Distinctive characteristics of the shuttlecock

Aerodynamic drag and stability:

The shuttlecock feathers accelerate it over distance while dragging, as it is extremely aerodynamic stability, inspite of initial orientation. It will turn to fly cork-first, and remain in the cork-first orientation.

The other consequences of the shuttlecock’s drag is that it should be skillfully hitted with the full length of the court. The drag also influences the flight path of a lifted (lobbed) shuttlecock: the parabola of its flight is heavily skewed so that it falls at a steeper angle than it rises. The shuttlecock will fall vertically if it is served with high serves.

Spin:

Balls may be spun to alter their bounce (for example, topspin and backspin in tennis), and players may slice the ball (strike it with an angled racket face) to produce such spin; but, since the shuttlecock is not allowed to bounce, this does not apply to badminton.

Slicing the shuttlecock so that it spins, however, does have applications, and some are particular to badminton.

1. Slicing the shuttlecock from the side may cause it to travel in a different direction from the direction   suggested by the player's racket or body movement. This is used to deceive opponents.
2. Slicing the shuttlecock from the side may cause it to follow a slightly curved path (as seen from above), and the deceleration imparted by the spin causes sliced strokes to slow down more suddenly towards the end of their flight path. This can be used to create dropshots and smashes that dip more steeply after they pass the net.
3. When playing a netshot, slicing underneath the shuttlecock may cause it to turn over itself (tumble) several times as it passes the net. This is called a spinning netshot or tumbling netshot. The opponent will be unwilling to address the shuttlecock until it has corrected its orientation.

Due to the way that its feathers overlap, a shuttlecock also has a slight natural spin about its axis of rotational symmetry. The spin is in a counter-clockwise direction as seen from above when dropping a shuttlecock. This natural spin affects certain strokes: a tumbling netshot is more effective if the slicing action is from right to left, rather than from left to right

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