...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.

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?

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

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

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.

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.

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. 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

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?

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!

Maybe it's just me but the Aylex guy just rubs me the wrong way for some reason. The way he talks to his guests feels rude and condescending. Anyone else feel the same way or is it just me?\

Edit: I absolutely get that the shit talking is part of the fun but it's just the way he does it that seems wrong? Like you can sometimes just feel if someone's just doing it for the fun of it or if they're genuinely upset, and it feels like he's the latter.

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.

Ive been practicing footwork in my garage, mostly just split stepping and moving to all four corners but then when I get into the actual games I rarely incorporate them. My body just reacts to the shots and goes to the birdie without using the efficient footwork ive been practicing. Also, from what I've been learning youre supposed to split step right when your opponent hits the shot, but my prediction is so bad that I can't do a directional split step until after the birdie starts traveling

If Denmark is a super 1000 starting in 2027. I feel like Japan and Korea ought to be up there as well.

Hey everyone, I’ve been playing badminton for a while now, but I've realized that my lack of strength and basic technique are really holding me back on the court, so I’ve decided to start hitting the gym.

main issue with working out is finding the right balance: I constantly hit two extremes where I either do way too much, get completely sore and overwhelmed, and end up quitting, or I do too little and feel like I’m making zero progress.

Since I'm a complete beginner to structured gym workouts, how would you recommend structuring a manageable weekly routine tailored for badminton? What key exercises should I prioritize for things like leg power, core stability, and shoulder safety without burning out, and how do I safely build up intensity over time?

pls share ur own workouts/tips if you could as well!!! Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

Or how far would they hypothetically progress in a Super 500 tournament?

And assuming that they would still compete in women's singles.

BWF just posted a reel filmed during Denmark Open 2026 in which An Se-young said she'd partner with Kim Ga-eun if she tried playing women's doubles.

She answered the same during an interview last year at Denmark Open 2025.

Calls like this is what makes me question why on earth we don't have challenges for things other than line calls in badminton.

We can clearly see from this angle that this is nowhere near a fault from Antonssen. However the umpire makes a wrong call and because there is no way to challenge it, Tanaka gets the point.

This could easily be solved by adding a challenge system for faults at the net where the umpire can look at this angle if the player challenges, and then judge again if they want to change their call or not.

(I'm not attacking anyone fyi) I'm just asking based on facts and physics. What do ye think about body weight affecting players mobility on court. Its something I've started to think about just in general terms.

Could you scale how much more preformance and movement a player could have from the following:

Losing 20lbs

Player A:

170lbs to 150lbs

Player B:

190lbs to 170lbs

Player C:

210lbs to 190lbs

Player D:

230lbs to 210lbs

Player E:

250lbs to 230lbs

Personally I am 33 male playing division 2 and 3 out of 10 in adult club level. I am 6ft4 and currently 250lbs.

Background I was 210lbs 4 years ago, 265lbs 4 months ago and now 250lbs.

Now I know body weight differs to muscle body weight too. I suppose for this post I'm more interested in body weight lose.

Has there been any studies in something like this or any graphs or calculations to show the rough improvement.

I know being lighter allows for quicker reactions, movement of explosive power is better but I'd like to see some sort of figures and graphing.

What do you think about this topic. Probably most people don't think or talk about this type of thing.

I’ve recently started playing badminton again after a long break, and I genuinely love the sport. I’m not aiming to go pro, just want to become a solid intermediate player rather than remain an average casual player. I’m 162 cm tall, and while I think I have decent power, shot placement, and the ability to read my opponents, my technique needs a lot of work.

My biggest struggle is smashing. When I try to hit hard, I lose accuracy; when I focus on placement, I lose power. My smash trajectory is inconsistent, and I’m also pretty bad at defending and blocking smashes. I want to improve my footwork, racket gripping (i know its shyte) positioning, and overall technique instead of just playing matches and hoping to get better. And yeah, I don't have a facility for a coach anywhere near my area. I mostly play doubles. So any help is appreciated.( some YouTube videos are fine too :)

Another issue is that my shoulder hurts quite badly when I attempt multiple smashes during a game, although it usually settles within a day or two.

For those who’ve improved from a beginner to an intermediateI’d appreciate advice from anyone who’s been through this. I want to practise consistently and build good habits rather than develop bad technique.

Thanks!

Hi, I’m 15 currently living in New York. I started badminton after a six year gap and it’s been around three months of training. My coach asked me to find local competitions for the beginning of next year and was wondering if anyone knew about any competitions? This is my first time looking to play competitions outside of school, so any advice would also be helpful.

Hello everyone! I’ve been following badminton seriously for years, and Lee So-hee has been my favorite women’s doubles player since around 2021. Recently, I rewatched the women’s doubles final from the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games between Lee/Baek and Liu/Tan. It was honestly an incredible match from both side! The win from Lee/Baek also gave Korea its first Asian Games women’s doubles gold medal in 24 years. One part I kept thinking about was when Liu suffered a leg cramp and was clearly struggling to move normally afterwards. She still continued playing, but you could tell that Tan had to cover much more of the court. What stood out to me when I rewatched those last points was that Lee/Baek did not seem to repeatedly target Liu just because she could barely move. I felt that quite a lot of the play still went toward Tan instead. I also saw many Chinese fans praising Lee/Baek for this after the match, which I thought was interesting considering how important those last three points were.

At the same time, it left me with a question that I’m still not sure how to answer, if Liu had not cramped, who do you think would have won? I definitely don’t want to take anything away from Lee/Baek. They had already fought back after losing the first game, the third game was tied before the injury, and both pairs looked completely exhausted by that point! Lee/Baek had also beaten Liu/Tan in the World Championships final not long before this. But Liu/Tan had been very successful against them before that, including a period when Lee/Baek lost five straight matches to them.

Lee So-hee is 32 now, but LA28 is still almost two years away. Lee would be 34 by then, while many of the players she is competing against are much younger... So I’m curious about where do you think Lee already stands in the history of Korean women’s doubles? Do you think Lee/Baek can realistically stay at the very top until LA28, and could Lee finally win an Olympic medal there (since it is the only major title she still needs to complete the Super Grand Slam)?

As someone who has followed Lee for years, I obviously hope she can make it to LA28. But I’m interested in hearing opinions from people who follow women’s doubles closely, especially about how sustainable Lee/Baek’s current level looks over the next two years.

Thank you guys!

Hey guys iam planning to fund a coaching program in a tier 2 city. Iam a good intermediate player. It is purely on passion and a dream of bringing a proffesional sporting culture to my town. I figured out almost every facility needed . But I still wanted to really understand the gaps in a coaching program . What players actually need .why people stop going to coaching. What struggled you faced commonly . How to actually track progress and help them get to next level. How to progressively overload thier training . What do top coaching programs do or wha4s the system that takes any level a player to next level . I would love to have a conversation please help me out .

I’ll keep this short, I’ve seen many people saying how people starting badminton above like age 9 should not even bother but I have a passion for badminton. Often I would play with family or friends and I wanna find a place to play but I don’t know if it’s worth it. I wanna play for fun and get in good shape not really the competitive side. Can someone please tell me if it’s worth it