Thursday, September 07, 2006

Importance of court surface

Tag category: Badminton 101

When my friends and I were still playing regularly at the badminton court located at the Court of Appeals, a friend of mine would constantly complain of back problems after a competitive game of badminton. I was not spared of any pain either. My feet would also ache due to the constant running I had to do.


At first, I thought the pains we were experiencing were due to the fact that we were getting older(lol!). It was only later that I found what the culprit was - the surface we were playing on was cement and it was harsh on our bodies due to the constant running, jumping and lunging we had to do. It was then that I discovered the importance of court surfaces in playing.

So far, I have seen four (4) kinds of surfaces in different badminton courts here in the Philippines, namely: (1) cement (hard court); (2) rubber mat-on-cement; (3) wooden planks flooring (wooden court surface); and (4) rubber mat-on-wood.

An example of a rubber mat-on-wood surface

Of these four, I prefer the last one, rubber mat on-wood. Cement is my least favorite surface. It has no 'give' after you perform a jump. Your body will have to absorb all the impact of that jump. A wooden surface, on the other hand, will help absorb some of the impact and will help the player 'bounce back.' Rubber mat, on the other hand, provides for a good surface since it has anti-skid properties. Due to the sudden stops and starts in a badminton game, this will help the player avoid sliding across the court after a sudden move. Obviously, a rubber mat-on-wood surface provides the best surface since it absorbs some of the shock and prevents the players from skidding inside the court. In the absence of available rubber mat-on-wood surface, I would settle for a wooden surface. I would definitely steer clear of those cement surfaces. I still want my knees and joints to be intact in my old age. :-)

29 comments:

Sonya said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. Yes, I've played Badminton since my father taught me how at 6 years old. We played three and four times a week on all different kinds of surfaces. Grass, cement, concrete.

I don't know why, but there is something about the game that I just love. I played regularly until I went to college.

Then when I got married, I taught my husband to play (I always won.
: 0 )

I taught my kids to play and they enjoy it.

I injured my knee a couple of years ago and haven't played since. I really miss it.

You live in Manilla? We have some friends who live around that area.

Anonymous said...

Ouchh, better take care of that back of yours, especially the lower portion. I myself occsionally suffer from pain in that area and it really hurts! :-(

Anonymous said...

I will keep this in my mind, thanks! Not that I'm playing badminton now but maybe in the near future :)

ladybug said...

magnolia> Thanks for dropping by. :-) I love to play badminton also. Badminton is a lot of fun and can really be addicting. I hope your knee gets better though so that you can get back into the game.

Yes, I live somewhere near Manila. Maybe you should come visit your friends here sometime. See 'ya around.

ladybug said...

snglguy> yes, we better be careful of our health. Hahaha...I hope this is not a sign of our age...lol!

ladybug said...

lani> yes, super important yung court surface para di mashado ma-puwersa katawan natin. GOod luck and enjoy! :-)

Anonymous said...

I always notice this especially when I was playing basketball; about how when the basketball court is made of pure cement, my legs gets easily tired. I'd surely prefer wooden ones anytime, or even those that ground soil, as mostly are in the barangays. In fact, I find it quite hazardous to play basketball on very cemented court since injury could be graver if it happens...

ipanema said...

I agree with you Ladybug. I prefer the last one too: rubber-on-wood mat.:)

ladybug said...

major tom> I fully agree. Hay nako...sana hindi naman ito sign na tumatanda na tayo. :-)

ladybug said...

ipanema> May mga pagkakataong hindi mapigilan at ubos na yung ganitong court, napipilitan na akong maglaro sa wooden court. Ok naman pero ingat lang ako sa pagtakbo.

Blurry D said...

Hey thanks for visting my blog. Nice blog on badminton..Sighhh i hope i can get a new one soon..

Maggie said...

wow.. i wish i can be as good as the rest of you..hehe,, i ahev a game next week.. wish me luck! link me please?:)

ladybug said...

blurry d> Thanks for visiting my blog too. :-) Good luck on getting a new racket.

maggie> Sure! No problem. Give some time first to arrange my template...ok? Good luck on your badminton game next week. :-) And thanks for visiting my blog.

faizal said...

Hey there ladybug. thanks 4 visiting my bloggy. well anyway do i know u? or u just came across my bloggy? i was just wondering..hehe anyway keep on posting!! ;)

faizal said...

oh and i love badminton too!!! hehe

Being Jerome Daclison said...

thanks for the lesson, mare. haaay. if only i am a sports person. my sister is the exact opposite though. she is already a class A badminton player and has been featured in Inquirer Badminton. Bruhang yun. As a result, my mom keeps on yakking about me going into badminton so that i would lose weight. i hate badminton...

charooooosss!!! hahahahaha!

T.Leibing said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
T.Leibing said...

Hi , thanks for tagging my board ! May I know how did you get to my blog ? Hope to know more about badminton from your blog . (:

my blog url : anythingbutordinary-.blogspot.com

ladybug said...

faizal> Thanks for visiting my blog too! :-) I was just bloghopping when I came across your blog. I found your story interesting. Anyway, good luck and hope to see you around. :-)

ladybug said...

jerome> Sige na, laro ka na! hhahaha...kakatuwa ito at baka pag naumpisahan mo baka ma-adik ka. :-) Sobrang gandang exercise pa naman ito sa katawan. Wow! Your sister must be a good player. Baka nakikita ko na pala yun sa mga tournaments. :-)

ladybug said...

icybingx> I was just bloghopping when I came across your blog. Thanks for dropping by too! :-) Good luck on your game!

Abaniko said...

We play on cemented courts because they're free. Hehe. I stopped playing a month ago because I experienced pains in my knees, feet, back... all over. I think I need to be careful this time. It's difficult if all of a sudden, I get 'semi-paralyzed' because of too much badminton on bad courts.

Anonymous said...

try those Crocs sandals...they're fantastic! I dunno if you can wear them for badminton but I have to say, they're better than going barefoot....

ladybug said...

abaniko> Omigosh...mahirap talagang maglaro sa cement lalo na kung may mga nararamdaman ka ng masakit sa katawan. Pahinga ka muna. And next time you play again, sa rubber on wood na para di na matagtag katawan mo. Mahal lang nga ng konti pero hati-hati naman kayong magbabayad eh. :-)

mita> thanks for the tip. I'll look into it. :-)

Anonymous said...

Ladybug,

Thanks for sharing your knowledge on the surfaces of badminton courts.

(:

I don't really like cemented court as well. It feels different when you play.

By the way, I was just wondering, what is the grip size of the racket that you are using?

SeƱor Enrique said...

Informative post!

Been playing on rubber mat over cement here in Quezon City, but enjoy the wooden courts at Peregrine, though some find them slippery.

ladybug said...

kyels> You're very welcome. :-) I don't really have my own racket since I just borrow my husband's. But the grip size is G3. I think this is the normal grip size which is easier to maneuver. :-) Hope this helps.

ladybug said...

tigerwood> I'm sorry, my name is not janette. Thanks for dropping by though. :-)

ladybug said...

eric> that's really the problem with wooden courts. Even if the courts are covered with rubber paint, it still lacks the anti-skid properties of a rubber mat. I usually play at Powersmash in Makati where they have rubber-on-wood and wooden courts.