with a sachet of Glucon D orange flavour mixed in a litre of cold water! Electral must be better, but I'm too old to come out of my comfort zone.

__________________________________________________ ______________

In this post I'll enumerate some of the equipment I have in my bag, as well as write short reviews about them.

Yonex Carbonex 8000 Light

After playing with a lot of local trash in initial years, my first serious racquet was a carbon graphite racquet made by Wish, China. It really made me understand how much of a difference good equipment can make to your game. The racquet is still with me, although the stringing is completely gone. Guess I'll keep it around as a collectible :).

My current racquet is a Yonex Carbonex 8000 Light. For the uninitiated, Yonex Cabs come in 2 types. The Made in Japan ones carry 2 number monikers (Cab 21, Cab 35 and the recently launched Cab 50) and are much more expensive. The Made in Taiwan versions carry 4 number monikers (Cab 8K, 7K and 6K) and are cheaper. There's no apparent difference in quality, at least to the naked eye.











The Cab8000 comes across as a wonderful racquet for an intermediate player. Its a middle-of-the-road-option, a jack of all trades. The balance of the racquet is neutral, and the flex is good enough for smashing as well as placement. I personally have a weak backhand and rely on placement rather than outright power on backhand shots. This one provides me with a lot of feel when playing backhand.

The quality of build, as with all Yonex racquets, is impressive. And given the retail price of 2K, it represents excellent value for money.

Yonex Basic B600

This one was bought for my wife who is a newbie to the game. The basic series are the only steel racquets in Yonex' range. But it surprised me that even the most basic of Yonex racquets provides such good quality. Most gurus will tell you that to start off, a carbon graphite racquet is a bare minimum. Trust me, if you have a child/sibling wanting to take up the game, buy her a B600 with your eyes closed. Its got enough feel and quality, and the build is hardy enough to take years of abuse as the newbie learns the ropes.







Some other equipment

This is my kit bag. Its a single compartment bag capable of holding 3 rackets, 2-3 boxes of shuttles, one small towel and 2 bottles of water. The side pocket is useful to keep my wallet, mobile and other knick-knack when I'm playing.



I had earlier written a small post about shuttles, and that we were on the lookout for good feathers. Planet Sports is currently offering a 50pct discount on all Wilson equipment, so we picked up one box of Wilson Top Line 20 shuttles, followed by the higher grade, Wilson Top Line 50.











The verdict, in one word? Avoid. The Wilsons are particularly bad in terms of durability. One or 2 intense games of singles and the 20s start breaking, or getting wavy. The 50s are marginally more durable. The second half of a one-hour session, or immediately after a powerful smash, is spent debating whether we should take out a new shuttle right in the middle of the game. Very very disappointing.

Duttsons is a local brand which has been around for years. Though quite slow, the shuttles are extremely durable and make a good choice for newbie players. Posting 2 pics just for info, though I doubt it will be available outside West Bengal.

:) I know the scientific difference, Glucose Vs some minerals in electrol. The question was basically around which one is better. So both work for me but someone suggested that i take only Glucose (Glucon D) and not electrol as it puts extra pressure on the liver, Electrol should only be taken when one is sick and when its prescribed by a doctor. So was not sure which one to take. Now i don't get physically tired at all, its just the headache that needs this to get fixed, and both seems to have worked.

With that i wanted to talk about another area which i noticed someone struggling with and i was quiet curious as to why, and for lack of proper word i would call it as :-

Racquet Dynamics

For discussion sake we will take an example racquet, say for example Voltric (which is a head heavy racquet). Now the grip of the racquet which is made of some leather is ~2g in weight.

Now if a player puts on an overgrip (which is ~5g) this shifts the balance of the racquet and now the head might seem slightly lighter. Also this makes the grip much thicker, which is nice to hold but is bad if you are wrist player as its difficult to rotate the racquet quickly when its thicker. Thicker grip also means it will be difficult to play deceptive shots.

The other option is to use replacement grip, using this means you need to remove the basic grip that came with the racquet and then put these on. So net-net there is no weight balance change. So sometimes i see players choose a head heavy racquet and add overgrip (making it not so head heavy) and all this while thinking the head heavy racquet suits their playing style, in reality its actually the opposite. Some other times i see someone using a balanced racquet and then adding another grip effectively making it a head light (kind of) racquet.

When they move to a different racquet which they feel should suit them, and it does not, also gives pain in areas where there was no pain earlier and are puzzled as to why this is happening. If you are the one, now you know why :).

Have been away from this thread for quiet sometime, just wanted to report the latest news in the competition going on.

In Doubles we have reached semifinals and next we play arguably one of the best teams in the tournament. Will have to play through the skin to beat them. Wanted to post a video today, but unfortunately forgot to ask someone to take a video, hopefully tomorrow's match i will find someone to record. Cheers.

So the update after game this afternoon is that me and my brother lost the semi finals to Dharmendra and Shashank. The way i see it we could have played better but there was a level difference between the teams. So until the next competition which i believe is going to start soon (Updates later) its going to be only practice and heavy practice for us for now.

Playing matches have been an experience, in getting used to butterflies in the stomach and playing to your potential. Will create another post with experiences to share.

Excellent, liked the bag range that you have. There is one thing that i did not feel comfortable with though, if you do not mind. I think you would have graduated enough to move from ovals to isometrics. Why do i say that is because with isometrics you will find a much wider sweet spot, hence any timing problems (if there are any) get reduced.

With this i will touch upon something that i figured out this weekend.

No amount of equipment will ever replace raw talent. This weekend after the tournament matches were over we decided to kill some time playing a few games and there was this one player who was not properly dressed (He was in Jeans and shirt), barefoot (as he had forgotten to get his kit), and didn't even had his own racquet. He borrowed my racquet and beat the State level player flat out (No competition). If i was played like that i would have had blisters in my feet, but this guy was absolutely moving like he was on air. Seems like he is the second coach and has played for Karnataka State.

How to be Match ready

• On the days leading to the matches do not play very hard, sleep well and give body enough rest. The last thing you want is to carry an injury or have fever in the tournament.
• Never play heavy on the day of the match, and the opposite is also true. Do not get on the court cold, you could loose the game even before you have broken any sweat.
• Never change the weapon (equipment) just before the tournament.
• Practice with the shuttle that is going to be used in the tournament, and preferable on the same court (if possible) as the lighting sometimes takes some time getting used to.
• Practice on the times of the day the matches will be held. Our matches were in the afternoon, weird timing for me as the breakfast was long over and lunch was some time away making me very hungry in between the match.

Li Ning Range
Have been searching for the full range of Li Ning racquets. Couldn't find it anywhere except here (Li Ning Badminton - Woods N90 Badminton Racket - The Ultimate Weapon), the other web sites are in Chinese hence the problem. Here is the full range snapshot. Something tells me i need to try Storm N70 :).

Woods N90

• Weight : 85-89g
• Flex : Stiff
• Balance : Head Heavy

Flame N50

• Weight : 85-89g
• Flex : Medium
• Balance : Mid

Storm N70

• Weight : 85-89g
• Flex : High
• Balance : Mid/ Head

Rocks N33

• Weight : 85-89g
• Flex : Medium
• Balance : Head Light

Rocks N30

• Weight : 85-89g
• Flex : Medium
• Balance : Head Heavy

Hard Luck Mayank.Better luck next time.Your observations about match days is spot on.Me & my partner played the Hyd Dist Dbls Finals in 2011 and imagine we played our semis at precisely 12am.Organisers just do not know how to organise and plan matches.!

True about the isometrics as well,I can never play with the ovals anymore.

I tried the Decathlon website option,but too many resellers and all of them have the same stuff so decided to go buy a pair of shoes locally.

Planet Sports must be the lousiest place to buy shoes from.Have been scouting the planet sports showrooms for a pair of shoes and they hardly have any models,one of the outlets had the Prince ones at the 50% discount but just one pair!!Never am I going back there.

I happened to drop by the Reliance Footprints outlet and I find an excellent range of Non-Marking Badminton shoes named Monza.Lovely pair of shoes I must admit.I was very apprehensive as they were a Malaysian brand and no reviews whatsoever on the net.But there is a 40% discount on at the moment.So decided that I would go ahead and take the risk and I am loving every bit of it.I would have to go to the Yonex Pro Sports one of these days to buy another set of genuine Yonex shoes(hopefully).For the Blore guys,there is a Padukone Sports Pro in Malleshwaram and they deal exclusively with Ashaway.Only hearsay,so might be a good idea to check it out.

Did you not play the Gopalan tourney?I kept getting flyers of it,but since it was spread over 3 weeks,it was just impossible to do 3 weekend trips to BLR:Frustrati

Also now with the summers starting off,would be a good idea to stuff the shuttle barrels inside the freezers the previous day night,helps in the shuttles staying good for longer periods of time

@Mayank - Bad luck. But since you say you lost to the best team I think this would been a blessing as you would exactly know the short comings. This will help you in focused training.

I completely agree with you on this. Practice makes you better but the impact of learning from Pro's cannot be over emphasised. We have the luxury of Abhijeet coaching our wards and sometimes when I play with him I am always amazed at his speed, guile and precision. His drops are so deceptive that till the cock hits the racquet you can't predict the directions :Shockked:

@Ranjit - Yes once you get used to isometric you can't look at ovals anymore. Excellent tip there. This is exactly the same suggestion given by another coach..

Cheers

Quiet some time since i posted. Some of the exercises routine that i follow before i start play everyday at 6 in the morning.

This is all in my clubhouse hence it helps. In badminton one needs to work on the Knees (especially at this age :)), and general strength in the legs. A ten stroke rally in badminton takes a lot of toll on your body, and legs. Hence strong legs will not only keep you moving faster for long periods of time they will not get tired sooner when in a rally


Backhand or Forehand, your arms, elbows, and wrist needs to be strong to consistently clear the shuttle to the opponents baseline. This this is a real torture on arms and i have seen the difference.


This is my favorite, helps me do crunches, as much as i want, at whatever elevation i want. I usually set it to a highest which is the most difficult.

So its been a month post tournament and there is another one that is going to start, so with a goal to do better i am practicing harder and was keenly looking at areas where i can improve. Asked a few folks, including a coach, and they did suggest a few things but nothing ground shaking or earth shattering, and my own feeling was there's got to be decent sized problems in my game which are big enough.

So someone suggested why don't i video record myself playing and then see if there are areas that are obvious. So this weekend (Sat & Sun) i decided to ask my brother to record while i was playing someone else. I was hoping to find a few areas to improve but felt basically my game should look otherwise fine on video. I was not prepared for this shocker.

Last two days i see myself on the video, and to be honest, i don't like the guy on the video. Huge areas of problems can be instantly spotted.

1. My Stance while receiving serve is pathetic.
2. My singles long+high serve looks pathetic on the video as there is inadequate follow through.
3. My movement on the court cannot be worse then this. I am returning to wherever i feel like and not always in the center. In the process missing some simple returns form my opponents.
4. My body language, appearance needs a lot of work.
5. Surprisingly though my smashes, net drops and backhand looks good on video.

I was hoping to upload the video, don't have enough courage to do so now. Will upload once i have fixed these basic things. So my one most killer advise if you are looking to improve is to Video record yourself.

Sorry if this is not appropriate for this thread, but I want to buy a Table Tennis Table for my home. Any ideas?

Look at (Table Tennis Tables | TT Table Club | Sleek Table | Championship Table | Fold Table | Model Table | Mini Table) you could find something that you like. It can cost anywhere from 10K-14K. I personally like Stiga as the surface is hard and shiny and folks who solemnly depend on spin (or top spin) have a hard time adjusting.