Badminton For Physical Education - What Products Can Take The Punishment!

Badminton has been an old standby for PE classes through the decades. A fantastic sport that can be played by youngsters and adults alike, badminton requires little equipment and offers an exciting workout that will improve eye hand coordination and agility.
Physical education equipment takes a beating and lightweight badminton rackets, birdies and nets are not known for their ability to withstand punishment.
While new racket materials such as titanium composites have become more prevalent there are a few standard models that are known to take a lickin and keep on racketing. You get the point!
This article will point out a few badminton racket models that physical education teachers across the country have depended on. We will also discuss badminton shuttlecocks and badminton nets that will help you run your physical education program.
Badminton Rackets:
While competitive badders through out the world may be in the market for high tech composite badminton rackets for physical education classes you should have one material on your mind steel, steel, steel.
There is no substitute for good old steel. Steel shaft, steel frame and even steel strings. Here are some popular models.
The Morley# M14539 badminton racket offers about as much steel as you can get into a racket without ending up with giant spatula.
The Morley#M14540 doesn't feature the steel strings but it does not lack in durability. Double steel shafts keep this badminton racket coming back for more, again and again.
The Morley# M14543 badminton racket is 2 inches shorter than a standard badminton racket. Measuring in at 24 inches in length it is designed for younger elementary school badminton players. It also features a durable steel shaft and a steel frame.
Other models that are popular at the institutional level are as follows.
Carlton Attack Ti, Carlton C9750, Carlton 313, ADA 76 Smack Excel, Yonex B460 and HL 110.
Some of these models feature aluminum shafts and frames but all of these models have proven themselves in the gymnasium and are a great value. These higher end models are still available at economy prices which makes them a great purchase for high school level physical education classes were durability may be a little less of a concern and a better playing racket is more important so students can excel.
Badminton Shuttlecocks & Birdies
Here it gets a little tricky. While steel rackets are usually some of the least expensive and best for PE classes when it comes to shuttlecocks cheapest is not always best. The least expensive shuttlecocks are plastic with rubber tip and should be considered only for backyard use.
They do not offer the best flight characteristics so they will actually make the game harder as the birdie appears to have a mind of its own in flight. They are a bargain though so you may want to have some on hand just in case.
The best models have a cork tip for better pop off of the racket and nylon skirts that perform well.
As for speed my advice is medium or blue speed as this is practical for all age groups.
In the color arena yellow has become increasingly popular for youngsters as they are easier to track in flight.
My pick for shuttlecocks for PE would be one of these or a mix.
Carlton T800 Yellow Blue Speed
Carlton C100 White Blue Speed
Yonex Mavis M300M White or Yellow
All of the above are of high quality for great playability. They will pop of the strings, fly in the direction you intended assuming you know how to use the racket and they are durable enough to survive physical education classes.
Badminton Nets
A lot of school accounts purchase our PE quality badminton net or economy nets which is fine but if your net will be used indoors may I suggest the M14563 institutional net. The difference, other than a few dollars, is that the institutional model features taped sides and bottom while the less expensive models are just net.
The taped sides and bottom make the net keep its shape better for a more professional look and better playability the tape also helps the net standout more and most importantly the taped sides and bottom make the net last longer and easier to roll for storage. Believe me the extra few bucks is well worth it.
If you are using the net outside however go with the cheapest model this will stand up to the elements best and provide more bang for your buck.
This little bit of advice should help you stretch your physical education equipment budget.
Badminton is a fantastic sport and teaching it to our children in physical education classes will help build healthy adults. The sport will improve coordination, balance and agility as well as building a healthy respect for competition.

Ken Morley III - has 11 years full time experience in the Team Sporting Goods business. As fourth generation at Morley Athletic Supply Company Inc. he has inside information regarding products for team sports and physical education.
He authors articles that offer product reviews for team sports supplies and equipment and articles that offer advice on how to run your programs more effectively by using the right products.

The Future of Public Education According to The Pragmatic Thinker

For years there has been a public outcry to "fix" the PUBLIC educational system of the United States. First of all, this will be impossible, because "fix" cannot be defined.
Some say that "fix" means to have better and more modern buildings. Some say to "fix" mean to pay teachers more. Some say to "fix" means to have our students pass progress tests. Some say to "fix" means to be able to have our students more effectively compete in the world arena of science and business. Some say to "fix' means give our students a better education in the basics of reading, writing, and math. Some say to "fix" means to give our students a more progressive, liberal education so they can live fuller and more complete lives. Some say we need to "fix" the educational system so students can choose what "they" want to do in life sooner and enter college with direction and focus. And the reasons for "fixing" the "broken" PUBLIC educational system go on and on.
I think the PUBLIC educational system is broken and cannot be fixed. The system is so bogged down in political bureaucracy, red tape, special interests, union politics, under funding, misuse of funds, misdirection, non-focus, status quo thinking, social rhetoric, unfunded programs, broken political promises, and under staffed, under qualified, and under paid administrators and teachers that the PUBLIC educational system can never be fixed. It is an impossible task.
It is no wonder that PRIVATE schools, alternative learning programs, home schooling, and online curriculums are becoming more and more popular with the "affluent" of our population. If you can afford a good education for your student, parents are pulling their students out of PUBLIC schools and enrolling them more and more in private programs of education.
It is my opinion and the opinion of many concerned citizens that from elementary school to college, our educational system, at its best, often drives the natural love of learning out of our kids and replaces it with such "skills" as following rules, keeping still and quiet, doing what is expected, cheating or procrastinating. And that's why, in most schools, being on time and sitting quietly are more important than critical thinking and innovative production. To prosper in this economy, students need to develop and master different skills - lifeskills such as resourcefulness, curiosity, innovation, as well as logical and verbal proficiency.
Most progressive educational professionals would agree with Bill Gates who told our nation's governors last year that the traditional urban high school is obsolete.
The reality of education is that the system for the most part is outdated, too expensive, and ineffective. Many educationally progressive countries offer PUBLIC funding for education from Kindergarten through University, where as in the United States most states don't offer Kindergarten classes, and all Public Education stops at the end of High School.
The primary reason we send our children to school is to enable them to choose the career of their choice, earn a good living and enjoy all that life has to offer. We all want to give our children the opportunity to prosper and provide well for their families.
Here is what has to be done if we are to give our citizens a better education which in turn gives our country more productivity in the world economy.
1. We need to PRIVATIZE all education in our country.
2. Education will be "funded" but not controlled by our government.
3. Each family will be given a certain amount of money (voucher) for each student of each age.
4. Parents can use this voucher to educate their students as they choose at any school or institution of their choice.
5. The government has NO say in the choices parents and students make. Our tax dollars only go to "fund" PUBLIC education in the PRIVATE sector.
6. When schools and institutions are made to "compete" for tuitions based on the performance of the teachers and educators, the quality of education will increase. If schools don't offer parents and students a quality education, parents and students will go some place else, and the school is out of business.
7. We need to also include a government funded college education or trade school education for all who want it. Most parents can't afford to send their students to college. Only about one in 17 (5.8%) young people from the nation's poorest families, those earning less than $35,377 a year, can expect to earn a bachelor's degree by age 24. For those from the nation's wealthiest families, those who earn about $85,000 or higher, it's better than one in two (50%.) This University funding would also be on a voucher basis also. There would still be private colleges who might not need the money (vouchers), but for the most part most colleges would welcome the money as a way to increase enrollment and increase the quality of the education they offer.
8. The obvious results of PRIVATIZING education is that not only schools would have to compete to get the student, by offering a quality educational program, but teachers could now offer their services in a FREE market. The fact is, the good teachers would be paid more. Schools would have to offer the good teachers more to keep them. If a good teacher could make twice as much at another school, because they are better qualified and had a "parent following," schools would have to get serious about offering teachers more money. More people would want to become teachers if they could get paid more. And just like in every business, in order to get the best, you have to pay them more.
9. Online schools would become more and more popular and accepted also. This is especially great for the "inter-city" areas and "rural" areas, where education has been hard to fund, and quality teachers hard to find.
10. On the "one student, one voucher" system, all communities are now able to compete equally for the best teachers and educators. Because of population (demand) in large cities and communities, some schools would have to hire more teachers. In the small cities they would need fewer teachers, but the "money" is the same per student.
11. By PRIVATIZING education, funded by the government with our tax dollars (as we currently do) we would be able to save money. The United States could keep the PUBLIC education budgets at a manageable level. Schools would have to compete for the funding and just like the "price wars" of car dealers, furniture stores, and all businesses, schools would have to continually strive to give parents and students "MORE education" for their money. This is Capitalism at its best.
12. The less government "control" of our PUBLIC education, the better. Government would have NO say or control whatsoever on the type of education parents chose for their students. Government would only FUND educational choices based on the government's education budget. The PRIVATE sector would have to compete just like any other private business for the money by offering a better, quality education to its customers (the parents and students.) The PUBLIC education system for the most part now is a MONOPOLY and doesn't have to "try harder." Just like the deregulation of the airlines, the telephone companies, etc., prices would go down (or in this case stay down) based on the economic rule of supply and demand. PRIVATIZING our PUBLIC education answers ALL the problems we currently face in our current PUBLIC education system.