League troubles

DO NOT FIELD A WEAK TEAM. That is down right cowardly of you. Fight it with pride and go for the glory. What kind of sportsmanship qualities do you show by doing that.

And yes tell em to fix their court. It is dangerous to play on a slippery court.... Bring it up with league officials.

 

Why was it slippy? If it was dusty, then I would say try using a wet towel on the side of the court (or spill a bit of water at the side of the court.) even if you have to do this every rally.

Surely they have the same problem?

When playing on slippy surfaces, playing a fast game is not the thing to do,play to the corners, make them move, even if it means making your drops slower but tighter. dont commit on smashes, as opposition can just play it back, and you cannot move quick enough (due to the surface) to get back.

Another thing, change your foorwork slightly so you feet are closer together, as this will increase the grip on the surface. You will have to move in smaller, quicker steps, rather than big lunges.

 

emmm. How bout reporting it to league officials like I said afterwords??? .

To your friends who were injured, I hope they get well soon.

FEND.

 

You mean the concrete lattice slats you get in school/council sports halls? I hate that stuff.

Having good grip for a few steps is better than none.

 

mistake

Refuse to play

Fair or not, it's dangerous.

Complain to the league.
Tell them you will not play there until the floor is safe.
Do not play there
Contact other clubs that have to play there and get them to complain to the league.
If you do send a team there again, warm up to see if the surface is any better, but if it is not, then do not play the match.

 

Dunno about the match, but you won't get injured.
Depends on the decision of your league.
You will be in a better position if you (and others) have complained about the venue.

 

I'm with Neil on this one. You must refuse to play on a surface that you consider unsafe.

The other team might be upset; your team might be upset; your partner might be upset. Tough. Let them all be upset; your health and future playing career
are more important.

 

A quick way to get them to clean up their act - get your friend who sustained injuries from falling on the slippery surface to sue the club and league.

if there's a well documented history of dangerous slippery surface, and a refusal to do anything about it except take the advantage in league matches, the club has opened itself up for legal action.

 

reply

There's nothing more annoying than feeling like you're going to fall over if you stretch out even a little bit.

I've noticed how some players have a much easier time on slippery courts because their footwork is more balanced I guess. Me, I tend to push off quite hard and rely on leg strength, so a slippery floor completely kills my game.

We had a match once (a home game) where the leisure centre had not cleaned the floors and it was so dusty we could barely hit clears during warm-up. We insisted on the staff wiping the floors with mops. We had to wait about 20 minutes for it to dry off again, but at least it was okay afterwards.

The other team were pretty understanding about it. I guess it happens at a lot of places.

 

Having played league badminton for over fifteen years now I have certainly played in a number of shockingly bad venues. The worst I have ever played in, believe it or not, is The Triangle in Burgess Hill. Yes, the former venue for the English Nationals. The visibility in that hall in non-existent and the floor is extremely dangerous.

I have also played league badminton in Essex and have never witness so many tiny one-court halls gathered together in one place. Some of the village halls are so low that if you stand in the corner and lift your racquet up to full stretch you can tough the rafters. Jump smashes were out of the question that night. What is worse when you play in these venues is that you generally play against tricky old people who know exactly how to win in those conditions. Drive serves from the rear court, serving from the tramlines, smacking the shuttle up to gain a let when you are clearly beaten in a rally, etc.

In answer to your problems the first step should be to raise the issue with the league committee. Get all the other clubs in that league to do the same thing. The issue of slippery floors is not taken seriously enough anywhere that I have played. It is never the same for both sides as one side plays the majority of their badminton under those conditions.

There is no excuse for having a slippery floor as every club has the option of buying a mop and washing the floor before the match. This may add thirty minutes to the time they hire the hall but will make a huge difference. Even sweeping the dust of the surface make a huge difference to grip. Often clubs are aware of the distaste that everyone feels about their venue and are unwilling to surrender the advantage. The players are, as a rule, also very quick to roll their eyes or tut when you wipe your feet on a wet towel.

The secret of playing under these conditions is knowing when to hit cross-court and when to hit straight. The normal rules of badminton do not apply under these conditions. In mixed, in particular, the cross-court drive becomes a devastating shot. To beat them at their own game you must do everything you can to cut off this option. Your partner must try to threaten any cross-court shot. Counter any cross-court with a block to the forecourt, making them lift.

The other secret is the change of pace. A fast flat game will play right into their hands, you must slow the game down and take control of the forecourt. If they are having to lift it give you more time to get into position. When you get a chance to smash make sure the shuttle goes down, even if you have to take pace off, rather than flat and don't give them any angle to work with. On no account give them anything to counter-attack, if you can't hit a decisive smash then concentrate on making them move.