yesssssssssssssss! its better to smash a beginner if u are serious abt the sport. moreover u dont want to get insulted in front of ur girl
well usually the beginner would specifically tell me to go all out on him...lol...gives me a lot of pressure, but usually i'd just play my usual game when they tell me that
totally agree with this. You smash not because you want them to lose. You smash because you want them to learn defense. If you treat beginners like a baby, then they would never improve in their game. "Occasional simple smash" are just the right words to say. I also agree with this. But they have to learn how to deal with "kills" at the start so they'd have an idea how real badminton is played. So, again, occasional simple smash is necessary.
precisely. Though i would not call my self a big smasher, i do tend to not smash at all when playing a beginner. Just play them all over the court also, improves my play
Yes... but it depend on condition... normally i'll play with 30%-50% smash power with them... but if they come with "LANSI", they'll get full smash power...
Depending on my opponents, I would up or down my own level of play. How are they going to learn if I smash @ them when they're just getting the feel for the bird? I actually tend to lift closer to the net and set myself up to get smashed at and I'll try to defend whatever they throw @ me.
Bullying is exactly what I meant. Must say that I'm surprised by this reaction from you. Do you really believe this, MH or you just putting us on? We are talking about beginners here and not just players who are a tad bit weaker than us? You can't really compare yourself against a stronger opponent to the situation that a beginner faces against you. The situation is not really the same. It is not at all patronizing to keep the shuttle in play to give a beginner a better workout & more experience hitting shuttles.
i rally them alot...but when i play with my school friends , its a way different story..ill play my normal game and do lots of full smashes on them..
I agree. Let's say we use numerical system to rate players. Say player A is 95 (super A level), B and C are both around 60 (competitive club level player), while D is beginner, who barely cracking 25. If you pair B & C, to let them against A and D, even though on paper, it's going to be a competitive match, but the result is not. A might be scratching his head while wondering when D can hold up his racket right, and do a decent serve without being called a fault... To me, a beginner means they are pretty much "defenceless". A powerful thunderous smash is pretty much meaningless on both sides, unless the beginner want you to demonstrate the stroke. Beating up someone who can't even protect himself.... hmmmm....
Like has been said before, it's really a question of situation. Let's get the obvious out of the way (as I see it). If it's a tournament, you play to win. There's no point dragging on a match in a tournament. It's not really polite to "toy" with an opponent when there are stakes. That's the first "obvious" situation where you might find yourself playing against a much weaker opponent. The next "obvious" situation occurs when you play with people you know. If the 4 (or 2) of you are friends and you're the better player, you help develop your friends' skills. Generally, tempering the strength of your smash and placement works fine. So the dilemma really comes in when you play with strangers. The first thing you have to ask yourself is "why are you playing with weaker opponents"? If you look around you and you're the best player in the gym, then you're probably playing at the wrong venue for your skill level. If you want to continue playing and it's pretty clear that no one is close to your skill level, I think you have a responsibility to make it a good game. Think of it as playing at "the level of the club". If you're far better than everyone else, then you're obviously above "the level of the club" and should probably either find another place to play, or play at their level. Why else might you be playing with someone far below your skill level? Assuming you're somewhere where there are a mixture of players, some at your level, some below (and some above), at some clubs, they have a "wait and play" policy meaning you sit on the side and rotate on some sort of "honour" system. Sometimes when this happens (especially if you don't personally know people who are at your skill level there), you'll rotate on with players who are less skilled than you. It happens. It's happened to me on countless occasions. I find that the best way to play in those situations is to try to play a perfect game. I don't mean perfect like 21-0 (or 15-0). I mean, try to play such that every one of your shots are perfect. Aim for hitting the line. Practice your cross courts, practice your fake shots, practice doing things you wouldn't normally do in a competitive game. If you smash, make sure your smashes are perfect (work on angle, work on jump smashes, work on AIMING your smashes - something most people can't actually do well) Generally, I find this actually makes for a decent game for both sides (remember, you and your opponents are both relatively innocent of being stuck in a game where your skill level varies). You get to work on stuff in a relative safe environment and your opponent feels like you are trying hard (which you are... unless you can effortlessly make all your shots perfect). There's one more reason that I can think of where you're playing with a much weaker opponent. It happens one of two ways. Some clubs have a tag system where you put your tag up on a board (in groups of 4) and you get assigned a court number. Generally, these tags are color-coded by skill. At my university, yellow = beginner, blue = intermediate, red = advanced. Alright. So let's say you and two others put your red tags up on the board. If a fourth person with a blue or yellow tag chooses to join you, then in my mind, he/she has it coming. Smash all you want. I'm sorry, but they're not color blind (unless they are... then my theory needs to be reworked). If you're actively choosing to put your tag up with people who you know are better than you, then you should be prepared to be annihilated. The same goes for situations where you and let's say your partner (who is at your skill level) are warming up on the court. People can see you warming up. They know you're good. If they choose to join you of their own accord, sucks to be them. Smash away. That's my take on it.
Well beginners (like me) that always WANT to improve should always get more smash to pratice =D... But noobs beginners that doesnt need to improve should'nt get some smashs. With those people, all you have to do is minimize your mistakes with drives and drops...
most beginners all have the same impression, must be able to take smash and able to smash as well. most of the time, it will be easier a beginner learns to control his shots, so that opponent gets lesser chances to smash rather than be good at defense and keep lifting to them.
from a recreational player point of view, most of the more enjoyable games are those that involves lots of movement around the court, trying to catch the opponent by good placing than games than typical set and smash games.
Then we have very different ideas of bullying. In my opinion, bullying is the persistent pursuit of causing physical or emotional harm to a person. Thrashing someone at badminton does not meet that definition. As I have already said, it depends very much on the situation. We must also remember that the definition of "beginner" is labile. Of course, I do not wish to play full-strength against beginners. This is not my default choice. Nevertheless, I do feel it's important to respect a challenge. If much weaker players (including beginners) explicitly challenge me to a game, then I will first politely question this challenge. Do they want me to play full-strength against them? If they do not, or if they are unsure, then we will just have a gentle knockabout ("rallying"). But if they are adamant about wanting a "proper" game, then that's exactly what I'll give them. Naturally, I almost never find myself in this situation. Few beginners would desire a "proper" game against me. But occasionally it happens (with players whom I coach), and I find that they enjoy the experience a great deal. They usually ask for another game next time, hoping to achieve a higher score. This occurrence often accompanies a shift towards greater motivation and development in their game. What lofty wisdom of mine should deny them? Okay, so these are not complete beginners, who have never before held a racket. The definition of "beginner" is labile! It most certainly is patronising, if they wanted a genuine game against you instead. It's not up to me to decide what they want. I can make suggestions, but ultimately I let them decide.
