A recent discussion with one of my players prompts me to ask this question.... To what extent is it ethical for coaches to "teach" their pupils gamesmanship? We've had plenty of threads about cheating and gamesmanship but some coaches actively encourage it in their players. I'm talking here about higher level junior players, on whose results the coaches rely. Let me give some examples When you are tired take a walk around before the next point/ walk back to your receiving postion and then hit the shuttle back over the net. If you are losing quick points take a drink / towel down / change shuttle to slow down the game If you are called for a service fault question the service judge as to why or even argue Make the opponents wait to serve to you / or you serve before they are ready Shout when you hit a winner! Be tough on your line calls, stand up for yourself if they call a tight line call out. Create a hostile atmosphere by loudly supporting your team mates Now all of these it could be argued would be picked up by experienced players eventually, so where should coaches draw the line? What other examples of coaching of gamesmanship have you seen? Should coaches encourage the players to play to the limit of the rules and leave it for umpires to control the players, or if players are yellow carded or disqualified even should coaches impose their own discplinary action on the player in support of the umpire.
some of them are a natural thing you would do and some of them i believe are not right, although depends entirely on the situation and severity of the so called sportsmanship. -taking a walk,i dont believe taking a walk will rest you, but a certain amount of time after a tough rally or series of draining points would be acceptable. I played a guy in a tournament who after every point put his hands on his knees and rested,even though it may have been a simple point.this really frustrated me and put me off my rhythm,but some allowance should be given. -losing quick points, i believe again you can be allowed a little "reflection time" to gather your thoughts, but if you have too long it iis unnaceptable. again a guy in a tournament was losing to me and he claimed an injury and walked of the court for 10 mins when i was getting cold, stood in the middle of a large sports hall, he could have been simply psyching himself up in the changing rooms or stretching. -questioning line judge/service fault, i dont like players who argue with a line judge and delay the match, as in football matches these days, although i think if you genuinely thought it was in a quick look of query doesnt do any harm, but i think no words shoudl be spoken. -waiting before recieving/serving. an adequate of time is required in some cases when one is ready and the other not, but automatically making opponent wait for each one is wrong.in some cases you are ready and some cases you arent, automatically making them wait is bad. -shouting when you get a winner can be automatic as a reaction to a good shot or relief of winning a point, it can sometimes in some personallities not be helped, but actively telling people,teachinig them todo it is wrong. acting against displeasure at a lucky shot or fluke by the opposition is also natural sometimes just a reaction, but some get really annoyed or even offensive with these comments. -i believe where line calls are concerned the decision is yours and your opponents see it the way they see it your view may make the angles and appeartance different eg.when you smashstraight down line, you see it just touch the line, as he sees it he is looking underneath it so it may look out. you should not call things different to what you see, it is either in or out.(or let if really unsure) -shouting for teamates, it can be done but i couldnt imagine doing it for the sole purpose of putting off an opponent, just to let your man know he is being supported or to encourage him if you think he underperforms, or congratulate good shots. you should not be biased however and if opponent hits good shot a clap or acknowledge ment would be nice. as to wether a coach should encourage his player to do some of the more scrupolous tactics is a tough one. badminton is fun and sociable but where money is involved some people do things that would usually be unacceptable. A coach is a very important part of a sportsmans life and such is viewed as arole model and someone to respect, and inevitably part of the coach comes out into the player. Could a player respect a coach who tells him to break the rules of conduct andfairplay in order to win? would this mean the player believes that the coach thinks him not good enough to win fairly? difficult questions. A coach should help him in psychological aspects ,helping him to sort his head a take his time, and not be rushed by opponent but this should not be taken beyond a boundary. The boundary however is a movable and invisible boundary different to every player who plays. example: taufik thomas cup 2002, a kill called out and indecision by ref on service. The referee made mistake, lost respect of taufik and he argued and was annoyed with himself. (he lost in the end) any thoughts on this occurence? (that was the longest post i ever made)
To me, a lot of the examples are not "cheating" but more like "strategy", and some are "gray area" questions: -taking a walk: as long as won't take too long (gray area again), it's ok. After a long rally, let muscle relax and get mentally ready is nothing wrong. I never see any pros in international matches can even jump back to start position after every single point right away. A lot of them, might take several steps, while taking a deep breath, then get ready. -losing quick points: same as "taking a walk". This one is more like "mentally readiness". -questioning line judge/service fault: depends. Of course, I am not saying arguing for every single one. However, sometimes, the line judge clearly favor one side. For such cases, I think players have the right to get the calls they deserve. -waiting before recieving/serving: really a gray area to me. It's very hard to tell, whether a player is really ready or not. So many players could use excuse as "my opponent's body still moving" to define their purpose of "delay" or "extra observation". -shouting when you get a winner: Clearly a lot of players (especially the ones are losing), get annoyed by this. However, if I just won a long rally with mag. saves here and there, why can't I express my frustration in relief??? Of course, on purposely showing off very often or shouting and distract opponent during rally are not included. Clearly, a lot of such cases are "gray area". Also, even to the same person, different score could switch person on different side. (i.e. winning quick pts, and think opponent always try to delay my game; but if losing, always think opponent is rushing before I am getting ready, etc)
not agreeing or disagreeing, as mentioned by LB, many of these are gray areas. is it ok to question line judges? if the player seriously thinks that the line call is wrong, then perhaps yes. but if the player questions for the sake of delaying the game, then no. similarly can be said about taking a breath. most of what is being question can be boiled down to one question, "what was the intention?" if the intention is to create a stir or to delay the game, then i agree that it is not appropraite/sportmanship. but if there is a true reason for it, then perhaps it should be allowed. unfortunately, the reason it is "gray" is that there is no way to tell what the player's intention is. what i'd hate is to see badminton degrade into basketball type game. where a "fault" is considered an OK thing to do. if a fault is being used as a strategy of playing the game, it should be renamed to something else as i believe a good sportsman will not intentionally make a fault. luckily, the nature of the game of badminton and its rule is made in such a way that a fault is usually penalized by a lost of points. just imagine if every fault in basketball get penalized by a lost of a point. i bet there won't be any deliberate faults anymore.
James, Lazybuddy, Kwun thanks for your replies, how would you feel about a coach actually suggesting these "tactics". As you all say there is a grey area at the edge of the rules and the players will exploit that, but how ethical is it for coaches, does it depend on the level. For instance if its a professional match does different morality apply , what about international junior or local junior.
as for the earlier stuff you mentioned, i.e. taking walks and towel down, etc. if it's ok'ed by your opponent, I don't see why it's so wrong to do these things. the later stuff such as serving when the opponent is not ready or making your opponent wait to serve is pretty bad sportsmanship and coaches should not encourage their players to do stuff like that.
If a coach suggested to me to do such things things approaching the said "grey areas" I would instantly not do them and would question him as to why, if he said it was as every one does it so why shouldnt you, i would say, i dont think everyone does, and i would rather be known as a good person and lose than be an ungracious and unloved winner. I believe generally at the very high level players do not undertake such tactics as they are pr concious as it is there job and sponsors dont want to be associated with bad sportsmanship- there is a reason why tiger woods, michael jordan, gary lineker(lesser known but went through his football,or soccer career without a yellow card, and enjoys lots of endorsments and sponsorship in england) are poular and weel liked and get loads of sponsorship. At a lower level, some people may be desparate to make it to the big time or win there local tournaments and may used underhand tactics, this is just from my observation. yes some pros may not be that "nice" but with the speed of the game and the factthey have line judges takes there input out of it. As i also said before if a coach said this to me i would lose faith in him and would see it a a vote of no confidence from him, i would lose respect from a coach if he felt this was where i needed to imrove my game.
dlp, Same as ur examples, a lot of times, things are much more complicated than just "right or wrong". Purely speaking, sports should be played based on skill. However, there are the "borderline" issues, and some players / coaches kinda abuse the rule books to take advantages here and there. Sometimes, they can even turn around a game via such "strategy". As a player myself, I tried to avoid using such ways at the first place. However, sometimes, u r forced to do it, too, not to cheat, but to survive. (i.e. opponent kept arguing for line calls, and line judge kinda gives up and making favor calls for him later on. espcially in club level), then, what should I do? If the calls are obvious, then, I have to argue, too. I know it's ugly, and if just happen once or twice, I will let it go. However, if things kinda out of control, I'd better also set the tone, and protect my own rights. So, it's more down to the players/coaches own behavior. I think we should at least know such issues, and know how to protect us against such cases, rather than frequently using it, until the rulez could be updated to a better level.
Errr... Good image does not really equal to "never do". I think it more related with "how frequent". I mean, sometimes, u might do it to protect ur own rights (when game is on the line) as well. For Michael Jordan, in 1994, playoff (2nd round???) vs CHA. (Honet) One of the game, MJ fouled Larry Johnson while he was shooting in the last second. But the ref did not blow the whistle. Bulls won by 1 pt. What about the ref did call for a fault??? Then, u know... When the reports interview MJ after TV replay, MJ said, "well, it might be a fault, but the ref DID NOT JUST MISS THIS ONE in this game..." Well, is he true? Of course. But is this really a satisfied answer, especially to Honet players and fans? Maybe not... But will thsi really damage his image, and ppl will remember him as a "cheater"??? Well, I guess not, either...
you just answered your question in did he ave reputation intact, as i being from england do not follow basketball or know of that encounter mj had, but only what we see him portrayed by the press, a good honest nice guy.
As a coach I have advised people to take a little walk to compose and to not be rushed when receiving serve etc but I have never advised them to challenge officials, shout etc, in fact I have probably actively discouraged it. But I was thinking this is probably an extension of my own personality, I am not aggressive, where as some of the top coaches who were also top players are of more aggressive personality and tend to promote it in their players. I know that the final choice is down to the player, but with juniors, the coach can influence, especially in a group situation where there is a lot of peer pressure, this kind of gamesmanship / aggressive behaviour can be a learned thing. So I was wondering am I being naive in not promoting these things?
Probably a bit? I'm pretty sure you got to show your students some badminton etiquette and not make them develop bad habits such as personality on the court which can affect off the court and sportsmanship. Like you said, at a very young age, you do infleuence them. Lots are willing to learn and if they respect you, they'll listen to you.
I positively welcome somebody who can do this to me. I prefer to take the view that a competitive game is also a psychological one. Many good tricks stated by dlp Now I don't say I do these myself, but I do definately do is try to practice remaining in focus. If you, as a player, get distracted by these antics, then perhaps your mental control of the game can be improved. How can you be distracted? By hitting the shuttle out, in the net, weak shot..... Let's take another view, it may not necessarily be your own principle as a coach, but you'd have a responsibilty to ensure your students are capable of handling such an opponent. And that may also mean setting up situations where they can practice such tactics. After all, there are some mean opponents out there, not necessarily playing unfairly, but disrupting the mental flow. Example, I had... one doubles match, opposing supporters cheer very loudly, even my bad shots. I take this very negative (esp as I don't have the necessary skill to win). Lose match, but I feel definately there is a chance if I play well. I FAIL to cope with the opposing matches. Another doubles match. the other team again cheer very loudly. So I shout even louder when I win the point!! eventually, one of the the opposing doubles player cracks!!! singles match, young player, powerful. I have my game plan. we are pretty even. He shouts/clench fist after a winning point. No problem for me. I start to eke out an advantage. I want to change shuttle, opponent refuses to change shuttle. I show umpire the shuttle, no change of shuttle. No problem with me, I continue. Next rally, I win but feather breaks. I want to change shuttle (I KNOW he is going to refuse), opponent refuses to change shuttle!! I show umpire the broken shuttle as well........Umpire reprimands the other player telling him to stop messing around, the shuttle needs to be changed as its broken. Now if you are in a tense situation, it may be better just to play a very 'safe', high margin for error, good quality shot which creates a neutral situation. Puts pressure back on the opponent. By this I'm talking about the very high clear to the back of the court. Because the shuttle goes on a different flight path, your opponent may actually make an error on the return....
Totally agree with Cheung. We might not need to use the "tricks" on a very frequent basis, however, it's very important to know such and such. This way, we can protect us (stay clam in the game) when opponents using such stuff on us. It's like, we can learn kung fu, not to beat up and rob others, but to work out and protect ourselves (assume to a certain good lvl). Btw, Cheung, if I get a chance to go to ur gym, I must have my ear-plugs with me. Seems everyone can shout loudly over there. U sure ur opponent (2nd game) cracked just due to mentally break down, but not physcially knocked out by ur "thunderous" shout???
A classic example of Gamemanship - A coach once told me that " if you're down or losing - bend the rules but do not break them"
I don't advocate bending the rules but trying to analyse WHY you are losing DURING the game is very important. LB, those were just a couple of instances of shouting loudly, it doesn't happen all the time and certainly not in friendly matches. Generally, people are pretty respectful of each others abilities.
On spectatorship, I believe clapping is most appropriate, and ONLY when you teammate or friend has made a good shot, NOT when the rally has been won on an unforced error on the opponent's part. However, some cheering and vocal support is understandable, as long as it's purely positive and brief, during tense, or important matches.
Could too much cheering be bad? At a local regional tournament, sometimes it was just a cheering war. Even though people clapped at appropriate times, it then became a "Who can clap, cheer the loudest during that time." Yodums
dlp, IMO all of the gamemanship tactics you brought up in your original post are perfectly acceptable and should be taught or at least made aware of. In my view, there's a BIG difference between social badders and competitive badminton. At the end of the day, the coaches job is to help the player win. Whether a player takes on board your pointers is up to them (both in terms of whether they need it or whether they listen). For example, cheering for your team-mates doesn't really happen much here in the UK. That's OK, it's just the way things work here. However, back in NZ, both as a player and coach, there was always be big effort to cheer your fellow team players on. It can encourage the player, give the team a stronger team spirit, and if you're lucky, it can discourage the opponents. If the opposite team aren't making any noise in return, then tough cookies to them. All this talk about only cheering for this or that... No wonder Badders is seen as boring amongst those who don't know the sport Someone mentioned some examples of well mannered sportsmen who do well. For everyone of those, there's also the sportsman who's not afraid to ruffle a few feathers. McEnroe, Becker, Tiger Woods (I seem to remember him losing his cool a few times, and something about winning with only his 'B' game). It's all about control. Every player will try to gain it in their own way. The coach needs to help their player's find their way. Anyway, I've come across tactics much worse than those outlined, as I'm sure many of you have as well. The challenge, if faced with an opponent who uses these tactics is to just deal with it, rather than simply crying foul.
By the clapping I was thinking of situations where overenthusiastic supporters clap opposition mistakes, almost call the lines etc. I've seen a lot of players crumble against a hostile crowd, but as you say the best thing is to overcome these tricks, not complain. I agree players should play to the limit of the rules, especially where there are umpires. I think without umpires we have to be a bit more careful about what is acceptable. If a whole group of juniors came thorugh into a national junior team and they were all pushing the rules, shouting, chucking rackets etc would any of you be bothered or would you say well if they're winning let them get on with it.
