responsibility for someone breaking my racquet

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by TitaniumTi, Nov 10, 2005.

  1. mater

    mater Regular Member

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    I now keep a low to mid end racket or two as a loaner for others. As others have posted, only lend out what you can afford to lose.
     
  2. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    i have a few low end yonex rackets that i keep in my bag in case people ask me for a spare. if i am lazy and forgot to bring out the crappy rackets, i just tell them politely that i don't have any rackets that i am willing to lend out because they are dear to me, and i also tell them that i am anal and very particular about my rackets, and i tell them i'm very sorry for my personality. even tho i didn't have to explain, but everytime i say that, they do understand and wouldn't give me a hard time about it. and with that, i don't have to worry, ever, about my good rackets being broken. those i lend out are on the verge of being thrown to the trash anyway because of cracks and chips anyway. there has been times where i bought new high end rackets and even people from my church group wanted to try and i just kindly tell them that i do have a demo program offered and that they would be better off checking with Racket Supply :)

    very sorry for your lost nonetheless :(
     
  3. swunk

    swunk Regular Member

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    when i play doubles, i always keep in mind that the vast majority of people don't understand how the game should be played - constantly trying to get shuttles out of their reach, always in the way with their stupid backhands on the center, at the same time they're always standing blantly in their half when i attack from the back court, instead of protecting the line of the attack. If i catch even a glimpse that my partner is going for the shuttle i'm about to hit, i stop immediately.
    clashes are normal but 90% of them MUST happen only in defense.
     
  4. |_Footwork_|

    |_Footwork_| Regular Member

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    too me, all these situations are quite clear:

    1. if i lend someone my racket and i'm not involved in the game, he has to give it back. (that means: if he breaks it, he'll pay for it.)

    2. if i play doubles and we clash rackets, everyone pays for his own racket. clashes do happen in doubles games. sometimes a racket is destroyed. i wouldn't even talk about it for a second! just throw the racket away, get a new one, play on... if you can't deal with it, buy cheaper rackets, go play singles, whatever.
    (if someone in the club regularly destroyed rackets because he's taking the shuttle all the time, i just wouldn't play with him anymore. nevertheless, if i play with him and my racket breaks, that's my problem.)
     
  5. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    I have had this happen to me. Exactly the same situation as yours. I am taking the shuttle on my forehand as the partner swings a backhand into the shuttle. His racquet collapses and mine stays intact. My racquet is a carbonex 20cn and his is a iso800cn.

    The partner is an ex-international player!!

    For your case, you have some implicit acceptance of risk, even more so if he is known to you. My suggestion is that either you don't partner him or you use a racquet you can afford to lose.

    I have had one idiot opponent do a full forecourt power smash while I am at the forecourt. I tried to turn away and just managed to do so enough for the shuttle to strike the bony orbit of my eye. That was a shot that would have blinded me and was totally unnecessary. I refuse to be with that person on court ever again (other people around me are unaware of my feelings).
     
  6. |_Footwork_|

    |_Footwork_| Regular Member

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    lol, if you're in the way when i smash (even from the frontcourt), that's your problem. just get your face out of the way when things might get dangerous...

    (obv i try not to aim at opponents in training and risk losing a point in a training-match, but when it comes to competition you can't think "oh, i don't want to hit him." you just do your stroke, if he's in the way it's his problem...)
     
  7. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    If you deliberately aim for my head to cause injury, I will punch you.
     
  8. |_Footwork_|

    |_Footwork_| Regular Member

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    i would never deliberately aim at someone's head!
    sometimes i go for a bodysmash deliberately. and if i'm at the net and try to kill the shuttle, i won't look and try to not hit you. usually the game is to fast and caring about my opponent's security is not my business (and i don't have the time to care, i just go for the netkill...). sometimes you get hit by a shuttle in the face at fast netgames, that's part of the game and may happen. (aiming at opponent's face with a full smash after a very weak net shot is a totally different thing! i've never done that my whole life...)
     
  9. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Good to have clarified you do not endorse deliberately smashing from the forecourt into the opponent's face in the forecourt.
     
  10. swunk

    swunk Regular Member

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    I don't know how that could happen to you. When i play with weaker partners and they are at the back court, i'm covering the net, there're a lot of loose drop shots that a good opponent will immediately kill. I always crunch and turn away as fast as i can, i don't care about the point.
     
  11. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Once you get more experienced and seen more on court, you'll understand ;)
     
  12. beermonstertw

    beermonstertw Regular Member

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    Gee,that sounds like a big hit.I would buy a same racquet again,I believe that a very good racquet breaks easily;a so so racquet isn't easy to break.I'm maybe wrong.I always get a couple of one kind.Here in Taiwan we deal with it this way.Who ever breaks a racquet,you buy one, very good one directly from distributors or manufacturers,tell them it's a compensation,we always get a huge discount.That way,no one hurts.
    Man,losing a racquet has never been easy,a man should "swallow it,wash it down with a double scotch.
    If you were here in Taiwan,I would keep my eyes open on manufacturers' hand and grab a couple of good ones for ya.It isn't hard to do so here.
    I saw that happened once in Montreal,I wanted to give out a fly power to one who lost his racquet,they didn't talk nicely,so I walked away.
     
  13. craigandy

    craigandy Regular Member

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    You have 3 options when someone needs a racket and you have a spare to lend.

    1. Give it to them, say nothing and if it breaks just accept it.( if he offers to pay that would be a bonus/ a nice thing to do, but if he doesn't then you learn your lesson)

    2. Say you can borrow one of my rackets but if anything happens to it strings/frame(whatever conditions you like) you pay ok? wait for answer then give or not depending on answer.

    3. Don't lend anyone your rackets.

    Since I am guessing OP is in the #1 category you just have to accept it. Your lesson is this guy that borrowed it does not have the same moral code as you. Other lesson is when it comes to contracts of any type(even with a friend) never assume/leave anything unsaid before you agree to something(unless of course you are not bothered on outcome). Welcome to planet earth:D horrible place:p.
     
  14. 2wheels04

    2wheels04 Regular Member

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    caring for opponent's security

    Perhaps those words did not come about properly. I was gob-smacked when I read this as this is quite contrary a sentiment of sportsmanship, and that too in a non-contact sport!

    Without changing the original thread, which incidentally was revived after being dormant from Nov '05 and was about responsibility for breaking a racquet, in most sporting contests, there are written and implied aspects of that sport, one of them is caring about the safety of the opponent. Consider this, you could win that rally, at what cost? And I am certain, most people across the net will be grateful of not being hit in the face, eyes, especially when the hitter could easily have done that. That is control, control of racquet, control of the shuttle, control of emotions.
    <end thread-hijack reply>
     
  15. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    i do have rackets that i lend out, for occasions when we have beginners or newcomers. some of them can be pretty decent rackets but they are ones that i don't really care for anymore. i do expect the players to take care of them like they are their own though. i'd be mad if i see them abusing them.

    however, if they do break the string, which has happen before, i don't expect them to pay for it. as probably is the case that the string has seen their days and the player isn't the one who contributed most to the wear of it, it'd be unfair for them foot the bill for the stringing. and besides, i do my own stringing so what's $6 anyway.

    i have other rackets that i do care about and lend out, these are mostly the review rackets from Adidas, etc, in which i do treasure but i also want others to try them out as some of them are really really good.
     
  16. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    this might be just a guess, but i think the poster is trying to say that the speed of the game won't allow him/her time to mentally think about avoiding hitting the face, thus, accidents. i am sure that if he/she was given enough time, he/she will hit the shuttle elsewhere than the opponents' faces. the wording might be blunt but to the point, it's not his/her responsibility to care whether the other person gets hit or not...and i do believe he/she does tries his/her best to not cause any harm to his/her opponents :)

    back to the racket issue, i think some of us are not as confrontational as others. if i may make a guess i think if someone else were to be speaking out for the owner of the broken racket, maybe there's a higher chance of people asking for compensation?

    maybe it's just me as a very selfish person, but i know that if any of my rackets are broken even by me, i would be very upset, so if i lend it out and someone else broke it, and on top of that they don't pay for it, i would be mad!!! so between risking being mad and being embarassed for being selfish, i'd rather be selfish. and if they were good friends, they would know not to ask, and if they were just ok friends, well, too bad, not my problem really. and i'm sorry that i care about my babies more than about you :(
     
  17. gundamzaku

    gundamzaku Regular Member

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    it's very generous of you to lend out rackets especially to beginners. i understand that the more knowledgeable you are in badminton, the more people will come to you for questions, comments, and rackets, it certain comes with the territory i guess. and lending out demo rackets from new companies like adidas does make sense as well because it helps spreading the word about a new product, but what about a high end racket that you treasure in which you bought with your own money(maybe you've never had to do that since you're given demo rackets from companies)?
     
  18. mater

    mater Regular Member

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    In the past, I would be more concern because I have to find a stringer and the inconvenience of being without a racket and the travel back and forth (we don't have many stringers locally around). Now that I string myself, I don't care about broken strings. They are cheap enough, plus more chance to try out another string and tension!

    With rackets I cannot afford to lose or have broken, I do lend out but only to those I trust AND either a singles game or practicing on the court to try out. No doubles play, no exceptions, well, except for my son. He has full access to all the gear in the bag. :)

    After seeing your reviews on the Adidas rackets, I would like to try a few of those out myself but alas, none locally for me to touch. :(

    Interesting story of mine is a opponent broke her string and I told her to just grab my racket in my bag. She did, game went on, clashed and broke my racket. She paid me back but it was a favorite racket of mine at the time and discontinued so I cannot replace, so I just ended up with a different new racket to try out.

    What I should have done, was give her the one in my hand, which was a non-favorite and take the preferred racket for myself to play with, that's all in hindsight, I didn't think of that it at the time. Now, I have other cheaper rackets to lend out without fear of breakage.
     
  19. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    beggars can't be choosers! :)

    but seriously, if someone want to borrow a racket that i like and paid for (yes, i do buy rackets!), most of the time they just want to hit a few shots with it to try it out, i am OK with it. usually i know them already so i know they are good players and won't abuse them. this happens rarely as i can't afford flashy new Yonex rackets and no one cares too much about non-yonex brands despite how good they are. :)

    however, if a crazy swinger that i know come asking to borrow one, i'd probably tell them in the face that if they break it, they have to pay. i think that's fair.

    as for lending rackets to beginners. yeah. i think that's just a duty we have to do. most of the time, the beginners that i know already have rackets, as most people in the area are prosperous enough to buy one. it is the ones whom are recreational and just want to come and learn about badminton that need a racket. or once in a while, some guests will come from out of town. they are already happy to have a racket to play with, and probably don't know that the racket they are holding is also used by some of the best players in the world!
     
  20. tomtung

    tomtung Regular Member

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    Well, I have no problem accepting implicit risk when playing doubles. The reason I ask him to pay is that he did not even say "sorry" after breaking my racket. I knew he will not pay but ask anyways ... just to let him know, please watch out for your partner when playing doubles. Hopefully he will be more aware but I will avoid to be his partner again...LOL!
     

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