I have to admit right off the bat that I'm one of those people who thought (esp. as a kid) that badminton is a backyard sport for wussies. A while ago, however, I was browsing Wikipedia and came cross the Thomas, Uber, and Sudirman Cup. I thought the countries that are good at badminton are interesting, and that there are so few of them is even more interesting. I started looking up badminton on YouTube and saw how tough the pro players seem when playing. In the last few days I went to the Austrian International and got to see some live action, and I fell in love with the sport. Now I'm thinking of taking a course for beginners at my university, the trainer is a guy who's currently in the World Rankings. The thing is, I'm not a very athletic person, and I don't perform well at most sports (even though I'm not fat or anything like that), and from what I saw and from what I read here on the forum badminton is a very hard sport to master. It's very intensive and you have to be really fit to play it well. I know I'm far too old to ever become a pro (I'm 22), but getting to a decent level would be a goal of mine. The question is, is it worth it to start playing now? I would have to invest in the course and in the equipment, and frankly I don't know if I'm up to it physically. What do you guys/girls think?
I think it is hard to become a pro if you have not start it from early age average, your peak would be around 24-28 and it would be hard to master footwork, shots, and play like a pro in 2 years but badminton is not all about tournament, play with your friends, it is pretty a fun sport that does not require too much energy (unlike rugby, football, basketball, volley, etc) for me, football = love to watch it, but I will never play football (since you need a pretty fit body to play, and yeah, I'm overweight ) but badminton does not require you to master the shots, footwork, or has a good build to enjoy the game my advice: start to play badminton, let's say as one of your exercise, you might not become a pro, but this sport definitely worth it
Thanks for your comments. Yeah, I know I'm not gonna be able to become a pro, and I'm also thinking it would be really good for exercise. From what I've seen, I love the sport, and I would really like to try it, plus it's a fun way to get some exercise and not sit in front of the computer all day.
if you want to start playing you are in the right track go and take the course, and invest a little bit with the equipment the good thing is you want to take the course for me, I never take a course, when I started playing badminton (2 years ago), I had no idea about good footwork and different type of shots. the only thing I know, I should hit the bird (shuttlecock) about physic, don't worry too much about it, it is not a demanding sport. if you think playing single is too hard, playing double also a good option it is less tiring than playing single
I didnt start playing regularly until after I finished my phd (half-way through 2007, 26y/o) - work did badminton at lunch time once per week. So it's been ~3.5 years and now I'm knocking on the door of the county standard. Not quite there yet, but not so far off. So starting at 22y/o should be no problem, if your body can handle it.
DO IT. i didnt start till i got to college.. i got serious in my 2nd year and even joined the school club. in my opinion, its the most fun sport for me and ill keep playing till who knows. so why not give it a go? it can get pretty competitive but its also a good social sport as well. try to be patient and work on the basics first
its never too late mate, i play with county players currently and ive only been playing for just over 2 years.. most important thing is to enjoy it as a sport.
You should give it a go. I got hooked on badminton because it's the only sport I wasn't terrible at. You can be bad at other things but still enjoy badminton. And you don't need to play at a pro standard, it's still rewarding to play at a recreational level and see how far you can go with it.
never too late to start badminton good for your health and mind, good way to de-stress also, like golf, it's a sport that you can play till your 70's, so you've got lots of time to improve
Is it worth it to start playing now? . What would you say to my trainees who are in their 70's? IMHO, enjoying how to 'Good' Badminton has nothing to do with how old you are. .
of course it is worth it! i have many friends who started much later than you did. unless you are trying to be the best in the world, then you are probably 10 yrs too late, but for majority of the people in the badminton world, we are not striving to be world champions but to enjoy the sport that we all passionately love, which is the sport of badminton. badminton has no age limit, it is the love, the enjoyment, the unique "pack" sound, the passion, the friendship, the exercise, the sweat, and the dinner afterwards at your local food establishment, and the sore muscles the day(s) after that counts and that's what we live for.
+1 The nice thing about badminton is that you can keep a shuttle in play at almost any level. Even someone who has never played before can usually keep a rally going within a few weeks. This is why there is such a misconception of badminton, many people see that anyone can do it so think it's easy. The funny thing is that you could say the same as football (soccer to us in NA), anyone can play it and there are so many different levels of play.
Thanks, I like the fact that the admin takes time to post. I'm definitely not trying to become the next Lin Dan or Lee Chong Wei, but I can still make it to a somewhat decent level, right? I mean, I don't want to end up being a beginner for the rest of my life
dude. you are 22, not 62. you have lots of room for improvements. many people i know starts in the 20's and are able to play and win local tournaments. it all depends on how much time and dedication you put into the game.
even though i am the admin here, i am doing it for the love of the game, too. not any different than most people here.
a mature person learns faster. it just like what competitive player wish for. eg. I wish I have the speed and power with the added wisdom.
If you love the game and are passionate for it, like you say you are, why do you need "us" to tell you what to do?...Just a thought. I love badminton.
Why do you need "us" to tell you what to do? . Gicutzu said "Frankly I don't know if I'm up to it physically". I think Gicutzu is worried about how fit we need to be to play Badminton. .
