A Little Birdie Told Me: Talking About Strokes

Much like tennis, its distant cousin, the two most basic shots in badminton are the forehand and backhand. A player's forehand side is typically his or her dominant, or playing, hand. For a right-handed player, the forehand is on the right and the backhand on the left; forehand strokes are hit with the palm of the hand facing outward, while backhand strokes are hit with the knuckles leading.

The three basic offensive shots in badminton are the clear, smash and drop shot. However, a player's ability to execute these shots during the rally normally depends on how well he starts the point. Everything in badminton starts with the serve.

Matt DeFransisco prepares to hit a
forehand serve for Adelphi.
(Photo by me)

Serve
Not only does the serve start a point, but it can also be used as a weapon. A serve can be executed using a forehand or backhand stroke, but there are many intricate rules which make serving the most difficult concept to master in badminton.

At the start of the rally, the server and receiver stand diagonally from each other in their respective service boxes. The serve must make contact with the serve below the waste and serve using an underhand motion with the racket pointing downwards. The shuttlecock is not allowed to bounce.

If a player hits the serve out of bounds, or if he swings and does not make contact with the shuttlecock, then he loses the point and the serve goes to the opponent.

The singles and doubles courts have different boundary lines when it comes to serving. In singles, the playing area and service area are the same and is commonly referred to as "long and narrow." In doubles, the serving area is referred to as "short and wide," while the playing area is "long and wide."

The different serving areas in badminton.
(Chart via www.birdievents.com)

Badminton serves can be categorized as short serves and long serves, and can be performed using a forehand or backhand service action. Typically, forehand serves are played in singles and backhand serves in doubles; however, this usually comes down to player preference.

Clear

The clear can be used as both a rally and defensive shot in badminton. It is the most common stroke, played underhand or overhand on the forehand or backhand sides. The overhead clear is used to push the opponent into the backcourt and open the front court to finish the point. It can also be used to give a player more time to get back into position when on defense. The underhand clear serves the same purpose, but it is played from the front area of the court to the opponent's back court.

It is important for clears to be played deep in the court. Poorly executed, short or mishit clears can set up an opponent to put away an easy smash. 

Smash

Jenna Cavuto comes down from a jump
smash. (Photo by me)

The smash is the 'kill shot' in badminton, hit with a lot of power and speed downward into the opponent's court. There is almost no defense against it, aside from quick reactions and maybe a bit of luck, due to the speed and trajectory of the shuttle. It can be played on both the forehand and backhand sides. The forehand overhead smash is executed in similar fashion to throwing a ball. When preparing to hit the shot, a player should shift his weight onto his back foot, before making contact with the shuttle high above his head and in front of his body. At the point of contact, the player should snap his wrist down, follow through with the racket, and shift weight from the back to the front foot. Footwork and positioning are the keys to executing a successful smash. Once mastering the basic smash, advanced players can also execute the jumping smash. A jump smash generates more power, comes at a steeper angle and gives the opponent even less time to react. Professional badminton players regularly hit jump smashes at incredible speeds. Fu Haifeng (seen in the attached video) holds the Guiness World Record for Fastest Men's Badminton Smash. At the 2005 Sudiman Cup, Fu hit a smash that clocked in at 206 mph (332 kph).

Drop Shot

A properly executed drop shot will just clear the net and land in the front court very close to the net. Typically, it is the best shot to use when the opponent is in the back court to break open a point. When playing it is important not to give away one's intent to use a drop shot, as the opponent might be able to read the play and run down a poorly executed one. 

In preparing to hit a drop shot, a player should set up as if they are hitting a smash or a clear to maximize deception. A player should contact the shuttlecock slightly in front of them, and hit it lightly and smoothly. Not a lot of power is required to get the shot over the net if it is executed correctly. 

Badminton Club Hosting Fundraiser Tournament on December 3rd

The Adelphi badminton club will be hosting their annual doubles tournament fundraiser on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m on the East Court at the Center for Recreation and Sports. The tournament will consist of a best-of-three set, single-elimination bracket. There is a registration fee of $5 per player, or $10 per team which is due the day of the tournament. All proceeds from the event will go to support the badminton club for next semester, including to help defray costs of travel, new equipment and gear. 

Registration forms can be picked up in the Campus Recreation Office, located in Woodruff Hall 240, or email the form to the club's president at jennacavuto@mail.adelphi.edu. The registration deadline is Nov. 25th and each member of the winning doubles team will each receive a prize!

Come and pick up your registration form in the Campus Recreation office to help
support the Adelphi Badminton Club!

Tournament Review: Adelphi Badminton at the College of William and Mary Tournament

The team that represented Adelphi at the tournament. (l to r: Daylynn Wu,
Matt DeFransisco, Jenna Cavuto, Donald Wunder, Evelyn Rivera,
Alissa Montalbano, Yao Zhao) Photo credit: Jenna Cavuto

The Adelphi badminton team competed in their second tournament of the fall semester this weekend, a tournament hosted on the campus of the College of William and Mary. Unfortunately for the club, they only managed to record one win combined against experienced squads from the host school, Duke University and the University of Virginia, among others.

In women's doubles, Yao Zhao and Alissa Montalbano teamed up along with Evelyn Rivera and Daylynn Wu. Both teams put a a good fight in their first match before losing. Zhao and Montalbano fell in two tight sets with equal 21-19, 21-19 scores, while Wu and Rivera fell in a three-set match, 21-13, 18-21, 21-13. 

In the consolation "D" bracket, Wu and Rivera advanced to the finals. In the final match, they were defeated by a 21-6, 21-14 scoreline and took home the runner-up trophy.

Wu and Rivera's runner-up trophy. Photo credit: Jenna Cavuto

Due to the fact both Kevin Jianchen Xuan and Kevin Ferguson were unavailable for the tournament, Matt DeFransisco and Donald Wunder were Adelphi's only representatives in the men's doubles bracket. 

In the mixed doubles "A" bracket, Wunder and Cavuto teamed up as did DeFransisco and Wu. Both teams were defeated in their first matches.  

Wu & DeFransisco competing in mixed doubles.
Photo credit: Jenna Cavuto

Montalbano paired up George Chang from Duke University as the final mixed doubles pairing. In their first match in the "A" bracket, they were defeated by Rijo Reji and Sharon Ma 21-10, 21-19. As a result, the pairing moved to the "C" bracket. There, they recorded the only win for Adelphi on the weekend as they won, 21-13, 15-21, 21-19. However, their campaign ended in the second round, ironically, by exactly the same score. 

Although it was a tough weekend on the court for the club, they were able to bond off the court and happy to have the experience of playing at a high level. 

"The statement, 'You improve your game when you play better athletes in a sport' is very true," Wunder said. 

Although the team didn't get as many wins as they might have wanted this weekend, they still produced some highlight-reel points. Check out the two videos below!

Yao Zhao comes out on top in a rally in singles with a killer smash!

Matt DeFransisco makes a diving save in doubles, and Adelphi wins the point!

Match Preview: AU Badminton at the College of William and Mary Tournament

Photo credit: www.wm.edu

This weekend, the Adelphi University badminton team will take its competition level to new heights by leaving the state for the first time. On Friday, Nov. 8th, the team will be taking a road trip to Virginia to a tournament hosted by the College of William and Mary. The tournament is a two-day event. On Saturday, Nov. 9th, the team will be competing in men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. On Sunday, Nov. 10th, the team will continue to compete in doubles play while also competing in a singles bracket.

The tournament is hosted on the campus of the College of William and Mary, but a variety of other schools will also be making the trip to compete. University of Richmond, Duke University, James Madison University, George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University are all sending players. The Virginia Beach Badminton Club is also sending players.

The tournament requested a $15 entry fee per event per player, as well as a $10 facility fee. Due to the limited remaining budget, the Adelphi team will only send seven players to the tournament. These players are Jenna Cavuto, Daylynn Wu, Alissa Montalbano, Evelyn Rivera, Yao Zhao, Matt DeFrancisco and Donald Wunder.

Check back this weekend for the team's results! For more information, check out the official site of the badminton club at the College of William and Mary.

A Little Birdie Told Me: Talking About Equipment

The three kinds of rackets used by the Adelphi Badminton Club, as well
as their box of plastic practice birdies. (Photo by me)

While the Adelphi badminton team is preparing for its tournament against the College of William and Mary next weekend, it's a good time to roll out the first of a three-part series on this blog which will be discussing technical aspects of badminton. This post will be focus equipment, the next will discuss different strokes and the last will talk about differences in singles and doubles play and strategy.

The key equipment needed in badminton (as defined by the Olympic Movement) is as follows:
- court: the area of play, as defined by the outer boundary lines
- net: made of fine cord, dark in color and of even thickness, with a mesh.
- posts: used to hold the net in place
- racket: the instrument used by players to hit the shuttlecock
- shuttlecock (Olympic standard): a piece of cork covered in goat skin with 16 goose feathers attached to one end, made from natural or synthetic materials.

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body of badminton and is responsible for approving all equipment used in competition. All statistics and information used in this post are found in the Laws of Badminton, which can be downloaded from the BWF here. All measurements in the rules use the metric system, but these can be easily converted to feet and inches.

The Court

Diagram of a regulation badminton court, found in the Laws of Badminton, Section 1B.

A competition sized badminton court is a rectangle with boundary lines that measure 40 mm (approx. 1.57 inches) wide. From doubles sideline to doubles sideline, the court measures 6.1 meters (20 ft), while the singles court measures 5.18 meters (17 ft), as shown in the picture above. From endline to endline, the court is 13.4 meters long (44 ft).

The net is 1.55 meters (5 ft 1 inch) high at the edges and 1.524 meters (5 ft) high in the centre. The net posts, which hold the net in place, are always placed over the doubles sidelines.

The Racket

A diagram of a standard badminton racket, found
in Section 1B, Subsection 4.

According to BWF regulations, a badminton racket must not exceed 680 mm (26.77 inches) in length or 230 mm (9.055 inches) in width. 

Rackets comes in different weights. The weight of the racket is important, because it determines how fast the player can swing. A lighter racket is more maneuverable than a heavy one.

The Adelphi team uses three different kinds of rackets for players who choose not to use their own personal racket. Each racket differs in weight, string tension and maneuverability.

The Shuttlecock

A regulation badminton shuttlecock, known informally as the 'birdie,' can be made from synthetic or natural materials. 

Typical feather shuttlecocks.
(Photo credit: Chris Eason via Flickr)

The feathered shuttle is required to have 16 feathers fixed at the base with "thread or other suitable material." These feathers should "have a uniform length between 62 mm to 70 mm" (2.44 to 2.76 inches) and shall "lie on circle with a diameter of 58 mm to 68 mm" (2.28 to 2.68 inches).

Below is a pretty cool video from RSL, a professional badminton equipment supplier founded in England in 1928, that shows how they make their feather birdies. For more information on RSL and their badminton equipment, visit their official site.