Best part of the game
Koo Kien Kiat defended 3 smashes while lying on his butt @6.20
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Peter Gade vs Lee Chong Wei
Uploaded by badmintonluver1511, many thanx.
As always, the commentator is very pro Datuk Lee Chong Wei.
He's paid by Astro ;).
As always, the commentator is very pro Datuk Lee Chong Wei.
He's paid by Astro ;).
Copenhagen Masters 2008
Today is the last day for the Copenhagen Masters 2008.
It's an all european affair.
Kenneth Jonassen vs Peter Gade
Paaske/Rasmussen vs Boe/Morgensen
Tine Rasmussen vs Xu Huaiwen
It's an all european affair.
Kenneth Jonassen vs Peter Gade
Paaske/Rasmussen vs Boe/Morgensen
Tine Rasmussen vs Xu Huaiwen
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Badminton Steps to success
There is this book by Tony Grice. It's a invaluable badminton book, for beginners, students, amateurs and advanced players alike.
Another resource that is valuable is the badminton bible created by "Gollum" aka Mike Hopley from England.
Speaking of England, I think they are pretty strong in the doubles and mixed doubles, but slightly weaker in the singles department amongst the European countries.
However, the renaissance in England's fortune in doubles can be partly be attributed to Rexy Maniaky's stint as a coach there. Now with the aging Clark, Robertson, Emms and Kellogg, England is sorely lacking in a new talent, when every talented young lad wants to play for Manchester United, Liverpool, etc. Badminton is an expensive sport that doesn't pay well. No wonder, the lure of Old Trafford is so strong in England.
Sad, considering England invented Badminton and host the prestigious All-England open at Birmigham.
Denmark is still the powerhouse of Europe.
Another resource that is valuable is the badminton bible created by "Gollum" aka Mike Hopley from England.
Speaking of England, I think they are pretty strong in the doubles and mixed doubles, but slightly weaker in the singles department amongst the European countries.
However, the renaissance in England's fortune in doubles can be partly be attributed to Rexy Maniaky's stint as a coach there. Now with the aging Clark, Robertson, Emms and Kellogg, England is sorely lacking in a new talent, when every talented young lad wants to play for Manchester United, Liverpool, etc. Badminton is an expensive sport that doesn't pay well. No wonder, the lure of Old Trafford is so strong in England.
Sad, considering England invented Badminton and host the prestigious All-England open at Birmigham.
Denmark is still the powerhouse of Europe.
Malaysia Open 6 to 11 Jan 2009.
The next badminton tournament will be in KL, Malaysia.
Again China will skip this tournament. Most likely the winners will come from Denmark, Malaysia, Indonesia and Korea.
So far, no major tournament like Olympics or Thomas/Uber Cup or Asia Games.
The most prestigious games so far are the World championship and the All-England super series.
Again China will skip this tournament. Most likely the winners will come from Denmark, Malaysia, Indonesia and Korea.
So far, no major tournament like Olympics or Thomas/Uber Cup or Asia Games.
The most prestigious games so far are the World championship and the All-England super series.
Manufacturing of racquets
The manufacturing of racquets are quite complex.
Shuttle House here shows the step by step process of making the raquet.
The design of the racquet can be done by autocad or solid works software.
Then a mold of the racquet is fabricated. The grommets were fabricated.
The website shows that the manufacturing part was outsourced to an OEM in China.
Subsequently, factory strings were attached and testing were done to ensure specs is correct.
As you can see, the manufacturing process is tedious and labour intensive. A lot of things can go wrong.
Shuttle House here shows the step by step process of making the raquet.
The design of the racquet can be done by autocad or solid works software.
Then a mold of the racquet is fabricated. The grommets were fabricated.
The website shows that the manufacturing part was outsourced to an OEM in China.
Subsequently, factory strings were attached and testing were done to ensure specs is correct.
As you can see, the manufacturing process is tedious and labour intensive. A lot of things can go wrong.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Badmintonsite.com
Here are some useful badminton techniques demonstrated by experts.
Round the head dropshot
Crosscourt whip
Crosscourt round the head half smash
Double action return of serve
Jumpsmash
Round the head dropshot
Crosscourt whip
Crosscourt round the head half smash
Double action return of serve
Jumpsmash
BWF move to end match-fixing and last-minute withdrawals
The Star reported this incident.
Now, if a player withdraws from three tournaments in a season, they will be fined an additional US$1,000. Withdrawal for a fourth time will see the case going before the discipline board with suspension among the punishments.The new ruling takes effect from the Malaysian Open scheduled for Jan 6-11 at the Putra Stadium.
The BWF event chairman, Paisan Rangsikitpho, said yesterday that they have had enough of players abusing the system. “There will be no exceptional to the new rule. A player who withdraws his entry after the closing date will be fined. This is a decision of the BWF Council. We will not accept any reasons, including injuries,” said Paisan at a press conference.
Paisan said that China’s withdrawal of all their players from the Super Series Masters Finals had put the sport in a bad light. “But this was a good lesson for us to deal with the matter seriously. We will review the rules to ensure that a similar incident will not be repeated. We are exploring the possibility of having players sign contract for the Super Series,” he said.
As for the Thomas-Uber Cup Finals, Paisan said that a new format for the championships would be introduced when Malaysia host the next world team event for both men and women in 2010.
The old format gave teams opportunities to deliberately throw ties to choose the opponents they wanted to play in the subsequent rounds.
South Korea took full advantage of the rule in this year’s Finals in Jakarta to set up a Thomas Cup semi-final tie against Denmark instead of China. “This time, only the top two teams from the four groups will advance to the quarter-finals. Only the top two seeds will be separated and the rest go into an open draw,” said Paisan.
“Previously, all the three teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, where their positions were already fixed.” Paisan added that the BWF were also looking at limiting the maximum entry in an event to two for the Olympics and discard the different divisions in the Sudirman Cup world mixed team championship. Previously, a country is allowed to have a maximum of three players at the Olympics if all of them are ranked in the top four and China had benefited greatly from it.
“In order to maintain our status as an Olympic sport, we want more countries to get a chance to compete in the Games,” he said. As for the Sudirman Cup, every participating team get a shot at winning the title. Previously, only the six teams in Division One are in the championship race. Meanwhile, the BWF were given a shot in the arm with with Yonex Sunrise extending their sponsorship contract for another four years until 2012. "
Quote,"
THE Badminton World Federation (BWF) have taken two drastic measures to prevent no shows by players in international tournaments and match-fixing in the Thomas-Uber Cup Finals. Players will now have to pay hefty fines if they withdraw from BWF-sanctioned tournaments after confirming their entries. Previously, a fine of US$250 is imposed for a last-minute withdrawal.
THE Badminton World Federation (BWF) have taken two drastic measures to prevent no shows by players in international tournaments and match-fixing in the Thomas-Uber Cup Finals. Players will now have to pay hefty fines if they withdraw from BWF-sanctioned tournaments after confirming their entries. Previously, a fine of US$250 is imposed for a last-minute withdrawal.
Now, if a player withdraws from three tournaments in a season, they will be fined an additional US$1,000. Withdrawal for a fourth time will see the case going before the discipline board with suspension among the punishments.The new ruling takes effect from the Malaysian Open scheduled for Jan 6-11 at the Putra Stadium.
The BWF event chairman, Paisan Rangsikitpho, said yesterday that they have had enough of players abusing the system. “There will be no exceptional to the new rule. A player who withdraws his entry after the closing date will be fined. This is a decision of the BWF Council. We will not accept any reasons, including injuries,” said Paisan at a press conference.
Paisan said that China’s withdrawal of all their players from the Super Series Masters Finals had put the sport in a bad light. “But this was a good lesson for us to deal with the matter seriously. We will review the rules to ensure that a similar incident will not be repeated. We are exploring the possibility of having players sign contract for the Super Series,” he said.
As for the Thomas-Uber Cup Finals, Paisan said that a new format for the championships would be introduced when Malaysia host the next world team event for both men and women in 2010.
The old format gave teams opportunities to deliberately throw ties to choose the opponents they wanted to play in the subsequent rounds.
South Korea took full advantage of the rule in this year’s Finals in Jakarta to set up a Thomas Cup semi-final tie against Denmark instead of China. “This time, only the top two teams from the four groups will advance to the quarter-finals. Only the top two seeds will be separated and the rest go into an open draw,” said Paisan.
“Previously, all the three teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, where their positions were already fixed.” Paisan added that the BWF were also looking at limiting the maximum entry in an event to two for the Olympics and discard the different divisions in the Sudirman Cup world mixed team championship. Previously, a country is allowed to have a maximum of three players at the Olympics if all of them are ranked in the top four and China had benefited greatly from it.
“In order to maintain our status as an Olympic sport, we want more countries to get a chance to compete in the Games,” he said. As for the Sudirman Cup, every participating team get a shot at winning the title. Previously, only the six teams in Division One are in the championship race. Meanwhile, the BWF were given a shot in the arm with with Yonex Sunrise extending their sponsorship contract for another four years until 2012. "
One of my Post in Badmintoncentral
Wow, I can't believe it. one of my post has so many people replying. But it's not easy to come out with good ideas. In research, your good ideas might seem good but some people in the world might think about it 1st.
"Best frontman in Men's doubles
Normally in men's doubles, there is a distinct role each player has,especially in an attacking position; where the front person becomes the 'netman' and the back person becomes the 'baseline smasher'.I feel that the netman is the key to win in Men's doubles...his role is like a quarterback in American Football....setting up shots for his back partner to violently hit the shuttle downwards. The netman normally wins the point by driving or smashing directly near the net which is almost impossible to return.The net man is also a very strong leader...cocky and very vocal.
I feel the best netman in World badminton today are:
1) Koo Kian Kiat: a delight to watch...arrogant...and creative...one of the best badminton brains.
2) Cai Yun: Pure attacking player...sets up Fu Haifeng very well....also has a killer diving net smash...nasty desposition on court...intimidates opponents.
3) Hendra Setiawan....very good at intercepting crosscourts clears and drives...beautifully sets up Kido for jump smashes
4) Lee Yong Dae....creative player with lightning speed...sets up Jae-Sungwell
5) Jens Eriksen....his height enables him to intercept weak clears with devastating net smash."
"Best frontman in Men's doubles
Normally in men's doubles, there is a distinct role each player has,especially in an attacking position; where the front person becomes the 'netman' and the back person becomes the 'baseline smasher'.I feel that the netman is the key to win in Men's doubles...his role is like a quarterback in American Football....setting up shots for his back partner to violently hit the shuttle downwards. The netman normally wins the point by driving or smashing directly near the net which is almost impossible to return.The net man is also a very strong leader...cocky and very vocal.
I feel the best netman in World badminton today are:
1) Koo Kian Kiat: a delight to watch...arrogant...and creative...one of the best badminton brains.
2) Cai Yun: Pure attacking player...sets up Fu Haifeng very well....also has a killer diving net smash...nasty desposition on court...intimidates opponents.
3) Hendra Setiawan....very good at intercepting crosscourts clears and drives...beautifully sets up Kido for jump smashes
4) Lee Yong Dae....creative player with lightning speed...sets up Jae-Sungwell
5) Jens Eriksen....his height enables him to intercept weak clears with devastating net smash."
Buy and Sell in badmintoncentral
One of my postings from Badmintoncentral.
"I have 2 x 3UG5 AT900T,
One is a JP version, about 6 paint chips, but no structural damage. Bought early this year. Asking for $170. Strung with NGB 95 @25lbs. serial is #7277446, d.o.b #221173JP = 22nd Nov, 2007, batch 3, Japan Market.
Technologies: Elastic Gum Metal, Power Armor system, CS CAP, Isometric, nanoscience, new grommet system, T-joint and Muscle power frame. Flex: stiff, Balance: head heavy.
One is a SP version. Only 1 paint chip at 8 o clock position. Bought early this year, asking for $180. Strung with BG80 @ 25lbs. Serial #7316212, DOB = 121273SP.
Technologies: Elastic Ti, Power Armor system, CS CAP, Isometric, nanoscience, new grommet system, T-joint and Muscle power frame. Flex: stiff, Balance = head heavy.
The reason I want to sell is to buy a new NS9000X 3UG4. I also have a 3UG5 AT900P I want to sell or trade, about S180. you can sms me if you want to meet up. I can show you the racquets. "
"I have 2 x 3UG5 AT900T,
One is a JP version, about 6 paint chips, but no structural damage. Bought early this year. Asking for $170. Strung with NGB 95 @25lbs. serial is #7277446, d.o.b #221173JP = 22nd Nov, 2007, batch 3, Japan Market.
Technologies: Elastic Gum Metal, Power Armor system, CS CAP, Isometric, nanoscience, new grommet system, T-joint and Muscle power frame. Flex: stiff, Balance: head heavy.
One is a SP version. Only 1 paint chip at 8 o clock position. Bought early this year, asking for $180. Strung with BG80 @ 25lbs. Serial #7316212, DOB = 121273SP.
Technologies: Elastic Ti, Power Armor system, CS CAP, Isometric, nanoscience, new grommet system, T-joint and Muscle power frame. Flex: stiff, Balance = head heavy.
The reason I want to sell is to buy a new NS9000X 3UG4. I also have a 3UG5 AT900P I want to sell or trade, about S180. you can sms me if you want to meet up. I can show you the racquets. "
No badminton this week
Everybody's going away for holidays or plans. Christmas and new year coming up.
My racquet AT900P 3UG5
I have posted my racquet for sale in badmintoncentral, but a lot of potential buyers are not genuine and are really "hessitant" when it comes to spending money on quality products.
For example, the retail price for AT900P is SGD 250. My racquet was used for like 3 months and has no chip. My offer was SGD 180 is (which is a great bargain) a net loss of SGD 70. So the bargainers think its still too expensive and wanted to lower it to some ridiculous amount of SGD 140. Go figure.
For example, the retail price for AT900P is SGD 250. My racquet was used for like 3 months and has no chip. My offer was SGD 180 is (which is a great bargain) a net loss of SGD 70. So the bargainers think its still too expensive and wanted to lower it to some ridiculous amount of SGD 140. Go figure.
Super Series Masters Finals
The Game just finished.
MS-Lee Chong Wei def Peter Gade 21-8, 21-16
WS-Zhou Mi def Wang Chen 21-14, 21-18
MD-Khoo&Tan def Lee Yong Dae&Jung Jae Sung 21-18, 21-14
WD-Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty def Vita Marissa-Lilyana Natsir 21-15, 22-20
MXD-Thomas Laybourn-Kamilia Rytter def Nova Widianto-Lilyana Natsir 21-19,18-21, 22-20.
Very good day for Malaysia. 3 winners, very surprised.
Indonesia didn't do so well this time, might due to political turmoil in PBSI, their players seemed unfocus and like something is bothering them.
MS-Lee Chong Wei def Peter Gade 21-8, 21-16
WS-Zhou Mi def Wang Chen 21-14, 21-18
MD-Khoo&Tan def Lee Yong Dae&Jung Jae Sung 21-18, 21-14
WD-Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty def Vita Marissa-Lilyana Natsir 21-15, 22-20
MXD-Thomas Laybourn-Kamilia Rytter def Nova Widianto-Lilyana Natsir 21-19,18-21, 22-20.
Very good day for Malaysia. 3 winners, very surprised.
Indonesia didn't do so well this time, might due to political turmoil in PBSI, their players seemed unfocus and like something is bothering them.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Super Series Masters Semi-finals
Here's the schedule of today's match.
A funny thing is Sony Dwi Kuncoro is wearing some sponsored attire and racquets with "A" symbol that looks like Apacs instead of Yonex. Natsir and Marissa Vita were using flypower.
The finicial crisis hit PBSI, there's a report on this today.
The head line reads", Hendrawan can’t help but envy the support that badminton gets here".
Thestar.com.my further states, "INDONESIAN coach Hendrawan cannot help but envy Malaysia as far as the government’s support for badminton is concerned.
Indonesian shuttlers have, since last month, been forced to leave the national training centre and rejoin their respective clubs due to financial difficulties."
A funny thing is Sony Dwi Kuncoro is wearing some sponsored attire and racquets with "A" symbol that looks like Apacs instead of Yonex. Natsir and Marissa Vita were using flypower.
The finicial crisis hit PBSI, there's a report on this today.
The head line reads", Hendrawan can’t help but envy the support that badminton gets here".
Thestar.com.my further states, "INDONESIAN coach Hendrawan cannot help but envy Malaysia as far as the government’s support for badminton is concerned.
Indonesian shuttlers have, since last month, been forced to leave the national training centre and rejoin their respective clubs due to financial difficulties."
Thursday, December 18, 2008
World Super Series Masters Finals 2008
Today is the 1st day of the Super Series Masters Finals.
The results today are out.
Pretty interesting match up especially the men's doubles.
The results today are out.
Pretty interesting match up especially the men's doubles.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Air-bourne diseases of indoor sports
Recently the news reported that Peter Gade had mild bouts of pneumonia.
Quote the star," For now, Gade-Christensen does not want any matters on coaching to distract his focus on bridging the gap with the top two men’s singles players — Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei and China’s Lin Dan.
He is pleasantly surprised with the way he had got back among the top five in the world ranking after getting off to a horrible start to the season. He had to skip several tournaments because of pneumonia and broken ribs.
But he showed that the fire in him was still burning intensely in reviving his career by nailing the Danish and French Open titles." 17 Dec 2008.
I suspect playing indoors, the air circulation is not that good and being in a confine space further adds to the problem.
As recently as 5 months ago, I went for some chest X-rays, my lungs showed some opaque objects in my lower right lungs. It looks like my alveolus was clotted by some material like mucus or fluid.
But my GP checked that I had no symptoms of Tuberculosis and most probably mild pneumonia. Phew! I am perfectly healthy in prime of life, with optimal BMI, blood pressure and resting heart rate. I have no bloodshot eyes, coughing blood or general malaise.
My physician relative told me," May be a Mycoplasma infection. I think unlikely to be TB as it would have hilar involvement; also usually the TB lesion will be in the upper lobes. Usually, there would be a need for a repeat CXR may be after a few weeks to confirm resolution. I take it that you don't have sweats/chills at night. No "clubbing of the fingernails"? Why the referral to a neurologist and not a respiratory specialist? ".
Puzzled, my GP referred me to a neurologist rather than a pulmonary specialist who sent me for multiple X-rays, front and lateral. Luckily the costly CT scan was ruled out since my 2nd X-rays showed improvements. About another month later, the opaque nodules somewhat clear.
As I recalled, I never smoked, drink about twice a month and exercise regularly.
About early January I recalled Singapore had a haze problem with forest fires from Sumatra. I jogged outdoors regularly and played badminton indoors. Who knows if those nasty pollutants got trapped in my alveolus?
The only thing I recalled was I had a mild cold one month before the chest x-ray. According to my specialist, it takes up to 2-3 months for the mucus to clear, surprisingly.
The only exposure I had was working indoors in an office environment and playing lots of badminton indoors in sports hall/courts. I suspect that was the exposure I had. I'm pretty hygienic as well but we all know in public places, sometimes the door handles/water tap etc can be contaminated by a person with lung diseases.
Well, that should not discourage me from playing badminton.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Brands in Badminton
There are a plethora of sporting brands in Badminton. Many tennis manufacturer have tried to switch to badminton, with moderate success.
The purist badminton company still produce the better racquets.
For shuttles cocks,the best is still the high grade goose feather.
For shoes, unfortunately, the purist Badminton company may not produce the best shoes.
Yonex, Carlton, Ashaway, Prince, Wilson, Babolat, Gosen, Forza, Black Knight, RSL, SOTX and Victor are some of the well-known brands.
Others include Kason, Apacs, Toalson, Mizuno, Sintec, Astec, Hart, Yang Yang, Karakal, ProAce, Protech, Flypower and Prokennex are lesser known brands in Badminton.
The purist badminton company still produce the better racquets.
For shuttles cocks,the best is still the high grade goose feather.
For shoes, unfortunately, the purist Badminton company may not produce the best shoes.
Yonex, Carlton, Ashaway, Prince, Wilson, Babolat, Gosen, Forza, Black Knight, RSL, SOTX and Victor are some of the well-known brands.
Others include Kason, Apacs, Toalson, Mizuno, Sintec, Astec, Hart, Yang Yang, Karakal, ProAce, Protech, Flypower and Prokennex are lesser known brands in Badminton.
The science of Badminton
This CCTV documentary perfectly captures the technology and advances made in badminton.
An awesome video.
An awesome video.
Menicus damage vs articular cartilage damage
I just came back from a day-long talk at A-star's IBN at Matrix Biopolis.
Interesting talk.
One particular talk captures my thought.
by Dr. Justin Cooper-White.
Basically, with all the advances in bioengineering and stem cell research, meniscus is still impossible to reconstruct. Yikes. And it happens frequently in sports...
An important lesson I learn is that, of all the joints in the body, the knee is the most important. It's the most complex and difficult to treat. With the onset of degenerative disease like Osteoarthritis, it's impossible to regain natural freedom of motion without excruciating pain. Remember kids, save the knees.
A reminder by Xiao Jie, that the knees should flex more than 90 degrees when landing to prevent injury.
Interesting talk.
One particular talk captures my thought.
by Dr. Justin Cooper-White.
Basically, with all the advances in bioengineering and stem cell research, meniscus is still impossible to reconstruct. Yikes. And it happens frequently in sports...
An important lesson I learn is that, of all the joints in the body, the knee is the most important. It's the most complex and difficult to treat. With the onset of degenerative disease like Osteoarthritis, it's impossible to regain natural freedom of motion without excruciating pain. Remember kids, save the knees.
A reminder by Xiao Jie, that the knees should flex more than 90 degrees when landing to prevent injury.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
China players pull out from Superseries
RAJES PAUL
Thestar.com.my
12th December 2008
Badminton: China snub BWF by pulling out from Masters Finals
Quote:
"ALOR STAR: It was a big slap on the face for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) when mighty China withdrew all their players from the most lucrative tournament — the inaugural US$500,000 Super Series Masters Finals, which will be held in Kota Kinabalu from Dec 18-21.
China cited three reasons for turning their back on the Masters Finals:
·their players are tired after a long season;
·some players are nursing injuries; and
·they will be involved in a three-month training camp.
China will also not feature in the first two opening legs of the new Super Series season next month in Malaysia (Jan 6-11) and South Korea (Jan 13-18).
Their decision certainly dilutes the competitive edge in all the five events — especially the men’s singles.
The players who will miss the season finale of the Super Series are Beijing Olympic Games champion Lin Dan (pic) and All-England winner Chen Jin (men’s singles); women singles players Lu Lan and Zhu Lin (women’s singles); men’s doubles pair of Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun (men’s doubles); women’s doubles players Du Jing-Yu Yang and Zhao Yunlei-Cheng Shu (women’s doubles); and He Hanbin-Yu Yang and Xie Zhongbo-Zhang Yawen (mixed doubles).
Their withdrawals, however, is good news for two Malaysians.
Seasoned campaigner Wong Choong Hann will now get to go for the Masters Finals as one of the eight qualifiers in the men’s singles while women’s singles shuttler Wong Mew Choo will also be making the trip to Kota Kinabalu.
If the Chinese shuttlers’ withdrawals were bad enough, BWF suffered another blow when Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat also pulled out yesterday, citing wrist injury. His place will be taken by Ng Wei of Hong Kong.
Only the top eight players after 12 legs of this year’s Super Series get to feature in the Masters Finals.
World No. 1 men’s singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei did not want to read too much into China’s decision to shy away from the prestigious tournament.
“China are very serious about their training camp. But their decision does not make any difference to me,” said Chong Wei, who is here for the National Grand Prix Finals.
“With or without Lin Dan, I will be out to give my best in my last tournament for the year. My aim is still the same — to at least reach the final,” he said.
Without Lin Dan and Chen Jin, those expected to make it difficult for Chong Wei are Denmark’s Peter Gade-Christensen and Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro.
Malaysia’s other representatives in the Masters Finals are the two men’s doubles pairs of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari and the top women’s doubles pair of Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty.
Meanwhile, the BWF have taken China’s decision on a positive note.
BWF secretary general Stuart Borrie said: “We respect China’s decision. Despite their absence, we still have a quality field. In singles, we have Chong Wei and Peter. It will still be a success.”
Sigh, there goes my plan to visit Sabah and climb Mount Kinabalu.
Thestar.com.my
12th December 2008
Badminton: China snub BWF by pulling out from Masters Finals
Quote:
"ALOR STAR: It was a big slap on the face for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) when mighty China withdrew all their players from the most lucrative tournament — the inaugural US$500,000 Super Series Masters Finals, which will be held in Kota Kinabalu from Dec 18-21.
China cited three reasons for turning their back on the Masters Finals:
·their players are tired after a long season;
·some players are nursing injuries; and
·they will be involved in a three-month training camp.
China will also not feature in the first two opening legs of the new Super Series season next month in Malaysia (Jan 6-11) and South Korea (Jan 13-18).
Their decision certainly dilutes the competitive edge in all the five events — especially the men’s singles.
The players who will miss the season finale of the Super Series are Beijing Olympic Games champion Lin Dan (pic) and All-England winner Chen Jin (men’s singles); women singles players Lu Lan and Zhu Lin (women’s singles); men’s doubles pair of Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun (men’s doubles); women’s doubles players Du Jing-Yu Yang and Zhao Yunlei-Cheng Shu (women’s doubles); and He Hanbin-Yu Yang and Xie Zhongbo-Zhang Yawen (mixed doubles).
Their withdrawals, however, is good news for two Malaysians.
Seasoned campaigner Wong Choong Hann will now get to go for the Masters Finals as one of the eight qualifiers in the men’s singles while women’s singles shuttler Wong Mew Choo will also be making the trip to Kota Kinabalu.
If the Chinese shuttlers’ withdrawals were bad enough, BWF suffered another blow when Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat also pulled out yesterday, citing wrist injury. His place will be taken by Ng Wei of Hong Kong.
Only the top eight players after 12 legs of this year’s Super Series get to feature in the Masters Finals.
World No. 1 men’s singles shuttler Lee Chong Wei did not want to read too much into China’s decision to shy away from the prestigious tournament.
“China are very serious about their training camp. But their decision does not make any difference to me,” said Chong Wei, who is here for the National Grand Prix Finals.
“With or without Lin Dan, I will be out to give my best in my last tournament for the year. My aim is still the same — to at least reach the final,” he said.
Without Lin Dan and Chen Jin, those expected to make it difficult for Chong Wei are Denmark’s Peter Gade-Christensen and Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro.
Malaysia’s other representatives in the Masters Finals are the two men’s doubles pairs of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong and Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif-Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari and the top women’s doubles pair of Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty.
Meanwhile, the BWF have taken China’s decision on a positive note.
BWF secretary general Stuart Borrie said: “We respect China’s decision. Despite their absence, we still have a quality field. In singles, we have Chong Wei and Peter. It will still be a success.”
Sigh, there goes my plan to visit Sabah and climb Mount Kinabalu.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Jump smashes
The jump smash is the the most impressive looking shot in badminton.
GIFSoup
Here, Indonesia's ex-National player Liem Swie King doing a jumpsmash.
Nothing is more impressive than watching pros doing a jumpsmash.
Markis Kido
Taufik Hidayat
Julia Wong
GIFSoup
Here, Indonesia's ex-National player Liem Swie King doing a jumpsmash.
Nothing is more impressive than watching pros doing a jumpsmash.
Markis Kido
Taufik Hidayat
Julia Wong
Yonex Racquet reviews
So far I have tried and use the following racquets:
Nanospeed 9000X 3UG4
Nanospeed 5000 3UG4
Armotec 500 3UG5
Armotec 900 Technique 3UG5
Armotec 900 Technique 4UG4
Armotec 900 Power 3UG5
Armortec 900 Power 4UG4
Carbonex 21 2UG4
Carbonex 21 special 2UG4
Muscle Power 99 3UG5
Muscle Power 100 3UG4
Titanium Mesh Ti-10 3UG5
Arcsaber 10 3UG5
Note: U = weight
3U = 85-89 grams
2U = 90 -95 grams
G = grip size. 3-5, 5 is smallest, 3 is biggest
Nanospeed 9000X 3UG4
Nanospeed 5000 3UG4
Armotec 500 3UG5
Armotec 900 Technique 3UG5
Armotec 900 Technique 4UG4
Armotec 900 Power 3UG5
Armortec 900 Power 4UG4
Carbonex 21 2UG4
Carbonex 21 special 2UG4
Muscle Power 99 3UG5
Muscle Power 100 3UG4
Titanium Mesh Ti-10 3UG5
Arcsaber 10 3UG5
Note: U = weight
3U = 85-89 grams
2U = 90 -95 grams
G = grip size. 3-5, 5 is smallest, 3 is biggest
* I love the Nanospeed 9000 type X the most. It gives me the most powerful smash and is highly responsive. Only drawback is the cost and percieved fragility.
Friday, December 5, 2008
joy of badminton
Badminton is a highly competitive sports. It is highly addictive. Winning is fun and losing is a pain.
Where I play badminton
I love to play badminton. I started playing without proper training at age 7.
Back then, badminton is a religion in SEA, mainly in Malaysia and Indonesia.
I grew up with legends like Misbun, Morten Frost, Zhao Jian Hua, Yang Yang, Lim Swee King, Peter Gade, Chen Hong etc.
I have played all over Singapore, but mostly either the West or Central.
But seriously I regretted not playing in the school team, mainly to concentrate on my studies so that I could become a medical scientist. Back then, taking sports as a career is frown upon in my society. Parents/teachers used to say that pro-athletes in highly aerobics/explosive sport like badminton is limited by age/physical ability. Once your heart rate and lung capacity drops, like mid 30s, your career as an athlete is likely over. Not only that, the joints become less flexible and more prone to injury. This is due to the thicker collagen fibres secreted by fibroblast over a period of time and the body's ability to repair as quickly as a youth's body diminishes. Another negative side effect of badminton, is it's a high impact sport. Particularly damaging is damage to the cartilage, meniscus and the ligaments (ACL etc). Even as a kid or teen, these joint injuries is devastating. Modern science still have a ways to go. Stem cells seems promising but they need a lot of understanding before it's FDA approved safe for routine clinical use. Right now its still in largely in clinical trials phase.
However, on the bright side, Badminton unlike other sports like soccer/basketball is a true life-long sports. It's played by the young, old and young at heart.In Singapore, we can see people from 3 generation plahying. Kids, dads, and grandfathers. Not only that, badminton is highly addictive and truly a social sports, uniting people from different ethnic, age, language and gender backgrounds. It's not uncommon to see people of different races playing together like old friends, although in real life, it's not so evident.
Now I am realizing my dreams but not in badminton. But I play regularly after I graduated. I played in Canada and Malaysia before. Regretted I didn't join Kwun's group in San Jose (Badminton central), when I was stationed in Milpitas Ca, next to the Great Mall. My ex-coach quitted his stable job to becoming a full time coach. Now he is reaping the benefits. There is a promising demand for coaches in Singapore.
Back then, badminton is a religion in SEA, mainly in Malaysia and Indonesia.
I grew up with legends like Misbun, Morten Frost, Zhao Jian Hua, Yang Yang, Lim Swee King, Peter Gade, Chen Hong etc.
I have played all over Singapore, but mostly either the West or Central.
But seriously I regretted not playing in the school team, mainly to concentrate on my studies so that I could become a medical scientist. Back then, taking sports as a career is frown upon in my society. Parents/teachers used to say that pro-athletes in highly aerobics/explosive sport like badminton is limited by age/physical ability. Once your heart rate and lung capacity drops, like mid 30s, your career as an athlete is likely over. Not only that, the joints become less flexible and more prone to injury. This is due to the thicker collagen fibres secreted by fibroblast over a period of time and the body's ability to repair as quickly as a youth's body diminishes. Another negative side effect of badminton, is it's a high impact sport. Particularly damaging is damage to the cartilage, meniscus and the ligaments (ACL etc). Even as a kid or teen, these joint injuries is devastating. Modern science still have a ways to go. Stem cells seems promising but they need a lot of understanding before it's FDA approved safe for routine clinical use. Right now its still in largely in clinical trials phase.
However, on the bright side, Badminton unlike other sports like soccer/basketball is a true life-long sports. It's played by the young, old and young at heart.In Singapore, we can see people from 3 generation plahying. Kids, dads, and grandfathers. Not only that, badminton is highly addictive and truly a social sports, uniting people from different ethnic, age, language and gender backgrounds. It's not uncommon to see people of different races playing together like old friends, although in real life, it's not so evident.
Now I am realizing my dreams but not in badminton. But I play regularly after I graduated. I played in Canada and Malaysia before. Regretted I didn't join Kwun's group in San Jose (Badminton central), when I was stationed in Milpitas Ca, next to the Great Mall. My ex-coach quitted his stable job to becoming a full time coach. Now he is reaping the benefits. There is a promising demand for coaches in Singapore.
injuries in badminton
Common injuries sustained in advanced/professional and amateur players usually occurs in the joints.Racquet sports are particularly tough on the joints. Badminton is especially tough on the lower joints particularly the ankle and knees. To a lesser extent badminton can also cause groin strain and charley horse, if proper stretching is not done. Another common injury is the 'racquet' wrist/finger/elbow and shoulder.
References:
Badminton injuries--a prospective epidemiological and socioeconomic study.
K Høy, B E Lindblad, C J Terkelsen, H E Helleland, and C J Terkelsen, Br J Sports Med. 1994 December; 28(4): 276–279.
I hate to be a bearer of bad news. Damage to the knee particularly the meniscus is devastating. Likely the end of badminton playing days. This is chiefly, the menisci cartilage is difficult to repair and treat successfully. Common orthopaedic treatment is just pain relief. Orthopaedic surgeons called it debridement or Lavage. Not only that, the fancy surgery that uses autologous chondrocytes etc can run into thousands of dollars. The repaired tissue is probably become fibrocartilage and result in inferior tissue, according to clinical litreture, it may cause OA or OsteoArthritis. Even for youth, damage to the joints is a no-no. By all means, protect your joints. Better be safe than sorry.
Badminton is a technical sport
Everybody who plays badminton knows it's very easy to start playing the game, just hit the shuttle across the net. This is even without proper training.
The most important skill to learn for beginners is the grip. This is the fundamental to stroke selection and the direction/trajectory of the shuttlecock. After the grip, the ready position. After that is the basic footwork to 4 corners and the return to the centre base. Lastly is the strokes.
But the technical skill of badminton takes years to learn. There are many scenarios, shot selection, guile, movements and most important maintaining dynamic balance, to be able to retrieve any shots quickly.
It's a highly demanding sport in terms of reflexes. Timing is extremely important when hitting a stroke, the delicate tumbling net shots, drop shots are contrasted with the powerful smashes and clears.
The most important skill to learn for beginners is the grip. This is the fundamental to stroke selection and the direction/trajectory of the shuttlecock. After the grip, the ready position. After that is the basic footwork to 4 corners and the return to the centre base. Lastly is the strokes.
But the technical skill of badminton takes years to learn. There are many scenarios, shot selection, guile, movements and most important maintaining dynamic balance, to be able to retrieve any shots quickly.
It's a highly demanding sport in terms of reflexes. Timing is extremely important when hitting a stroke, the delicate tumbling net shots, drop shots are contrasted with the powerful smashes and clears.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
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