| Revision as of 04:32, 4 October 2005 editQVanillaQ (talk | contribs)504 edits adding information about the sport of Jianzi← Previous edit | Revision as of 00:08, 6 October 2005 edit undo152.163.100.200 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
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| just say it out loud: shuttlecock... | |||
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| 'nuff said | |||
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| A '''shuttlecock''' is a high-] ] used in the sport of ]. It has an open conical shape, with a rounded head at the apex of the cone traditionally made of ] and a skirt traditionally of sixteen overlapping ] ]s. | |||
| For most casual players, the cork-and-feather construction has been replaced by the use of a ] (usually ]) or ] head and a plastic (usually nylon) skirt. The feather shuttlecock is still used by serious players and for competitions. The feathered variety is more expensive and far more likely to break during a match, and also has to be hit about three times as hard. | |||
| The shuttlecock is also called a "birdie", "bird", "cock" or "shuttle". The "shuttle" part of the name was probably derived from its back-and-forth motion during the game, resembling the shuttle of a ], and the "]" from the feathers of the traditional shuttlecock, referring to a bird's crest. | |||
| The shuttlecock's shape makes it extremely ]ally stable. Regardless of initial orientation, it will turn to fly head first, and remain in the head-first orientation. The feathers provide a lot of drag (less so in a plastic construction). It is this consistent high-drag behaviour that makes badminton distinctive. | |||
| The shuttlecock's aerodynamic behaviour was consciously replicated in the design of the ] ]. Its "feathered" flight mode is a very stable high-drag configuration, used to make the flight insensitive to orientation during ]. | |||
| Shuttlecock is also used as the English name of the sport ], which is also played with a shuttlecock. | |||
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Revision as of 00:08, 6 October 2005
just say it out loud: shuttlecock... 'nuff said