Getting Started - Shuttles - Shuttlecock

Initially you will not appreciate the degree of importance that ought to be applied to the selection of your shuttles. Shuttles are yet another item that have secured the full attention of the market, the inevitable result being that numerous different makes are available to you at varied cost. While numerous manufacturers exist, it is possible to categorize shuttles into only two types - feather and nonfeather. What then is the difference and what factors will effect your choice?

Feather Shuttles

Feather shuttles are used in all top national and International events and in the majority of league clubs up and down the UK. New shuttles will fly perfectly and consistently until the feathers are damaged or brok.en, and on reaching their highest point when hit high and deep to the rearcourt, fall quite steeply towards the floor.

The feathers used in the creation of a shuttle are taken from geese and despite careful construction (mostly by hand) they are fragile, easily damaged and not very durable. As a result of the need to change the shuttle once the flight becomes too poor or its speed is impaired, clubs get through far more feather shuttles than their counterparts who have decided to play with a non-feather equivalent.

Non-feather Shuttles

For the newcomer to the game it is advisable to use non-feather shuttles for reasons of cost. Although nowadays synthetic shuttles are no cheaper to buy than feather shuttles, they are a much more cost-effective purchase because their life is considerably longer. The search for a plastic or synthetic shuttle that matches the flight characteristics of the feathered variety has been going on for years. Poor quality non-feather shuttles tend to have an erratic flight path and on reaching their highest point do not fall towards the floor as steeply as a feather type.

What you should opt for is a shuttle that matches the feather shuttle as far as is technically possible in terms of flight, speed and touch. If you choose a synthetic shuttle with the same cork, leather covered base as a feather shuttle, you will be well on the way to experiencing the same feel, I particularly when playing the more delicate touch shots.

Shuttle Speed

Irrespective of which shuttle you use, its speed is important otherwise the I game can become farcical. Feather shuttles are manufactured in anything , up to tweive different speeds and are categorised by number - 73 (slow) to 85 (fast) or 4.8 (slow) to 5.0 (fast). Synthetic alternatives are often graded slow, medium or fast. Apart from the amount of force applied 10 the shuttle by the players, the speed \I1ey reach Inside the hall depends on many things including air resistance, size of hall, temperature and shuttle condition.

To find out if a shuttle is of the correct speed, it should be struck underarm from above the baseline upwards at about 45 degrees so that it flies parallel to the sideline and lands within gin (23cm) either side of the back doubles service line on the olher side of the net.