Spur of the Moment

Badminton is always about reactions. Even though the shuttle is lighter, it has to travel further because the net is much higher. You've only got moments to decide if you're going to play the shot or leave it for the border line people to decide. Then you've got your partner on top of that; and at the same time you have to decide who is playing the shot. Finally; you need to be in a good position to return the rally or direct it to somewhere that your opponent is going to struggle to get to. But quite often, just the simple act of your own movement can tilt the game in your favour, because the movement of your body is powerful enough to direct air towards the shuttle; so if you're travelling the same direction as the shuttle and it hits the tape; you might just be lucky enough to knock that shuttle over.