Deceptive overhead clears, hold and punch

I remember seeing a coach or some advanced player toying around with the double action clear shots. I even fell for it as I never seen in action before.

I call it the hold and punch.

Gollum covered it briefly here in badminton bible. In hindsight, I would have identify it as what it is, but I rarely seen it in action.

As covered by Lee Jae Bok, there are three types of clear, 1) defensive clear 2) offensive clear  3) punch clear. Ref it here.

This is usually starts with a overhead shot side-way stand.

The person pretends to drop, even doing a jump to fake the shot.

This delaying (or Hold) gives the opponent the impression that the incoming shot will be a slice or drop.

The punch is launch when the player sees the opponent just before he/she began the weight shifting/split step.

Instead, the player never even make contact in the air. The player let the shuttle drop a little and hit it when the player's feet touched the ground.

When the player landed, he/she hit a clear by just tapping with the wrist (just like a goalkeeper punching the soccer ball). Hence a punch clear.

Here is one famous example, but clearly Lee Chong Wei was caught expecting a dropshot or smash by Lin Dan. Instead Lin Dan fake the drop/smash into a punch clear.

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This is provided, the opponent hits a weak/weaker clear and you reach the shuttle early. The double action punch clear has the effect of the opponent stranded if he is caught just returning to base position. (a movement pressure tactic).

The hold and punch can even be applied on a backhand clear.

I remember Boonsak Ponsana executing a very strange shot that I have never seen before. It has the effect of fooling your eye via a backhand dropshot hold into a backhand clear.

However, if the hold and punch is predicted, the opponent can quickly jump up and cut it or even smash it if he can jumpback to get behind the shuttle.


[aka the block jump or China jump, (jumping footwork to the forehand corner)]

Use the hold and punch with caution against better players as any double action shots are just lifting or giving the opportunity for the opponent to attack. In doubles, this is somewhat suicidal as lifting the shuttle gives the initiative away.

Conclusion of China Super Series 2011

The China Open Super Series 2011 in Shanghai has just been completed.

Unlike the Hong Kong Open, China did not sweep the titles of every discipline.

Denmark's Boe and Mogensen beat the Korea's MD pair of Ko and  Yoo in straight sets 21-17, 21-13 in 42 minutes.

The other interesting match is Denmark's XD pair, Nielsen and Pedersen against the same opponent, Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei in the Hong Kong Open 2011.
The Danish pair fell again to the Chinese pair of Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei in straight sets, 21-11, 21-14 in 38 minutes.

The rest of the games of WS, MS and WD are all China domestic affairs.

The finals was shown live in BWF's channel at

http://www.youtube.com/user/bwf

Friendly Fire in Doubles

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Friendly fire or accidentally hitting your partner in a game of badminton happens.

In this example, the front court player, Heather Olver cannot see her partner, Anthony Clark at the backcourt. Anthony Clark hits a desperate drive shot into Heather's head. Oops!

Badminton shoes Asics vs. Yonex

Am currently using and alternating both shoes for badminton.

Model Asics Gel Blade 3 and Yonex SHB65CF. Currently, the Yonex SHB65CF is my go to shoe.

These older model shoes are not the highest end models but roughly upper mid range.

I bought these shoes as they are reputable brands and offers a lot of cushioning and looked good to boot.

The Yonex shoe felt somewhat lighter and more comfortable. The Asics shoe is somewhat bouncy (owing to its gel cushioning) and slightly lower to the ground.

In terms of cushioning, both are comparable and felt there's no difference. But on hindsight of Asics reputation, one would give it the benefit of the doubt that it has better cushioning. On the other hand, this cushioning comes at the cost of extra weight and hence heavier. The Yonex model felt so lighter and more mobile.

I guess to each its own pros and cons. On a lazier day I would stick to the Asics and on a more active day the Yonex shoe.

It's great to be able to choose. Bah! now I know why the ladies are so into shoes...

Shuttlecocks

I have been neglecting the topic or subject of shuttlecocks in this blog.

But basically, the best shuttlecocks is currently the Goosefeather shuttlecock.

This is superior to the synthetic shuttlecocks made from nylon/plastic.

The goose being a natural biomaterial is a sustainable/renewable resource, a by-product of the poultry industry.

 Above is a tube of Victor Master Ace shuttlecock.

Above are tubes of APACS shuttlecocks.

White, Red and Black racquet stencil ink

Racquet stencil ink comes in primarily 3 (or 4) colors, chiefly red, black, white (and blue).

Many players dislike stencil inks as it  fades easily after games (and need reapplication). Not only that, shuttles and other player's strings are 'stained' with the colors.

The most inoffensive stain is the more uncommon White Stencil Ink. It works only on Black (or very dark color) strings.

On the other hand, some coaches or players stated that the use of stencil inks during games/tournaments showed that the player is good enough to be sponsored by a badminton company and hence have some psychological advantage.

The opposing player may feel that he/she is up against a superior player and may have some inferiority complex especially in a singles game. This sort of only works on non-international tournaments or lower levels as at higher levels/professionals, most (if not all) players are sponsored.