Beginners does not necessarily have to be someone who can barely hit a birdie...by beginners, I mean someone who is way below your level...almost like you can play two of that player and still win 1 vs 2. From my experience, people tend to not smash on beginners because they think that it might make them look arrogant. In other cases, people will smash on beginners because they say it will teach them to defend better. I understand that there is no correct answer for this situation. I just want to know the opinion and poll of the BC forums Can a mod help me make this into a poll?
That's a good question. However, obviously one should feel sympathy for beginners. However, what I have noticed about people that are new to badminton is that they always seem to play the shot as if they are playing tennis (using arm power and playing the shot underhand). Thus, the shuttle is always in a very tempting position. Obviously, one is now faced with a choice. Should one decide to clear the shuttle directly towards the player and continue this friendly rally until someone makes a mistake (all the while giving your opposition a false sense of the game) or should you decide to teach the beginner a lesson (and have a little fun as the beginner ducks or moves away to avoid being hit). I would opt for the second choice for reasons stated previously. As for arrogance, while I acknowledge that smashing a beginner is a classic example of taking advantage in badminton, you don't feel so bad as you get used to it (Yes, I know that sounds evil) but it does teach them what to expect in a realistic game situation. So I guess you know what I am voting for!
Very good question, Im sure most of us here have experienced the same situation. I'd half smash too. A follow up question, Do you smash when you play with ladies having the same level as yours? Kinda embasrassing dont yah think
Unless you are a truly uber smasher who can injure people if you hit them, I dont see why not. If you want to give them a chance, smash at the same speed, but smash towards their racket (or a nice place so they can return nicely). Most people are able to return even full speed smashes if you always smashed to exactly the same place.
hmmm....if they're close friends i'd do it for laughs and giggles...but if it's a stranger at a really low level then i'll not smash or if it's someone that knows a litle bit of the basics then maybe some soft ones.....girls....sometimes when i get bored yes...mostly jus soft play....
well thats a touchy topic it depends if its just in like a recreational sense like im just out playing with some friends and some random people come up they happen to be a lower level then i wouldnt smash full out just half smash. if its at a tournament however then thats a different story im not going to hold back at all because its eat or be eaten. in a tournament somebody might be lower level to me but im going to be a lower level to somebody else and if there going to smash full out at me trying to win the match well then it kinda falls down like a ladder too and i would end up doing that to make sure i win.
Well, I guess I can be categorized as beginner. I just started playing again about 2-3 months ago for once or twice a week, after 25 years of not playing. But for some reason I can pickup back and progressing rather quickly. I cannot smash very hard like some ppl I saw on the club, but I can smash decent. Sometimes harder that some ppl that's been playing for years in that club. When I play with ppl who cannot smash (you can just tell) I usually don't either, just do rally and drop or do a soft one. But when my opponent start smashing then yeah sure I'll return the favor. Regardless they've been playing for a while or just a newbie (man or woman).
HAHA, actually I have injured two people while smashing at them, and I don't even have a fast or hard smash. Though, one of the smashes hit in my opponents eye, so it's obvious that would hurt. But the other smash hit the knee of my opponent/student and she said it hurt really bad... :S Well, anyway, as you see I think you should smash at beginners... If they are total beginners and have never hold a racquet before, I would go a little bit easier on them, maybe just smash occasionally. Normally when I play newbies I try to make sure they run like hell, to get their footwork better.
I would only half smash or drop shot against beginners unless i am in a really bad mood then i would smash.
It depends on whether they are challenging me to a game, or if they just want to hit around. It also depends on whether I'm playing singles or doubles. If players just want to "rally", then I'll play down to their level. If they are very weak, I'll sometimes ask whether they want a proper game, or just a "casual game" or "playing rallies". If someone challenges me to a game, however, then I believe it's disrespectful not to play "properly". If I deliberately lower my playing level, then I'm effectively telling my opponent, "You're not good enough to play with me." It's patronising. Some of my better young students like to challenge me to games of singles. When they've played especially well (and come close to winning ), they often ask me: "Were you playing properly?" They like using my playing standard as a yardstick, so they can measure their progress partly by how close they are to beating their coach. I'm really hoping some of them will come back from university and beat me. I'm also hoping that I've fully recovered from injury then, so that their victory will be more meaningful. That would be very satisfying for me. So I always play properly when they challenge me. Deliberately weakening my game would be disrespectful to them, and it would also be frustrating because they would be trying to hit a moving target: every time they thought they'd nearly beaten me, I would suddenly become twice as good, and they would realise that I had been playing soft all along. Of course, it's not much fun losing 21-3 (say). That's why I offer them handicap games (they start on 18, and the handicap reduces when they beat me). It's an important psychological difference that helps them believe they can win. With doubles it's a little different. I will often alter my playing style to ensure that my partner gets more chances to hit the shuttle. If the players are very weak, then the most efficient winning strategy would be for me to hit every shuttle, and my partner to stand off court. But I'm not going to do that. So in doubles, while I have no mercy for my opponents, I do care about my partner.
I can fully agree with this statement. Man, it gets me really annoyed when people don't 'try their best'. When I sometimes play with people who don't have as much experience as me, I realised that they actually play 'better' I should say, when I go full-on, hard-core. If I go easy, they do the same to me. Just clearing and dropping with the occasional smashing. Fills the game with boredom.
Well.. I am a beginner.. usually people dont smash me (especially my trainer) but they tend to loop the birdie so it will train my power and stamina.. This is also what I do to my lower level friend
If i was the beginner, i would want to be smashed, as it helps improve my game. but that's just me. When playing a beginner, I would just smash normally, because when i play with a beginner, I think of it as practice & when you play with someone lower than your level, you are 'seeding' them. Meaning, you will help them improve, if you play serious.
la la lal But, there are some people who get a temper because the "pro" is attacking them non-stop. Some people don't find this fun at all if all they are doing is standing there and helping the "pro" as a target dummy. It's only my opinion.
When i am playing a beginner, i would choose to play them seriously. although they might not particularly enjoy losing, it would in the long run help them to advance in their game. they would learn from their mistakes,learning what to do to not get smashed and even to return them! also i can use this as a training for myself to try to perfect my smash techniques while i am not under too much pressure.
I play seriously that I use my other strokes instead of smash, like half smash, drop, drive, clear. It's good practise for my other shots instead of just smashing like a maniac to get the bird on the floor.
