... you get your ass whupped by a player who uses a cheap racket with low-tension strings and wears cheap shoes, while you yourself play with an expensive high-end Yonex MP racket and wear top-end shoes, like the Yonex SHB95Low. Reason I'm saying this is because I just got beaten, a couple of days ago, ..... really REALLY bad,... by this guy who doesn't seem to bother much about his attire, racket, strings, shoes or any other equipment. He gave me a humbling lesson that skill is what matters most in a badminton game. Even the other guys in the group couldn't read his shots nor keep up with his speed at the net and power from the backcourt. Sigh!!
na that would just make me feel embarassed, would have said my girlfriend dump me last night and i cant stop thinking of her...always works until ur girlfriend finds out......then is expensive presnt time....
I would take this as a lesson then try to make friend with that player and play more often against (or with as double partner) this will help you understand why he is a good player and would improve your game (unless the game you played was a bad one for you) Norm
Hi, Just goes to show that it isn't the expensive shoes, shirts, tracksuits that make you play better, it's the skill level of the person. If the person is good, he can use crap gear to beat anyone. Having th best doesn't mean you are going to play better badminton, it's all down to how good YOU are. Matt
If I happened to care more about attire and equipment than he then I would be pissed... at myself! I would think that obviously attitude is much more important than material resources in the pursuit of improvement. My next step would be to find opportunities to watch and analyze his games more closely to discover what it is that makes him better than his equipment i.e. footwork, strokework, fitness, strategies, etc. I'd take it one step at a time. First I'd look for the one aspect of his game that most strongly puts me out of business and try to emulate that. Of course it'll be awhile before I'd try it on him. At times it's experience that helps the most. I read somewhere that one of the most effective skills that a pro has is the ability to make you return a shot from a position that most limits your return placement options (and sometimes makes you run like the blazes to get there). This allows him to drastically increase his odds of correctly anticipating your next shot and be right there waiting for it. Ever notice how freakin' hard it is to place a shot away from a high-level player no matter what you do? It seems like the court on their side just isn't big enough! They often look like they're 'waiting' for a shot rather than 'chasing' it. This can be a devastating weapon against players with lower placement skills but superior stamina and power.
what type of racquet did he have? Also, i have to agree that it takes a good player to win, not a good racquet. But good player with good racquet will beat bad player with bad racquet any day.
Actually I sooooooooo happy to see it proven once more that marketing is worthless in sport...it's skill and practice that counts. Money spent on shirts, shoes, rackets etc. is basically money thrown in the toilet. No, it's worse than even that - the money goes into the paychecks of those who manipulate us (or try to, because it doesn't work on me) to buy useless junk, somehow hoping it will improve our games. It's a wake up call. WAKE UP EVERYONE...stop wasting your money and just play!!!
I suppose, but I imagine that it isn't as bad as being beaten by a player wearing sandles with no sox underneath, and uses some half cracked up wooden racket Cheer up mon!
yes that sucks. even more annoying if the guy is a older guy and you think he can't even walk without a stick. but you should be glad that you now realize that equipment is the least important. i know people who goes off and buys the latest and greatest stuff and they enjoy themselves just as much. i am like that to a certain extent, but i recently have controlled myself much better. you guys don't hear me buying a MP99 and probably never will. in fact, i have been rediscovering that my older model rackets are just as good as the new ones. however, we should also remember that although equipment is not the most important, there is a certain weight to them. at the end of day, what you use, and how you play doesn't really matter that much. i value the attitude and passion of the game more than anything else. at the end of the day, if you enjoy playing badminton and have a good time, that is the most important.
Little short green guy, about 800 years old and point ears? Yeah, goes by the name of Yoda. He walks with a walking stick, and if he's anything to guy by the latest film, he's got a killer jump smash
Yes, yes. I truly agree that skills are much more important that those high end equipments! But that isn't gonna stop me from buying.
Skills are definately more important. In a recent pre-Christmas fun tournament at my club, everyone was beaten by the clubs top player, despite him being handicapped with a hat with bells and a wooden racquet. He was only beaten when forced to play left handed (he's a right hander). I buy expensive(ish) equipment 'cos I need all the advatages I can get!
One obvious strength that guy had was his superb accuracy and tightness of his shots. We were playing doubles. And he chose to return ALL our serves with a tight net shot instead of varying his returns. Even though we knew that the return was going to be a netshot, firstly we couldn't read the direction. And secondly, the returns were simply too tight. We could only either net back (and he would cream us with his deadly taps) or lift back to the rearcourt (where his partner will also cream us with jumpsmashes). Even if we could return the smash with a fast drive, he will always be at the net to drive back the return. [Please bear in mind that my partner and I are pretty decent and experienced players as well! ] Not surprisingly, I was told that the guy used to be in the Indonesian National (Youth?) Team until an injury forced him to retire from international badminton. I believe he should be in his late 20s now. Hmmm... I think I will be sticking to my Cab23 for quite awhile instead of switching rackets so often. And I've learnt the following things: 1) You need to understand good tactics... but ... it is NOT all about tactics 2) Knowing where to hit and what shots to hit is not enough in high level badminton 3) You've got to be able to hit tight shots consistently 4) You must have a very good feel of your racket (whatever brand or model it is) 5) If you can control the net in doubles, you'll win most of the time 6) Deception is almost a must in high level badminton This experience has made me more determined to improve my skills and technique. I used to focus alot more on my speed, agility and tactics.
Marketing managers in sporting goods companies around the globe are: a) Laughing their butts off that people will spend money for no benefit, even when (as you mention) they KNOW there are no benefits. b) Spending the money you gave them (for no benefit to yourself - as you mentioned you are AWARE) on whatever it is they want to buy. Again, they are probably laughing while they do this, thanking heaven for the fact that there's a sucker born every 30 seconds (it's up from 1 minute because of the increase in population). The world is truly a strange strange place. I need to get a job in marketing (actually, I had one, which is why I know just how dishonest and evil the whole process is). Sorry...I tend to get emotional about this topic. It's not you...it's me.