The RVBA players were this week at a strong Norwegian Challenger event in Oslo.

 In the ladies singles 15 year old Sarah Thomas faced the 3^rd seed from Denmark, Camilla Sorensen in the main draw. The Danish player was far to experienced and came out the eventual winner in 23 minutes 21-8, 21-9.

Rachel Thomas was up against Finland’s Noora Virta in the 1^st round of the main draw. In the slow hall the Finnish player was too strong and controlled the game winning 21-9, 21-13.

 In the ladies doubles the Thomas sister pairing faced another tough draw up against the top seeds Lennartson and Wengberg from Sweden in the last 16 of the competition. The Swedes came out on top 21-9, 21-7.

 In the mixed doubles the combination of Richard Vaughan and Sarah Thomas fresh on the back of the quarter final of the Hungarian Open a few weeks had a difficult  draw against one of the tournament favourites Henriksen and Anderson from Denmark. Britta Anderson was a former top 10 mixed player. The Welsh pairing closed off a close first game 21-18, but could not stop the Danish pairing from taking control, winning 12-21, 12-21.

 Vaughan commented “It was a difficult day and hopefully everyone will learn something from it. We did not have great draws, but you have to make the most of it, and we could have made all the matches a lot closer. If we could have won the mixed we could have won the tournament as they are possibly the best pair here. ”

Swansea’s Ice Badminton Club, supported by the Swansea and West Glamorgan Badminton Association (SAWGBA), hosted the extremely successful first tournament of the 2008/09 Welsh Satellite Series, on Saturday 20^th September at the LC Swansea.

Gail Emms made a tearful exit from international badminton today, after she and her partner Nathan Robertson were knocked out of the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles in straight games. Emms had announced before coming to Beijing that the Olympics would be the last tournament of her illustrious career, but she cannot have imagined that it would end in such disappointing fashion, with a 21-19, 21-12 defeat to the Korean pair Lee Hyojung and Lee Yongdae.

Robertson is yet to make a decision over his own future, "I'm going to take six to eight weeks to sit down and think things through" he said in the aftermath of the defeat. "It's going to be difficult, because Gail has been my partner since we were in our teens. She'll be hard to replace, if she could be replaced at all". Whatever Robertson's decision, the partnership that charmed the nation by winning Olympic silver at Athens in 2004 has come to an end.

"I'm so proud of what we've achieved together," Emms muttered between tears, her words drowned out by the sound of the home crowd cheering the local favourite in the next match, "we've loved every second of it. We've won the Europeans, the Commonwealths, the Worlds, and of course that Olympic silver.

"After all these wonderful years I didn't want to go out like this but we did play at our absolute best. I really thought we could do it but we just couldn't get into the game."

The Korean pair are ranked a place below Emms and Robertson in the world standings, but have beaten them in their last three matches. Having produced a remarkable comeback to win their first round match against the Chinese favourites Ling Gao and Bo Zheng the British pair had high expectations for the tournament, but the Lees were in inspired form, taking a lead at the start of the first set and holding onto it almost throughout the match.

Emms and Robertson played with their customary vigour and determination, perhaps too much so. They were rough around the edges, and lacked accuracy. Emms commented: "Her [Lee Hyojung's] serve was just awesome today, we just couldn't get on top of it."

Their natural grit helped them save four match points from 20-15 down in the first game, but they couldn't win the crucial fifth. They were scarcely in the second game at all, 11-10 down at the interval, their play then fell away altogether and they lost by nine points.

"It's bloody annoying to go out in the quarter-finals," Robertson grumbled, before reflecting on what he and Emms had achieved, "we didn't quite reach the pinnacle in the Olympics, but we did everything else we wanted to do."

As much as anything what they achieved was to popularise badminton in Britain, gripping TV audiences with their on-court chemistry and the success it brought them.

While Robertson intends to consider his options, he made it clear that he would carry on playing in one form of the game or another. "It would be great to be involved in 2012 in some way," he said, "on the court would be the best possible option."

At 30 though, Emms felt 2012 was four years too far for her to continue. She is keen to start a family with her boyfriend, though for now she says she plans to become "Team GB's chief cheerleader". Asked what would become of her partner, she replied, her eyes still welling up: "We've got some great young girls coming up in Britain, and Nathan would make a great partner for one of them. Any young badminton player should watch his example and be inspired by him."

As indeed they should by her. Emms is a ferociously competitive individual who threw everything into her sport, and the Olympics in particular. "I'm going to miss all this," she said, gesturing at the roaring crowd, "the Olympics to me is the best, the ultimate, there's always something so special about them. Most of all I'm proud to have been an Olympian."

Gail Emms made a tearful exit from international badminton today, after she and her partner Nathan Robertson were knocked out of the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles in straight games. Emms had announced before coming to Beijing that the Olympics would be the last tournament of her illustrious career, but she cannot have imagined that it would end in such disappointing fashion, with a 21-19, 21-12 defeat to the Korean pair Lee Hyojung and Lee Yongdae.

Robertson is yet to make a decision over his own future, "I'm going to take six to eight weeks to sit down and think things through" he said in the aftermath of the defeat. "It's going to be difficult, because Gail has been my partner since we were in our teens. She'll be hard to replace, if she could be replaced at all". Whatever Robertson's decision, the partnership that charmed the nation by winning Olympic silver at Athens in 2004 has come to an end.

"I'm so proud of what we've achieved together," Emms muttered between tears, her words drowned out by the sound of the home crowd cheering the local favourite in the next match, "we've loved every second of it. We've won the Europeans, the Commonwealths, the Worlds, and of course that Olympic silver.

"After all these wonderful years I didn't want to go out like this but we did play at our absolute best. I really thought we could do it but we just couldn't get into the game."

The Korean pair are ranked a place below Emms and Robertson in the world standings, but have beaten them in their last three matches. Having produced a remarkable comeback to win their first round match against the Chinese favourites Ling Gao and Bo Zheng the British pair had high expectations for the tournament, but the Lees were in inspired form, taking a lead at the start of the first set and holding onto it almost throughout the match.

Emms and Robertson played with their customary vigour and determination, perhaps too much so. They were rough around the edges, and lacked accuracy. Emms commented: "Her [Lee Hyojung's] serve was just awesome today, we just couldn't get on top of it."

Their natural grit helped them save four match points from 20-15 down in the first game, but they couldn't win the crucial fifth. They were scarcely in the second game at all, 11-10 down at the interval, their play then fell away altogether and they lost by nine points.

"It's bloody annoying to go out in the quarter-finals," Robertson grumbled, before reflecting on what he and Emms had achieved, "we didn't quite reach the pinnacle in the Olympics, but we did everything else we wanted to do."

As much as anything what they achieved was to popularise badminton in Britain, gripping TV audiences with their on-court chemistry and the success it brought them.

While Robertson intends to consider his options, he made it clear that he would carry on playing in one form of the game or another. "It would be great to be involved in 2012 in some way," he said, "on the court would be the best possible option."

At 30 though, Emms felt 2012 was four years too far for her to continue. She is keen to start a family with her boyfriend, though for now she says she plans to become "Team GB's chief cheerleader". Asked what would become of her partner, she replied, her eyes still welling up: "We've got some great young girls coming up in Britain, and Nathan would make a great partner for one of them. Any young badminton player should watch his example and be inspired by him."

As indeed they should by her. Emms is a ferociously competitive individual who threw everything into her sport, and the Olympics in particular. "I'm going to miss all this," she said, gesturing at the roaring crowd, "the Olympics to me is the best, the ultimate, there's always something so special about them. Most of all I'm proud to have been an Olympian."

Badminton coach Kah Shin is going to share his thoughts on the technologies used in YONEX Rackets. I am going to leave it to him from here...

Hi there, I am Kah Shin and I am going to share with you my thoughts on the different technologies found in YONEX Rackets. YONEX currently have 4 series of badminton rackets: NANOSPEED Series, ARMOTEC Series, MUSCLE POWER Series and CARBONEX Series. In these Series of rackets, some or all of the technologies that I am going to discuss below are applied on it. Let me start off with...

YONEX Nanoscience Technology

I think this technology can help those who are not so good in generating power on their badminton stroke. This is because the racket head is thinner and lighter, therefore it is easier to swing with the hand.

For those who already possess enough power on their badminton stroke, this technology in the racket helps them to deliver the maximum power and speed when they swing. However this will also depends on how you contact the shuttle.

YONEX Elastic Titanium

In my opinion, this technology makes the racket frame stronger but lighter. This titanium racket frame is not as stiff as the racket from other brands. You won't see this technology in other brands, that's why YONEX is the leader in making quality rackets.

But of course the selling price will be at a premium to other brands. Whether or not you should invest heavily on a racket will depend on how advance your skills are. Do remember this though... skills and techniques are still by far the most important thing in playing good badminton.

YONEX Solid Feel Core

When the shuttle contacts the sweet spot of the racket, it will actually spread out huge vibration. The vibration can deflect the stroke if we could not grasp the strength of it properly. Now with this technology it lessens the vibration from the frame therefore minimizes human errors and produces better, more accurate strokes.

YONEX New Grommet System

In my opinion, this grommet system gives the racket a better string tension compared to the ordinary grommet system. This is because the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock position of the racket are the two essential points holding strings that cross the center of the racket which is the main hitting point or known as the sweet spot. Better string tension produces better shots but the string will easily break if we miss out on hitting the sweet spot.

YONEX Muscle Power

In my opinion, this muscle power technology enables the racket to have more durable tension in comparison to other rackets. With the technology of the new grommet system combining with the muscle power, it actually tightens the string and makes it more compact. Once the string is tighter and compact, it will be more durable and lasting.

The higher string tension will also provide a more joyous and fun experience when you play. Somehow other brands do not have this kind of technology. The string tension loosens up easily and can last for around two weeks only under frequent usage.

YONEX Isometric Technology

In my opinion, this isometric square head shape technology helps improve the contact of the shuttle. This is because with the larger racket head and area, the player can easily hit the shuttle and helps minimize errors on missing strokes.

YONEX Built in T-joint

In my opinion, rackets with built in T-joint are better in offloading power from the racket. The shuttle will have maximum power because this technology will pass through most of the offloading strength.

YONEX Control Support Cap

In my opinion, this technology can really help players in swinging quick because it gives wider and flatter gripping than other racket. This is especially beneficial to doubles players where doubles game are faster and speedier than the singles game, therefore a lot of quick swings are needed. It is easier for our hands to swing with a wider grip compared to a round handle.

YONEX Titanium Mesh

In my opinion, this technology is not suitable for the kids, but is suitable to the advance players. This is because the titanium fibres make the racket 2.3 times heavier than the normal racket weight. Kids usually cannot perform proper stroke and swing if the racket is heavy.

For the adults or the advance players, this racket helps them send out shuttles faster than the normal racket because it have a stable racket face that generates better impact on the shuttle. However, it is not so good for wrist action because it is heavy.

YONEX Armortech - 800

This technology is incorporated in the Armortech-800 rackets. It is designed mainly for doubles play. It has two types, first is the offensive play boxed shaped type. This type has better face stability and it generates better impact on the shuttle therefore it increases the head speed.

Second is the defensive type which has an aerodynamic cross section. It minimizes the air resistance and is good for net play. This is because net plays need not have a fast head speed.

YONEX Power Armor System

In my opinion, this technology creates a better and more powerful racket frame and it packs more speed and power into the racket. The power and the speed of the shuttle will not be distorted as it hits the sweet spot of the racket. This is good for smashing as the racket accelerates and speed up the shuttles steadily. This technology helps players to have a better killing instinct.

Conclusion

And this wraps up my thoughts on YONEX rackets. I am not suggesting you to get up and go buy a YONEX racket. This is not my intention, as other brands produce good rackets as well. As YONEX rackets are generally more expensive than other brands, you have to figure out yourself whether to buy or not.

Always remember that no matter how good a racket is, it will never replace the importance of having good skills and techniques. So the next time when you are losing more than you win, don't go and change your racket. Instead, improve your skills and techniques. Good rackets would only make a difference when you possess good abilities.

Article taken from site http://www.badminton-information.com/yonex.html 

I was in China about six weeks ago and the shuttlecock situation is very serious, I detail below a few bullet points to summarize the current situation:-

Shortage of goose feathers, the May 2008 harvest was about 30% less than expected and required to satisfy demand. It would appear that several of the smaller shuttlecock factories have switched production to duck feather. Whilst, the factories still using goose feathers have allegedly agreed to reduce their production to cater for the reduced supply of feathers. Other factories have simply closed, unlikely that they will reopen the near future.

Changes in the eating habits of the Chinese people, who now prefer to eat duck rather than goose. The need to farm geese has reduced and also been hampered by severe weather conditions. Also the land can be used more profitably to produce alternative crops.

The price of a cut feather (16 are required for one shuttlecock) has increased by over 100% during the last 3 years.

A shortage of labour in China! After Chinese New Year many of the workers didn't return to their jobs in the shuttlecock factories.

There has been a 20% increase in wages in the past few months.

New employment laws in China that are financially difficult for employers. An employee can decide to leave after say 5 years service and must be paid 5 months salary.

The huge increase in the price of crude oil has resulted in an increase in transport costs. But the Chinese are now using corn oil as an alternative fuel, so corn which is used to feed the geese has also increased in cost.

The Chinese Renminbi (Rmb.) has appreciated in value against the US$, 10 months ago the rate was around 7.75 Rmb = 1 US$ today it is 6.84Rmb = 1 US$. This equates to a 14% increase in our purchasing cost, which is totally outside our control or that of the manufacturer. Currency forecast are not encouraging, the rate could drop as low as 6.80Rmb = 1 US$. Manufacturers refuse to give fix price quotations and adjust the rate at the date payment.

A direct quote - "I have been in this trade for over 20 years and never known the situation to be so bad, clubs are in a for a massive shock this season."

Q: What do you do if your shuttles are of the wrong speed--either too fast or too slow for your local conditions during a tournament and you have no time to change your stock?

A: The shuttles should then be "tipped" in such a way that their speed would be either increased or decreased. Please note I am writing this from the officials' point of view.

How do you tip?
Well, tip outwards to slow down the speed. Tip inwards to increase the speed.

What exactly do you mean by tip?
Bend the tip of the feathers either inwards or outwards.

What's the procedure?
There is no standard procedure but trial and error obver the years ppoint to the following. If the shuttles are found to be too fast, then begin by tipping only one in four feathers (i.e., four in every 16 feathers) should be tipped outwards in an attempt to slow the shuttle down to an acceptable speed. If that is still to fast then one in every two feathers should be tipped if necessary. Please note that the game is for the players and therefore every effort under the circumstances must be made to modify the shuttles to meet their specifications and for the matches to be conducted.

What is the ‘tipping method’ if the shuttles were found to be too slow?
How can a shuttle be speeded up?
If tipping outwards slows down the shuttles, then the reverse, tipping inwards will speed up the shuttles.

Is there any method to ensure consistency in feather tipping?
You need to ensure the tipping is consistent in terms of

Length of the feather to be tipped ?
To what degree (angle) inwards or outwards to tip ?
How many feathers to tip ?
In the absence of specific IBF instructions, all the above is a matter of trial-and-error. However, there are certain procedures that can significantly reduce variations.

The length of the feather tip to be bent could be specified -- 5.0 mm from the tip is suggested. To ensure absolute consistency, a commercially available broad tweezer with a pincer grip should be used or the IBF can actually have a standard tweezer for every tournament Umpire to be used in case of an emergency. Please note that the present practice of using the fingers and thumbs can be a rather painful experience at the end of a long day.

It is virtually impossible to ensure that the angles of the bents are similar in each feather. However, a good rule of thumb is to bend the feather till the shaft snaps but not till it is broken. The feather so tipped will not return to its former “untipped” position. There is a discernible “crack” that can be felt. Experience shows that this method produces the most consistent angles, whether inwards or outwards.

It is suggested that initially one (1) in four (4) feathers should be tipped. If these do not produce the desired results, then one (1) in two (2) feathers should be tipped.

The bottom line is, always ensure you get the right shuttle speed for your local conditions so as to avoid these problem.

( Posted without permission from author - this was taken from www.shuttlecock.com - but we hope they don't mind)

First, what is speed? In badminton, The term "speed" refers to how far a shuttlecock will travel when struck with a standard force, "further" being considered "faster". Due to differences of air resistance related to altitude, humidity and temperature, the same shuttlecock will have a different "speed" at different locations. A shuttlecock which is good in Hong Kong may not be good to use in London. Because there's differences in temperature; humidity; altitude and air pressure etc.

Because of weight differences and other factors, the shuttles come in varying speeds. The referees are responsible for testing the shuttles each day and determining what speed will be used that day. During a round of competition, we can be asked to change the shuttle speed because conditions - heat and humidity, for instance- have changed. That can be one of the more difficult disputes since a slower shuttle might benefit one player¡¯s style while a faster shuttle would be advantageous for the other.

In an IBF tournament, most of the Chief Referee will test up to 3 different speed of shuttlecocks to ensure that particular speed is right for that particular place at that particular time.

Fast or slow do not represent the quality of the shuttlecock. But, of course, the consumer has the right to choose.

Table below is the 3 most common system using right now:

international-metric wt.-grain - speed
1 ------------- 48 ---- 75 - slow, for use in highland
2 ------------- 49 ---- 76 - medium slow, for use in hotter area
3 ------------- 50 ---- 77 - medium, most sea level area
4 ------------- 51 ---- 78 - medium fast, cold area
5 ------------- 52 ---- 79 - fast, cold area, below sea level

From the list, you can see that the shuttles were traditionally divided into 48, 49, 50, 51, 52 according to the weight of the shuttles. 49 weights 4.9g, 50 means 5.0g, 51 means 5.1g and so on. We found the shuttles using these rating was inaccurate and therefore was difficult to classify. So we change the shuttles' speed standard. We use Speed 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80 instead. There is a 30cm distance between eachspeed. Shuttle speeds are ideal for different parts of the world. For example, shuttles with Speed 76 are used in China during the summer and 77 during the winter months. Shuttles with Speed 75 are good in Thailand, Speed 76 ,77 in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, Speed 77, 78 in the U.S.A., Speed 78,79 in Finland, Canada, Korea and Japan. Speed 79, 80 in Australia in winter. Speed 73-74 would only be played in high altitude area as Yunnan Province in China and Colorado Springs in U.S.A. or high temperture area as Johannesburg in South Africa.

Shuttlecocks also have rotational speed which is crucial for the stabilities. For shuttlecock stability at speeds higher than Mach 0.65, the upper body flaps were moved from the average position of 11.8 degrees to 20 degrees upward from the body surface.

If you ask what's the maximum speed in kilometers per hour for the shuttlecock ever got regardless circumstance, please check the Guinness Book of Records. The shuttlecock is poised to enter the Guinness Book of Records at 162 miles per hour (261 kph) -- the speed it travels on the smash -- compared to squash`s 151 mph (243 kph) and a mere 138 mph (222 kph) for tennis. Badminton`s promoters hope the speed record might bolster the sport`s image and help move it out of other racket sports` shadows, particularly in regions where tennis and squash reign supreme. Beside Guinness, I saw somebooks claiming the speed for shuttlecock is about 300 km/h.

As the shuttlecock flys, two forces affect its motion: gravity pulling down and air resistance pushing it up. The acceleration due to gravity is constant. The acceleration due to air resistance increases as the shuttlecock picks up speed through the air. The shuttlecock's acceleration, a, along a vertical coordinate axis with positive down, is given by an equation of the following form:

a = g - f(v)

while f(v) depends on temperature, humidity; altitude and air pressure etc. Write it in a general form:
a = g - bv^r
here r is within 1 and 2 depends on temperature, humidity; altitude and air pressure etc.

( Posted without permission from author - this was taken from www.shuttlecock.com - but we hope they don't mind)

Origins