Things you hate about badminton!

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by Wizbit, Dec 14, 2002.

  1. Shoulderpain

    Shoulderpain Regular Member

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    I would say in response to this that the one thing I hate about badminton is...

    It is one of the only sports I know where people of hugely varying levels are forced to come together and then play together, be polite, and try to pretend that there are no level differences in the gym. When I have to play with someone far below my level, it is sometimes all I can do not to try to kill them with the bird, if only to break the monotony of the meaningless game I have fallen into. I fully expect people high above my level of play to feel the same as I do, which is why I NEVER try to get into games with those people.

    Ah well...I suppose this makes me evil...
     
    #21 Shoulderpain, Dec 22, 2002
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2002
  2. Joanne

    Joanne Regular Member

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    What do you mean? Which kind of people?
     
  3. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    I think I can understand Shoulderpain's position. Like him, I too, prefer to play with someone around my level. You really sweat for the points. Rallies are much longer you enjoy much more if you win.

    You can only entertain a beginner, or someone much below your standard for a short while. At best, as someone has posted previously, you can practise some of the more difficult shots and treat the session as training for yourself. Playing with someone less skilled and inexperienced is no fun. You can't do so for long periods of time. You do so diplomatically. For the same reason, someone with a higher standard than yours will find no joy playing against you. Therefore it is better that you play with someone around your standard or slightly higher.

    Beginners can always improve to another level where they can seek out those who can match their skills and provide enjoyment all round.
     
  4. Joanne

    Joanne Regular Member

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    Hmm....I'll keep that in mind.
     
  5. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    two words:

    badminton insomnia!!!
     
  6. marshall

    marshall Regular Member

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    badminton insomnia?

    Kwun, I assume you mean unable to go to sleep because you're replaying a match from earlier in the evening. If that's it, I can truly say I've never had it. What does happen is I lie in bed thinking about the match, certain shots, etc, then drift off dreaming abt b'minton, see the shuttle coming, move into position, and hit! at which point I wake up or my wife pokes me in the ribs first. I've never had more than 2 or 3 consecutive episodes a night, so I don't count that as insomnia.
     
  7. marshall

    marshall Regular Member

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    Another thing I have done, which I do hate because it's dangerous, is to replay certain situations while driving home from badminton. Home is abt 45 min away, much of it on country roads with fast drivers. Once I was concentrating so hard on service returns I actually could see the net and the shuttle coming over. then I realized I had driven maybe 2 miles and had no memory at all of seeing the road.
    Now I just listen to classical music; it's a lot safer.
     
  8. nSmash

    nSmash Regular Member

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    I hate that I can't maintain an upward improvement trend.
    Whenever I gain some new skills, I always start to level off
    then take a dive before the improvement kicks in. Thankfully,
    the next time I level off, it's always a little higher up than the
    previous level!
     
  9. TrunkZ69

    TrunkZ69 Regular Member

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    It's a tactic that is sometimes taught to people. Using against rushers is a good idea. People always aren't always patient enough to wait a few seconds, messing up their return.
     
  10. zerochillnet

    zerochillnet Regular Member

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    Re: Re: Things you hate about badminton!

    I kinda learnt that myself people who are just pure hardout showoffs... wait a few seconds it makes them so angry
     
  11. Wizbit

    Wizbit Regular Member

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    Irritating cos it holds up the game. It's unsportsmanship conduct when used excessively.



    quote:
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Originally posted by TrunkZ69
    It's a tactic that is sometimes taught to people. Using against rushers is a good idea. People always aren't always patient enough to wait a few seconds, messing up their return.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------



    I kinda learnt that myself people who are just pure hardout showoffs... wait a few seconds it makes them so angry
     
  12. TrunkZ69

    TrunkZ69 Regular Member

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    angry?

    i don't know about making people angry, its their fault for being impatient in the first place. you are suppose to relax on the return, well to a certain extent i guess. and a mind game is a mind game. whatever you can do to get a mental edge. that why mental strength is important.
     
  13. timeless

    timeless Regular Member

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    What I hate most about badminton is the piss poor attitudes of some players. I've played other various sports (baseball, basketball, broomball, ice hockey, ringette, soccer, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, etc.), each to a fairly competitive extent and I've never met so many people with such poor attitudes in all those sports together than I have in this one sport of badminton. I haven't been playing badminton for very long so the number of people I've encountered playing badminton is just a fraction of the people I've come across in all the other sports I've played. So that's an absolutely horrible percentage of people with poor attitudes in badminton. At least from what I've encountered. Don't get me wrong, I've met/seen a lot of idiots in other sports too but they still never had the extent of the ignorant attitudes of the badminton players I've had the misfortune to come across. What is it about badminton that breeds such rampant ignorant elitist attitudes in so many players?

    So exactly what kind of attitude am I talking about? Well, here's a little story (using fictional names) of a recent unpleasant experience at the club. Last week we were playing friendly doubles games with the players we regularly play with. We don't have set partners. We just mix it up throughout the evening while trying to maintain evenly matched games and have fun. At the end of the night, Jacques told his partner, John, they had been "challenged" to a game by another pair. John thought Jacques was joking and I agreed to one last game. The opposing pair was this guy, we'll call him "Skinny Jerk", who has a terrible attitude. He always shakes his head and pulls a disgusted face when his partner makes an error. And he almost always blames lost points on his partner as well. I had no idea who his partner was. Some big guy, we'll call him "Big Jerk", whom I recently saw around the club. Before the game started, it was clear the Jerks meant business. Their facial expressions and body language was clear, "We're the best and you don't stand a chance. So hurry up and let's get this over with". As the game started, John and Jacques quickly jumped to a 6-0 lead. Needless to say, the two Jerks didn't look happy at all. Then they started to climb back. After every point, Big Jerk would shake his fist directly at John and yell "YESSSSS!!!". (Why John? My guess is because John was a stronger player than Jacques, and obviously stronger than both the two Jerks too.) Watching Big Jerk shake his fist made me laugh. He was like a Korean team wannabe with his fist shaking and yelling minus the skill to back it up. Then the Jerks hit another low and started to play only to Jacques. I'm talking about EVERYTHING. Even shots that were the least optimal to play they would go out of their way to play to Jacques. I thought that was the lamest thing two elitists could have done to themselves. Might as well have had "I suck and I know it" written on their shirts. However, Jacques played awesome that night and he really gave them a hard time. The game went point for point for both sides. Unfortunately, as the game progressed, the attitudes of the two Jerks degressed. They started vocally blaming eachother for EVERY single point they lost. Watching them bicker like children, I thought to myself, "OMG they're SO made for eachother". Anyway, the game was near end and tied at 13. John was getting fed up and wasn't even counting score. Jacques was just happy to be pissing the two jerks off with his awesome playing. Then it happened. Jacques was forced to make a weak reply from his backhand which trickled 2 feet above the net with John stuck at the front T joint. Big Jerk ran forward, and although he had all the time in the world to play whatever shot he so wished, he of course chose to smash it with all his might straight at John. When John realized what was about to happen he immediately covered his face with his racquet, and waited to see if Big Jerk was actually going to hit him. And of course he did. Everyone was like, "Whoa...". I think when the blood that was clogging his brain finally funnelled out of his head, Big Jerk realized what an ass he had just made out of himself. When he looked at John to make a futile attempt at an apology he realized he stepped over the line. John was pissed. Not enough to jump over the net and rip Big Jerk's head off, but angry enough that John wasn't going to accept his apology and it obviously showed. I think Big Jerk was actually surprised that John wasn't going to accept his apology because he tried to glare at him. But John only nodded at him with a slight smile. Big Jerk knew what John was "saying" because he immediately looked down and never looked up at John for the rest of the game. He also served nice and long to John for the rest of the game too. He was obviously afraid of any chance of John's retaliation. Anyway, the story ends with the two jerks winning the game and walking off without shaking hands. Skinny Jerk is still the same skinny jerk to this day. Big Jerk left town the next day on business or something, and hopefully will never come back. We would be so lucky. I'm sure John still has his number.

    What I don't understand is how ignorant people can be. If they were as good as they thought they were, why concentrate all play to an obviously weaker opponents while totally avoiding a stronger opponents. The two jerks obviously chose to play John and Jacques thinking they were going to destroy them. It's so lame it's almost funny, that players with such elitist attitudes are so into themselves that they can't realize when someone else is better than they are. It's like they can't accept it or fathom the reality of it. I've yet to meet someone with an elitist attitude who was truly as good as they thought they were. In every case they fall quite short of the mark. I'm willing to bet everyone has stories about elitist idiots that are similar to the one I had the misfortune of witnessing. What's with the abundance of dysfunctionals in this sport?

    Other quick examples of elitist scum:

    I once was sitting beside a very "mature" player who asked a man in his 30s to play, and the younger man replied "No. You're too slow for us old man." and walked away to play with his buddies. What a slap in the face! Everyone within earshot was so shocked we were all rooted and speechless.

    Once saw a young adult in his early 20s showing off in a doubles game with total beginners. He definitely knew how to play because he was jump smashing everything he could. He then full-out smashed into a girl's neck off a serve. She almost cried but told me later that she didn't want to give him the pleasure. What a fighter! Him, what a loooooooooooser.

    So ironically lame it almost made me laugh: The elitist snobs at the club are so elitist that I've seen them snob eachother. I walked away thinking, "Hmmm, well, at least they don't discrimminate".

    Sorry about the long post, just felt like ranting. I could go on and on but the stories of all the fools all seem similar after awhile. Could it be because they're all genetically inbred? I think so! Take away all the lame attitudes and badminton is definitely one of the most exciting, challenging, and fun sports I've ever played.
     
    #33 timeless, Dec 27, 2002
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2002
  14. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Timeless, good stories of how not to behave...on the badminton scene or otherwise.
     
    #34 Cheung, Dec 27, 2002
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2002
  15. badrad

    badrad Regular Member

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    Hey timeless - i gotta play in your circle of friends. sounds like lots more fun, all the more reason to play harder...

    Next time we meet at the club, let's see if they'll have a game with this old guy... Should be fun.
     
  16. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    Re: badminton insomnia?

    yeah. it doesn't always have to be thinking about the game. sometimes it is just plain insomnia after an evening of badminton, drifting in and out of sleep...
     
  17. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    sometimes one would be surprised to find that some player who appear to be of lower standard can actually be quite a good player.

    once we step into a court with only 3 players, another person came to ask if he can join our game. we have seen him around, but he usually play with his circle of friends, who are all beginners. we said ok, but didn't expect too much of the match itself. i volunteer to partner with him. as it turns out, he is a pretty good player, and aside from a few mistakes when it comes to formation and movements, we managed to give a good fight and won the match. so don't judge a person by whom he plays with and how he plays. as he may be a much better player than he looks......

    ok. if we are going to drift into "strange people in the badminton gym" instead of "thing you hate...", i guess there are more stories to tell in some gym.

    there is this caucasian american guy, let's call him "Bob". Bob comes to play in one of my local gyms regularly. Bob is a fairly decent player himself, however, i wouldn't say he is the best of personalities i have met. anyway, Bob has this habit of bringing girls to the gym. every time we see him, we will see him with yet another different girl, usually Asian, and usually a complete beginners. sometimes even more than one. and he would show off his "skills" in front of them, hitting backward, hitting between the legs, showing off his "heavy" smashes, etc. all of us would be in great jealousy if Bob were to bring the most gorgeous looking girl into the gym. however, the girl that Bob usually bring are, well, let's say, not the most asthetically pleasing type. in fact, we have never seen him bring anybody of above average in quality. we usually have a pretty good laugh seeing Bob with yet another a new girl. however, as Bob seems to enjoy entertaining these ladies, we are all happy for him.
     
  18. timeless

    timeless Regular Member

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    LOL You totally outclass them all. I don't think you'd have to try very hard to beat any of them, even the so-called "elite" ones. However, I'd sure enjoy watching you toy with their egos. Heck, I'd love to see your daughter take "Skinny Jerk" on in singles and make him look like a drunken sailor on rough seas. What a lesson in humility that would be!
     
  19. Shoulderpain

    Shoulderpain Regular Member

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    Hey timeless, I just read your thread about elitist behavior...and the two jerks sound like...well jerks...but...

    You mentioned that you thought their playing only to the weaker player was somehow poor sportsmanship, or admitting that they sucked and knew it. Actually, that's just the way you are supposed to play doubles, as far as I've ever known. It is simply smart play to target the player on the other team that appears to be weaker...and a sign that they are competitive players (either in the sense that they actually are competitive-level players who play in tournaments, or that they are competitive by nature, and hate losing).

    As for hitting into a player in a hopeless position, I may be considered a jerk for saying so, but that's what you should do, or at least should be allowed to do in a competitive game. If someone does that to me, I love it, because it means that we're in a competitive game, and everyone is playing at a high level, with no holds barred. I think that if players are going to be insulted by that kind of shot, it would be best if they mentioned before a game that they're "just playing for fun", or some other such thing to indicate that they want some limits set to agressiveness.

    Only my opinion. One of the difficulties of playing badminton at rec centers and drop in places is that people with different attitudes to the game are all mixed together, and then irritate each other. I, personally, am more irritated by the "let's all just have some good clean fun and get along" attitude of some. Don't get me wrong, I like everyone there, and I want us all to be friends, but when we are playing against each other, I really want them to try to kill me (figuratively speaking) while I do the same. I don't think that it's "elitist" to play like that, it's just a different view of the game, and why you are there. There are, as you say, a lot of "death before losing" types in badminton, I guess because it's an individual sport that attracts highly competive people.
     
  20. timeless

    timeless Regular Member

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    Hi Shoulderpain,

    You have valid points and I totally understand where you're coming from. I too love good competition and love to be an underdog against formidable opponents. And you're also correct that during competitive doubles play, players will pick on the weakest link. However, the Two Jerks knew their opponents weren't competitive players. They knew before challenging them that they just play to have fun. And furthermore, the Two Jerks only challenge opponents they know they outclass. I don't know about you but always picking on weaker players isn't what I'd consider "competition". In a tournament is one thing, in pick-up games hitting 99% of the shots to one player is another. And always arranging games against weaker players too? That's just totally pathetic in my book.

    Here's another example of what I mean:

    "Skinny Jerk" always trys to arrange "fun" games for HIMSELF. He'll scan the courts and go find himself the strongest player who'll agree to partner with him. Then he'll go seeking one of the weakest players on the courts and ask them to play (against him). He won't tell the weak player who else is playing. He'll then go looking for a player that he believes is just a bit better than him. The player that he really wants to beat down and feel superior to. He'll go and ask him to play, and of course won't tell him who else is playing. All the other players believe this is a "fun game" so they don't ask who they're playing with because this usually happens on a social night when players of all calibers mix it up for fun. Of course all the players will show up on the next free court and realize too late that "Skinny Jerk" has struck again; arranging a game that seems horribly lop-sided in his favour. I know this because I've seen him do it week after week, and he's done it to me too. Personally, I think it's so incredibily pathetic it's almost funny. Yes, he is a VERY competitive player, but only by his desire to win at all costs. I would not use the word "competitive" to describe the rest of his badminton attributes.
     

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