Sunday, May 20, 2012

Now that's what I call a rally!


In my (much) younger days, I used to play badminton.  I got to be fairly good at it, to the point where I represented my military unit in regional competition. I therefore thoroughly enjoyed this exchange at the Swiss Open badminton championships (year unknown).

If you don't know the sport, you'll miss some of the finer points;  but this clip illustrates why badminton is so very challenging.  The shuttlecock is the fastest of all projectiles used in racquet sports.  It can leave the racquet face at over 200 mph, but the drag from its cone of feathers or plastic slows it down very quickly.  It's also very aerodynamically stable.  A skilled player can use those features to position it very precisely, making it extremely difficult (sometimes impossible) for an opposing player to return it.  See for yourself.




Fun!  I wish I was still physically able to play badminton.  It's a great sport.

Peter

3 comments:

Noons said...

Amazing! It's indeed a lightning reflexes sport!

Anonymous said...

Learned it in high school, loved it. I still think a singles match is probably one of the best work outs you can get.

trailbee said...

I was begged not to come out for the high school basketball team, because I just did not understand the game. Badminton was my saving grace, and I loved it. This is a great video. Thanks.