Dibrugarh, May 14: Badminton coach Amlan Bhattacharya has come up with another invention to help shuttlers finetune themselves for the short-net shots that help them notch up vital points during a match.

The accomplished coach from Tezpur has invented a machine to train shuttlers who find it difficult to lift the shuttle just above the net and to aid them improve their shots.

In 2003, he invented country's first shuttle dropper, which has helped the novices to a great extent.

Bhattacharya is currently deployed in Dibrugarh under the directorate of sports as a coach at the NF Railway Workshop Badminton Coaching Centre.

At present, Bhattacharya is training 60 young shutters.

He developed the practice machine with help from Naval Kisore Pegu, a senior section engineer (Mechanical) of NF Railway in Dibrugarh.

"This machine helps players to practice forehand and backhand taps just above the net," Bhattacharya told The Telegraph.

He said the coaches couldn't feed the shuttle in the same position just above the net all the time.

"This machine can do it with precision and players can practice without an opponent," he explained.

"Due to its facility to adjust height, a player can practice at different heights of the shuttle above the net to rectify their technique," Bhattacharya added.

The machine can also be wheeled to any position on the court to help a shutter practice his shots in different directions.

"It is portable. So, it can be played anywhere near the net in the court which helps the player to improve strokes from a particular odd position and this helps and improves the potential of players," the innovator said.