What does this sub think of the Popov brothers’ playing styles? I’m a big fan of both, but I feel like they’re stronger as singles players and have a better chance of achieving big results individually than as a doubles pair.

I will be a line judge in our local tournament this Saturday. I know the rule for an outfit is - black from waste down. What suddenly came to my mind - would not those black shoes leave marks of the court?

If there is somebody who does it, I mean line judge role, and can share experience

Thank you

Badminton deserves better. How can we still have such terrible streams in 2026?

I think we, as a badminton community, should be much more vocal about how our sport is being managed.

I come from esports, especially Counter-Strike, and I genuinely don't understand how badminton can have such poor decision-making at the top. We get projects like AirBadminton that barely anyone cares about, discussions about changing the scoring system when it wasn't necessary, yet we can't even get the basics right.

If we want more media attention, the first step is making our sport enjoyable to watch.

I'm a cameraman myself, and I genuinely don't understand how it's so difficult to provide a decent 1080p stream.

For around €5,000, you could buy 3–4 decent cameras, several shotgun microphones, HDMI cables or wireless transmitters, and build a perfectly acceptable streaming setup. And that's equipment you can reuse for years!

Don't tell me this requires millions. I could personally provide a decent setup for a fraction of what these events probably spend.

Look at esports.

In Counter-Strike, tournaments have incredible production, beautiful stages, multiple camera angles, great sound, engaging content and amazing atmospheres. All of this makes people WANT to watch, even when they don't fully understand the game.

Badminton has everything needed to be entertaining. The speed, the athleticism, the rallies, the atmosphere. But we're terrible at showcasing it.

Just look at the French Open stream.

And this isn't the first time. We've seen similar problems in Indonesia. (2025) but it's also mostly at every tournaments when there is no TV production. I remember watching a Denmark International challenge where they have all 5 (YES 5 courts ) covered by a decent pro camera/audio...and this was for international challenge. So there is really no excuses.

The image quality sometimes looks like 180p. The cameras shake whenever someone moves nearby or possibly touches the barriers. And somehow, this is an OFFICIAL international badminton broadcast?

They recently posted highlights of Toma Junior Popov beating Kunlavut Vitidsarn, the world No. 1.

Imagine being someone who doesn't follow badminton. You hear that a French player has just beaten the best player in the world, you click on the highlights, and you're greeted with absolutely terrible video quality.

Even as someone who loves badminton, I sometimes want to close the stream because it's so unpleasant to watch.

And we're completely wasting the atmosphere!

French crowds are incredible. People scream, chant, celebrate every point and create one of the best atmospheres in badminton.

Yet watching the stream, you barely experience any of that energy.

How can we expect new fans to fall in love with the sport when we can't even show them what makes it special?

I also genuinely wonder how these decisions are made.

Does the BWF simply give local organizers a budget and tell them to handle the production? Do organizers then hire the cheapest company available?

I'm genuinely asking because I don't understand how we keep ending up with these results.

I'm not even asking for a full television production like we'll probably get during the later rounds. Just decent cameras, stable footage, clear sound and proper 1080p quality.

I still own an old Panasonic GH5, which you can now buy second-hand for around €300, and it's capable of recording 4K at 60 fps. Obviously, a complete live production requires more than just a camera, but the equipment needed to produce a respectable stream is not outrageously expensive anymore.

The situation is especially frustrating in France.

We're competing with football, tennis, rugby, cycling, basketball and many other sports for attention.

And whether we like it or not, presentation matters enormously.

People are attracted by beautiful images, good storytelling, exciting highlights and entertaining broadcasts.

I've discussed this with several badminton journalists, and the lack of mainstream coverage in France is depressing.

When Christo Popov or Alex Lanier win major European titles, they struggle to make the front page of our biggest sports newspapers.

When Alex won the Denmark Open, he wasn't even featured on the main page.

Meanwhile, when Félix and Alexis Lebrun won European titles in table tennis, they received major coverage, including prominent photos.

And our biggest sports newspaper even broadcast the Denmark Open semifinals and finals!

So it's not as if badminton has absolutely no opportunities for exposure.

But we cannot expect people to take badminton seriously if the sport itself doesn't look professional on screen.

I'm honestly tired of seeing people in suits making decisions about the future of badminton while completely neglecting how the sport is presented to the public.

We need people who understand modern media, content creation, marketing, entertainment and how to attract a new audience.

Not just people who know how to organize a tournament.

I'm not saying every tournament needs a massive esports-level production. I'm saying that in 2026, a stable, good-quality stream should be the absolute minimum.

Badminton is an incredible sport. We shouldn't have to fight against its own presentation to convince people to watch it.

And I really think we, as fans, should start demanding better.

What do you think? Is this mainly a BWF problem, a local organizer problem, or simply a complete lack of ambition when it comes to badminton media?

Was thinking about the above shot in doubles play... that basically it's not necessary to master (or even to learn) for non professional play.

And even then, how often do you see the pros play it on TV? Maybe only once in a blue moon, in a hail Mary kinda situation when taking it late when pushed to rear BH corner. And more often than not, the opposition front player will pounce on it easily I reckon.

For context, I'm a low intermediate male player, playing for past 15 years, and hardly even play singles at all.

Thank you.

We are all intermediate players. 2 of the better players I sometimes play against are better at singles and they play doubles like singles.

Basically they only really clear and drop because their smashes aren't good, extremely flat and not that fast. But they both really enjoy returning smashes. So playing against them is really slow.

I started to play the same way as them, I stopped smashing, just did clears and drops. And we did well because then it's a game of who makes mistakes. This also removed their advantage of their good defense. But it's soo boring. Badminton becomes a slow game.

Any tips on how to play against players who just do lifts and drops but thrive on counter attacking your smashes? (When your smash won't win you points and instead get you into trouble).

Lu Guangzu officially announced his retirement on his 30th birthday, yesterday.

Shi Yuqi has applied for ranking protection, this probably means his injury is more serious that we thought.

Jia Yifan/Zhang Shuxian, no official announcement yet, but their bwf ranking has been removed, this mean one of them or both of them is probably retiring (or just splitting but splits normally don't apply for ranking removal), rumours on Chinese social media is ZSX is the one retiring, which is surprising, but no announcement is made yet. But looks like Jia Yifan will be partnering Zhang Chi for Hong Kong.

Thoughts?

Hello everyone,

I joined a local club in my mid-thirties, and have been going there for like 5 times by now.

For reference: Not each match has been a proper training, and not every opponent was a skilled player. However I'm still struggling with "basic" stuff such as keeping track of the score / serving order (the latter mostly as a consequence of the former), and I also don't intuitively move into proper formation most of time, causing me to constantly either run into my own team mate or provide the opponents with a "blank spot" on the field they can easily smash the shuttle into.

I can feel the more experienced players getting increasingly annoyed by my skill gap...

That begs the question: What timeframe / how many hours I should reasonably expect to not make these awkward beginner-mistakes?

Am I just too slow on the uptake here, and should the things mentioned above "just work" after, say, ten match hours?

Anyone who can provide me with a rough estimate? (say weeks or months, perhaps)

Currently I'm really not sure if I should pursue this sport any further...

Correct me what should i do after the smash ? My body momentum after smash bring me forward and when enemy lift back i strugle to hit. Is it because my recovery after smash wrong or i choose the wrong shot to play after smash ?

Hi, I am an intermediate player, I want to improve my game to the next level. I am looking for badminton coaches, and social badminton clubs in North West London or North London I can travel on weekends if it is far.

Let me know if you have leads, if you can coach, or if you are already a part of some social club.

Thank you.

Hello,

Could you please give me advices on my Smash form ? (No Shuttle, just shadow).

Thank you :)

EDIT : Thank you very much for your highly insightful feedback. I hadn't realized there were so many shortcomings, but the silver lining is that I’ll be able to make some real improvements! :)

Here is a summary of the points raised:

Initial stance: - Grip on the racket is too tight (though I do loosen it during the backswing, so I’m not sure if this is actually a problem) - Knees not sufficiently bent - Upper back not arched backward enough - Feet (especially the left one) not pointing forward

Movement/Stroke: - Général lack of rotation - Poor synchronization between the lower and upper body: the lower body should rotate before the upper body - The elbow should stop moving forward before the point of impact, to let pronation-finger power doing the job - The stroke ends too early, and the racket doesn't reach the level of the left hip - The right leg doesn't move forward enough at the end of the smash - The foot is pointing toward the side

I had posted 50 days ago my incorrect forehand grip which ive been using for a year and now managed to fix it somewhat I believe, I need to know have I finally managed to pronate correctly? Anymore advice on my forehand?

Ps be critical i’m trying to get better

Hey everyone. I’m playing my provincial tournament from this Saturday (24th Oct) until the following Friday (30th Oct). There are individual events and a team event. In the individual events I’m entered in Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles, and my priority is singles first, then men’s doubles, then mixed. In the provincial team event, I will probably play singles and men’s doubles. The nerves never go away.

About me

29M, 176cm, 88kg. I sit at a desk from 9 to 5, then train in the evenings. I do gym and weights, jumping drills, rowing, stairmaster and elliptical intervals, plus group sessions (badminton) and 1-on-1 coaching (badminton). I sleep 7 to 8 hours, eat chicken and rice with protein smoothies after sessions, and take creatine, magnesium, omega 3 and electrolytes.

As the tournament gets closer I’ve been pushing myself, and my legs feel very stiff right now. I foam roll, stretch, use the steam room, dip my legs in a cold plunge and wear compression sleeves to bed, and it only helps a little.

My plan for this week:

• Mon: group session or 1-on-1 (not sure which)
• Tue: light gym, lower body, lighter weights with more reps, plus mobility
• Wed: 60 minutes of easy 1-on-1, focusing on consistency
• Thu: rest, or light upper body gym and conditioning?
• Fri: fly to the venue
• Sat: tournament

Questions:

Training and recovery

1. On Monday, is it better to do the group session to face different playing styles, or stick with my coach?
2. Is my plan for the rest of the week too much, too little, or about right?
3. Should I fully rest on Thursday, or is a light gym session fine?
4. Any tips to loosen stiff legs before the tournament? Anything I should avoid doing this late?
5. With singles, doubles, mixed and a team event, I could be playing many matches over a few days. How do you pace your energy and recover between events?

Food-related

1. Besides bananas, what do you eat before, between and after matches? How do you handle back-to-back games on the same day?

Mental side

1. I always get the “what if” thoughts. What if I train so hard and still lose early to someone much better? How do you handle this?
2. When a match isn’t going my way, I take one big breath or smell the shuttle. It doesn’t always work. What do you do to reset mid-game? - funny enough, I tend to smell the shuttle before I tend to serve (lol)
3. Overthinking my opponent before a match messes with my head, so I just play and notice things as I go (weak backhand, poor stamina, weak defense). Is there a simple way to read an opponent in the first few rallies?

Super thanks in advance, any advice is appreciated!

...what happened to the women's singles? I started watching the game a couple of years ago and I remember we had Tai Tzu Ying, Chen yu fei, Yamaguchi, Caroline marin among others in the mix and the competitiveness of the category was quite good. Now ASY seems like she's in a stratosphere of her own..

I had stopped watching badminton for a while, and several months in it's the same thing. Wow, it's like everyone else completes for second place.

Looking for a sunday club that is around intermediate level. Ideally afternoon or evening time. Struggling to find online.

I've recently been trying to improve my badminton but find myself struggling with guessing where the shuttle might come to next, as to prepare myself and thus use less energy in my movement.

The thing is, my opponent (much like me) are not trained, they do what they want, however they want, so there is no clear rhythm, and no "formula" to learn, a lot of time they even don't know where their shuttle will land.

Is there a way I can learn to anticipate their shots as to improve my game?

Who will win?

Momota pre-accident or LZJ at his best in the All England 2021.

Bonus: How would the same 2021 LZJ do against players like LCW or LD?

I just went to a badminton social session and tell me why everyone there was good? Me and my friend were complete beginners and had to warm up for ages before we could get a slight rally going. There was also no organised rotation and it felt like we’d waste everyone’s time if we asked to join and we can barely hit it. 😭

Does anyone have any ideas on how to improve at home with like no equipment lol before I hit the courts again? I feel like I can’t enjoy the social aspect because I cant join people’s games. I’m hoping perhaps the more I attend the better I’ll be.

Edit: I probably should have clarified these sessions are for university students, of all abilities, including complete beginners. Do not fret, I am not forcing myself into intermediate/advanced sessions.

I’m looking to get some tips how to improve my backhand dropshots. Any advice welcomed, thanks!

Kim / Seo just lost to Chia / Soh yet again in the semi-finals. What a stark contrast as compared to yesterday when they were so dominant against the Japanese pair but today that dominance, confidence and play was totally absent. Not only were they constantly off position, they defence couldnt hold up and outpaced, outsmashed, outplayed. i wonder whats up with them 2 being such a consistent semi or finals contestant but then deciding to play absolutely differently or alot weaker than their usual performance. Obviously Chia and Soh play well today, good smash, fantastic drives. As a fan of Kim/Seo, watching them choke semis and finals the entire of 2026 is such a let down. Utterly disappointing to see them consistently underperforming against top 3 seeds, makes me wonder then is their top seed placing actually a solid one and maybe it will be replaced very soon, i wont be surprised. Kim / Seo, hopefully yall figure something out soon.

Look people might disagree with me but if we look at their h2h records. Lin Dan dominates Lcw. While Lcw record against Chen long is much closer.

Hi im a beginner and I have an action cam that I want to use to record my badminton form. My phone doesn’t have enough storage to record long sessions.
Where’s the best place to position the camera to get a good view of my shot technique and footwork? Should I place it behind the court, on the side, or somewhere else?
Any tips would be appreciated!

Disclaimer: I'm an upper-beginner on singles and lower-intermediate player on doubles. My opinion/thoughts are based purely on my current skill level. All rackets I use are strung 26x28, with mostly exbolt68 and a few being bg65

Review:

Anders Antonsen is one of my favorite current badminton players, and I've been trying to model my singles game based on him (lol). The 90k metallic was just unfortunately too 'hard' for me to use because it was very unforgiving (more on the specific later on). The Auraspeed 99 took all the good bits of the 90k metallic and transformed itself into an entirely new racket that I personally enjoy a lot

Head Weight:

People keep saying that it's a head heavy racket but imo, it's not. Maybe a large part has to do with me having a very thick towel grip setup and that affects the balance point, but imo it's closer to even balance than it is to head heavy. Heavier end of even balance though. I say this because my most used racket, which is the Auraspeed Baby Milo (an auraspeed fantome variant) IS the head heavy speed racket imo. It is however, still noticeably head heavier than the 90k metallic.

Head Feel:

The 90k Metallic had a very crisp and rigid head feel, which was weird from a head that was not compact. The Auraspeed 99 head looks virtually the same, but the experience cannot be any more different. It has a significantly softer string bed response, that makes the sweet spot much larger and cushioned. It produces a solid thud when hit perfectly, yet is significantly less punishing than the 90k metallic.

Shaft stiffness.

It is a very stiff shaft BUUUUT wes 3.0 has been a very solid tech from Victor. The Auraspeed 99, despite being just as stiff (if not stiffer) than the 90k metallic is easier to whip on smashes. I get a very stable and responsive stiff shaft that can still be whipped around by a lower-intermediate player like me. I'm left wondering if it can be even whippier and forgiving had Victor gone for the freecore handle instead of wood....

Weight/Maneuverability:

I actually don't weigh my rackets, just going based off feel. It feels a little harder to maneuver compared to the 90k metallic, not because of the head weight but because of the overall weight of the racket. IMO, it is not a fatiguing weight, but definitely more than traditional speed rackets, and noticeably more than the 90k metallic

Final thoughts (from a lower-intermediate):

I absolutely love the Auraspeed 99 from a control standpoint. Very stable and direct for drives + drops, but I can still whip the racket for full smashes and long clears. It's not an easy racket to use by any means, but it works as intended if you are able to swing it properly. The only thing I don't like about it is the marketing, because it's clear that this racket has deviated away from being a speed racket, and is now fully a powerful control racket that has some speed elements, rather than a speed racket with some power (like how it is being marketed as)

Bonus:

On the 2nd pic are all the rackets (except for axforce 90) that me and my brother use in this house. If any of you have thoughts/questions about it, would be happy to answer.

- Victor Thruster FC Ultra

- Hundred Battle 900

- Victor Auraspeed 100x

- Victor Auraspeed Fantome F

- Victor Auraspeed Baby Milo (Fantome + Wes 2.0)

- Yonex Astrox 77

I am a beginner to badminton and have been trying to learn how to correctly grip and then go from forehand to neutral to backhand. I believe this style of play is done closer to the net. I went for a training session and the coach showed me how he holds the racket. I practice that but it still felt off. Then another coach showed me a different variation and now I am so lost. I have been watching different youtube videos from badminton insight to uniton and the way they all teach grip seems to be different? So I am very lost and starting to get frustrated because I start to learn one way from video and once I get a hang of that someone else tells me my grip is wrong. I don't want to keep learning the wrong thing. Help! Grip is the foundation of badminton, I want to learn the right one.

The other feedback I got from coach is I am such a beginner there is not much he can do with me yet. He said lessons would be a waste of money until I learn grip and footwork which makes sense. But somehow from videos, I am learning it wrong? I am not sure. I kinda need someone live to correct me in real time I guess, but lessons are also so pricey...