Hey guys and gals,

For my college english class, all we study or read about are sports. All of the papers we write are sports related. And guess which sport i chose? :D From time to time, I'll be posting here questions you guys might like to answer that could relate to my papers or assignments.

Ok besides the point, my first paper is "write an essay in which you describe a place, a moment, a maneuver, a play, a techniquie, a player in motion -- that captures the essence of your sport. In your essay describe this subject in enoguh detail that we experience th essence of your sport."

I was thinking about writing about how one of my friends said badminton was a sissy sport :mad: and then explain what you need in a badminton game, or writing about how the shuttlecock is perfect when you take it out of the tube, but as you start to play it becomes abused and then its becomes dead.

any suggestions on whatelse i could write?

thanks.

Here's an easy suggestion. Why not do the comparison between badminton and tennis to prove that badminton is a superior sport for the more physically fit and yadda yadda. :)

Also check out the articles from WorldBadminton.net and they will definitely help you think of more ideas.

good suggestion :)

I wonder, what do you guys think caputres the essense of badminton?

Hehe, you could write about the Sydney 2000 Men's Doubles match when Lee Dong Soo took a smash from his partner off the back of the head. I'm thinking Lee captured the 'essense' of the sport on that point! :D

Seriously, a comparison between badminton and another racquet sport is a shoe in for an easy essay, but it's not terribly creative. Imho, after a comment like that from your _friend_, i'd be putting on the boxing gloves and soccer shoes until they decide to throw in the towel! :) Sadly, I think a lot of people share their opinion of the sport (I played competive tennis as a junor, and I always thought badminton was a sissy sport too *twiddle* ) It would be great (and probably a lot tougher) to write an essay on why badminton is most definately NOT a sissy sport.

>>>I wonder, what do you guys think caputres the essense of badminton?

Hmm, hard to put into words, but here goes...Its that point where you and your opponent(s) and possibly your partner(doubles?) are swapping offense and defense, trying to break through each others' guards, making great digs/gets to keep the bird alive, fighting a war of attrition, until someone finally manages to put away the bird, only to have the server announce the score is 0-0. Badminton requires extreme amounts of stamina, skill, physical prowess, intellegence, awareness, and even some luck. There is no other sport that compares to badminton....besides soccer.

If there is a moment, a maneuver, or technique that captures the essence of badminton, IMO, that momoment/technique has to be the split second when a player is at the apex of his jump, racquet hand pulled back, ready to unleash all his fury into the jump smash. The focus and concentration required at that precise moment is reflective of how important a role they play throughout the entire game. The flexing of the muscles and the height of the jump suggests the altheletism and explosive nature that are also part of the game.

Well, that's my 2 cents anyway.

-Rick

Originally posted by Pointfore.Ca
Here's an easy suggestion. Why not do the comparison between badminton and tennis to prove that badminton is a superior sport for the more physically fit and yadda yadda. :)

This is likely to be counter-productive, IMHO. Surely badminton requires the entire body to move and requires high level of fitness and yet, will you guarantee that tennis is a 'sissy' sport instead? Sometimes it is played under the hot sun on baking courts where a player would have to cover area bigger than badminton.

I don't suggest you follow this, shiri - it'll end up looking like a mud-slinging contest amongst teenage boys of their favourite sport. You're essay will drop in quality in the eyes of the examiner.

What I would suggest is to treat badminton as another sport (yes, as ANOTHER sport) and do an analysis on it, putting your words in the way of introduction or guide to an audience who are not in the knowing.

Be impartial. This is important - shows how 'professional' your essay and attitude is.

Some guideline may include :

1. Short history
2. Demographic distribution
3. Equipment and court
3. Strokes, techniques and movement
4. Examples of great heroes of the past and present
5.How to begin to play
6. Your own experience in playing the game (don't do comparisons here)

Add pictures and excerpts from articles etc etc. A good pic of Camila Martin or Zhou Mi in her recent red-skirt glory may sway their opinion.

Akhem. ;)

badminton is so hard to describe in words. and especially hard to sound convincing with only writing!

there are many things that has been used to describe badminton. one often used one is the shuttlecock speed. many quote 200mph, 300km/h, etc. number. i think that's ok. but that's not the essense of badminton, most of us can't do that big of a smash, and many of us knows that smashing isn't all there is to the game.

i like the suggestion of the overhead stroke, heads up, arms raised, and then a quick body/arm rotation propel the shuttle. to any point to the opponent's court.

another thing that is unique to badminton is that it is a very 3 dimensional game. each stroke can reach all parts of the court, high and low and slow and fast.

another one i can see is the change of pace. and that's something that i particually enjoy watching. how one player can change the rhythm of a rally with a fluid acceleration and then nails the opponent with a surprise change of pace. it is an art on itself.

i hope this will give you some inspiration. when you are done with your essay, post a copy here. it will be a great read!

ahh thanks for your input guys. but i already took pointfore's suggestion and wrote the difference between tennis and badminton sorta. if you want to know, i play tennis for my high school before i played badminton for my high school and i also teach tennis so i do know the difference between the sports. and let me say, badminton makes me feel better. :D

as for my essay, i've used a game i played. i felt that it captured the essense of badminton because it was quite a close match and i was determined to win. and yes i did win that match, but lost the next round. :p

and for sure i'll post the essay up when im done.

oh and writing an essay at 2 in the morning right after you just got done talking to a girl about her boy problems is never the best idea.....

Alright! I got my essay back and my professor gave me an A-! But theres a catch:

"I'm cutting you some slack here. I should ding you harder for all the editing stuff - punctuation and tense mostly. But I feel like the level of difficulty merits a mod in this case. You take on some really tough narrative challenges - and manuver well: score! Very tightly focused, effectively, detailed, and well paced narrative. Review punctuation here and ask questions"

and if anyone here is an english major, please help haha.

bleh, but heres the essay.


Badminton is not a Sport

“Badminton is not a sport.”
“How would you know if you have never tried it before?”
“I just know! It’s such a pussy sport, you don’t even run or do anything. There isn’t any physical contact and all you do is hit a birdie around.”
“Fine, you think it isn’t a sport? I’ll play you and I’ll throw in ten extra points for you.”
“No that’s ok.”
“What, you don’t think it’s a sport, come on, play me and I’ll prove to you badminton is a sport.”
The match never happened between my friend and I, but that is the general notion of many people who hear the word badminton. They think badminton is not a sport because they have never seen it before or played it before. If anyone has ever heard about it they think it’s just monotonously hitting a birdie back and forth; a common misconception. But how would they know if they haven’t tried it? Badminton is a sport that is very similar to tennis, but quite different as well. Tennis players themselves look down at badminton as an inferior sport, who are they to judge?
As both a tennis and badminton player, I can say badminton is not inferior to tennis at all. From experience, I feel that badminton is a sport that is more challenging sport than tennis is due to the amount of physical and mental stamina it requires. In a comparison done between tennis and badminton, the study shows an average game of badminton takes about half an hour to an hour, the player moves equivalent to two miles within that time. The tennis player moves equivalent to a single mile in a two hour game. The speed of a shuttlecock smashed can exceed two hundred miles per hour while a tennis ball can be served at a maximum of one hundred forty seven miles per hour. Hand eye coordination between the two sports differs because badminton is a faster paced game; you must have quick reflexes and think quickly in order to defend yourself and recover as well as attack your opponent when he or she is off guard; while in tennis you have time to think and position yourself for your next shot. The amount of depth perception differs between the sports as well. Badminton is a sport which tests your perception more three dimensionally in all directions both up and down and side to side. In tennis, you look at the depth of the ball coming to you more so side to side. Although small in comparison with a tennis racket, a badminton racket packs a powerful punch and is highly maneuverable as it can easily send the shuttlecock out of the court with a flick of the wrist.
I hold my Carlton As-Ti racket in my hand; it is sleek, streamlined for maximum speed, and feels weightless; just like another extension of my body. The shuttlecock comes out of the tube, perfect, untouched, unscathed. But I know what will inevitably happen to it. All around me I hear shuttlecocks being hit on rackets, frustrations as I hear screams and shouts players cursing themselves for a mistake they’ve done. I look at the opponent take a deep breath and I serve hitting the shuttle clock as high and as far as I can. My eyes strain against the light as I try to focus on the position of my opponent and the tiny shuttlecock being hurled back to me and I clear it back. This goes on for no more than half a minute each time, both of us moving all around the court out-smarting, out-hitting each other any way possible. Smash, BAM! My point; the only way you can win a point in badminton is when you serve and the only way to win the set is to reach 15 first and win by two points ahead of the opponent.
We both know this match is critical; it is the key to our advancement in the tournament. Serve, clear, clear, drop, clear, drop, drop, clear, clear; watching the clear anticipating the exact moment of when to strike, I bring the racket behind my head and swing with my shoulder striking the shuttlecock at the right time smashing it with all the force I could muster. A feeling of relief overcame my body as I watched the bird go over the net, but a second later, I see the bird dropped back. I try to recover, but too late. I make the mistake of clearing too low, too short and he puts it away ending the second set 15 – 12, we’ve split.
I had won the first set with the power of my smashes and finding a slightly raised point on the court, which proved to be invaluable on my serves. But he observed and knew my strength in smashing and avoided it as much as possible in the second set, but he also found my weakness, drops. He capitalized on my weakness which helped him win many points. My legs felt like they were on fire; sweat is pouring all over my face and dripping onto the floor, my stomach started to hurt as if I was running a mile under six minutes, my shoulder in pain. Short of breath, I make my way outside to get some air; this is more tiring than playing a whole game of tennis. I’ve already moved around the court equivalent to a mile and a half. As I head out, I ignore my teammates leaving them standing there wondering how I did. A coach would say, “Save your energy for the next set, get some water and rest. This is what he’s doing wrong; you have to use this to your advantage. This is what you’re doing wrong and he will exploit it.” However I have no coach, all I have to depend on is what I see and what I know. For losing the set I punish myself the hardest way I know how to, liners. Rather than saving energy, I expend even more of it to keep my adrenaline going. I run back and forth, back and forth, touching each line to reflect on what mistakes I am performing and most importantly how to win.
It is time; I’m called back to the court. Determined to win I focus; zoning everything out of my mind except for the shuttlecock and my opponent. The battle continues he serves but the shuttlecock drops just out. I serve, he smashes but it gets caught in the net. 1 – 0, I lead. 1 – 4,
5 – 6, 7 – 9, 12 – 9, 13 – 10. I’m two points away from victory; he drops in the left corner and I rush to drop it back. The inevitable happens and I slip caused by all the dust and dirt that has accumulated on the floor. I manage to return the shuttlecock over, but not without cutting my hand on the pole. I hear gasps as my friends watch me fall and I think to myself “Oh ****…he’s gonna smash.” I try and scramble myself up to get back to the middle of the court, but I slip again falling flat on my stomach. I watched in agony as he smashed the shuttlecock with all his strength, but as if some magical presence was in the gym he hit it too far too the left and it landed just out giving me the point. One point away from victory, one point from advancing, I could taste it. Before I knew, it was over. I looked at the shuttlecock, the destruction we had done to it. The nylon had already ripped in three places, the core was loose and looked as if it was about to fall off. The destruction was inevitable even I knew that, but it was my proof of doing the best I could and my victory.
I go on through the tournament losing my next match due to a recovery time of five minutes before I was put on again. I was moved to the consolation round pitted against my friend, which made it harder for me to play. I eventually won that match but not without suffering a staggering second set defeat of 2 – 15. Just like any other sport, badminton requires a lot from the player in order to be good. Like any other sport, it tests your physical limits as well as your mental limits to think and respond. The players have the same strive to win at all costs, to be the best, and it all comes down to “the moment of execution.”

whoops posted too many times :p

What a story shiriblue

Hey, well homework time again. the last two essays i wrote were not woth publishing becuase i ended getting a C on one and i also wrote about tennis in the other one. But heres a new topic!

Could anyone provide me with some guidence as to how badminton converged into united states history?

thanks

Originally posted by shiriblue
Could anyone provide me with some guidence as to how badminton converged into united states history?

thanks

:confused: You mean the history of badminton in the US? Or, how was badminton introduced into the US? Or, what role badminton played in US history?:rolleyes:

whole role badminton played in the US... hard subject yes..... i know...