The right handed shuttlecock

Badminton is the only sport that uses a handed projectile. The anticlockwise rotation of a feather shuttlecock causes it to veer to the right. This means that a high clear will be drifting slightly out on the left side (when you are the receiver) and vice versa. In match play analysis we see twice as many errors on leaves made on the right side because of this. I have not spoken to any coaches who take account of this.

This off-set feature of feather shuttles makes the game slightly more difficult for left-handers. A right handed out-to-in slice shot is hit in the same direction as the lay of the feathers. This increases the spin in the normal direction, opening up the feathers which improves the drop shot and helps accuracy. Left-handers hit into the lay of the feathers (often causing damage) and puts reverse spin on the shuttle which fights the natural direction of spin, thus losing a degree of control.

Tests have shown that Bird2 has a good spin rate and gets more grip on the strings than conventional nylons without opening up or getting damaged like feathers.