Badminton
Soccer players are called footballers. Bowlers are also known as keglers, table-tennis players paddlers, basketball players are cagers, golfers are well golfers so what do you call badminton players? Shuttlers.
Badminton was hot those days when I was in Primary school and it helped that they build some open air courts in the vicinity of our HDB flats where many friends in the neighbourhood played the sports at least several times a week. It was a time when Rudy Hartono was the undisputed champion at the prestigious All-England for a record 8 times.
Playing the game in an indoor and outdoor environment was a world of difference due to the shuttle speed. Even in different countries, specific shuttle cocks are to be used due to difference in altitude, humidity, temperature and air pressure, quite the same as golfing in different countries. Shuttlecocks come in varying speed as they were made with different weight plus other factors. Shuttles can weigh from 4.9g to 80g. The Chinese uses 76 (meaning 7.6g) during summer and 77 during winter. Thailand uses 75 while Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia use 76/77. It is 77-78 in the USA, 78-79 in Japan and Korea. In high altitude areas, only 73-74 would be used.
I ask you a simple question. A kg of feather and a kg of rubber, which is heavier? They are the same dude. Go get your head checked if you say rubber.
Next simple question. A shuttlecock, a squash ball and a tennis ball. Which is the fastest in speed when measured on a smash? A tennis ball is a mere 138 mph or 222kph compared to a squash ball's 151mph or 243 kph. The humble shuttlecock of badminton entered the Guinness book of World Records at an amazing 162mph or 261kph!!
So when I said I used to play fast sports like badminton and squash before golf much later, those who disagree should take a hard look at these numbers. There have been some claims that the shuttle can actually reached 300kph. In a 22 May 2006 Wikipedia report, badminton was established as the fastest racket sport in the world with shuttles reaching speed of 332kph (206mph) which is faster than the speed of the Eurostar train! All these by sticking 16 goose feathers on a cork.
As we were mostly students with no deep pockets, we would sometimes buy and play with plastic shuttle cocks those days. If I remember correctly, they were Carlton. When we got better, we would save money and got ourselves better feathered shuttles like "Garuda" from Indonesia and "Aeroplane" from China. The most popular brands for rackets those days were Dunlop, Silver Grey, Carlton (easily identified by the unique flattened shaft) and of course the Japanese Yoneyama later renamed as the now famous Yonex. I used to play with a wooden Dunlop from my dad but it was much heavier. Later, I saw my uncle using a Yonex 7000, a gold coloured metal frame and dad bought me a Yonex 8000 in a green metal frame. I think I still kept a metal Carlton till this day.
Parents do not directly influence the sports their children play, in fact, I did not know my dad was a badminton player until much later. So it was coincidental that the environment, friends and TV sustained our interest. Needless to say it is always better for young people to be playing sports than hanging around shopping centres. They will have to discover their own interests and passion.
So when I said I used to play fast sports like badminton and squash before golf much later, those who disagree should take a hard look at these numbers. There have been some claims that the shuttle can actually reached 300kph. In a 22 May 2006 Wikipedia report, badminton was established as the fastest racket sport in the world with shuttles reaching speed of 332kph (206mph) which is faster than the speed of the Eurostar train! All these by sticking 16 goose feathers on a cork.
As we were mostly students with no deep pockets, we would sometimes buy and play with plastic shuttle cocks those days. If I remember correctly, they were Carlton. When we got better, we would save money and got ourselves better feathered shuttles like "Garuda" from Indonesia and "Aeroplane" from China. The most popular brands for rackets those days were Dunlop, Silver Grey, Carlton (easily identified by the unique flattened shaft) and of course the Japanese Yoneyama later renamed as the now famous Yonex. I used to play with a wooden Dunlop from my dad but it was much heavier. Later, I saw my uncle using a Yonex 7000, a gold coloured metal frame and dad bought me a Yonex 8000 in a green metal frame. I think I still kept a metal Carlton till this day.
Parents do not directly influence the sports their children play, in fact, I did not know my dad was a badminton player until much later. So it was coincidental that the environment, friends and TV sustained our interest. Needless to say it is always better for young people to be playing sports than hanging around shopping centres. They will have to discover their own interests and passion.
It was my good fortune that I met John and Ben, my two good badminton friends especially Ben who was my most regular sparring partner. They have been in the game longer and they taught and train me to play base to base shots, crossing the first line at the back and to land in between this and the last line. John was the most athletic and experienced while Ben has the most natural back hand shots and he taught me much in net play and cross courts smashes. Ben was also creative and talented as he made pocket money from stringing broken guts of badminton rackets for neighbourhood boys. Those were days before Internet so he has to learned from trial and error. The popular string was Hy-Sheep guts.
Because of them I went on to play for the school team where I developed further on my own like learning how to replace a back hand when caught in uncompromising position by arching and playing with the fore hand and focus on footwork and improving on drop shots while still sparring with them and learning.
It was in the school team where I had the opportunity to play with senior players like Lee Seng Nam, younger brother of then national player Lee Ah Ngo and Yip Kiam Fei who was probably the most stylish player I have ever seen in badminton and I really mean it having seen the best. He just oozed class and elegance. He was for me to badminton what Mohamed Noh was for soccer. Yet, despite our very good and strong team, we were no match for the Maris Stella team who were the school champions of the time.
Besides playing the sports, we were also avid followers of the All-England from TV live telecasts. We went to the Singapore Badminton Hall to catch games when Denmark's Svend Pri played our then national player Ng Chor Yau (if I remember correctly). Watch Rudy Hartono v Svend Pri:
We witnessed the undisputed World Doubles Champions from Indonesia comprising Tjun Tjun and his partner Johan Wahudi. Tjun Tjun (prounounced choon choon) was an amazing doubles player. It was as if he could fly with his high jumping tenacious smashes. It was amazing watching them playing in person.
On one wet and rainy day match day, the old badminton hall's seating gallery was basically jsut cement flooring and it was wet. Ben and I stood there watching. Beside us was this small sized man probably more than twice of age. He created conversion with us but in those days we don't know about perverts but he was no pervert. He suggested we should go outside to buy the "New Nation" the newspapers of the time and use it to sit on the damp floor but we did not. Later, we saw him went out and came back with the New Nation and used it to sit on. So we believed that he, an adult, wanted to milk us so that he could used our newspapers for free.
I learned quickly that people like to make use of and manipulate others for their own ends. Later, we saw this guy in our neighbourhood and you know what we called him? "New Nation".
Malaysia has always been strong in Badminton and they had their legendary Punch Gunalan. After Rudy Hartono, Indonesia had Lim Swie King who won the All-England in 1978, 1979 and 1981. Swie King was a mastre of the jump smash and Han Jian will turn dead dogs tired. He wore out his opponents. Watch Swie King v Han Jian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi2U4ZtK0KE
Along with Denmark's Fleming Delfs, Morten Frost, China's Han Jian and Luan Jin, India's Prakash Padukone, he was one of the leading players in that era where Indonesia dominated world badminton. Morten Frost was the elegant Great Dane who ended Swie King's dominance. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAahEsHOYZM
I love to watch Yang Yang and Zhao Jian Hua play both attacking players par excellence. There was also a famous Thai player whose name cannot be forgotten - Bandid Jaiyen. Here's Yang Yang and Zhao Jian Hua:
During Hartono's reign, there was talk that China has the world's best badminton players but as they were not opened they did not participate in the All-England. The mystery behind the names would one day unveiled unto the world - Hou Jia Chang and "The Thing" Tang Xian Hu.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1AhOhbVFVY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1AhOhbVFVY&feature=related
Last but not least, the legend of our very own World Champion must not be forgotten - Wong Peng Soon. Everyone in badminton has spoken about him and the legend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnF2blfZXCg&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL242D4CAB7A4EBB91
Then as we grew older, some of us have different interests. A few may have given up way before. I have a few false starts. Buying new rackets and attire, started playing again only for a period of time and then it just died. However, badminton will always remain as one of my favourite sports of all time. It was together with soccer my first love. It is intelligent, elegant and probably the most graceful sport. As I write now, I feel a stirring in me to take up the sport again. Any takers? At least when a storm is brewing, we can quit golf and do badminton indoor. Give me a buzz.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnF2blfZXCg&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL242D4CAB7A4EBB91
Then as we grew older, some of us have different interests. A few may have given up way before. I have a few false starts. Buying new rackets and attire, started playing again only for a period of time and then it just died. However, badminton will always remain as one of my favourite sports of all time. It was together with soccer my first love. It is intelligent, elegant and probably the most graceful sport. As I write now, I feel a stirring in me to take up the sport again. Any takers? At least when a storm is brewing, we can quit golf and do badminton indoor. Give me a buzz.
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