Badminton Technique: Counting Four

I had a conversation with a friend over dinner about how we can minimise the effort that we spend on court to get the same performance.

This is important because when it comes to the long-drawn rallies, it'll really come down to who can do the most with the least energy.

Here's a technique that I use personally to get the most out of my time on court. It involves knowing when you can walk and when you have to run to get into position.

Before I start however, you'll need to know a bit about the defensive technique of clearing and drop shots. I've written a few articles about badminton strategies so you can browse around using the labels on the right side of your page.

Once you have a pretty good idea of how you can move an opponent around with flat clears and how you can buy time for yourself with high clears, you're ready to start bringing that knowledge to the court.

Take a few games and get familiar with the kind of strokes you like to do, and generally how long it takes for the shuttle to reach the opponent's racket. Once you've got yourself a good sense of the timing involved, you're ready to start Counting Four.

The rules are simple - badminton footwork is like dancing. I take it in counts of four and eight, allowing myself three counts to get to the shuttle, and the fourth to hit.

Once you get to four, you'll need to start moving to the centre, using the first of the next series of four to get into the general direction.

On the second count of the second set, your opponent would have hit the shuttle. That's when you adjust your movement and take out the next three steps of the second set.

You adjust the speed of the count according to how fast the game is going. Use the rhythm to keep you on your toes and get to where you want to go.

Do take note that this technique is more likely to be applied when you're on the offensive or when the game is neutral. Defensive play might involve shortening the counts to three or two, until you're able to extend the counts with a good lift.

Basically, the last counts of the set are when you're hitting the shuttle. Reset the count and establish a steady beat to keep your mind and body in the game.

Happy shuttling!

Badminton Racket First Impressions: Prince Triple Threat 2700

Prince has always produced rackets of quality, and I'm speaking from experience here. Prior to this, I've had the chance to get my hands on two other Prince badminton rackets - the OS Black and the Black Pearl XP - both of which are very well suited to the average shuttler.

But that's just it. Prince caters to serve as a very well-made racket that will fit all kinds of players. While the control and strength are excellent, I do see their rackets missing the extra push when it comes to going beyond good and into being a great piece of sport engineering.

Take the Prince Triple Threat 2700 for example. While it's performed well on all fronts in terms of control (in fact it felt great when I was taking on a slower game of singles today), there was just something missing in the hits that caused me to trade out the racket for the other one I brought.

And when I find out what that missing element is, I'll be sure to write a review for the lovely looking racket.

Badminton Racket First Look: Prince Triple Threat 2700

I think I got my eye on this one since a year back, but didn't get a chance to own it coz someone bought it before me.

But surprise, surprise, the stringer found one in his store, and here I go with another purchase.

Take a look.

 

Selamat Hari Raya and happy holidays!

Quite a bit of the readers who chance their way to this blog are from Malaysia, and I thought I'd give a shout-out since it's the festive holidays over where they are.

Selemat Hari Raya for the Muslim readers, and happy holiday to all others!