Paul, your article is really interesting as always.

For now, the players I have in my list are :

Chuck Norris because he can smash even without touching the shuttle

Lee Yong Dae : The most commited and versatile player I've ever seen in double even if now he hasn't got good results (due to his surgery ?). Ok I admit that every player has to be good in all areas like playing at the net, smashing at the back, defending, etc… but I do'nt know why, LYD seems to be over that.

Fu Haifeng : The big smasher. His smash could kill Chuck Norris if he's getting in his way haha. I admire him only for his power if we have to compare, LYD doesn't smash as hard as FHF but FHF sometimes have problems with his defensive skills.

Taufik Hidayat : OK, I'm a double player so I can't tell myself to play like Taufik but I like his style of game so much. He's such a genius and his backhands are really impressive. He does them without any difficulties or at least, it looks like it. I think every badminton player has always dreamed about smashing with his backhand like Taufik.

That's all for the moment, I'm still thinking about it.

Jonathan

This is a tough one. But still, after much consideration, here are my top 5 that would make the “army”:

1. Lee Chong Wei (MAS)

World No.1 and currently the most decorated player in the Super Series tournaments ring. It's not just the credentials, though. He's agile, quick, fast, explosive, consistent, powerful-for-size and most of all very physically fit. Fatigue rarely becomes a major setback for this 28 year old from Penang. He has a fair amount of deceptive play with very good crosses at the net, and his defense is absolutely marvellous. Oh, and he springs back into a jump smash immediately after a diving defense too. That is just… world class in every sense of the word.

2. Lin Dan (CHN)

Our former world no.1 from Fujian province in China. Outstanding fitness, agility, movement, court coverage, consistency and most of all, power. This bloke is just powerful in ways you can never imagine. His muscular build and core abdominal strength all come together to give him some of the sharpest angled smashes in the sport with immense power and speed (if not the fastest). If I had to pick one person to represent mankind and fight against a race of aliens in badminton, Lin Dan will definitely be one of my top 2 choices.

3. Taufik Hidayat (INA)

Let's face it. Before any of today's top singles players stepped foot into the square court, Taufik was already there, fighting for the All England crown against a very experienced Xia Xuanze at the tender age of 17. He has won nearly all of it; the World Championships (2005), Thomas Cup (too many to count), Olympics(2004) and many many more Super Series tournaments. What more can a player ask for? Famed for his backhand smash, he also has one of the fastest forehand smashes in singles play at 305kph. He strings his favourite Arcsaber racquets at a whopping 33lbs tension, and that goes to show just how powerful his arms are. Fitness may be declining with age, but Taufik will always be a Hall-of-Famer in the world of badminton.

4. Tan Boon Heong (MAS)

Tall and lanky at 1.80m above the ground. That just means the left-hander can get into contact with the shuttle at a higher point compared to some of his rivals. He jumps very very high (if you notice), and that adds up to give you powerful and steep-angled smashes in doubles play. Some of these exceed 270kph, but most hover around 260kph, and that is perhaps a speed he can achieve while being half-asleep. He set the Yonex and Guinness World Record for the fastest ever smash in badminton history with the Arcsaber Z-Slash, achieving an outstanding 414kph smash speed. He's like the motor of a rear-wheel drived Porsche in doubles play. Will you dare face him on court? Probably not…

5. Lars Paaske (DEN)

Okay, this last one was really tough to decide, but I think Paaske deserved it. He wielded the Yonex Arcsaber 8DX and showed the world what a (somewhat) mid range racquet can do in the hands of an expert. The results? Absolutely astonishing. He's that darn tall that when he steps onto the service line and stretches over in attack mode, his racquet is nearly touching the net. Trick him with a flick serve instead? His legs are long enough to retrieve your super-invincible-foolproof flick serve with just a step back, and he won't ever lose his balance. Oh c'mon… badminton doubles can't be that difficult can it? I mean… we can't even seem to get thru the serve at the rate Lars is playing… gosh. And, with 36lbs tension on an Arcsaber 8DX? He's either insane or that his arms are very powerful… or both. You decide.

Other notable players, in my opinion:

Koo Kien Keat (MAS) – quick at the forecourt, great anticipation, bad-ass attitude on court

Cai Yun (CHN) – quick at the forecourt, great flick serves

Fu Haifeng (CHN) – Chinese powerhouse… 'nuff said

Peter Hoeg Gade (DEN) – Danish trickmaster, always gets the nicest racquet livery and apparel designs from Yonex

Kenichi Tago (JPN) – looks a bit like me (really… no kidding), fearless Japanese kid with sharp attacks and resilience

Lee Yong Dae (KOR) – looks like he's from Winter Sonata or some of those Korean soap dramas… got the looks. But can play as well. So thats good.

That's about it I guess!

DW

Dear Matt,

I suppose so 🙂 Currently he is the most decorated all-round player and I think he deserves the no.1 spot in my eyes.

Perhaps not mid-range, but definitely not the top. I have an Arcsaber 8DX as well, which I strung to 27lbs under hot and humid conditions in Malaysia. Here in the UK, the effective tension is about 28-29lbs and it responds very very well. Slightly head-lighter than an Arc 10, but not as head-light as a Ti-10.

I had to wrap multiple layers of surgical tape on to the head of my Ti-10 to make it feel similar to the Arcsaber 8DX

DW

I agree that a lot of great players haven't been mentionned her such as Liem Swie King.

But when I begin to really get interested in Badminton, I only watch recent badminton stars playing (on videos) and videos of those “ancient” players are not really available so I don't really get to know them.

I've seen a short video on youtube of a rally between Ardi Wiranata and Zhao Chen Hoa, I was really impressed by the defence of Ardi.

For TBH, I know he has now the record of the biggest smash but wasn't it determined under scientific test conditions while FHF and TH's smash had been mesured during a real game ? Well, that doesn't mean he smash like a little girl but he didn't have the pressure on his shoulders when smashing as TH and FHF did.