We have someone at our club who aims at the girl her head if she doesn't get back fast enough when he has a smash opportunity, even with beginning players who aren't good at the rotation system yet and sometimes just keep standing in front of the net when they play a (most of time not so very good) defensive shuttle. I know it's not against the rules to do that, but anyone has an idea how we could get some common sense into that guy's head?
easy....get the girl to run outside the court and prepare to duck after playing a defensive shot i think it would help to advise the girl what to do...such as dont stand so near the net when it looks like there could be a smash coming, couch down a little bit, don't be afraid to just duck and get out of the way etc
This guy would get his @ss kicked at SGVBC. We don't tolerate unsportmanlike conduct; especially when it is needless.
The way to deal this kind of player, is simply to kick him/her out of the club. Sure, during a competitive match, everyone wants to win. However, that does not mean you can do anything, even means on purposely injury others. Competitive is good, but over do it, and risk everyone's health is a NO NO.
He should be warned. This kind of person is a liability your club can do w/o. You should also warn others about him.
Easy...arrange to have a game with him and set him up for your opponents. (tell your opponents beforehand to aim at his head). So, when your opponents lift and he goes to the front expecting you to smash, do a short floater for your opponents to nail the shuttle right at his head!
kick him out of the club......after you smash the shuttle at his head seriously talk to the guy, let him know that what his doing is uncool
Agree with most of you that such action should not be tolerated, hitting into someone's face purposely can be very dangerous and especially without safely glasses. I would call them loser either they win the game or not.
yeah, it's VERY dangerous guys. i should know, i just got back from an eye doctor - im gonna have impaired vision in one eye for some time. i had been playing for 4hours and on the last game my reflexes had slowed down some and i caught a shuttle right in the center of my left eye - and it had just come off from the racquet of the hardest smasher in our area. i couldn't see anything for a few hours - now,2 days later, i've still got blurred vision.
People who play competitively should learn to avoid being hit in the face. There are simple ways to protect yourself from eye damage. If you are out of position, stuck at the net, and your opponent is about to kill the shuttle, then LOOK AWAY. In this situation, I always look away and downwards, and I shield my face with my left hand. When serving low, learn to get your racket up immediately and in front of your face. This way you will be protected if your opponent drives the shuttle at your face, and you can even return his shot! Never look behind you when your partner is about to play his shot. Be aware of the game situation and learn when to move out of harm's way. If you still feel unsafe, then wear safety glasses. There is no excuse for intimidating and endangering beginners/low level players with these tactics, but smashing at the face is a perfectly valid tactic for higher standard play. Rather than complain about the "unsportsmanlike" behaviour of your opponents, learn how to deal with it or avoid it. It's not that difficult. You should be thankful that badminton is such a "soft" sport; think how pathetic your complaints would sound to a rugby player! Bear in mind that, even if the opponent does not WANT to smash at your face, he will sometimes do so ACCIDENTALLY. So ultimately, bitching about it is a poor protection for your eyes. It's much better to acquire good habits that will keep you safe against any player.
I agree with gollum. All my smashes tend to land around the opponents upper body area including the head without purposely doing so. However, I only put myself to the limit with players that are equal in skill as myself or better. Of course which i do get atttacked that way as well especailly from show-offs. I adjust myself to my opponents level if I notice that my opponents are new bees or not equally skilled as myself. Afterall, its just a game. As for the ways to avoid, "duck" or cover your face with your racquet head. Or simply avoid playing with such a player for "unsportsmanlike" behaviour breeds "unsportsmanlike" behaviour .
Ok, I understand your point. And I agree that, we should protect ourselves in any situation, rather than pray others to show mercy. However, I think your statement is a bit harsh, especially for players who have not as good experience / skill / physical conditions. Most us joe club lvl player going to gym, is to exercise, to make friends, to relax. The last thing we want to see, is someone being sent to hospital, be it's a pure accident or intential stroke. True, everyone plays to win, and the rule book did NOT state where you can't attack. However, is winning a rally the everything about the game? And anything not in the rule book (for whatever reason) must be all right to do, under any situations? For example, fouling is part of the game (i.e. basketball, hockey, etc), and part of the strategy, which is perfectly fine. However, if you play dirty, and on purposely injuried ppl, doubt your reputation will be any good. Of course, you can say, hey, part of the game... why can't him (the injuried one) land more balancely, instead of land on his own head, etc... But hey, do u really want to see blood just for a W in record book? Look at Ron Artest, he's the all star, and play the highest level. Instead being remembered as another great one, everyone considers him as a trouble maker or dirty player. Of course, I don't think he really want to kill anyone, but the way and foul he plays, sometimes is a big NONO. Then, the famous "Bertuzzi blood bath". Yeah, he can say that's "part of his game", but who will really believe his cheap shot is "for the team's benefit"? Other things like pitcher throw the ball to batter's body or head, etc. Ok, keep talking about "i lost my ball control", "damn, the other team just hit my buddy in previous inning", etc. Just think about what about if you are the receiving end, and currently lying in the hospital... Personally, there are several times, I can excute a smash at the front, but I simply changed my strokes or even take a chance shoot it out, just because I am afraid to injury someone. The winning record is good, and we fight hard for it. However, we still need to make a reasonable decision under special situation. We do it, because we are human being, not brainless beast, and definitely not because whether there's a rule book or not.
I'm not sure what I have to think about your post, defending some who on purpose aims at the head of beginning players. I'm not complaining about competition players aiming at other competition players their head, as like you say, they know how to protect their eyes. And BTW, it'd surprise me that a rugby player would call my complaints pathetic, they also know what sportmanship is, and endangering beginning players doesn't fall under that.
I totally agree with all of you. Those behavior shouldn't not be tolerated in the sport of badminton. In my place there is a guy who is playing ok (more like decent but he thinks he is so GOOD), like to take on novice players and smashed a hell of them. I have personally told him he should stop doing that because that discourage the novice players to come again but he just ignore me. So what I have been doing is to refuse playing with him even if I am the only one player available or when I play against him in doubles. My smashes will always go to him and I purposefully aim at him just to give him a taste of his own medicine. I know it is not nice but he should be taught not to do certain things.
Be is whatever sport, to whatever level, on purpose injury opponents should be a NONO. I remembered both Wayne Gretzky and Super Mario complained about how ugly hockey changed from a skillful sport, more leaning toward the "enforcers' bloody battle ground". They even said something like, they would rather quit, than endanger their health if they have to deal with dirty plays everyday. Both of these guys are the greatest ever in hockey (which is no way to be soft), and they had the better understanding of this sport than everyone. I am sure with their experience, they have a lot of effective ways to protect themselves, but just try to avoid the harm is not the proper way (or, at least not the only) to solve the problem. To put things into extreme, if the logic stands, then, why we need cops to fight against the bad guys, in order to protect us? Everyone just learn how to dodge the bullets, and never come on to street...
Gollum wasn't really defending them as body hits are legitimate shots. Questionable actions, yes but certainly within the realm of legitimacy. Anybody who does it regardless of what kind of opponent he faces speaks volume about his character. Any talk about sportsmenship with these kinds of players is a waste of time.
Obviously, smashing at beginners' faces is dangerous. Actually, I would go further: don't smash at beginners at all. Let them play a rally, not lose immediately. But as a player becomes competent, he WILL encounter more aggressive play. Even if his opponents avoid targetting his face, they will sometimes hit it by accident. Targetting the body is a well recognised tactic; if the smash is a bit flatter than intended, then it will go towards the face instead. As soon as you play against people who can hit the shuttle hard, you need to learn to protect yourself. It's that simple. As I said before, you can always wear safety glasses. The "logic" of my opinion does not extend to the absurd comparisons mentioned by LazyBuddy. Get real guys! Look at the differences: Hockey: you cannot protect yourself against a reckless player wielding a hockey stick. If he decides to smash your legs in, then that is what will happen. By the way, does anyone here actually play hockey, or know hockey players? One of my friends plays quite seriously, and he is constantly wounded. The old cuts and grazes (some quite nasty) don't have time to heal before new ones replace them. And we're worried about a shuttlecock? Big girls' blouses, the lot of us Gun crime: nobody can dodge bullets. And shooting someone is (normally!) a deliberate decision to kill or injure. Badminton: it is easy to protect yourself. Aiming for the face is not an attempt to injure; it's an attempt to win the point. You can expect the player, if he cares about his safety, to look away and give up the point (or perhaps protect his face with his racket). Of course, this assumes the player is reasonably experienced and competent. I repeat: smashing towards a beginner's face is dangerous. Use a little common sense! By the way, if anyone is dubious about my attitude towards safety, please consider: I'm a coach. I treat safety very seriously; I would be negligent otherwise. I have assessed and managed the risks and medical training/preparation for international caving expeditions. I know how to evaluate hazards and how to institute safe practices in a dangerous environment. My risk assessment of badminton eye injuries is this: very, very low risk -- provided that players are sensible about protecting themselves. The most important factor, as with any safety planning, is awareness. Once players are aware of the risk, it is easy to make themselves safe.
thnx. i'm much better now - juz some haziness but it'll go away in a short time. i was able to play the next day - baddy addict, can't stay away. lol.
Unfortunately, these days there are some people that feel a sense of increase ego when they find themselves an opportunity to smash in front of the net after a beginner make a bad shot... even in a club I go to where half the players are seniors, they still do that. It's a very sad thing, but it's just the way some people acts when they don't have much character. One time a lady got hit right at the corner of the eye by a shuttle that was smashed by an old man(about 65) right in front of the net. The old man saw the lady right there about 3 to 4 meters away from him at most, and he still did what he did. Good thing was the lady was okay after a few minutes. Note: she did try to avoid the hit, but it was too late!!! People just need to understand you gain respect in a sport by constantly improving your game(doesn't matter where your skill level is at today), not by a single moment in a match. You guys have no idea how much I hate those losers that pick on novice players... never make friends with those losers.
