slow shuttle vs technique flaw or change in strength?

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by ralphz, Sep 13, 2020.

  1. ralphz

    ralphz Regular Member

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    I'm aware that there is a test one can do to see if a shuttle is slow or fast...An underarm forehand shot from the back

    But what if you get stronger or weaker, or something goes in technique.. e.g. your arm was a bit close to your body. Or you hit the shuttle higher than normal.

    Or what if you swung harder than normal.. maybe you were more relaxed and thus hit it harder. Or more relaxed and thus didn't hit it as hard. Or were too tense and hit it less hard.

    Or if you cut it a little bit and it didn't go so straight.

    Let's say that to do the test, you have to get good at hitting a correct speed shuttle, at the right strength and with the right technique, such that standing behind the rear service line it goes to the back tramlines.. Well, let's say you do it for that shuttle, but how do you know it was a correct speed shuttle?

    Similarly, if I am playing a game, a clear may send the shuttle perfectly into the middle of the back tramlines, Then in another game, for whatever reason, a clear doesn't. I don't know if the shuttle was slow or if it's a flaw in technique. One could use that method of testing a shuttle, before the game starts. But then that method seems to have the issue mentioned above.
     
  2. llrr

    llrr Regular Member

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    Let's just say there's a serious problem with the way shuttle speed is tested. There are way too many variables as you have mentioned and I feel like there needs to be a better, more consistent method of testing shuttle speeds.
     
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  3. DarkHiatus

    DarkHiatus Regular Member

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    At the end of the day, it's up to you and your opponent to agree on a speed. My speed test leads to a shuttle landing on the short end of the range - I would expect someone with better technique to be able to hit it to the far end of the range, or even just beyond the court if they really give it some wallop (but still adhering to the rules of underarm testing i.e. no run ups etc.). From my experience, the maximum variability is going to be +/- 1 speed of shuttle i.e. you can hit a slower shuttle hard with good technique and get it to land in the same place as a faster shuttle with less good technique.

    People generally want to be playing with a slower than a faster shuttle from what I have experienced (assuming they are still able to hit it within the correct speed test range). This is because they'll have the advantage vs. their opponent if their opponent cannot hit it as far/hard as they can.

    I have had people complain that they don't want a new shuttle and that my speed test is incorrect (short of the line) because they can hit it the full distance with (a lot) of effort i.e. they wanted a slower shuttle, whereas i very rarely have someone tell me they want a faster (new) shuttle if I can hit it within the speed test boundaries (they could hit it harder and get it out of the court, but they're normally fine to go with the slower shuttle). I imagine this holds true as you go higher up - the person with more power will dictate the shuttle speed generally. If all players on a court are speed testing >1m

    But overall, I believe worst you will come up with is playing 1 speed of shuttle slower than you are 'used' to.

    In terms of technique etc...I think most people who play regularly are generally aware when they hit a "good" shot that comes off with great timing and contact, and a "bad" shot that feels sliced/mistimed/mishit. This holds true of speed testing as well, so if you test a shuttle enough, you will have your own baseline to figure out if the shuttle is the reason your clears keep going short/long etc. I personally test the shuttle at least start of match and during the break, and also if I feel the shuttle flight/speed is not what I was expecting e.g. hit a clean clear which ended up 1m from the back...and i'll probably look at my racquet strings too just to check they haven't snapped! I've had 2 occasions where looking actually showed the racquet was the problem; once where strings had snapped, and another where my whole frame had cracked! Both times I didn't actually realise until i looked at the racquet...wasn't obvious from prior play.

    Sometimes my speed test can just be off for a particular day...but it will be clear to me that i'm hitting it weird because i know the right feeling. Normally it will still be consistent on that day though, so they will all fly e.g. 0.5m short of the mark. At least then I know if it starts flying 1m short of the mark that I should start thinking about asking for a new shuttle, and getting my opponent to demonstrate they can hit it into the test zone if they challenge the request.
     

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