The Shuttlecock

The shuttlecock is used in badminton, it can also be called a bird or birdie. It is formed into a conical shape by feathers or by a plastic material. It will always fly cork first through the air. The shuttlecock is normally shortened to shuttle. The part "shuttle" came from how it constantly went over the net, back and forth like a loom, a machine that is used to make clothing. The "cock" part was added by how the feathers on the shuttle resemble those of a rooster. Most feather shuttlecocks are made using 16 feathers from the left wing of a goose, feathers from both wings are never used as the formation of the feathers on the different wings are not of a similar shape.  A thin layer of leather is placed over the cork to make sure that the flight of the shuttle is alright. Before matches feather shuttlecocks are humidified for 4 hours, so that during the match the feathers flex, this means that the shuttle will have better speed change and durability than if the feather shuttlecock was dry. But when the feather shuttlecock is being humidified, water is never meant to touch the cork top. A very good point from Wikipedia explaining how to test whether a shuttle is good for use or not - "According to manufacturers (!) proper shuttle will generally travel from the back line of the court to just short of the long doubles service line on the opposite side of the net, with a full underhand hit from an average player."




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