I'm not sure if I'm reading this right, but that appears to imply that badminton should be adjusted to cause more injuries! Injuries are, of course, exciting for spectators. If so, this is cold-hearted commercialism at its most depraved. It is sick to wish for people to be injured for entertainment. Then again, Punch's English is so unclear that it could mean exactly the opposite.
Kwun, I've finished the summary and I've sent one to your pm. If it didn't reach I sent it to the jmpsmash yahoo account. Cheers.
On kwun's request here's the summary I've sent to Mr Gunalan. Neil. I've used a quote from you, hope you don't mind. Your name is there offcourse so the credit is yours for it. Summary of the response from badminton fanatics around the world. Since the announcement of the new proposed changes made by the International Badminton Federation, the badminton community has met it with mixed feelings. Members of the popular Badminton Central forums have expressed their concern and worry over the changes which might ruin an already great sport. As a member of the forum, I'd like to highlight what members had to say about each and every change. Starting with the scoring system. Firstly, we as badminon enthusiasts do not feel there is a need for the scoring to be changed. Members have expressed concern as to the changes with the scoring is being done with the wrong intentions. Some members do not mind a change of scoring as long as it is to improve overall gameplay and not just for television's sake. Also another point of concern about the scoring system is the comparison of badminton to volleyball because of it. We as badminton enthuisests feel that this is an insult to the game on the whole as badminton is a far superior game to volleyball. I would like to add that because of the 'volleyball scoring' we might lose those special moments in badminton such as the Sun Jun vs Rasmussen match in the 1997 world championships. Since it is a point guranteed no matter who is serving, any player on the receiving end would not have a chance to stage a fightback. Mr Punch, I know you have experiened it personally In addition to the scoring, one member has brought up and I would like to quote him on this - “If these experiments are to be combined, then Singles will be a waste of time. Singles, played in the doubles court, with volleyball scoring. You lift, you lose. Almost every smash could be a winner You can't serve from the back line in singles and play a short serve, so your only option would be a smash or clear, and then the rally is almost over... But then, that's why they should do the experiment. To find out how bad the ideas are.†- Neil Nicholas The next point in the argument is regarding the court size and lines. No one has complained about the court sizes and we feel there is no need for a change. It would bring discomfort to current players and there would be discouraging point for people to take up badminton. Furthermore, it would take a lot of money and effort to resize and redraw badminton courts around the world. A point worth mentioning is the removal of the sidelines and the inside backline in doubles. Many members feel that badminton is a game of skill, technique and finesse and removing lines making the game more 'generalised' so to speak will turn the game into a 'backyard' sport. Although there were few to marginally bend in favour of it, the majority have not budged a single bit as they see it as easy to comprehend and gives the game its uniqueness. There are also comments made about the 'tennis serve'. Mr Gunalan, this is badminton and badminton uses shuttles and not balls unlike in tennis. A shuttle thrown in the air is not the same as a tennis ball thrown. The flight is unstable in the air and hence on impact with the racquet the shuttles might actually break faster than ever be it synthetic or feather. This brings me to the next point concerning shuttles. No one would mind if and I do like to highlight the IF, if the synthetics were to play like normal feather shuttles that many of us feel have better flight and playability than their plastic counterparts. Since we're on the equipment side of the game, there was a mention for the need for shuttles to be more visible. Due to many advances in racquet technology, shuttle speeds have increased significantly as lighter and stiffer racquets enable players to hit the shuttle faster and further. This would help television audiences catch the shuttle in the middle of a rally. Not forgetting since we're in the silicon age, line disputes because of miscalls can be avoided with the correct cameras placed at distinct locations to monitor the shuttle so that the umpire can make the call. An idea by members would be so the umpire has a screen next to him / her wired up to the cameras so as to enable them to view the shuttle landings at various angles. There were also mixed feelings about racquets and the design of it. Many enthusiasts agree that the current crop of racquets bring good and stable gameplay. Since it was mentioned generally, this topic would not be discussed until further announcements made by the IBF regarding this topic. One area of interest is on the aspect of clothing. What does the IBF have in plan for game attire? Birthday suits? Just to make it more marketable? With all due respect, if attire was what made sports marketable then why is the womens FIFA World Cup popular even though they wear the same jerseys as their male counterparts? Our current attire of a pair of shorts / sweat pants and t-shirts do not make the game less appealing or more appealing. The IBF should check its priorities. I would like to emphasise on what our members had to say about television coverage. There is not enough coverage period. Even if there is it can be improved significantly. Not just by having more matches and forcing the mass public to watch it but by improvising new techniques such as better camera angles. One member has pointed out that whenever a different angle is shown on the television, audiences feel the excitement even more and a different angle rather than the birds eye view when a smash is excecuted would definitely captivate fans and non-fans alike. There was one mention by a fellow member that one reason not many follow the game is simply because they do not know who to root for. Perhaps better marketting techniques should be employed to capture audiences around the world. Since it is not one of the mainstream sports people do not follow it currently. A final note would be about the prize money. Given this day and age, prize money should not be limited to such amounts as we see in other sports like tennis and football even semi-pros would earn a significant amount more money than their badminton counterparts. I hope with this response that the IBF will do all it can for the better of the game to cater for existing players and to entice future generations to play this sport and not turn this sports into a simple backyard game and let it die out a slow and painful death. Yours sincerely, Edmund Lim. Member of BadmintonCentral.com ---- All material is from this thread. Cheers
Players should have say in any changes Hello everybody. Just registered to post in these forums to start a discussion regarding potential scoring changes to the sport being contemplated by the authorities in charge. I think such changes should be done only after getting input from players from member associations. In other words, this ought to be democratic process instead of top down decisions. Whether the scoring remains the same or changes drastically (I am personaly opposed to it), WE should have a say in it. Towards this end, I say we draft a petition to the effect that any changes should go through such a process. This petition can be circulated among players in different countries (I am not talking of only professional/national players but average club players) for signing and would be presented to the national bodies (USA Badminton here). I hope we can have some discussion this week and if most think it is a good idea would like either someone experienced in such things draft a petition or at least help me write up one. I am going to list the reasons for opposing any major changes in my next post to see how others feel about it. Thanks and please weigh in.
Why I oppose scoring changes Most of the arguments I hear about the need to implement scoring changes seem to revolve around "making the game attractive for TV". And "making the game exciting", "it is too tough as it is scored currently", etc are a couple others. I find these arguments dont hold much water. The game IS ALREADY VERY EXCITING. The 7 point game ruined it for me and I may have quit the sport if it had been implemented (some may say no great loss ). I dont find volleyball any more exciting now than before where you could score points only on your serve. Nor definitely has the popularity of the sport increased in terms of spectators at least in the US (of course I am talking about indoor 6 on 6 volleyball; beach volleyball is a late entry and a different ballgame). This penchant for increasing TV audience (mainly in the west? I understand it has huge TV following in Asia) is annoying. I dont think badminton will be watched assiduosly just due to scoring changes, making it shorter. I doubt if it will compete for attetion in US versus football, basketball and baseball for a long time to come. And the length of a match should be a non issue: all the above 3 sports last well over 3 hours. And some tennis matches last longer, without adverse affect on TV viewing. If anything, it has been argued that the Sampras-Roddick style power game (shorter) was ruining tennis. Nor is the doubles/mixed doubles matches in tennis, which are much shorter, garner that much interest. Too tough? Lots of other sport would take strong exception to it. The one aspect which I feel less strongly about is the women's doubles. My intention is not to offend women but the rumour was that "People" felt that the womens doubles was too long and boring. If that event were to change to a 11 point scoring system without major complaints, I would be OK with it. But that decision too must be based on input from female doubles players. Sorry if this is a long one. Again, please weigh in. Thanks.
Sorry, I noticed this long discussion only now, my new posts were probably unnecessary. Anyway, I hope we get a our act out quickly and get a petition going before IBF enforces anything drastic.
seriously, the only problem i have with the proposed and possible changes are the court sizes. point-systems is always variable and such, so its not THAT big of a problem. changing the court size is going to totally ruin the sport, i feel.
scoring if they are going to change the scoring they should add some sort of deuce to replace setting for game point. makes games more interesting i think. the IBF really needs to do some drastic marketing of badminton and get sponsors. Seriously even if Yonex could just throw on a few commercials on mainstream TV ephasizing even ALL of their products and throwing a few clips of high intensity badminton in the commercials.. that would even increase ppls knowledge. with the amount of attention this thread is getting.. and deserves there should be an entire forum on it somewhere that can break down each section of the game like scoring, lines, marketing, sponsors, nationality vs individual competitoin, suggestions.. ect like i am really passionate about badminton becoming a highly watched highly paid sport because i believe it has the potential to be. on the side if i ever get loaded im going to host annual badminton tournaments and throw a lot of cash at it... someone should teach bill gates how to play and show him some good matches.... we should kidnap bill and ransom him for badminton money sorry how the post kinda fell apart at the end
Badminton New rules agree or not?? http://www.worldbadminton.net/Portal/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=10&ItemID=1697 according to this article, IBF just want to change ALL badminton !! including court, scores, clothes, serve ... etc etc i found that just totally stupid, they want to make it more attractive but they are going to make it boring !! with every point counts !! and just one set in 21 point !!! that make me so furiiouuss so I DISAGREE TOTALLY !!!!!!
Hey man. Isn't the link http://www.worldbadminton.net/Portal/desktopdefault.aspx?tabid=10&ItemID=1695 ?? or am i mistaken...
Hmpph, I've been away for a little while and this letter from Punch turns up. A very interesting letter indeed. Taking the points in order fo the letter. Games too long - cannot be right. Golf needs a few days. Tennis takes half a day (Grand slam tournaments finals are played on alternate days). Superbowl takes 4 hours......Soccer takes nearly 2 hours...Cricket..Snooker..Darts..Formula one.. But notably, these sports cover men's events (tennis being the exception). One suggestion before was to seperate the ladies from the men's event. I think this is not feasible - the women's game and mixed event will suffer badly. Mixed doubles in badminton is very different tactically from the other doubles disciplines - that is one favourable advantage. Excitement during the game - a) IMO that's true! 15 points is too long for one game. Shorten it to 9 and increase the number of games to 5 for men's singles, men's doubles and mixed. Make ladies singles and ladies doubles 11 points fo 3 games. This give TV more flexibility to logically edit games. Example, the very exciting games can be shown and the boring bits be cut out. b) TV commentators have a lot of influence. Perhaps we need to examine darts, snooker, F1 for some tips. C) the nature of the game does not allow TV commentators the chance to examine the choice of shots made by players. It's too fast! An ordinary viewer sometimes cannot pick up the intentions. How many times do we hear the commentator explain about the serve in doubles? Cause injuries during the game? Apart from contact sports, why do we need to cause more injuries to players?? Perspectives I agree with the letter trying to take everybody's views into account. Just get more TV angles into the game. All the other sports I mentioned above vary the angles much more. This gives a more interesting perspective. Changing the court lines The only one I agree with is removing the back doubles line. I can remember when first learning the game (many years ago) being quite confused about the back lines. Tramlines are much easier to understand as many people are familiar with tennis. If IBF really wants to make things even simpler, then perhaps televised matches of singles use a cort which is marked specifically for that purpose i.e. no doubles markings at all. Clothing Allow more sponsors on each piece of clothing please. Allow more individual sponsorship of players please. Clothing issues need to be approached with utmost caution. Asian views on clothing are very different from westerners especially when taking in to account religious perspectives.
Hmm... I don't think he's the type to appreciate sports, he's a very fanatical bridge player though. Maybe if we could work-in a game of bridges with baddy, he'll probably get hooked to it.
OAARFF!! i never knew "attractive" and "repulsive" could be used interchangeably. gosh! what is wrong with them. are they trying to show people they are doing something for the salary they're getting???
selling out the sport... these ibf officials once again are looking for ways to sell the sport by selling out the sport. this is typical of pure admin types and corporate raiders that care very little of the essence and purity of the game (as mentioned likely most of them probably don't know which end of the racquet to suck on). in their zeal once again to rework the sport, there will probably be a year or two of juniors and potential stars that will get screwed in their rankings because of the testing phase of this crap... never fails - hire an administrator who worries more about keeping their job, than doing a good job!
does the IBF even try talking to sports broadcasting places. i mean i sent a email to the score sportsnetwork and got this response. Thank you very much for emailing The Score. We are always looking for new and exciting programming to air and I have sent your request to our programming department. Thank you for watching the Score. David Mear David Mear Media Relations The Score - Home for the Hardcore www.thescore.ca my message can be found in the 'doing my part the score' thread
i personally feel that 15x3 scoring needs a change.how does this system of scoring sound:- 11x5,i.e 11 points per game and 5 games per match,but the scoring will be rally point scoring so it does not matter whos serves.that way you can have tv commercials in between each of the games.this way i dont think the match should last any longer than say 45 -55min,which should be good enough time for the spectators.if the scores are 10-10 then u could choose for either 11 or 13.To add to the excitement ,if the scores are 10-10 in the 5th game ,then the first person to reach 7 pts wins.[imagine a game btw say gade and taufik going into the 5th set and the sores are 10 each ; then the first to reach 7 pts wins.the crowd would go bonkers and shout for each pt.] i feel that rally point scoring needs to be introduced.nowadays players dont give their best in the first game to save their energy,and try to play too slowly which can make it boring.rally-point scoring will ensure that they fight for every pt. the IBF has said that it is open to suggestions .so we could think of a good scoring sysem and send it[though i dont know how that can be done] Anyways how did you ppl like ny scoring system.personally i feel that it is really good.
hi DaN_fAn, any player who cares for whether he wins or not will not give less than the best they should in any game of a match. they may, like you say want to retain some of their energy for the next game, but this won't make them lax. if you could slow a game down, that would mean a series of service changes which will be more energy sapping if anything. as for 'boring', when it comes to badminton between (world ranked) professional players, the 'b' word hardly fits in at all. i personally find the current scoring system the ideal one. it promotes suspense because in fighting for the service, the player on the losing side is given a chance to turn the tables around. and they almost always never forego those chances
changes...thats kinda sad. if they think they can improve badminton..they should make a new sport..new bird/racket/court/rules....thats like a completly new sport!...if they think its gonna be better than badminton..call it: "good"minton then.. I"M AGAINST of these new rules
