Hi, I'm looking for a consistent badminton partner - don't care what gender or age you are, as long as you fit the bill. But first, let me introduce myself so you see where I'm coming from:

I've been playing badmin for probably 5-6 years seriously (I'm 34, chinese male), so I'm decent, but not good enough yet to compete in any tournament with good chances. But I want to improve by playing more serious games more frequently. (I'm over classes.) But I find that difficult because of the social aspect of badminton.

First, none of my friends/acquaintances like playing the Challenge court. Then, the good ones think I'm too easy and generally don't seek to play with me (which I totally understand). Even if they do, I'm lucky if I get to play with them, because for that to happen I'd have to queue up at the right time on the right court. And third, people generally form social circles, which I also completely understand, but that means i not only have to be social, I have to be socially skilled to get my spot. I'm socially competent in certain social situations, but not on the court. I mean, I'm there to smash.

So here's what I'm looking for between me and my potential badmin partner. The more you fit the bill the better:
- possess unwavering, graceful SPORTSMANSHIP. If you make me look bad, I'm ditching you.
- be a decent level but competitive player - this is a tricky area, but if one of us find the other too much of a beginner, let's be blunt and split.
- we can become friends either way if we click, but this is strictly optional.
- be committed to each other as partners, that means if one of us arrives early, we wait for the other so that we can queue up together. Or, the late arriver wait for the other to finish before queuing up. And we stick together for as long as we're on the court. That means no jumping ship in general.
- have a burning desire to play challenge court, and (if you're my level) not afraid of getting laughed at. I believe playing challenge court is an excellent way to improve, when combined with other kinds of matches. I believe a partner at my level stand a decent chance of putting up a decent fight, if not winning.
- plan to participate in tournaments (optional).
- likes playing singles - this is really good training when we can have the court to ourselves.
- very open to giving and receiving critiques.
- once a week is enough, but I can do 2 or even 3. I typically play 4 hours.
- please, don't be cheap on birdies.
- preferably asian, nothing personal here.

As for skill level, it's as I said very tricky. But here are a few pointers:
- can deliver good strong clears - I need many strong clears in order to warm up. This is very important to me. I need this specific kind of warm up and calibration. If I don't get it, I play poorly.
- should understand why it's generally better to serve low in doubles, but high in singles. Don't get me wrong, sometimes doing the opposite is warranted.
- my weakness is net play (although my short serves are pretty good), so if you're good in that area that'd be a nice complement. But this is optional. So to speak.

So that was my laundry list. I live in Redwood City, work in Redwood Shores, and usually go to GGBC at Menlo Park, but I'm completely open to playing at other locations. Feel free to email or call me at 415-699-2191.

match.com, badminton style :)

Honestly my first impression upon reading about your difficulty in finding ambitious/competitive partners is that it's a club-specific problem. I've heard about the odd distribution of novice/high level players at GGBC several times now, whereby there is a void of 'middle' class intermediates. In terms of distance from Redwood City, the others may be a bit farther, but I think it's a fair sacrifice to make if one can ensure satisfaction.

I haven't been to Bintang in a while, but Smash City has a good smattering of different level players, with intermediates well represented, thus making it pretty easy to find good matches (outside of some waiting here and there). I usually join random groups who are constantly rotating in and out after each match and don't rely on social cliques. The perfect example is this C-ish player who I've met on several instances. He is Singaporean and visits the south bay every few weeks (talk about racking up frequent flier miles!) and he just completely gets his money/time's worth, just by being outgoing enough to ask another player who just sat down if he/she wants to call so-and-so court. Soon enough, he knows more fellow players than many regulars...

Thanks! I will bear in mind to try other gyms more often! I think I've played in every gym around the bay area (except ggbc2) but I never went to those alone except GGBC. So I'll give that a try. Thanks for the tip!

Hi,

By reading your note it looks like myself who is also struggling like you do.
Well if you have a chance to play in Bintang, give me a pm and we may play some challenge games... ;-)