UNITED STATES BADMINTON EDUCATION FOUNDATION
Joyce Jones the ChampionIn a series of studies conducted by the Department of Physical Education at Baylor University, information has been obtained which suggests that Badminton is one of the finest conditioning types of activities. The game possesses all of the fundamental motor skills with which man is endowed and demands faster reactions than most any other game. Fundamentally, the game demands the execution of such skills as running, jumping, twisting, striking, throwing and various combinations of these skills executed in rapid hand-eye coordination. In a three game singles match played between two average men, players of approximate ability, one should expect to find that the three games require a total time of about 45 minutes, of which the shuttlecock is in actual flight or being batted by one player or the other. During that 20 minutes of highly concentrated exercise each player will travel approximately one mile. He will also make 350 changes of direction of 90 degrees or better and will strike the shuttle some 400 times. Of these, 400 strokes, 150 will be full arm swings of a racket weighing some 5 ounces (many major league pitchers have pitched complete baseball games without throwing that many times). Players in normal physical condition should expect an increase in pulse rate from 72 to 125 and an increase in systolic blood pressure from 120 to 145. Few games require as much concentrated action. In a three set tennis match, one should not expect the ball to be in play any more than 8 percent of the total time, while in footfall, a game we think as being vigorous, the ball is actually in play only about 14 minutes of the two odd hours that the players spend on the field.
WHY DO WE PLAY THIS SPORT?By Mary Ann Bowles
When one takes the time to reflect on the sport of badminton, one begins to wonder why he or she is attracted to this sport. Why do people want to play? What draws them to the badminton court?
For many players, the sport of badminton is fun. Many people play the game for enjoyment – just to have a good time. It is fun to play, to face one or two opponents across the net either during a tournament match or just for a club game. What a thrill it is to make the perfect drop shot or to wait until the precise time to hit that timely smash! You display that cunning you have honed for years while on the wrong end of many opponents’ shots. Pay-back time is so sweet!
Many players enjoy the work-out, that process of burning calories, of becoming and staying fit. If you play at a high level of skill, you will enjoy an aerobic exercise and run several miles on the court in a match, particularly in singles. Many players enjoy a good workout and badminton can provide it.
Some players enjoy the social aspect of the sport. They enjoy traveling to tournaments to see who’s there, to renew friendships, and to compare notes. There is often time between matches to catch up with players you haven’t seen in some time. Many players enjoy the weekly camaraderie with their local club players as they play and practice.
Some players earn a feeling of achievement as they participate in this sport. They learn a new shot, defeat an unbeaten opponent, win a certain match. This, too, could be a part of weekly play or drills, or a part of tournament play. Some players spend hours working on certain skills and then use them at the next tournament.
Certain players use this sport as an escape. If you travel to a weekend tournament you can leave your cares behind and escape from the telephone, the daily job, world news—all those things you’re exposed to during the work week. While in college, I used badminton as an escape from studies, and returned on Sunday evenings mentally refreshed. It was a great get-away where I concentrated on something entirely different from the normal routine.
Many players enjoy this sport because they love competition. They love the challenge of facing opponents on the court and besting them in 10 or 15 minutes. They love the “thrill of victory,” although badminton players often lose many more matches than they win. Some players work on a ranking or rating with their play—they enjoy seeing their place in the regional or national rankings improve.
Certain players in other countries and a few in this country play to win money and prestige, and become heroes or heroines. The BWF Super Series now on the international playing calendar offers prize purses in the range of some tennis tournaments, and the final at the end of the year will offer $500,000 in prize purse for the top eight players in each event, much like the Masters final for male and female tennis players. Top elite players in some countries like Indonesia and China have rockstar status!
For all of us who enjoy the sport, we also take the kidding and ribbing that come with participating in a “stealth” sport. Even though badminton is becoming more known in the U.S., it still suffers from that “picnic time” image. But we march to the beat of a different drummer, and we spend much of our time educating the public to the fact that badminton is a legitimate and Olympic sport.
If you have played this sport for some time, you have probably discovered that “zone” where you are warmed up and stretched out, you’ve broken a sweat, all your shots are working, your energy level is boundless, and everything is clicking. It won’t be the first or last match of a practice or tournament but somewhere in between when you are playing in a “bubble.” Top U.S. tennis players like Andy Roddick have talked about this “bubble.” You feel confident, the footwork is there, the shuttle is bigger than life, and you can put it exactly where you want it. If you’ve had that feeling, you know of what I speak. It gives you the thrill to keep playing and searching for that “zone” more often.
What really turns a person on to this sport? Besides all the reasons listed above, when I hear the racquet striking a shuttle, that’s all I need to get the adrenaline pumping. That sound immediately psyches me for play. For others, it may be the feel of the racquet in your hand, the smell of the gym, the thrill of a first match, the opponent looking at you across the net, the squeaking of shoes on the court floor, or putting on your special badminton shoes.
Whatever your reasons for playing, enjoy your time on the court. Having been off the court with an injury at one time, I discovered that there is more to life than badminton, but there is nothing more fun than the sport when you have fallen in love with it. Don’t take your court time for granted, and take care to avoid injury. You are so fortunate to be on the court—don’t waste a minute of your time there. Life goes better with badminton, for sure!
USA BADMINTON “WALK OF FAME PLAZA”
The USA Badminton “Walk of Fame Plaza” is a national site in honor of badminton’s elite athletes and outstanding service contributors. The Plaza officially opened April 25, 2003, and is located in front of the Orange County Badminton Club at 1432 North Main Street in Orange, California. A monument in front of the club marks the sidewalk filled with the tiles of twenty-five people honored for their playing careers or lives of service. The monument was generously funded by the U.S. Badminton Education Foundation.
The plaza honors three areas of excellence: elite athletes, outstanding coaches, and persons who have made a significant contribution to the development of USA Badminton. Each inductee has a 12-by-12 inch black granite tile cemented into the sidewalk in front of the club, inscribed with the recipients’ name, year of induction, and area of excellence. Nominations are to be conducted every two years. In addition, a minimum of two former “Hall of Fame” inductees will be added every two years as well. The Plaza is open daily, and is visited by young and old, traveling from across the USA, Europe, and Asia. Financial support for the Plaza is derived entirely through member donations, gifts, and fund-raising events.
The idea for the plaza was created by Vicki Toutz, a former USA Badminton national elite athlete, famous for her doubles play. She was a three decades plus high school badminton coach in southern California high schools, and was the first Olympic badminton coach for USA Badminton in the 1992 Olympics held in Barcelona. She has worked as a volunteer at the perennial U.S. Open where she has served as a line judge coordinator and coordinator of the awards ceremony. Vicki received the IBF Meritorious Service Award in 1997, and was the recipient of the 2003 USAB Meritorious Service Award. She was in charge of the Liaison Officers and Interpreters at the 2005 World Championships in Anaheim, CA. Vicki has served as the Chairperson of the Selectors Committee for the Walk of Fame Plaza since its inception in 2003, and works tirelessly raising funds for the plaza.
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By Mary Ann Bowles
A game of angles,
Oh, that it is!
Badminton, you say,
That bird-hitting biz.
The obvious smash
That goes to the floor
In that downward angle
Returning no more.
But what of the drop
That loops over the net
Angled so closely
That you'll never get?
And how about the clear
That soars over your head
To the back line--
That bird is dead!
The flattest of shots
That hard-hitting drive
That gets to the alley
Before you can dive!
And then there's the slice
That cuts through the air
To the opposite court--
Your opponent says where?
And a tumble so tough
As it climbs over the tape
And falls down the net,
To reach it you gape!
And how about the serve
As upward it goes
Then down to your racket
And back to your foes?
Lastly, fear not the flick
It goes up over your court
To catch you off guard--
To a return you resort.
Oh, for those shuttles,
How sweetly they fly,
Caressing those angles
As you wish them good-bye.
When they don't return
Your job is done,
Chances are
That you've likely won!
Upward and downward,
Cross court and straight,
Some flying quickly,
Some a slow rate.
But what fun it is
To create those angles,
To keep your opponents
In all kinds of tangles.
So just drop and slice,
Hit a smash and a clear,
Create those angles
And instill the fear.
Bottom-line being
Besides winning the game,
The angles you've hit
Are never the same!
GIANT SHUTTLES IN THE UNITED STATES? By Mary Ann Bowles
Giant shuttles in the United States? Where? Who is responsible for them? What's the story?
Knowledgeable tournament badminton players and badminton fans in the United States will be happy to tell you about the giant shuttles located in Kansas City, Missouri, in the heartland of the USA. July 10, 1994, was the dedication day for the outdoor sculptures on the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. To celebrate the arrival of the unusual art work, the Museum hosted shuttlecock Sunday,featuring live jazz, a celebrity badminton tournament,hands-on art projects for children, parades, and games.
Shuttlecocks was created by the internationally renowned artist Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, his wife and artistic collaborator. Kansas City businessman and philanthropist Morton I. Sosland and his family commissioned the work and donated it to the museum.
How did the artists conceive the idea for this project? The final concept took shape over the course of several visits to the Museum, beginning in March, 1992. Oldenburg and van Bruggen were immediately attracted to the long rectangular expanse of green lawn around the Museum. Some sort of playing field was suggested to them, with the Museum building as the game net. After considering several games, badminton was the most intriguing because of the multi-faceted character of the shuttlecock. The feather became a key element of the project concept.
The shuttlecocks are made of aluminum, fiberglass-reinforced plastic, and urethane paint. Each shuttle weighs 4,500-5,000 pounds. The underground concrete foundation for each sculpture weighs 16,000 pounds. The shuttles are 17 feet tall, with a diameter of 16 feet at the top and four feet at the cone of each. There are nine feathers, each weighing 350 pounds. The feathers are painted white, and the corks orange. On-site assembly took two to three weeks.
One shuttle is placed on the Museum's north side, near the entrance it rests on two of its feathers. Another is placed on the terrace near the south entrance, resting on its cork at an angle. The other two are along the perimeter of the green mall area on the south lawn, one standing up perfectly straight on its cork, and the other resting at an angle on the cork.
What was the reaction of Kansas Citians to this outdoor sculpture at the Museum? A Museum media person noted the reception had been diverse, but they were delighted the shuttlecocks were attracting attention. She also mentioned that wherever Claes Oldenburg exhibits one of his sculptures, much of the public likes his art, but often those who do not like the art eventually become endeared to it. She suspected this would be the case for Shuttlecocks. She agreed the Museum was very serious about the shuttlecocks just as competitive badminton players were serious about shuttlecocks. T-shirts with the shuttles sketched on them are available for purchase in the Museum gift shop, as are postcards and magnets.
Badminton art in the heartland? Indeed! To see banners with shuttles on them flying near the art museum, and to see the actual giant shuttlecocks on the Museum grounds is almost too much to believe for a serious badminton competitor. You will be awestruck by the shuttles, and it is recommended you take the time to see them if you are anywhere near Kansas City. Here is someone finally taking badminton seriously, and badminton players are thrilled with the sculpture. The only question: Can you imagine the racquet you would need with these shuttles?
PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR ON COURT?
By Mary Ann Bowles
Protective eye wear? Why would anyone want to wear protective eye wear on the badminton court?
The obvious answer to protect your eyes! Do accidents happen on court? You bet! Just in our St. Louis club alone, two players have been hit in the eye in recent years, one with a shuttle and one with a racket. In one St. Louis venue, we play under extreme white-out conditions with a low ceiling and bright lights. The eye injury results ranged from weeks of homebound recovery and missed school for one player to eye surgery and diminished vision for the other. Both may suffer from potential detached retinas in the long term.
My friendship with protective eye wear began about a decade ago when I decided to try a pair. As players age, reflexes show down and if you play against younger players, they do hit the shuttle quickly. Mixed doubles is my favorite event, and a female player is close to the net which could endanger eyes. Female players are often the targets of an opponent's cross court smash in mixed doubles all the more reason to protect your eyes. To complicate the matter, many senior women only seem to lift mid-court to the opponent.
Some players hit the shuttle hard but have little control over where it goes another good reason for protective eye wear. In addition, aggressive new players often have no thought of a doubles partner and swing the racquet in an unpredictable manner. However, if you want the feeling of NO FEAR, just try a pair of protective goggles they do give you the option of taking risks you might not try if you had no eye protection.
If you Google on badminton eye injuries, you'll find all kinds of information on eye injuries caused by our favorite sport. Most of the research on badminton injuries comes from England, its former colonies, and the Scandinavian countries. According to those studies, the most dangerous traumatic injury that can occur in badminton is an injury to the eye. A Malaysian study called badminton the sport that presented the greatest ocular hazard in that country. A Canadian study published in the Physician and Sports Medicine Journal found that badminton accounted for 30% to 58% of all racquet sport eye injuries in Canada in a decade. In 2005, the Ontario Badminton Association legislated the mandatory use of protective eye wear for all juniors.
The research went on to say that seventy percent of all badminton-related eye injuries happen during doubles games. The person most at risk would be the net person who gets hit in the eye by the shuttle or gets hit by the racket or shuttle of his/her partner. Most players have heard the warning to never look back during play so that you do not get hit in the eye with a shuttle coming from your partner.
All the research recommends the use of polycarbonate plastic glasses while playing badminton. It used to be believed that only beginning players were prone to injury because they don't keep their eye on the shuttle at all times, but research has shown that very experienced players can be injured as well. Several studies pointed out that while there are more eye injuries in squash, the injuries from badminton tend to be more severe. Most players are aware of the speed of that shuttle at nearly 200 miles an hour even though it doesn't look like a deadly weapon. The fact that a shuttle looks like it couldn't kill a fly is a big reason why there is a lack of awareness among badminton players about the potential for eye injury.
So our club has taken heed of the dangers of the shuttle, and we have seven players who pull out their protective eye wear when they play. Goggles can be found on line, at many tennis shops, racquetball facilities, and other places where racket sports are played. The new wrap-around goggles do not interfere with your peripheral vision so it's just like wearing a pair of glasses. Try a pair you might be surprised and you€™ll be a lot safer on court!
WHAT DOES THE SUPER SERIES MEAN FOR YOU?
With the International Badminton Federation (IBF), world-wide badminton players could go for the gold at the Olympics, try to win the All-England, play in the World Championships, the Thomas Cup/Uber Cup, Sudirman Cup, or other top tournaments. Players set their sights on national titles as well. But with the change in the name to the Badminton World Federation (BWF), other changes have been made to freshen the image of the sport and professionalize the events. Besides rally scoring which has shortened matches and made them more exciting, the creation of the BWF Super Series has certainly attracted the attention of the world-class players, their fans, and the junior players around the world.
What is the BWF Super Series? According to the press release from September 23, 2006, this is a series of twelve tournaments with a minimum of $200,000 in prize purse scheduled from January through December in a calendar year. These special tournaments will be held in England, China, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Switzerland. A season-ending BWF Super Series Finals will be held in a special location for the best eight men and women singles and doubles players with a prize purse of $500,000. The marketing partner with the BWF is Sports Media Promotions, and global TV coordination is being conducted by IEC in Sports.
Only 32 players/pairs will be allowed in the main round of each tournament, and only 8 players/pairs will be seeded in each event. Each event will have 28 player/pairs going through automatically regarded by world ranking, and the other 4 spots will be determined by qualifying rounds. Each Super Series tournament will be held in six days, with the main round in five days. Qualification round players/pairs will have to play four rounds before proceeding to the main round. World ranking points have also been changed so that points will be calculated based on the results or the round a player reaches, including qualification rounds.
If you follow world badminton on the BWF website, you can view the draws for the Super Series tournaments, and keep up with the action daily with results posted to the on line draws. For this first year of the Super Series, tournaments have already been hosted in Malaysia, Korea, the All-England in Birmingham,Switzerland, and Singapore. As an example of the prize purse, the Men's Singles winner at the Singapore Super Series tournament won $20K, the Womens Singles winner, $17,250, and the Men's Doubles winners, $18K. If you're following Tony Gunawan, you know he's playing in the Super Series tournaments in Men's Doubles, has achieved semifinal appearances in three of the tournaments, and won the Malaysia Super Series Men's Doubles title.
For junior players who are aiming for the 2012 or 2016 Olympics, the Super Series tournaments are the goals to aim for prior to the Olympic competitions. Now badminton has taken a step towards the prize purses and tournaments hosted like the tennis world. Perhaps U.S. players and fans could also hope to see a Super Series tournament in the U.S. in the next decade just as the World Championships came to our shores. If you're a junior player, set your goals now for your route to the BWF Super Series and coming Olympics. If you're an older player/fan, be patient until the next big BWF event comes to the U.S. World-class badminton has just taken a huge step forward, and we can only reap the rewards of the new image and professionalism of our favorite sport.
