Corruption or genius game? Badminton under the influence of ‘unplayable’ storage technology | Badminton

The instigator of the stir is Marcus Rindschog. The young Dane, a virtually unknown gamer, has developed an entirely new storage technology: the “Hurricane Serve”.

When Rindshoj also used the revolutionary trick in the competition in March, he won it point by point. Hardly anyone managed to return the shuttle – better known as the shaft.

Rindshoj was soon followed, also in the professional circuit, and the serve went viral.

It was not suitable for the BWF Badminton World Federation. She thinks serve spoils the game – it reduces pools to three hits at most.

So it was decided immediately on Friday to temporarily block storage. At the end of May, the suspension will be re-analyzed and, in all likelihood, will be converted into a final ban.

What is the secret of blocked storage? “Normally, badminton strokes are played tightly against the shuttle cap,” explains Christophe Vandeguer, a journalist for Spurza, on Radio 1’s Neu Vitten.

“But Rindshoj grabs the shuttlecock by the cap with his middle finger and thumb as if he were going to fire a wad. The shuttle rotates greatly by shooting, and if you then—without much force—knock it over the net, you have an unexpected spinning effect.”

“It is almost impossible for the opponent to return the shuttle correctly. And then you get match situations where the player on the serve scores point after point, without resistance.”

“The BWF argues that this is too boring for the viewer. In addition, they are also thinking about the Games in Paris next year. If the low-ranking players in the qualifying tournaments dismantle this serving technique, the main tournament table can be filled with minor gods.”

There is something to be said for keeping the sport attractive. On the other hand: Shouldn’t athletes be given all the freedom and creativity to win the competition – in an organizational way?

“Absolutely, that’s why we’ve seen so many notable revolutions throughout the history of the sport,” Vandegor says. “Just think of Fosbury’s high jump flip, which Dick Fosbury won the gold medal at the 1968 Games in Mexico City by jumping over the bar back first.”

“In basketball you had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook, which was almost untenable in the ’70s. And in ski jumping it was also revolutionary when Swede Jan Bokloff grabbed his V-skates and floated farther than the rest.”

Opinions are thus divided, but it seems unlikely that Rindshoj’s name will soon be mentioned at the same time as Fosbury or Abdul-Jabbar.

Let’s wait and see what the final verdict of the BWF will be.