well these questions prolly sound a little stupid but I have seen the term 'Club' players being used in numerous threads here, and most of our non-asian friends also use it as a sort of benchmark for a certain level of play. However, i believe many of us doesn't really have a clear idea where exactly this level compares to in asian countries. Are club players the equivalent of recreational players in community centres? Or average School team players? What about Regional/provincial players? And what exactly are Gyms? I'm imagining a large hall with body-building equipment inside.
club players can range in skill from below average to quite advanced. it all depends on the level of the club, a badminton club (and i'm only talking about the UK here, don't know if this is reflective of things elsewhere) is just group of people that meet and play badminton at set times during the week. this ranges again from social clubs where the standard is pretty low, to some outstanding danish and english clubs that play at slightly below international level. so it really varies a lot. we have badminton leagues here in the uk, some are city leagues (smaller) and county leagues (bigger). a county is much like a state, so you'll often find county players being perhaps 2nd tier national players. oh yeah, and a gym normally just refers to a hall when it comes to badminton, not necessarily a room with weights and running machines.
Mostly in Indonesia, Club players are players are being groomed to be national players so their skills are pretty advanced...in order to be accepted to the club....you are tested with their lowest ranking player first before being admitted to the club.. Club players in Indonesia, or I may assume, mostly in Asia, not exactly just a placefor people to meet and play badminton for fun...this is very serious business, mainly in Indonesia. We can see Jarum club with their recent player, Andre, who beat other national's players...
To my understanding, in north america, when we referring to club level, it generally means the non-pro (i.e. social over competition) players. Most of these ppl don't play badminton as for a career, but rather exercise and hobby. They don't or rarely participate in high level (state/regional or above) tournaments. Therefore, the majority are beginner or int. level of players.
Hehe, when I was in high school the school team would refer to the good players as "club players" since most of them did not play badminton outside of school. Of course, as the level of play increases it is a trivial distinction since everyone would play at a club.
In North America, it really depends on what club you go to. If you go to a competitive club, you're probably provincial/state level or higher. As for how this compares to asian badminton, I have no idea...probably the same level as an 8-year-old asian kid?
