How can the XD 3v3 match possible have been a good idea and a good promotion of the sport? I don't know how I would react if I was a professional player but...I dunno. Some might feel insulted, I guess it really depends on your attitude, how seriously you take it, because...I don't feel it's that easy to have a professional win or lose match 3v3 and either not being able to take it seriously or be very frustrated. Won't the court feel a bit too small for those players? I don't doubt they will come up with some good and crazy tactics but still. And CBSL and CBA has to understand the game of badminton more than I do, so it feels like some of the new ideas maybe shouldn't have left the table at all.
Furthermore,renbo, are you implying that these foreign players, LCW and Intanon just to name two, are in cahoots with CBSL to put on a fake show ?
Personally, I tend to agree with Lin Dan that the 11-point scoring system may not be a good idea though, surprisingly, it has been doing fine for international table tennis which, however, it's best of seven sets for individual events and best of five for team events. Imagine, by the time you warmed up, the set is over or when you make a number of easy mistakes and it's too late for you to catch up.I guess the organizer just want to try it out to see if it works and partly to accommodate CBA's concern about their national players' risks of injury. Only by experimentation can we actually evaluate its merits and demerits. As I've brought it up before, Li Yongbo in the past was critical of his national players taking part in the domestic league but later relented to allow the players earn extra income and do their part to promote badminton. Perhaps the 11-point scoring system this time is a compromise between CBSL and CBA. As for the 3v3 format, I'm not keen either. Looks fun and entertaining, more as a diversion or relaxation, and mainly for the casual players - serves no significant purpose for the professionals as the 3rd player is redundant in an overcrowded court.
Current and retired players play in CBSL and IBL for the money. Whether the leaques make money or lose a bundle, or the stadiums are half empty, provided the money flows through, these players will play these leaques games whether they are still recovering from recent injury. In IBL, the paychecks were really good for 1-2 week of exhibition, 'fun' baddy. Tine and TH were retired, what's Tine playing XD with LCW and TH paid USD75K, that is equal to a shipload of ruppees in INA. LCW paid USD135K, that alone is like 3-4 SS wins and SS win is way more stressful, tough than these leaque games. These players are lucky to get drafted by these leaque teams, easy money in the bank.
However table tennis is a completely different sport. Personally, I didn't like the change from 21 to 11 points, and in badminton, it would change tactics once more. Even more emphasis on serve-return, and less rallies as individual points get even more important.....and slowly, endurance would not play a role anymore at all. With international tournaments played in huge stadiums with ever-changing conditions, there'd be no time to adapt to the conditions anymore, resulting in an even more emphasized side advantage....
No doubt the players, whether locals or foreigners, are in it for the money as I've stated. But at the same time, the foreign players are fully aware of the intense high-level competition they face in the league, so not really easy money -ask Taufik how he fared last year, losing to a certain Dong Shuai. Incidentally, Intanon lost to LXR and Wang Lin (and one other player whom I can't recall offhand) in the league last year. As for Intanon, she chose not to play at IBL this year (maybe next year ?) and signed up another 3-yr contract to play at CBSL which this season will spread across nine months. Her stint last year has reaped rewards for her in terms of the high level of competition which improved her game significantly, including the benefit of a provincial coach and an interpreter. And LCW this season will cross swords with Lin Dan perhaps twice in home and away matches and over time should encounter all the cream of the crop in CHN such as Chen Long, DuPY, WZM,Tian HW, Xue Song, Huang YX, the list goes on. The thing is all the matches played are for real,not for exhibition, everybody wants to win with each match won earning bonus and the biggest prize money goes to the club champion, followed by the runner-up, etc. The foreign players who performed well are invited back or poached by other clubs the following year for a higher prize. This year LCW is playing for Guangdong New Century City, can't remember which club he represented last year. For CBA, playing in the league for monetary gains is secondary for the national players and the risks of injury is of utmost concern, even for the non-elite players, perhaps not so critical for retired players such as Li Yu (who is also a provincial coach), Bao CL, Zheng Bo and Chen Jin (now a national coach). The CBSL this new season is spread over 9 months from 28th Sep this month to 5th Jun 2014, not 1-2 weeks as in IBL or about 2 months as in last year's CBSL season. Therefore, LCW's earning USD135K in IBL for less than 2 weeks' work,'exhibition' or 'fun' is easy money but comparatively much less so in CBSL, esp when you factor in the relatively much tougher opponents match after match. How I wish the Singapore players are invited to play in the CBSL, the money gained is secondary while the gain in 'training', coaching and the experience of high level intense competition are invaluable for any player's development.
You are too focus on the getting match experience, yadada...CBL over 9-month, what is LCW pay like per match? Granted for locals, how they fare is important to get noticed, and especially if they beat the elite players. For foreign players, it is still money talk loud. CBL invites the best of the foreigh players. How they fare, win or lose, sure they gain experience, risk injury but the money is paid whether they lose-win and is so many times more than SS win which is far harder to win and a pressure cooker, 5 matches in 5 days and if they lose SS, no money lah! IBL lost USD3M, half empty stadiums, and TH, LCW, TR and the rest of the MAS team (almost whose-who in MAS team is all there), the pay was good, LCW/TR played XD, that is exhibition and fun, who care win or lose. TH had not won a SS for how-long? and TH got paid like USD75K equal to 3 SS wins in 2 weeks of fun, and TH supposed to be retired.
Justin you just don't get it, blindly approving anything that is Chinese. Foreign players going to the CBSL get money for it. The CBSL is, as was said above, more and more belonging to the entertainment business. You have to know what is the entertainment industry in China to understand what is going on here. as for us givin' the CBSL some advice, very funny. I am sure they are all listening... personally I thought the Axiata Cup was very well organised.
I agree it doesn't sound the best idea to have only 11 points, but it's also not too bad to try something different in a domestic setting first. Maybe they'll find something new. One of their arguments is to let the "old" guys have more breaks in between, so that some former star players could more easily cope. A lot of people expect to see retired players shine on the court again, and many of them remain very skillful.
Me 'blindly approving anything that is Chinese'? Obviously you didn't bother to read all my posts on this subject and certainly don't know me enough; on the contrary,it's more like you blindly disapproving of anything Chinese. OK, let's stop being personal about it and just talk about the issue. I agree with fauci that the domestic league is the right setting to carry out experiments and try anything new; that's exactly what CBSL is doing. Moderators, is it better to create a thread "Chinese Badminton Super League 2013/14" and move all the relevant posts there beginning with #4051 for easier reference and continuing posting when the tournament commences? TIA.
Just found out that RedShuttle has already created the CBSL 2013 thread http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/128949-2013-Chinese-Badminton-Super-League
when did lin dan become an endorser of li ning? sorry for the dull question, the last time i saw, heard and watched him he was still in yonex and i think it's already a LOOOONG time ago haha.
I don't know if it's just me, but I'm getting this impression that Lin Dan is starting to resemble David Beckham a bit; with that combed back brown hair, mustache, tattoos..
