Shuttlecock velocity decay after smash and slice shots in badminton

TL;DR

This study analyzes how shuttlecock velocity decreases after smash and slice shots in badminton, revealing exponential decay patterns influenced by shuttlecock type, spin, and initial speed, with implications for high-level play.

Contribution

It provides a detailed quantitative analysis of shuttlecock velocity decay post-shot, highlighting differences between feather and plastic shuttlecocks and effects of spin and speed.

Findings

Velocity halves every 3.35 meters of flight.

Plastic shuttlecocks deform and have reduced drag at high speeds.

Spin from slice shots slows down the shuttlecock.

Abstract

This paper reports on the decay in shuttlecock velocity after smash and slice shots performed by elite and international players, based on the analysis of videos captured on a badminton court with high-speed cameras. The trajectories of feather shuttlecocks show an exponential decay in velocity and an exponential increase in time-of-flight with distance, in accordance with the equation of motion of a shuttlecock subjected to high drag. The initial speed, which can exceed 500 km/h, is reduced by half every 3.35 m, depending on the physical parameters of the shuttlecock characterized by a speed index. The videos show that plastic shuttlecocks, which are more resistant than feather shuttlecocks, deform at high speeds. The resulting decay of their drag coefficient with increasing speed makes them unsuitable for high-level play. The study also shows that the spin induced by the slice shots of left-handed players or the reverse slice shots of right-handed players slows the shuttlecock down.