Experience with unfriendly players?

S

Saru

New Member
What's your experience with unfriendly players? Here in Germany, most players are very polite and patient with new players. But sometimes, there are players that refuse to play doubles with weaker partners or laugh at weaker opponents. Some players get angry when you tell them their errors when they think they are better players than you. Have you experienced something similiar? How do you react to rude opponents?
 
Well, that's not always possible, is it? You have to play against them at tournaments or train with them in a club.
 
At tournaments, just play against them, you don't need to be friends with them. Easy to say, hard to still play your best, I know, but you can practice that.

For your club, well... you do choose the club you want to join. You're part of the club culture and can set an example. If there is one person like that, it shouldn't be too bad. Doing one exercise with him is practice for meeting someone like that at a tournament. If the entire club is like that: Find another one.
 
I'm kindda super friendly to play with. Most of my friend said I say sorry too many time regularly. I found your situation is easiest to happen when you play double because it is a team play. It depends on people, but sometime I admit that it could be one behavior that tricker another person to be rude. I once rage quitted on my random partner [I know him but we rarely play together because we were/are on different level] and everyone in the club noticed because all I did was just lift and clear. I didnt say anything inappropriate just told him its okay everytime he made a mistake. What happened was he got picked to play with me on a high level game, but all he does was smashing and hitting the shuttle into the opponents forehand. All his defenses went to mid court which ended up in mid court smash into my face who couldnt help anything. It wasnt fun. It was like Im just a sandbag waiting to be hit. And he didnt even say sorry. I looked at him , and he was furious that he couldnt score any point [I know this gonna happen because our opponent is a lot better than him but it could turn out better if he changes his style] I thought he would change his style to play more defensive , but he insisted to go full smash. I kindda understand him because he has limited skill, and he didnt have proper training. His footwork is 0, but he is fast and lefty hard smasher, so he stands out from the beginner in our club. All I did after I decided that Im done with this game since he didnt want to change strategy was just lifting and clearing. Long story short, sometime you gotta look back at yourself maybe you have done something wrong without saying sorry or trying your best. However, if you already sorry and try your best, he or she still being rude to you then it is their problem.
 
Saru said:
What's your experience with unfriendly players? Here in Germany, most players are very polite and patient with new players. But sometimes, there are players that refuse to play doubles with weaker partners or laugh at weaker opponents. Some players get angry when you tell them their errors when they think they are better players than you. Have you experienced something similiar? How do you react to rude opponents?
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You can't change others, but you can change how you approach them.

When you are a noob, like me, then try to understand their perspective.
1. Many people have only limited time or due to injuries, have only a few matches they can play, so it is okay, that they want to play these matches with/vs someone close to their skill level. Just accept it.
2. If you want to play vs someone better, accept that they sometimes want to only play a single set. And offer to provide the shuttles or accept that they only use some used shuttles.
3. Try to identify who is willing to play with/vs a noob. Stick to them, but don't overdo it, they want to have some challenges and changes too.
4. Don't tell others what errors they made. Most people will know what doesn't work and how to fix it, BUT it is really hard to actually implement this knowledge into your game. So, they are likely angry about themself and it will for sure not help if someone else will rub salt into the wound. If you encounter someone who is doing the same "misstake" from your point of view all the time, try to start a conversion by asking him, why he do it this way. You will be surprised, that they sometimes do it on purpose. Nevertheless, it is way to actually start a discussion.
5. Just ignore/avoid everyone else who is rude.
 
I remember in my beginner day, i play with my friend just for happy stoke. No one on other court see us, they see us like low life. Only this one advance player whos kindly & love to play with us. He teach me & my friend alot of thing from basic technique & footwalk. He play with us 2vs1, beat us many times 30:0. A terrible lost. Day by day we gain skill & now they who look low on us starting to wanting to play with us.

Nowdays. Depend on how you look at it, you have 2 choice:
1. Repeat the story do some revenge by looking down any beginner around you.
2. Care for them & train them like what happen to me before.
Its all depend on our self about how you look at it. If you rage for it then hate is coming. If you enjoy it, love showing up.

As for me, i take the 2nd path. Another good thing i do whenever i play with a beginner, i train my observation & strategy. See what my partner & opponent weaknes & power, then think what to do in that situation. Then if my opponent is beginner, then i train my bad skill. Like im an agresive heavy smasher, with them i train my drop shot, net play, & placement accuracy. Then good side when i change my style recently to tactical smasher, i just need little adjustment as i already train it alot.

Today i had 2 beginner on my watch & love to play with them. 1 who had very good reflex, i build him into front line player. Another 1 is similar to me love to smash.
 
I have been playing with one such player. There are four of us: me, F; he (G) and H are just beginners with no double tactic. But he always pair with H to play against me and F. F has good techniques and is very good with drop shot but G is a bit old so cannot run or jump to the net, so he is always angry with that. He is also angry when he makes faults, he shouts and throws his racket.

Once when I had some practice with him (primarily I wanted him to smash for me to defend), I practiced some net shot with him and since then, he always tries to do net play, but is never able to follow-up, just stand there. In my understanding, he thinks the first smash or first net shot will score without struggle from us.

For me, I never smash or do drop shot for I thought only F is enough to annoy him, so I lowered myself by just lifts and clears. So probably he thinks I am not far better than him.

But since then he never wanted to practice more and he never recognised he need more practice. Last game, he and his partner played so well, so that I even thought of turning on "serious mode" (but they just won 1 of 5 games). After the games, he talked to me in frustration, some things like "I dont understand" "F is only good at drop shot"... I tried to explain but he did not care.

So I guess you cannot change someone. But you can change yourself, just like others suggest above. For example, I tried to practice my control when I clear and lift to make them run and bump to each other :p
 
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Nothing right or wrong, sometime like some our member said here, the good player (unfriendly) guy have limited time and want to fully utilized and satisfy his time..

If the guy is good and arrogant I can still accept (doesn't mean I like the attitude) since badminton is level game, but the worst part if the guy is NOOB and still thinking he's good and become arrogant.. this I can't accept :D
 
ownz.uno said:
the worst part if the guy is NOOB and still thinking he's good and become arrogant.. this I can't accept :D
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We have that to in our club.
What i do is just ignore them & play with them as it is. Being my team mate, i think of strategy to play with them, kinda self learning to improve my strategy. But if it my opponent, then i wont show any mercy & put all my best to beat him badly. Yup they will blame his partner but its my part that tell him that its your fault. Mostly their ego hit them & leave the club by themself.

So bye arogant player.
 
Budi said:
We have that to in our club.
What i do is just ignore them & play with them as it is. Being my team mate, i think of strategy to play with them, kinda self learning to improve my strategy. But if it my opponent, then i wont show any mercy & put all my best to beat him badly. Yup they will blame his partner but its my part that tell him that its your fault. Mostly their ego hit them & leave the club by themself.

So bye arogant player.
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Hahaha.. I met 1 guy that he will blamed everything, shuttle, light, air, humidity, shoes, net, hall, and everything between earth and sky :D but not himself
 
Saru said:
What's your experience with unfriendly players? Here in Germany, most players are very polite and patient with new players. But sometimes, there are players that refuse to play doubles with weaker partners or laugh at weaker opponents. Some players get angry when you tell them their errors when they think they are better players than you. Have you experienced something similiar? How do you react to rude opponents?
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What's your level of play?

Do you play competitions and leagues?
 
Saru said:
What's your experience with unfriendly players? Here in Germany, most players are very polite and patient with new players. But sometimes, there are players that refuse to play doubles with weaker partners or laugh at weaker opponents. Some players get angry when you tell them their errors when they think they are better players than you. Have you experienced something similiar? How do you react to rude opponents?
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I think the first lesson you learn is "know your place". Second should be too look further and deeper why. The easiest answers are not the real ones.

We have a guy at our club who refuse to play with beginners or players below his level. The reason is pretty simple. He work shift work, he and his wife have a toddler. He can come every two weeks for one session. I got the luck to play him and with him (beeing below his level), that's the reason why I know this. A very friendly and supportive player, to me. Others will classify him as unfriendly. I can understand his circumstance.

I want also share the other side where beginner or weaker players were rude. This isn't a one-way street. A friend and I at same level played at university. We are pretty close to level. Same league. Hard to tell who is better. We asked weaker players to play us. They came on court. The first guy started to say to his partner very loudly and pointed with the finger "This guy is very very good" than he pointed at me and said "He is significant weaker. We should play to him". I thought "What the ****? Are you serious?" I proofed them wrong and went hard. After this game he said "Do you get a boner, when you smash at weaker players?". That such people deserve some jokes about them absolute understandable?

I also made the experience to crash rackets with beginners. A costly topic. That's always 150€ for a new racket. If it's a discontinued model I need to settle to a different model which is 300€. It's also no fun, when you get always games where you get partnered with the weakest player. You can really drink a cup of coffee until you can hit a shuttle except return of serve. That this isn't very enjoyable, understandable that this even out don't work?

Also a lot beginners or weaker players have this "we are hobby, we play for fun, not improvement"-joker they always pull when you try to communicate something to make the game more enjoyable or successful. If somebody isn't in the mood to learn the simple do's and don'ts of doubles great, but don't seek to play doubles with better players.

Even this week, I played with a female who can't clear. No joke, my backhand is far better than her forehand. She tried to give me tactical advices infront of all others on court and tried to lecture me after I made the winner of the rally. Totally understandable to make jokes about it or beeing unfriendly?

In terms of errors this is a very difficult topic. Everybody on court notice an error. And some errors which are errors in the eyes of a beginner are simply not errors as it seems. E.g. The lift comes short, I am the front court player, open the space to rotate with a beginner and the beginner don't come forward and follow or rotate. Especially lower levels prefer to play cross court as super clever tactic without knowing what this will mean. That I don't stay in the front don't mean that I made a positioning error, I simply run away, because I smell the crappy dropshot and don't want the kill in my face or try to help out in the rear court. If I want to explain the situation and get choked with "we are just hobby, just playing for fun" jokers, no wonder that I refuse to play.

Take this with a pinch of salt, I still don't refuse people if it is just one game, but if I get treaten like above, jokes, refusing, fun and unfriendly attitude have a source and has nothing to do with beeing arrogant, unfriendly or rude.

Last, but not not least I got partnered with a beginner a few years ago. While I told him the tactics of doubles and some basics, we started the game. As he was at the backcourt and played a dropshot, I went forward, his beginner friend (our opponents) played a very loose netshot. I stand infront of this guy, but my partner rushed forward ignoring me and hit the shuttle, my hand and the shaft of my racket with an alloy racket At the same time. My hand turned blue, the shaft was cracked, the shuttle went into the net and his only words "Ohoh" no excuse. I needed to quit playing and pause for 2 weeks. I have seen him a few times, was very unfriendly to him and refused always to play.
 
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Saru said:
Compared to most people on BC my level is propably terrible, but I play in the league, albeit the lowest league in Germany.
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Probably part of the reason is you are looking to play with clearly higher level players.

What about people near the same standard as you? Are they unfriendly as well?

My time is limited. I spend a lot of time with my kids. Difficult for me to justify time to spend
time with lower level players unless I know them really well. I do sometimes to a club for the social aspect rather than the competitive aspect and it's not a problem during that time.

For me, professional players don't want to play with me unless I pay them.

Some people will genuinely be unfriendly. Some perhaps have other reasons.
 
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ucantseeme said:
I also made the experience to crash rackets with beginners. A costly topic. That's always 150€ for a new racket. If it's a discontinued model I need to settle to a different model which is 300€. It's also no fun, when you get always games where you get partnered with the weakest player. You can really drink a cup of coffee until you can hit a shuttle except return of serve. That this isn't very enjoyable, understandable that this even out don't work?
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i also happen had simmilar experience, but instead breaking my racket, i broke his with my face. Yeah o didnt misstype with my own face.

This one strong man, a barbaric type. Bad basic skill & terible accuracy but all he boast is his strength. Playing with him double feel like he is playing single. There is one time im in the front & he with all his strength smashing repeatly & out of sudden he switch to drop but a very teribble drop. My opponent (my friend) already show his sinister killing smile, jumping & ready to kill. I dont want to get killer shot on my face for sure so i turn on my back. The bird fly fast right next to my head & this 1 man run at me swinging his full force racket at my face to takes the bird. Yes the racket land on my face hard.
Up to this time im still holding my wrath. Then he yell at me saying its my fault to put on my back & why dont you try cut the bird as you already in the front.
Well i unleash my wrath, kick him really hard & the match stop as it is.

Never saw him again next playing day.
 
pughon said:
Said story. Did you get serious injury?
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some scratch probably from string or the cracked frame & some bruise to, but luckily nothing serious considering his racket broken.

But seriously, someone like him exist. Let alone his skill, but a games with no betting or reward, yet he even risking their own playing friend from serious injury, & still have time to blame whos fault losing just 1 point of the whole 30 point games.
 
I guess thank to the fact that bone is 5 times stronger than steel.

Sound like the player I mentioned, fortunately no harms done so far. He has no sense of dimensions. Even the shuttle falls to the his partner, he always rushes in to take it so his partner has to dodge to let him take the shot. So I manage to place the shuttle across the back line to make him run back and forth :p
 
Budi said:
some scratch probably from string or the cracked frame & some bruise to, but luckily nothing serious considering his racket broken.

But seriously, someone like him exist. Let alone his skill, but a games with no betting or reward, yet he even risking their own playing friend from serious injury, & still have time to blame whos fault losing just 1 point of the whole 30 point games.
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Incredible story :(
 
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