Smash City or UBC for badminton Training?

I'd say either place would be fine as long as there is some improvement over the summer. You can't expect her to go from maybe D to A in that short amount of time unless she's some badminton prodigy. Also look into APAC Badminton Club in Union City since its close to Fremont as well.

But if you were to take opinions here, you will get biased opinions. You can probably drop in during coaching sessions from each place and see what you think would be best for your daughter.

 

(Not sure that this is the correct forum for this question)

I'd be willing to bet that both facilites have decent programs. They probably both have summer camps that last for 2 or 3 weeks per session so this may give you the opportunity to try them both.

 

They both provide a very good training program, each producing many adult national level players. The best thing to do is just to visit youself and figure out which one you personally like better.

 

(Looks like this thread ended up being moved here from the General forum. As a result it appears that there are 2 threads in this forum with nearly the same title).

Talked to a buddy of mine (a strong B player) the other day about his impressions of the badm clubs he's played at. Until a few months ago, he had a year membership at UBC. He felt that their coaches & training programs were very good. He also felt that they had the best lighting of all the gyms in the area but was not happy with the hardness of the floors (something that older players or other ppl with knee or ankle issues find very important).

He also felt that the staff was quite not as friendly as the staff at Smash City. He mentioned that Bin Tang (in the Sunnyvale- Santa Clara area) probably had the friendliest staff of the three. Also mentioned that Bin Tang currently had the best floor of these three.

There was also one other negative about UBC that he brought up. During his year-long membership, he experienced an sustained injury that did not allow him to play for more than 3 months. He asked UBC if they would suspend his memebership temporarily or extend it since he could not sue their facilities at all for 3+ months. They flatly refused to consider this request. Just another exaample of not being member-friendly.

 

I've never had a membership issue at UBC, but while playing, have heard others had disagreements with the membership desk/reps, and since last year's change of ownership, there seem to be more young and immature folks handling (business) aspects, or the adults that are present don't speak English.

Personally I haven't felt the flooring being too hard/stiff, but there are bulges here and there that don't get repaired, at least not promptly, but this was the case for Bintang as well the last time I visited, a year+ ago.

 

Lol, anybody notice the far right court at UBC which hass that giant cress thats been there for the past 2 years?

I also agree about the "costumer service" there. It's tolerable, but I feel that it should be a lot better.

 

i think UBC is more training oriented than customer oriented. Their goal is to train in badminton more than making a "business" out of it. If you have not noticed, when they train, they take up at least half the available courts just for training (at least it was the case last time i went... believe it was last summer)

 

"There was also one other negative about UBC that he brought up. During his year-long membership, he experienced an sustained injury that did not allow him to play for more than 3 months. He asked UBC if they would suspend his memebership temporarily or extend it since he could not sue their facilities at all for 3+ months. They flatly refused to consider this request. Just another exaample of not being member-friendly."

the gym has a piece of paper that any injury isnt the coach or the facilities fault....

 

That is not true. All i can think if UBC right now is for business. Everything for them is business. everything from them is money money money. money money money. If you're really into badminton and just for training purposes, i don't think you would want to rent a place in auto that cost a @#!$#^@# amount of money each month. A regular community is good enough. A decent gym is fine. I find it very amusing how people defend for UBc in ways not reasonable. maybe they are UBC students? But no matter what. They prices of UBC items is not cheap, drinks, food, even stringing. takes up to 3 days. and if you want it to be sooner.. 5 bucks more? Now tell me if it isn't business?.. They cannot operate a gym and charge people that much and say it's only for training purposes. 7 bucks is a lot to most people. And everytime i visit UBC, all i recieve from the staff, was a grumpy face. The expressive was like i'm not even welcomed. I don't like that idea at all. I paid 7 bucks, i want to have a friendly environment to play in. The floor is too soft and it almost feel as if i'm playing on top of a carpet!


"There was also one other negative about UBC that he brought up. During his year-long membership, he experienced an sustained injury that did not allow him to play for more than 3 months. He asked UBC if they would suspend his memebership temporarily or extend it since he could not sue their facilities at all for 3+ months. They flatly refused to consider this request. Just another exaample of not being member-friendly."

the gym has a piece of paper that any injury isnt the coach or the facilities fault....


Also. This is for business. If it's for training purposes i don't see why they can't extend the dateline. Rules are dead, and we are alive, we can change it anytime. No matter what, even if there is a reliability paper. If someone gets injured at your place, you can get sued. You can learn about that through law school. a piece of paper says nothing. that guy can actually sued back UBC for have a bad floor, the light is too bright which caused him the injuries. The reliability paper only have a psychological factor on the customer, nothing else. One company actually got sued, it happens many time. So just keep that in mind. If a customer played and injured yourself, as a great Gym, we should extend the deadline, because no matter what, they dude is injured, he can't even play. that is like jipping you off. Lets say, everyone comes in, the floor is so bad, and you buy year round pass, but everybody injured. So they'll all get jipped? that is just isn't fair. I actually heard some gym in the bay area that lets you extend passes if you're injured and couldn't play. A friend of mine just got his pass extended at APAC. Also i would let to state the worst that i even experience that UBC. Last time i came, I came and play for 1-2 hours. I ask if i can go out to eat and come back again. The owner ( with his grumpy face) told me " no, that is not possible". I questioned him, how can that be? All the clubs let you do that?. He said no. since he couldn't speak english real well, he didn't say anything else. I questioned to myself, what happen if you went for a drop in, and you could only play for 30 minuted, and all of a sudden, you need to go out for an emergency? Would that still be 7 bucks? WOuld it still be one time? That is just a ripp off. again, 7 bucks is a lot of money towards most people, we play, we want to be comfortable and be have fun. Badminton is a sport, sports only enhances your life. A badminton gym should always have good staff members, gym and policy. I think most people would want to play, eat lunch, and come back to play for more. It is just unbelievable.


also.

"There was also one other negative about UBC that he brought up. During his year-long membership, he experienced an sustained injury that did not allow him to play for more than 3 months. He asked UBC if they would suspend his memebership temporarily or extend it since he could not sue their facilities at all for 3+ months. They flatly refused to consider this request. Just another exaample of not being member-friendly."


Actually, if he is willing to sue and hire a lawyer, guess what the UBC team gotta do? Hire a lawyer to defend themselves. And each case isn't not one or two days. It would cost them a lot more money to hire laywer, rather than extending their passes. fools...

 

Let's try to be constructive, rather than destructive. There's no point to destroy a business when just particular individuals don't agree with them. Business is business, and business needs $$$ to survive. I don't mind to be a good charity type, but I need my own milk and bread to stay alive 1st.

Business can't satisfy everyone. UBC still has its own customer base (actually, heard being crowded during times), so it must fit for others need. No point to force everyone (the one you don't like) to shut down, because "YOU" don't like it.

Btw, $7 might be expensive in CA area. However, us players in NY area, paying $15-25 per session for just regular HS gyms with no lines! I don't want to use the word "spoiled", as I understand each region has its own standard. However, I really don't think stay in a well constructed gym for hours with A/C, lockers and shower room for $7 is anywhere near ridiculous to begin with.

 

The price for badminton is definitely different in bay area since it's rural and has a large Asian population.

Community centers with hardwood floors on weekends charge $5 for two hour open gym. HS gym (again, hardwood floor), I can play with varsity team for free or very cheap. Community colleges also offer badminton class that averages $4-5/session. The downside is I have to play at their schedule.

Dedicated club is definitely a step up: open longer hours, knowledgable staff. My last time at UBC was Dec. 2005, so things may have changed a lot. The staff girl played with me b/c I didn't come with a partner, and I also met some good players, so it was a good experience.

Writing letters/e-mail to the new owner may be more effective than here, IMO, since he didn't seem to read this forum.

 

they place has to make money to keep going... whats the point if they are losing money! i brought my racquet frm there yesterday, guess what it was stringed today and i got it, no extra charge and very nice costumer service

 

Lighting at UBC tends to be not consistent, some place brighter and some place darker, it also has fewer courts. Personally, I prefer SC, feels more open and less crowded.

 

Getting back to the original topic.......

If you're looking for a place to train your kids, how much do you want to spend???

Remember, you get what you pay for.

If you don't mind spending some $money$ for the best, try GGBC, nice courts with locker room and shower, restaurant on 2nd floor, flat screen TVs to watch the pros play, and best of all, you can chat with Sally while your kids are playing, how cool is that.
For a mere $10.00 drop-in fee, you get all of the above and more.

Lazybuddy......yes, we are very spoiled.....

If you want to spend less, check out APAC gym in union city.

 

I never been to Smash City and Apac. So I don't know anything about them.

All 3 gyms (UBC, Bintang and GGBC) have very good coaches. Of course, Zhou Lei (former WD world champ) in UBC has the best credential. However, Phuu in Bintang may not have a credential compared to the ex-pros in GGBC and UBC, but he is an excellent coach for beginner and immediate players. I have friends trained by Zhou Lei (UBC), Phuu (Bintang) and Chandra (GGBC), and I can tell they all make great improvement after a few months.

People complained about UBC's staff, Zhou Lei and her husbands are very friendly. You may not see smile on the teenagers' face, but I don't think they are rude. Probably 90% US teenagers are like that including my own kids. At least they never offend anyone.

And of course if you are Sally's Yep's fan, then you may want to go to GGBC (as viper suggested).

 

$7 per drop-in is pretty much a standard now for all badminton clubs in the bay area (except GGBC which is $10). In response to John Harris comment, first off please do not flame. Everyone in BC merely express a point of their view/experience they have had. If UBC is really business oriented, the staff should be trained to be more friendly and smiling all the time. I'm sure you do not see sales personnel that go door to door in a scowling face. They would definitely not be in good business.

Qi Dong analysis is definitely correct. APAC now also has Lili Zhou coaching (think she's also at GGBC and used to coach at smach city). There are many coaches to choose from nowadays. I'd say drop in and talk to the coach and maybe let ur kid try 1 mth here and 1 mth there training and see which one ur kid likes better. Afterall, ur child is the one training, it has to suit his/her style somewhat in order to learn better (imho, u cannot learn/grow if u dun feel like u like doing it.)

 

oh yeah... john harris, u also misinterpreted the entry. the guy sustain injuries (didn't say it was from the gym). also when u enter all gyms, u typically sign a waiver freeing the gym of responsibilities towards u in case of an injury. i'm sure the staff will still help if there is an injury, but the gym is not responsible for u. that itself is a binding contract, so goodluck when u sue the gym =P (u can sue, but ur winning chances aren't high). last but not least. if everyone (especially high school students on weekends) come in the morning when the gym first opens, then goes out for lunch, then comes back after. do u really think that's fair. let's put it this way, a good friend of urs borrowed ur favorite racket (high school students come in the gym) because ur friend likes it too (high school students loves to play badminton) but does not have money to buy it (they do not have money to pay and would like to stay whole day without leaving making their money worth, but the get hungry). time and time again, he borrows it (they go out for food then come back in without paying). he wears out the grip (the students wears the court out), maybe have a clash or 2 here or there (racket does not break) (the courts are worn in a bit but still playable) is that fair for u (is that fair for the gym)?
if u want to play, make sure u eat before you go or bring food along O_O

 

ok... First of all. THis is MY opinion of the clubs and stuff. And what i'm stating is true fact. You cannot give examples like that when you're paying 7 bucks for badminton. The two case isn't accurate. Your example is that borrwing and it a good friends. And that's for everyone references. Personally, I wouldn't mind letting my friends borrow my racket for free anytime. Second, this is purchase. I'm talking about purchase. Ok, just say this. You go play for an hour, but you gotta leave because your bro's car is in the freeway and you just wanna help him out for 30 minutes so you gotta leave the gym. Once you come back, you have to pay another 7 bucks? My understand is that before, UBC gave full pass, you can eat and come back, it makes it easier for most people. I don't think 7 bucks for the whole day is that much. It should be right. use your mind and think... even though it's a whole day, who would really play the whole day? -_-. This is just about business. I'm saying they are about business, because it's fact. Some people mention earlier that the gym purpose is not for business and is for training. The infos aren't consistent. Don't you guys think? One say it's for training only, since 3-4 courts are taken most of the time for training, another said for business. Okay, i'm just stating the obvious.. Gyms like that open.. only to make money. The customer services aren't really good. I have trouble talking to them. The rules changed too much, I don't really feel comfortable playing there. THAT IS MY OPINION! you guys can say whatever to defend, but it's my references, and it's okay whatever you say. People have different beliefs. If you want to spend more money, sure. personally, 7 bucks is a lot, just for badminton. birdies. if i only get to play at ubc for 2 hours of something ( and gotta leave for 15 minutes and can't come back) it's not worth it. Also, the stringing services aren't really nice. Most of my friends said the kids didn't do a good job. Paint chips, string snapped after 5 shots. etc. And when they crack your racket, they aren't responsible for it, or maybe at most.. another free stringing services. ..
about the sueing case. I'm just saying. IF anyone would be dumb enough to defend, then sure. more money for the lawyer. THink about this. IF i injured at your gym and i hire a lawyer to sue you. What do you need in return? Hire another lawyer. If i'm rich and i'm willing to hire a lawyer to take my anger out, UBC would need to hire lawyers. That means they would cost $$$$$ a lot more than just 3 months more for my extended pass.


Think about your words before you talk. It's not like i hire a lawyer and can't win and that's all. You need something to defend yourself.


ubc: floor 7/10
lighting 8/10
color 9/10
customer service 5/10
price 5/10

overall 6.8/10


Personally, it's my opinion okay? IF you want to defend, just whatever. I don't care, it's not my business, i'm just helping stating what i think. PEople got their right to speak their mind. I was pissed over there c.s last time, that cost them a customer. But they probably wouldn't care, since they got so much kids to train under them.

I would recommend the following gym: GGBC ( good players, superior gym, BINTANG BADMINTON ACADEMY ( one of the best flooring system, and friend staffs, Smash City ( good players) and APAC ( good customer service, floor is kindda hard, but heard they will fix it in 2 weeks.)