Hi guys My name is tim and i am fairly new in the forum. Background: i have been playing recreational badminton on and off for 5 years now. My level of badminton is intermediate-advance. During those 5 years, i only played with nylon shuttles because its cheaper and more durable. I always played in high schools gyms and some small rec centres because all the badminton clubs are far away from where i live. Recently i started going to badminton clubs and green court facilities, so i decided to give feather a try. Any advice on how to get comfortable playing with feather?
Restring ur racket at higher tension, preferably 2-3 lbs. It's to compensate the transition frm heavier nylon birdie to lighter feather one.
Welcome to BC, fellow Vancouverite! Duckfeet and TeddyC have good advice above. Not that feather is lighter (both weigh the same around 5g), but plastic feels harsh on hitting because all the force is on the cork... there is no skirt impact like with feather. So, ime, to play feathers you need: 1. slightly lighter and head lighter racket, 2. thinner string 3. 2-3 lbs higher relative tension 4. faster, more compact racket head movement at strike, ie crisper 5. more finger power. Think explosive speed, not crushing power. 6. regarding crisper contact, pay attention to the aural feedback, you should get a sharp cracking "paaarp" sound with your power strokes 7. concentrate on the feel of the shuttle on the stringbed. This will allow you to play more touch shots, which are harder to do with plastic due to lack of feel
Badmtn scientist, thats what u r! ( ^.*) Have u ever thought of writing a guide bk for the benefit of us all...?
Thanks visor i haven't seen many people from vancouver in the forum. Im already using nano ray z speed with bg 65ti at 25 pounds. Should i push it to 27? My clear does have a crispy sound, but i find lifts hard to do. I can barely lift it to the back of court.
Well... I'm a scientist by nature. I'm always curious about how things work. Here, in an earlier thread I had mentioned how I feel about the difference between plastic and feather birds is due to skirt rigidity. http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140728
Refering to lift at the net or from further back? At the net, you shouldn't have any problem lifting to baseline. From further back, I try not to lift in doubles, so I can't help you there either. But 27 lbs for feathers sound right for BG65ti if you have good racket head speed.
I am doubtful raising the stringing tension by 2lbs will alter the flight of the shuttle effectively to lift to the back of the court. A far more likely cause is a technique and timing issue. Since you describe yourself as intermediate to advanced level, it should be quite straightforward to make the necessary self-adjustments in technique after getting used to feathers.
When i play with plastic, i can do straight and crosscourt lifts with no problem. Im gonna try to play with feather more often. I can feel that I'm slowly getting there.
hey visor do you play often in richmond? maybe we can play together sometimes and i can get some tips from you.
When I first got into feather, someone told me that you had to hit different shots, and even change up your shots when the feathers got more worn out. Being raised on plastic and transitioning to feather three years down the road, switching between the two is somewhat flawless now. Practice definitely makes perfect, and maybe a little tighter string will help too.
Check the speed on the feather u r using. In Canada should be 77/78. Anything less will be like playing green plastics, i.e too slow for Canada
