Playing outdoors

Crossminton is an outdoor game — that's how it was invented. It has no net; between the two courts lies the neutral zone, and that's exactly what makes it playable anywhere: on the beach, in the park, on the meadow, on the court. Whoever is used to indoors meets new conditions outdoors that change the game.

The most important difference is the wind. Without a net and with an open trajectory, the wind acts directly on the Speeder. The Speeder is made for this: heavier, narrower, and shorter than a shuttlecock, it flies stably and is well playable up to about wind force 4. In stronger wind there's a specially developed, heavier Speeder (the Cross Speeder) instead of the faster Match Speeder — in a tournament, though, a modified Speeder may only be used with the consent of the organizer and the head referee.

The ground changes too: sand, grass, clay, or artificial turf each demand different footwork than the firm hall floor. And sun, wetness, and heat come in as conditions that don't exist indoors. Not least, the change-of-ends rule has a tangible purpose outdoors: it balances wind and light between the two sides.

The following modules go through these conditions one by one. The basic idea is always the same: outdoors you play with the conditions, not against them.

A sailor doesn't curse the wind, they set the sails. Outdoors the environment is your teammate — whoever reads it has an advantage.

Think of the last time you played outdoors: which condition changed your game the most — wind, ground, sun, or heat? And did you try to fight against it, or adjust to it? Resolve next time to consciously read the conditions first, before you start playing — the way you read an opponent.