Badminton...my game
Badminton has been top of my favourite sport ever since I watched on the television when I was a kid. I'd also participated in one or two competitions where I was a champ for my category and my group (was a kid then, about 8 or 9 years of age). Now, with YouTube I am able to watch the matches that I had missed. The ones that I keep watching over and over again was the doubles match between Malaysia and China (Tan Boon Heong & Koo Kien Keat versus Cai Yun & Fu HaiFeng) in the All England Badminton Open Championships in 2007.
Badminton in Malaysia has been a local favourite sport for quite a while. It has always been the top three favourite (and Malaysian players (either of doubles or singles category) are often the top three in the world too. Sadly, football is the favourite sport (most talked about, most highlighted and irony is Malaysian football team is nowhere near the top 100 (last I checked was down to about 170th in the world's ranking). Here we have people playing the sport everyday in the game halls, the parks, at home and players representing Malaysia is among the best in the world and yet football is the one that is the main sport of conversation.
I hung my badminton racquet when I picked up yet another racquet game; tennis. It was the "in" sport at that time. I guess I was amazed at how Boris Becker won the Wimbledon as the youngest player to do so (record still stands till today), at the age of 17.
I never picked up a badminton racquet again not until I was working....about 18 years later. It was more like a group event but I enjoyed it once again. The second love for badminton stirred once again in my heart. I began to play a bit more earnestly and felt good. Though I know I lost all my skills and started from scratch again, I truely enjoy playing badminton again. Soon after I had started, I had to stop. A little over a year later, my badminton buddies weren't interested anymore. Various reasons include cost, lost of interest and futsal (indoor football) became increasingly popular.
So I hung my racquet once more. My waist-line grew. Then I found another group a couple of years later and I was thrilled once more. I found a group that I could fit in. Previously, I hung around the badminton courts around my area but to join a ready-formed group is quite tough. Most players are friends and acquaintances. It would be tough for a stranger to join. I am good but not that good and to join in a wrong group could leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
If the group is too good, and if I did join in, then the group would be disappointed if I am not up to their standard of playing. This means, out of courtasy, they need to reduce their standard of play just to allow me to fit in or they would ask me to leave. Most of these players are badminton enthusiasts that push themselves to their limit every single time they step on the court and with the years of playing in such a mental condition, they have developed their skills and have an uncanny playing instinct. Though their method/strokes of playing is unorthodox or just plain wrong, their years of experience allows them to give a good fight in some situations. These players only loses to thos with proper training and with some years of competition experiences.
Most players with competition experiences and/or proper training wouldn't allow the enthusiasts to play with them. They belong to a different league altogether. It is not discrimination per se but it would also be pointless if anyone else with lesser ability to join in to play with them. Any lesser player would find it difficult to keep up the morale after finding it out the hard-way. I played with these players before and was very demoralizing. I felt these players gave a few points away to me just to let me have a bit of dignity of not losing completely. I thank them for the few meager points given.
Then there's the other group. The lets-play-for-fun group. I do not mind joining these groups at all. In fact, I often give the points or give easy shots in most games I played with them. However, there is a huge drawback. You will find your skills have stunted and/or degrading. I once played with these group for a while (about half-a-year) and was invited to play with the other more skillful group, I had a terribly hard time coping with their shots. It is not that the players are good but more like I was bad.
Somehow I manage to find a group that is more to my liking. At least I could give my best and feel good without losing too much or in some occassions I even win a round or two. So now I am happy with it. Then I sometimes would go and play with yet another group that asked me to join them. This second group is more of "lets-play-for-fun" group. So I usually take it lightly. I feel bad at times because I feel that it is very lob-sided; I usually would win if I am not careful. When I play with this group, I often give easy shots for the players to return (sometimes I do admit that I can be over confident and still lose). Most of the time I don't play to my fullest but at least I got to play with them. For that I am happy.
Badminton in Malaysia has been a local favourite sport for quite a while. It has always been the top three favourite (and Malaysian players (either of doubles or singles category) are often the top three in the world too. Sadly, football is the favourite sport (most talked about, most highlighted and irony is Malaysian football team is nowhere near the top 100 (last I checked was down to about 170th in the world's ranking). Here we have people playing the sport everyday in the game halls, the parks, at home and players representing Malaysia is among the best in the world and yet football is the one that is the main sport of conversation.
I hung my badminton racquet when I picked up yet another racquet game; tennis. It was the "in" sport at that time. I guess I was amazed at how Boris Becker won the Wimbledon as the youngest player to do so (record still stands till today), at the age of 17.
I never picked up a badminton racquet again not until I was working....about 18 years later. It was more like a group event but I enjoyed it once again. The second love for badminton stirred once again in my heart. I began to play a bit more earnestly and felt good. Though I know I lost all my skills and started from scratch again, I truely enjoy playing badminton again. Soon after I had started, I had to stop. A little over a year later, my badminton buddies weren't interested anymore. Various reasons include cost, lost of interest and futsal (indoor football) became increasingly popular.
So I hung my racquet once more. My waist-line grew. Then I found another group a couple of years later and I was thrilled once more. I found a group that I could fit in. Previously, I hung around the badminton courts around my area but to join a ready-formed group is quite tough. Most players are friends and acquaintances. It would be tough for a stranger to join. I am good but not that good and to join in a wrong group could leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
If the group is too good, and if I did join in, then the group would be disappointed if I am not up to their standard of playing. This means, out of courtasy, they need to reduce their standard of play just to allow me to fit in or they would ask me to leave. Most of these players are badminton enthusiasts that push themselves to their limit every single time they step on the court and with the years of playing in such a mental condition, they have developed their skills and have an uncanny playing instinct. Though their method/strokes of playing is unorthodox or just plain wrong, their years of experience allows them to give a good fight in some situations. These players only loses to thos with proper training and with some years of competition experiences.
Most players with competition experiences and/or proper training wouldn't allow the enthusiasts to play with them. They belong to a different league altogether. It is not discrimination per se but it would also be pointless if anyone else with lesser ability to join in to play with them. Any lesser player would find it difficult to keep up the morale after finding it out the hard-way. I played with these players before and was very demoralizing. I felt these players gave a few points away to me just to let me have a bit of dignity of not losing completely. I thank them for the few meager points given.
Then there's the other group. The lets-play-for-fun group. I do not mind joining these groups at all. In fact, I often give the points or give easy shots in most games I played with them. However, there is a huge drawback. You will find your skills have stunted and/or degrading. I once played with these group for a while (about half-a-year) and was invited to play with the other more skillful group, I had a terribly hard time coping with their shots. It is not that the players are good but more like I was bad.
Somehow I manage to find a group that is more to my liking. At least I could give my best and feel good without losing too much or in some occassions I even win a round or two. So now I am happy with it. Then I sometimes would go and play with yet another group that asked me to join them. This second group is more of "lets-play-for-fun" group. So I usually take it lightly. I feel bad at times because I feel that it is very lob-sided; I usually would win if I am not careful. When I play with this group, I often give easy shots for the players to return (sometimes I do admit that I can be over confident and still lose). Most of the time I don't play to my fullest but at least I got to play with them. For that I am happy.
posted by Brian at
Monday, April 07, 2008
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