ASHWINI PONNAPPA becomes a VICTOR-sponsored player

India Pretty Baby ASHWINI PONNAPPA becomes a VICTOR-sponsored player

After signing Indonesia’s AHMAD/NATSIR, last week VICTOR signed a sponsorship deal with one of India’s top doubles players ASHWINI PONNAPPA; it is expected that she will play at the India Open later this week in VICTOR colors.

The head of VICTOR marketing division Martin Lu & Ponnappa

She is the first Indian player to be sponsored by VICTOR and, by sponsoring her, VICTOR once again has shown its determination to expand its presence in international badminton. 

(Photo from：Facebook - Sunrise India Open 2013)

ASHWINI PONNAPPA said that she is really happy to be sponsored by VICTOR. In recent years VICTOR has improved markedly in terms of brand image and product quality so she has no worries at all about being closely associated with the brand, she said. She hopes that she will play better wearing VICTOR rackets and wearing VICTOR clothes to help raise the profile of badminton in India. PONNAPPA said that in India badminton is a new sport that is attracting more and more players and she hopes that in future, with the help of VICTOR, she will achieve better results and will encourage more young people in India to take up the sport.

(Photo from：Facebook - Sunrise India Open 2013)

ASHWINI PONNAPPA is attractive and has achieved some good results. Playing in the women’s doubles at the 2012 London Olympics her and her partner beat Chinese Taipei’s “golden women’s doubles pair”  Cheng Wen Hsin/Chien Yu Chin in the qualifying round. Also, she is still only 23 so still has a lot of potential. This is a new star that aficionados of the game will not fail to notice.

( Edit by VICTOR )

【NEWS】India Open 2013 1st-round

ROK players all go through on the first day of the Indian Open Super Series 2013

The ROK team showed fearsome power on the first day of the Indian Open Super Series 2013, all its eight players/pairs going through to the next round.

Jung Kyung Eun/ Kim Ha Na

In the women’s singles, Bae Youn Joo came up against Hong Kong’s Yip Pui Yin, a player who always puts up a fight. In the first round, Bae had no answer to the attacking play of Yip and went down 13-211. After changing ends, Bae changed to clear and drop tactics to reduce Yip’s attacking opportunities and successfully changed the rhythm of play; she went on to take the next two game 21-18 to win the match.

In the men’s double’s, both top ROK pairs, Ko Sung Hyun/ Lee Yong Dae, Kim Ki Jung/ Kim Sa Rang went through to the last 16...........Full Article

Asian Champ 2013 - FINALS

China takes three titles, Ko Sung Hyun walks away with the other two

The Badminton Asia Championships 2013 came to a perfect end in front of over 8000 spectators at the Taipei Dome. The ROK took away the men’s doubles and mixed doubles titles; new team captain Ko Sung Hyun showed his class by bagging two golds with his doubles partners.

Lee Yong Dae/ Ko Sung Hyun

The final of the men’s doubles was an all-ROK affair, Ko Sung Hyun/Lee Yong Dae up against younger pair Kim Ki Jung/Kim Sa Rang. Before the match, Lee confessed to being a bit nervous, saying that their final opponents were the pair they least wanted to come up against because they aren’t too familiar with how they play, and they are also teammates. In the match Kim Ki Jung was clearly out of sorts in the first game and his attack.......Full Article

Badminton Asia Championship 2013 Day 4

China guaranteed first or second place in there disciplines！

In the semi-finals of the Badminton Asia Championship 2013, seven pairs or individual players from China reached the finals and it is now certain that China will take first or second in the women’s singles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles and the men’s singles. In the men’s doubles final, the ROK’s Ko Sung Hyun/ Lee Yong Dae and Kim Ki Jung/ Kim Sa Rang will compete for the title.

Lee Yong Dae

In the semi-final of the men’s doubles, No.1 seeds  Ko Sung Hyun/ Lee Yong Dae proved unstoppable despite a brave effort from Malaysia’s GOH V Shem/ LIM Khim Wah. Their compatriots Kim Ki Jung/ Kim Sa Rang sent No. 2 seeds, Hiroyuki ENDO/Kenichi HAYAKAWA, packing to set the stage for an all ROK final, a result sure to please the ROK team coach.

China’s women’s singles player Li Xue Rui and Wang Yi Han............Full Article

Badminton Asia Championship 2013 Day 3

Chong Wei Feng overcomes a tough challenge to make it to the last four!

China and ROK players showed their power in the quarter-finals of the Badminton Asia Championship 2013, eight pairs or individual players from China and four from the ROK making it to the semis.

Lee Yong Dae/ Ko Sung Hyun

In the men’s singles, China’s star Lin Dan pulled out with an injury, disappointing many fans who were keen to see him in action. The most memorable match was that  between China’s top young player Gao Huan and Chong Wei Feng of Malaysia.........Full Article

Badminton Asia Championship 2013 Day 2

China and Korea players stride forward impressively

The last 16 stage of the Badminton Asia Championship 2013 was held yesterday (April 18). Of the players and pairs making it through to the quarter-final stage, 13 are from China, six from the Korea .

Ko Sung Hyun/ Lee Yong Dae

The Korea’s top men’s doubles pair, Ko Sung Hyun/ Lee Yong Dae, strolled past their Hong Kong opponents 21-10,21-11 and will face Kamura Takeshi/ Keigo Sonoda of Japan in the quarter-finals. Another fancied ROK pair, Kim Ki Jung/ Kim Sa Rang disposed of Chen Hung Lin/ Lu Chia Bin of Chinese Taipei 21-13,23-25,21-11.

The up and coming Korea pair Lee So Hee/ Shin Seung Chan beat China’s rated pair Jiang Kai Xin/ Cai Pei Long and will face current world No. 1 pair China’s Yu Yang/ Wang Xiao Li in the next round.

In the men’s singles discipline, China showed strength that no other country can match. Lin Dan........Full Artcile

Badminton Asia Championship 2013 Day1

Ko Sung Hyun wins twice in one day! 

The Badminton Asia Championship 2013 officially kicked off on April 17 at the Taipei Dome. All players did their best to do well and the ROK’s Ko Sung Hyun/ Lee Yong Dae played extremely well in the first round. Ko actually won in his first round men’s doubles and mixed doubles matches so sailed through to the second round in both.

Ko Sung Hynu / Lee Yong Dae

Ko/Lee played with great energy against their Chinese Taipei opponents Tsai China Hsin/ Lee Sheng Mu and had them on the back foot from the start. The Chinese Taipei pair did put up some resistance but were unable to find their best form and went down 21-17, 21-14 to the disappointment of the home fans.

In the mixed doubles, Ko Sung Hyun/ Kim Ha Na were playing in their first tournament as a pair......Full Article

BWF Rankings－released on April 11, 2013

The latest world rankings released by the BWF show that the Top 10 players are nearly all from the world badminton superpowers of the championship group of the Sudirman Cup.

The winners of Australian Open 2013 received a toy kangaroo as a souvenir!

The top spots for the five disciplines are occupied respectively by: Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia,) men’s single; Li Xue Rui (China,) women’s singles.......Full Article

Australia GP Gold - Irfan/Weni Wins, Indonesia brings home 3 titles

Sydney, 7/4/2013-Indonesia has successfully confirmed to bring home its third titles from Australia Grand Prix Gold 2013 on Women Double, Men Double and Mixed Doubles disciplines.

The winner of Australia open 2013 mixed double - Irfan/ Weni

Title was taken by mixed double pairs Irfan Fadhilah/ Weni Anggraini. The tournament’s third seed pairs have brought a very close, yet dramatic three games match of 21-14 22-24 21-16 to Korean Pairs Shin Baek Choel/Jang Ye Na.........Full Article

Sudirman Cup 2013 qualifying groups are announced！

The Sudirman Cup 2013 World Mixed Team Championship will be held in Malaysia in May. Yesterday (on March 28), the drawing of lots to decide the qualifying groups was carried out. The 12 teams competing for the title are divided into four sub-groups in Group 1, groups A, B, C and D. The teams in each sub-group first play each other and the top two teams in each then progress to the last eight stage. The teams in the last eight then draw lots again and a knock-out system is then used for the remainder of the tournament.

The South Korean National Team

The Sudirman Cup has five matches in every round: men and women's singles, men and women's doubles and mixed doubles. The “first to three” disciplines rule applies so outstanding doubles pairs are not enough to guarantee overall victory; to win, a team’s players in all five disciplines have to be strong.

The singles players, who take the stage first, can be said to have a heavy responsibility because, if they win, the following team mates are under less pressure and have momentum so it’s easier to play well. Likewise, if the singles matches are lost the losing team’s players who follow are under more pressure as they have to try to help their team come from behind.

All 31 teams in the tournament are top national teams and there’s not much difference in terms of ability, a fact that increases the tournament’s watchability. Each national team will send their top players to take part and is determined to achieve good results in this major international event! 

The Sudirman Cup 2013 - GROUP 1

A	B	C	D
China	Thailand	Malaysia	Denmark
Indonesia	South Korea	Germany	Japan
India	Hong Kong	Chinese Taipei	Singapore

.........More groups

Introduction to the types of badminton string

【Text／Joe】In badminton, shuttlecock striking performance is affected by many factors, the flight characteristics of the shuttlecock, the weight of the racket, its rigidity, string poundage and elasticity of the strings, for example, however, the racket strings, the things that directly come into contact with the shuttlecock the moment it is struck, are certainly the key factor affecting striking performance. Consequently, VICTOR has separated its six string styles into three types: Control, High Resilience and Durability. These three types are introduced below：

 

Control 

Through fine adjustment, the Control type of string can extend the length of time the shuttlecock stays on the racket strings, thus increasing shuttlecock control. VS-850, NS-880ZTI are Control strings.

badminton string VS-850

badminton string NS-880 ZTI

High Resilience

High Resilience type string is made using special materials that give better rebound and a solid feel when the shuttlecock is hit. VS-650 and NS-660TI are High Resilience strings........Full Article

Racket bag type introduction

【Text／Renee】

The number of rackets we want to carry, what equipment we want to take with us when we play, the bag type, size, appearance and price…all are deciding factors when we buy a racket bag. VICTOR has taken into account the needs of every badminton player and brougth out five different racket bag series so everyone can choose a bag that matches their own needs and style. VICTOR’s five racket series are introduced below to help everyone easily select the bag that is just right for their needs

 

 

SUPREME

Mainly for VICTOR’s sponsored payers and national team members

The styles in the VICTOR SUPREME series have a very fashionable Cross-facial design, studs on the bottom to protect the bag and are made of shiny PU synthetic leather. As well as using quality material and innovative design, the manufacturing process is meticulous, with strict requirements for every detail. This bag series suits players who want a bag that looks good and has a quality feel but is also professional.

BR390ACE (16 racket bag)

 

  PRO

PRO series bags meet all VICTOR’s requirements of a professional racket bag. The series has a number of styles..........Full Article

Three types of badminton racket

【Text／Reed】In 2013 the VICTOR team has once again raised the bar by putting forward a “three racket types” racket classification method that is close to the needs of players, by doing so unifying the characteristics of each racket series and suitable player groups, allowing consumers to obtain a better understanding of VICTOR rackets.

The logos of the three racket types

What the three racket types?

POWER, SPEED,ALL-AROUND; different to the past when racket functionality was the starting point for racket classification design, this time VICTOR has classified rackets according to the requirements of users with regards to different playing styles and strategies;in the future, corresponding rackets will be designed in accordance with the characteristics of these three types of racket.

Let’s immediately get to know the three racket type and which types of player they are respectively suited to!  .........Full Article

Three types of badminton shoe

It is extremely important to choose a suitable pair of badminton shoes for when you play. As well as avoiding sports injury, the right shoes can help you perform better. VICTOR’s R&D team has divided badminton shoes into three types according to different functions, each type unique in its own way. The three types of badminton shoe are explained below:

SPEED： LIGHTWEIGHT and IGNITION

Badminton requires speed and agility; a shoe that allows you to move quickly around the court and is also lightweight can give you an advantage when you play.Ignition——due to improvement in the midsole structure and material, sudden impact is transformed into outstanding rebound, shortening the time required for each step.  The lightweight design of the shoe, on the one hand. Reduces the burden on the foot and, on the other, substantially increases the speed of movement.......Full Article

Badminton court etiquette

Most players are very keen to improve their badminton ability, so the Training section of VICTOR Badminton Coaching is very popular. However, the sport has another important point that is easily overlooked by players, that is ‘court etiquette’!

Make new friends at the badminton court

VICTOR has compiled 16 points for attention on the court; although there are no written instructions or set mandatory rules, however, following these points of etiquette will help you have more enjoyment when you play and also make friends on court!

1. Attire: clean and tidy sports clothes must be worn 

2. Don’t make noises that will disturb your opponent during a match 

3. When sides of the court are exchanged, don’t go under the net. 

4. Picking up the shuttlecock when.......Full Article

Legendary player, now coach─the “people’s brother” Jung Jae Sung !

Unlike other players who avoid the crowds at competitions, Jung appeared, dressed casually, at the VICTOR Korean Super Series Premier 2013, joking with his former teammates and signing signatures and posing for photographs for all who asked, even sitting in the players’ seats and cheering on Ko Sung Hyun/Lee Yong Dae along with their teammates. Maybe this sums up the unique charm of this legendary doubles player. Below let’s find out from our special correspondent what the “people’s brother” has been up to since retiring from the national team and what unique insight he can offer about today’s young players. 

Jung Jae Sung in ALL ENGLAND OPEN 2012

Correspondent: Can you tell me briefly about your life after retiring from the national team?

Jung: I am a coach in South Korea with the Samsung team, mainly responsible for coaching female players, both singles and doubles players. As well as being a coach I also still play in domestic competitions........Full Article

BRING IT ON－Ko Sung Hyun

To challenge every game with the most initial passion, a real man sweating on the court and his future have infinite possibilities! 

Ko Sung Hyun

V : How old were you when you first started to play badminton? When was your first game? 

Ko : I started playing when I was 12 years old. I forgot when I played my first game, but I remember I played my first national game when I was 12. I had only practiced for 7 or 8 months when I competed in my first game and I still lost in the end, so I had a very clear memory of it.

V : What do you think about partnering with Lee Yong-Dae? 

Ko : Because I joined the National Team without going through the Junior team, consequently, compared to Lee Yong-Dae, I have much less experience. Even though he is my junior, he really possesses much more experience than I do.........Full Article

MAN OF THE YEAR－Lee Yong Dae

On the court he is perfection, but leaving his stardom behind, he is just a neighborhood kid who lives to his fullest potential and he will tell you about his private side.

Lee Yong Dae

V : After winning only the bronze medal in the London grand sporting event of 2012, you must be unsatisfied with that result ?
I regret deeply that I have only achieved this result because attending the event means winning the gold. But now, I have forgotten about this and since it has already happened, I can only remember this experience and its lessons and work harder in future competitions.

V : From the “Sung-Yong combination” to the “Hyun- Yong combination,” you are now partners with Ko Sung- Hyun, is there anything you would like to say to your partner?
When I was partnered with Jung Jae-Sung, we were more passive/aggressive players after serving, but Ko Sung-Hyun and I are more assertive......Full Article

THE IT GIRL－Tai Tzu Ying

With pure courage and a young spirit, she played badminton with no boundaries.A girl that moves on the court effortlessly, without baggage and limits, but brave and dashing.

  

VICTOR : How do you feel about winning the championship of 2 Open Games?

Tai Tzu Ying : Of course I am happy about winning the games, but every game is equally important and it is the result of training. Therefore, what I really care about is not winning, but my overall performance, and whether  I have shown my true strengths or if I have improved.

VICTOR : Everyone calls you Girl Genius, complimenting your unpredictable plays. How would you describe your plays?

Tai Tzu Ying : ......Full Article

VICTOR calls everyone to answer the EARTH HOUR !!

Earth Hour is a global energy saving event launched by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The event is borderless and everyone who cares about the earth is welcome to take part!

Earth Hour advocates that people everywhere turn off lights, computers, televisions and other non-essential electricity consuming products between 8.30 and 9.30pm on the last Saturday of March every year, the aim being to promote the idea of “reducing energy use.”

This year Earth Hour will take place on March 23. It is expected that over 7000 cities and townships in more than 150 countries will take part.......Full Article