Place and People to Play with in Daejeon, Korea

Discussion in 'Japan / Korea' started by tl_tiger, Sep 2, 2012.

  1. tl_tiger

    tl_tiger Regular Member

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    I am a Chinese Canadian working in Korea as an expat. I am a intermediate level badminton player. I am currently living in Daejeon (Yongsan Dong, Yuseong Gu) near Daeduk TechnoValley. Does anyone know if there is a badminton club or group I can join near or around this area?

    You can contact me through this thread.

    Thank you!
     
  2. event

    event Regular Member

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    Well, you're looking for the clubs on this list. #13 is actually called the Daeduk TechnoValley Club and they play in the mornings in Yongsan Elementary School, where there are 3 courts. #9 plays in the evening at the indoor gym at Geumshil Country Club. Apparently there is a 2500won admission fee to the gym and anyone can play. #6 plays afternoon and evenings at the Gujeuk Public Gymnasium in Songgang-dong, which is slightly northwest of the Technovalley and has a 1500won admission fee. There's one more in Songgang-dong, #3 on the list, but I can't find it on a map.

    There are also some gyms east across the river in the Shintanjin area but none at the gym where the KGC pro team trains. I used to play in Daejeon but that was far to the south of you and it was long ago, before the Techno Valley was finished, actually. Good luck finding a place and let me know if you need more detail.
     
  3. tl_tiger

    tl_tiger Regular Member

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    Thank you for the info. Actually, I just moved to Korea 3 months ago. The biggest hurdle I have living in Korea is the language barrier. From my experience so far, there is a very limited number of Koreans in Daejeon that can speak English and I don't understand any Korean. Would you have any advice in how to contact someone that can speak in English? Some co-workers and myself tried to go to the Geumshil just to play on our own. But they said the courts are now closed down(?).
     
  4. event

    event Regular Member

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    Unfortunately, I can't really help you with the language barrier from here.
    I'd say keep looking for clubs. If you can find a Korean colleague who can look at the list and find other places near you, you can keep checking out other gyms until you find one you can get court time at. If you really want to keep playing consistently, find a club that plays in a school and join it. If you are committed club members, someone will make sure they phone up the one member with the best English and get them to come and meet you. I'm not guaranteeing that, of course, but that type of thing does happen.

    If you want to just go and play occasionally and maybe just with friends, then try the Gujeuk gym. It should be marked with an A on this map. There, you can pay an admission fee and play without joining a club, although joining a club is still the best way to be accepted and have people help you get into a game. If you go alone, find someone you think might be your level and approach them saying 'nanta (hashilleyo?)' That means 'would you like to rally around to warm up?' If they think you're worth playing with, they should suggest a game. Good luck.
     
    #4 event, Sep 4, 2012
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2012
  5. tl_tiger

    tl_tiger Regular Member

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    Thanks. I will give your suggestions a try. BTW, where are you from? You sound very Familiae with Daejeon.
     
  6. event

    event Regular Member

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    It's true. I used to live in Daejeon years ago, but I only played in two gyms there, both way down in the vicinity of the Western Bus Terminal.
     
  7. jr4life89

    jr4life89 New Member

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    Anyone still paying attention to this thread? I just moved to Jeonmin-dong in Daejeon and am also looking for a club to join. Intermediate - High level here. OP, do you have any news to report back about your luck finding a good place to play?
     
  8. Daemonorops

    Daemonorops New Member

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    Hi, I am moving to Daejeon and will be studying at the KAIST for the next 2 years at least, looking for a place to train there and seeking competitive players to train with. I was just going to visit the Badminton clubs and experience them myself to see which one to choose, but any help/tips/advice would be much appreciated from players that have experienced them before me! Thanks :)

    In any case, I will post here what I've learned once I get there for future reference.
     
  9. event

    event Regular Member

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    If you are looking near KAIST, you are officially in Yoosung-gu, which means that the above link to the list of clubs on Badmintontimes is applicable, even moreso if you are on the new ICC campus on the east side of Expo. The main campus is on the border with Seogu, though, so this list might be helpful as well.

    The Dosol Gym mentioned in #4, #8, and #10 is somewhat visible in photos here, here, and here, but there won't be mats when recreational players are playing there.
     
    #9 event, Feb 12, 2015
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2015
  10. event

    event Regular Member

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    #1, #5, and #9 all play at the Olympic Memorial Citizens' Gymnasium, which is almost right across the river from the KAIST main campus, at the south end of a park just south of Galma Station. Well, I guess it's a 1.8km walk. Photos here.
     
  11. Daemonorops

    Daemonorops New Member

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    Thank you for your answer, I will definitely investigate those places! Although if you don't mind, I would really want to know if the clubs you mentionned are ones where young adults practice regularly and join competitions at a good level, without of course being at the professional level. Are there tournaments in Daejeon? And is it common for clubs to travel around and play in Korea? Thanks again.
     
  12. event

    event Regular Member

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    Travel around and play? Yes, although most clubs focus on local tournaments, which in Daejeon means within the city. My experience is that local tournaments never have divisions for people in their 20s but nationwide tournaments often do. I would also say that there are more nationwide events now than there used to be. Look for the hot pink on this calendar. Local clubs are almost always dominated by people over 30 but if you look hard, you might find a place with a concentration of younger people. Even if you are forced to enter local tournaments with A-level 30-something players, my guess is you would find it a 'good level', unless you are an elite player. I hope that helps.
     
  13. Stephen_li

    Stephen_li New Member

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    I'd like to find a club on March 2
     
  14. event

    event Regular Member

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    I'm not sure I understand. Do you mean you are just passing through on March 2nd (for one day) or that you are moving there on that date? Are you in the same part of Daejeon?
     
  15. Daemonorops

    Daemonorops New Member

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    Hey! So I finally found a club in Daejeon, 3 weeks after coming to Korea. I first tried playing at the KAIST, I'm studying there for the next 2 years, and I found that the courts were free to use and there are some school clubs like ABC, G-Bird, K-Bird and although it was fun playing with them - and there are many english-speaking foreigners - the level was not suited for me. My friend recommended me to stop by Eo-eun elementary school, they play from 7-10pm every weekday and I found that the level was quite good. My only problem is that I am a singles player and Koreans do not play singles at all!!:p However, I am not phased by that and it'll be a good experience to learn how doubles is played in Korea! The koreans are very kind and generous by nature. So thank you for your help with this post, and I hope that my experience will help other newcomers :) I'm also looking forward to the club tournaments (almost every weekend).

    Maxime
     
  16. event

    event Regular Member

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    Oh yes, did I forget to mention that? Sometimes it is difficult for me to remember that people actually play singles in some parts of the world ;) It is practically illegal for recreational players in Korea. I have managed to play a fair bit in certain periods. I have found if there happens to be a like-minded twentysomething male in the club (and in most clubs this alone is a rarity) and a time when the gym is not at all crowded, then you can get some singles in but most people are not interested and not experienced. Moreover, if four people are ready to play doubles, most house rules say they can boot you off the court and play doubles so you have to get singles in late in the evening, when all doubles is winding down, or early in the evening before enough people have arrived to play doubles. Anyway, I'm glad you found a place and I hope you find some competitions, too.
     
  17. rpbar4

    rpbar4 Regular Member

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    Hi everyone,

    I'm a French guy in my late 20s, and have been playing competitive badminton in France (A-B grade) and some other countries during my studies (Singapore, Australia).

    I'll be visiting Daejeon for 4 days on May 20th - 24th for visiting my new work place and if things go well, I will start work in Daejeon in August.

    Would anyone have other info than what has been said on this thread that I should know of? Where to play competitive badminton? And is there any competition around Daejeon too?

    In Daejeon, I'll be based in or around Woosong University.

    Thanks a lot for your answers!
     
  18. event

    event Regular Member

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    rpbar4, I'm sure you'll be able to try lots of tournaments, if you can find a partner who's keen. As Daemonorops pointed out, singles is non-existent, especially in tournaments. Woosong U. is not the best area of town. The nearest thing other than a school gym seems to be the Indong Recreational Gym, which is about 3km southwest of that university. It's sort of right across the river from the main downtown stadium, south of the train station. The good news is that getting around Daejeon is not that hard. Also, the city itself is very central so if you find a partner who is game, getting to regional or national tournaments should be easy.
     
  19. rpbar4

    rpbar4 Regular Member

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    Thanks event for your comment.

    I'll give it a try next week if I have some time to visit the gym. If not, I'll wait for my final move in July. Glad to see that there is a great number of tournaments. Great experience ahead for sure.

    I don't mind not playing singles. I like singles but doubles and mixed doubles are my favorite events by far.
     

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