If you play regularly in a nice gym, it could work against you when playing in tournaments. Frequently tournaments are held in halls which are less than 'ideal'. Does anybody play in two or venues on a regular basis to cope with this problem of getting used to different conditions?
i remember when i had a tournament where the walls were white and we were using white plastic birds.... that was absolutely brutal... but it creates an interesting aspect of the game, it may change your strategy... it certainly did for me in that case.. but to answer your question, no, i do not regularly play at 2 different places. i just try my best to adapt to the new situation
Just played in a local sports centre which has 8 badminton courts. My regular gym is smaller with a lower ceiling. It makes a big difference playing in a larger facility (and not being used to the size). I think playing in a smaller facility (when you usually play in a large hall) might be easier.
I'd say the other way round, so it may be an individual thing. I've just finished my first season at 2 new clubs (after moving house). One of them plays matches for one particular league in an old style 1 court village hall. Radiator on the back line and everything. I hate it.
I must say that one court is really small. I played in a private club here that has one court. One big difference is that echos of the sound come back pretty fast. Is it just me but does the shuttle go faster than usual in a one court hall?
maybe because you are so enclosed in a small area that the bird seems faster. If you were in the big gym then the flight of the bird would seem slower because there is so much more room. In the 1 court hall the bird just goes the same speed however you see it go from one side to another vs seeing it go from a part of the gym to another =) kinda like this... if you put me beside gary coleman i seem like monster if you put me beside Shaq i then become a midget
We play with plastics in the league where we use this village hall, and we use the slower speed (green) of Mavis 370. But I think we do this more because of the height limitations. You can't hit a proper clear, so if you try to hit something deep, it's on quite a flat trajectory, so normal speed shuttles would go long.
From my experience, playing in larger gyms is helpful for preparing for tournaments. I used to practice in a small gym, with enough height (20 meters?) and wide enough for 1 court only. The sound when hitting the shuttle is very crisp giving you the sensation that your shots are really powerful and since there's only 1 court it, there are no distractions to your play. In a big gym, say 4 courts like those here in the community centers, the movement in the gym and the sounds from other games around you might be quite distracting if you are not used to. Further to this, there's almost no echo of your strokes, it seems that you are mishitting the shuttle all the time. I would say, practicing in a big gym with lots of people may help you focus your game and also easier to adjust in tournaments. During the preliminary rounds, there are so many things happening around that you do not want to know if you are on 1 of the courts playing.
I play at a club where the floor is nice and clean, high ceiling, and good lights. Then when i have practice at school, dirty floor, poor lighting, and low ceiling. Lol. Then when i go to other schools to play league games, the atmosphere is different again.
well, pros probably have to cope with these issues regularly, since they have to play in differnet gyms in tournaments. Not only that, they have to cope with climate, time-zone difference, percipitation, lightings, etc. maybe that's why pros like wong choong hann are so inconsistent, because he can't get used to the different environment.
i think the only thing going for the PROS (againts HS, College-level players and recreational players) is that most of the facilities where they will usually play will be very close to the IBF standards. (correct spacing between courts, correct ceiling height, lighting, no other lines on the floor) so there isn't realy to much to worry about. climate/precipitation maybe a factor but shouldn't be since most halls have internal climate controls, at least the top venues. problems due to timezone diffs can be readily alleviated (i.e. arrive a week before the tourney to adjust). while we mortals have to cope with substandard badminton halls (with incorrect ceiling heights, draft!, lights, badly painted walls, bad CRs/WCs).
Yep, I'm playing regularly in two totally different kind of venues - twice per week on both (1,5 - 2,5 hour sessions). First one is a large (20+ courts) hall, fairly slippery surface (some kind of mat?), dim (good) lights & dedicated to badminton. Second one is a "school gym" type - only 3 courts, good wooden floor but poor lightning (straight downwards, very bright) & plenty of lines in the floor (for basketball, volleyball etc). I've played on these since last November and have found it quite usefull. I used to have huge problems in adapting to different kind of surfaces, lights etc, but think that nowadays I can cope with that stuff a lot easier. If I suck in a game I can only blame myself
We are spoiled We, in Ottawa (Ontario), who play at the RA Center are spoiled rotten. The court conditions are amazing. The walls are green; everything is perfect for playing. When friends invite us to play at their clubs, it's so difficult to get used to the surroundings. The lines on the court are volleyball/badminton/basketball/etc. The ends of the net doesn't necessarily mean that is the width of the badminton court (I found this most frustrating). And it's very difficult to play in other gymnasiums when you've been spoiled the way they do so at our club. That being said, it's such an incredible challenge and great feeling when you win at other clubs because of the differences in the environment. I welcome the difficulty & try to adapt to my surroundings.
I play in a gym that's one fo the highest badminton-gyms in our country... 75% of all my tournaments were in lower halls. i served short in singles Though I'm pretty spoiled in our badminton-specific club...
Yes, but not by choice. I started off playing in two really bad basketball converted badminton gyms. In both gyms the background is white; one is poorly lit with yellow lights, the other is pure white and you can't see the bird; in one, there are three boundary lines so you get confused which is actually out/in, the other has "imaginary" boundary lines for the service line, the surface is slippery and there's bad air circulation. Anyway, I got used to playing at those two gyms. Now, anywhere I go to play is "pretty good".
It's not only getting used to the new playing enviorment i.e. seeing the shuttle aginst different backgrounds but also altering your tactics as well. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to be able to win against the home team as well.
thanks Demolidor And that's where I spend 1/3 of my life . The photo is pretty bright, it's not so shiny. Actually, all the light falls right in between the courts, you rarely look into the lights. It's not the perfect gym though (must close curtains in the cafateria in the afternoon because the other side would be playing in daylight...) (the floor is slightly dipped, you don't notice it unless you drop a ball) (there's always one "emergency escape" light broke, humming like a bee) But I love it! (nothing more fanatical than a converted?)
