Interview Report

Hello, hello Panda Express-
I wanted to share with you some data that I have collected so far using a survey:
Summary of badminton survey:

We conducted an online survey of badminton players. The players were mainly badminton enthusiasts from the Boston area but we also had input from the global badminton community. We had 29 respondents to the

86% were between 21 and 50 years old.
66% of respondents were male.
48% were asian and 76% were non-american.
The majority were students of some sort with a high number of professionals working in technology or as analysts.
52% played no other sports.
69% said they were loyal to one badminton club.
In order of importance for what they want in a badminton club they ranked:
1. community to play with
2. modern clean facilities
3. close to home
4. price of play
5. coaching staff

Here the two most telling data points were that community was valued most highly and coaching staff was the least important.

93% of those who knew Boston Badminton knew due to word of mouth.

When asked how they envisioned an ideal badminton club they ranked to following as such, from most important to least important:
1. flexible hours
2. convenient location
3. low prices
4. great coaches
5. merchandise

When asked about the important elements of a badminton class the response ranked the following from most important to least important:
1. reputation of coach
2. flexible class times
3. low price
4. class size
5. proximity to residence

72% said they would travel more than 20 miles to play at a good facility.
55% of respondents play more than 3x per week.

This is a summary to give insight into what badminton players perceive. This will help in marketing.

 

1) 1-2 times per week

2) 2-3 years ago, because of my friends play badminton and asked me to join them. I fell in love with it straight away
also my parents really supportive about me playing badminton because they are also badminton enthusiasts

3) I played with my group, usually 4-6 people as it is pretty expensive to rent a badminton court

4) they are not a sport that require a big, tall and well build body (primary example, Taufik Hidayat). some sports are identical with healthy body, football is the main example
it is also generally not too expensive in term of equipment (if you are a recreational player).
you can play anywhere even outdoor and without net
SPEED also one factor (300 km/h lol..)

5) shuttlecock, because it is unique and there is no other sport who use this kind of "ball"

6 & 7, please elaborate what you mean

 

1.) How often do you play Badminton?
As often as I can. Probably about 6 hours a week; it would be more if not for other commitments.

2.) When did you start playing, why did you play?
Years ago - I was probably about 10. I found it enjoyable, it wasn't like any other sport I had played and I seemed to pick it up quite quickly.

3.) Do you play within a club or group of people you usually play with?
I practice with my club on Saturdays and play league matches for them. During the week, I have a few friends that I practice with.

4.) What would you say distinguishes badminton from other racquet sports?
The speed of the projectile (considerably faster than any other racket sport) and its aerodynamic properties. The shuttlecock is the thing that defines the game of badminton really.

Unlike other racket sports, it is easy to start out in - pretty much anyone can get a rally going, but very difficult to master. The initial difficulty of squash and tennis is probably higher but as you get better and better, badminton becomes equally, if not more difficult than the other racket sports.

5.) What Symbol best carries particular meaning in badminton for you? Why?
The shuttlecock. As above really, it is probably the thing that shapes our sport the most and makes it so unique.

6.) What are some values you think is significant in badminton?

7.) What are some norms you think is significant in badminton?

Could you perhaps explain the last two questions a bit?

Also, wouldn't it be a good idea in terms of data analysis for you to use a tickbox system instead of letting people write whatever they like?

 

1.) How often do you play Badminton?
I play badminton 3 times a week at around 2.5 hours per session

2.) When did you start playing, why did you play? I started badminton in the fall of 2008, so 2.5 years of play. I remember watching the olympics in 2004 and would often find myself watching the badminton players with great interest. I loved how fast the sport was and loved watching the constant smashes of the doubles game. Later when I got more into youtube around in 2007-2008, I watched a lot more badminton videos and absolutely fell in love with the sport when I searched ten's of professional badminton games of Lin Dan and Taufik Hidayat.

3.) Do you play within a club or group of people you usually play with? Since I'm in a university, we have a club which uses one of the multi-purpose gyms in my school and generally I have been playing with the same group of people for the last 2 years.

4.) What would you say distinguishes badminton from other racquet sports? I think the shuttlecock in itself is one of the biggest factors in that it decelerates very quickly but starts out extremely fast. In addition, I think the margins of the sports in the way its played is distinguishing because the shots can be played so close to the net and is a game of millimeters and centimeters. I believe this quality is shared with tennis as well, but the net clearance of the birdies when in net play is so exact that even if the birdie is like 1 inch too high above the net, it'll get killed.

The other part of the sport is the amount of raw reaction time needed in the game when in fast exchanges and of course when defending smashes. Not too many sports experience the fast motor skills to be able to defend against very fast smashes and more so to respond with a quality response.

5.) What Symbol best carries particular meaning in badminton for you? Why? Picking a symbol for badminton..... That is tough. I would say the silhouette of someone doing a jump smash would be a symbol that carries the biggest meaning for me because until I actually started playing badminton, I didn't realize the amount of strength you needed to hit those powerful shots that i always saw on TV. Since I mainly play a power game, that's also another factor in my love of smashes =).

6.) What are some values you think is significant in badminton? I think some of the most important values is the patience to construct a rally and not always have the viewpoint that you're going to end the rally in a few shots. Against good opponents this does not always work and you will end up getting frustrated if you're always trying to hit powerful smashes but keep getting dropped off them.

The other thing is ENJOYMENT. I LOVE PLAYING BADMINTON, I always look forward to the next session and I LOVE looking up ways to improve my technique. I always find myself looking up a lot of the zhao jianhua video series on helping average club players improve certain areas of the game and I always swing along with them in the video in my room. Then I take that and try to do it in my practice sessions with my friends. I play mainly doubles, and I love every single minute of it. During a competition, some elements of this get lost and I do admit during tournaments I can get very frustrated if I'm performing poorly and forget to have fun, but I always perform best when i'm relaxed and just out to enjoy myself in making great shots. To add to that, I always compliment my friends on great shots and rallies, and that favor is always returned so we're always very friendly with each other.

That brings me to my last value, and that having respect and being friendly to your opponents. Whether they're my friends or some random people at a tournament, I always am very friendly to them and compliment them on a great shot they hit. Overall it will reduce the amount of frustration you experience during the game and keep it light-hearted and focused more on fun and less on competition (though you can have both!).

7.) What are some norms you think is significant in badminton?
I'm not positive what you mean by norms but I'll try to answer it in my own interpretation. I will assume that norms will include courtesies and behavior on court. You should always apologize to someone if you hit any part of their body, like with a smash or a net kill.

If you have a frame and it goes over the net and wins the point, that's another thing you should apologize for because it wasn't an intended shot.

If you lose a point by hitting the net, you should always be the one to give the birdie to your opponent instead of them retrieving it.

Always state the score before serving, this will reduce the likelihood of losing track of the score and avoiding arguments later in the game about it.

I'm sure there's more but I think those are the most important ones

 

Great response Tactim! Keep it up & continue enjoying the game!

 

1.) How often do you play Badminton?

almost everyday, i play in a lot of clubs


2.) When did you start playing, why did you play? when i was about 7, it was part of the pe in my old school in malaysia
it was then i got into badminton


3.) Do you play within a club or group of people you usually play with? At the moment, yes, but i play with a lot of different clubs

4.) What would you say distinguishes badminton from other racquet sports? Most obviously, the shuttle which has a unique flight part from a typical ball
Also, the hitting stroke for a shuttle and movement to the shuttle are very different from tennis or equivalent
Reaction time and accurate shot placement are both required if wanting to compete at a high level

5.) What Symbol best carries particular meaning in badminton for you? Why? I would say the design of the shuttle which represents the uniqueness of badminton
One very good representation of the shuttle is in the all england logo which i quite particulally like

6.) What are some values you think is significant in badminton? the spirit of sportmanship, especially in singles. Example, the shuttles hits the top of the net and just barely goes over, the player will hold up the racquet in apology as its an unexpected shot
Respect for the opponent is also important, as after all, they are fellow humans like you.

7.) What are some norms you think is significant in badminton?

The sportsmanship altitude is one of the reasons badminton is considered a gentleman's sport by some. I would also consider common courtesy between all players as another significant norm

 

Question

1.) How often do you play Badminton?
At University 6 times a week, at home 3 times a week - 4 if I have a league match.

2.) When did you start playing, why did you play?
I started playing 10 years ago because my friends brother was playing so my friend dragged me along so there was somebody his ability

3.) Do you play within a club or group of people you usually play with?
I play in 3 clubs, 1 at Uni and 2 at home. Though I do play with my friends as well. 95% club playing.

4.) What would you say distinguishes badminton from other racquet sports?
I used to play Tennis and I got sick of only moving side to side, I like the 3D nature of badminton in every rally.
I like squash, I play it alone as training for badminton, but I never found the competitive side of it fun.

5.) What Symbol best carries particular meaning in badminton for you? Why?
The shuttle symbol, it's unique to our sport and most people can identify what sport you play by the symbol of that sport.

6.) What are some values you think is significant in badminton?
Apologies to the opposition for poor shots that win points, all players seem to agree that a smash that hits the net and falls over is a good shot, but we would have prefered to work hard for another 2 minutes to win the rally with a clean shot.

7.) What are some norms you think is significant in badminton?
A lot of sportsmanship over poor shots, again.
And unfortunately in junior competitive tournaments some gamesmanship, constantly asking for new shuttles, taking ages between points, asking for re-serves, poor line calls. I suppose it happens in every sport, a lot of competitive people in a room that want to win at all costs. It's why I stopped entering tournaments a few years ago.