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On April 25th of this year, the
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Badminton World Federation is planning
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to vote for a new scoring system, the 3
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This system will be played with the same
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rule set that we have now, where you can
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earn points in any rally,
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not just the ones played on your serve.
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The BWF has listed a plethora of
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potential benefits that the 3 by 15
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scoring system may offer,
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including improvements to broadcast
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a more dynamic viewing experience,
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and even reduced operational costs.
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But that's not what we're interested in.
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We want to focus on the impact this
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system will have on the players, and
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what actually happens to the game when
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you take away 30% of a badminton match.
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So in this video, we're going to look at
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how the 15 point system will affect
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players in aspects like psychological
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pressure, tactical consequences, and
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physical consequences.
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The first consequence is simple.
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When you make the match shorter,
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each rally matters more, as there is
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more psychological pressure from the
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In our past few videos, we've mentioned
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how this pressure can affect your shot
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And in a sport like badminton, this is a
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First, we can look at how players need
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to adapt to the different playing
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conditions compared to what they're used
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Badminton shuttlecocks are very light
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objects and are affected by even the
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slightest amount of wind.
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So when players have to play a
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where the conditions are different from
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where they usually play, there is a time
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window when they need to adapt and make
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adjustments to their technique to
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control the shuttle better.
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Not every shuttle is created exactly the
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So there will be imperfections affecting
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the flight path of the shuttle.
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Additionally, the players themselves
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need to get adjusted to the lighting and
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overall feeling of the court in the
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So by reducing the points from 21 to 15,
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there is both more pressure on the
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players at the start of the game
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where their court and timing adjustment
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window was in the 21 point system, and
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less time for these players
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to adjust to the court conditions and
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if players commit early mistakes in the
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games, there is a negative feedback loop
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where the player commits a mistake,
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loses confidence, pressure increases,
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and they make another error.
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And to deal with that pressure,
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players are forced to change how they
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The reduction in points increases
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and what this does is shift how players
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players are pushed toward playing with
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the goal of immediately winning the
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That's not to say players in the 21
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point system don't try to win points,
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but they have more freedom in how they
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In a 21 point game, players can afford
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For example, a player could play certain
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rallies more defensively
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to force their opponent to cover more of
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and increase the amount of energy their
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And maybe they end up losing the rally,
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but ultimately gain an advantage in the
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match and win the match as their
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opponent's fatigue builds.
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In longer matches, players can also
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build patterns over multiple rallies,
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forcing their opponents into certain
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and then exploiting those patterns later
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Thus, there are layers of strategy that
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extend past individual rallies and into
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the whole match itself. And this isn't
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just a theoretical idea. Even PV Sindhu,
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who now serves as the Badminton World
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Federation Athletes Commission Chair,
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noted that while shorter matches may
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have some benefits, the 21 point system
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gives the sport more of its charm,
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rhythm, and tactical depth.
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But if the 21 point system changes to 15
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this margin to execute these long-term
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because there are fewer rallies to do
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which may lead to players focusing more
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on point by point decision making.
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And that's where we might start to see
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changes in play style.
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Players who normally take their chances
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with creative or more risky shots like
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we might see those same players opting
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for statistically less error-prone shots
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and safer shots like blocks towards the
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At the same time, the pace of play
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there are less rallies overall,
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which means less emphasis on having good
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to outlast your opponent,
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and more emphasis on the intensity
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the play will become more intense and
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with each player aiming to win the
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If we were to guess, the gameplay in
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singles is going to revolve around
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playing consistent and not giving your
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opponent any opportunities to attack.
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This might look like playing shots more
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playing down in the back, and focusing
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on the front court to create
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opportunities to change pace.
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Doubles will have even more of this,
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and an increased emphasis on the first
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three to four shots of the rally.
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Naturally, the athletes who are more
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trained in the explosive style are also
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the ones who may have the advantage
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And when the game becomes faster and
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it doesn't just change how players play,
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but it also changes what their bodies
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are required to handle.
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>> While the BWF has made this 15 point
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shift with the good of the players'
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health in mind, there may be a general
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On paper, a reduction in points almost
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certainly helps players reduce the
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amount of injuries that they sustain
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But if the game becomes faster and more
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there may be an increase in the amount
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Acute injuries often occur during these
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high force and explosive movements. So
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even if the match length is shorter,
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you're not necessarily reducing the load
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on the body, but changing how that load
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Another factor is that in the 21 point
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system, the first few rallies act as a
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warm-up for the players
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and allow them to ease into the match.
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players may jump into the beginning
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rallies at full intensity
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while their body isn't warm. Even with a
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players aren't always fully [music]
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There's a short period where timing,
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movement, and reactions are still
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adapting to real match conditions, and
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you've probably experienced this
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No matter how much you warm up or how
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loose you're feeling before the match,
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when you step on court,
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your body is cold and tense again.
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And it's only until a few rallies into
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the match when you start to feel like
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But in a shorter game,
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players might be forced into playing
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full intensity before their body is even
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there are strong arguments on the other
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You can argue that shorter matches will
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improve recovery across tournaments,
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where players will have much more time
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to recover after their match
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and in between matches.
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So even if intensity increases,
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more recovery time may still improve the
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athletes' overall durability across a
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In that sense, the higher intensity and
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more explosive play styles may become
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With more time to recover both their
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physical and mental, athletes may
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actually enter these matches with a
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higher baseline of energy and play these
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rallies with even more intent behind
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every shot than [music] blindly
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attacking and forcing shots.
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A better mental recovery could also lead
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to quicker adaptation.
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At the highest level,
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elite players are already capable of
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adjusting within just a few rallies,
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>> and the earlier pressure of a shorter
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game may simply push them to start
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sharper instead of easing into the
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match. And when it comes to pressure,
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you could argue that it doesn't
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It just arrives earlier.
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But that shift in when pressure is
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how players make decisions,
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and how the body is stressed,
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is exactly what changes the game.
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So the question isn't whether the 3 by
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15 system is better or worse,
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but it's whether or not this is the kind
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of badminton you [music] guys want to
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Do you think it will make the sport more
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Or does it take away what makes
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Let us know in the comments below.
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If you guys like this video, make sure
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