We play doubles recreationally with individuals of varying skill levels. Even in our ladder leagues we often end up with varying skill groups in the same grouping. Although most play for fun, a few players in our club are getting more competitive and want to win by continually playing to the weaker player on the doubles team. Not just a few extra shots but most of the shots in the rally. This is ruining it for the better players, who in some games the only time they touch the shuttle is on service return, with all the other hits being directed to the weaker partner. A few of the best players have left to play elsewhere, which is unfortunate for the club. Is there any suggested *club* rule or regulation to discourage this kind of play? In real competition to win as far as I know this strategy is allowed, effective, and a reasonable way to win, but too many times I have seen it ruining our more recreational games. Any suggestions?
Much of the fun of doubles is varying your strategy according to your partner and opponents. If there is truly a huge difference between two partners, they should talk tactics (even before the match) and come to an understanding that optimizes their winning chances. In the case of a general difference in skill, this often means that one player covers a smaller area. Vary as needed, from very slight adjustments over to Mixed doubles strategy to a beginner playing with a world-class player and only covering a 1x1m box at the net. For instance, the better player may cover the whole back court and the side of the front court the worse player is not standing on. If the opponents continue to play to the weaker player, they will play to him where he is already standing. With the weaker player not having to move, and only getting shots to the mid- or frontcourt, they should be able to make ok, and sometimes good returns, inciting the opponents to play to the stronger player. Any attempt to introduce house rules will lead to lots of discussions whether a given shot was valid. What you can do is also match up players so that their partners are at an approximate level. It sure is nice if everybody is playing vs everybody else, but maybe you'll get better matches if players play with others roughly in their league? You can also play singles, or English doubles, where every player plays for themselves in their half court.
Thanks for a well thought out reply phihag, will give some of those things a try and see how it goes.
Yes, it's simple. The way to combat this is to make two leagues. Lower and higher. Do not to let people who can't return/do smash or do a proper clear/backhand enter the higher league. Even if someone is weaker, if they can return smash and do a proper clear, smash, they cannot be taken advantage of that easily just by targeting them.
I experience this quite often. It turns 21:30 most people left the training and a female which was not included often has still interests to play. I normally try to even out. If it's not possible, you need to find an agreement. I often play/cover the L and let the weaker partner play the box which involves more area in the front, and the midcourt of her/his side. I take his/her back. If you return the serve it will be difficult for the pair to just lift and play to your partner. The smaller area and a lacking power and court coverage will be avoided. So your opponents need to keep the attack to isolate your partner. If you are a good player, you can create with a return of serve a shot to the net with not much variation or a lift and now you are involved. IMO this strategy is often played by the so cool club players who know just 2 gorgeous tactics. Play to the rear backhand or to the weaker partner who plays a maybe short clear. IMO it's the best to make agreements to support your partner and find an exit. If somebody needs to do this, let them. I normally feel a good and warm feel when I won a tight match, which I thought before I would never win. Loosing in this manner wouldn't matter to me if I play with the weaker partner, because it is more a social aspect. If some old farts get a boner when they crush a beginner and win with this tactic...let them they will die one day.
Our ladder leagues do group people by similar skill level, but these ladder leagues are also where we also see the most hitting to the weaker player. We do not have large clubs, generally 3 or 4 groups with 4 or 5 players in each grouping.
To behave like that has IMO just to causes: 1st to win and 2nd that the weaker player is not keen to play again. When I play a tournament or a league game or do a serious preparation game, I do everything which is legal to the rules to win. It wouldn't make sense to ignore something which is great to exploit or will force your opponents to a weak return. But this is a different topic. In a friendly and mixed groups especially when two mediocre player play against a weak guy and a stronger player. I think it's a bad attitude to hit consistent to the weak player. Especially when they do games like "Who hits first the head mustn't pay the beer" or some strange things like that. Sadly I have seen such a thing when I played with a female beginner, but trust me they wouldn't do it again. IMO people who play hard against a beginner to win, are IMO people who don't beat a serious double pair or have other problems. I experience often in a group which I play beside the club, that some people do. I do not, because I wouldn't feel great and think always how I feel, when I face to play a Pro player. You wouldn't get a serious game play or a good rally, when you play like that. I also play sometimes doubles or single vs. kids in my club. It's the same thing. If grown up or not, both would be frustrated to get so beaten up. And what do you have when you beat them up? You have short and boring rallies, maybe no rally and you win. What's your benefit to play that hard in this case? Nothing. No serious win, no great game play, no rally. You win the game but loose everything else which makes badminton great. If I play a game vs. the beginner and a good player, but not much better player than me, I would use this game for experiments. You can get yourself a benefit when you don't play hard to win and get rallies. Some people forget that winning is not everything. You also get during the experiments an enviroment which is not too tense to practice things which you would never do in a serious match. I think this people forget the benefit or forget to use it as an enviroment for experimental play. They are just the big boys when small boys are around, so they will never be a great or good player. IMO you can dose your full potential and nobody loose his life if you just win 21:19, 19:21, 21:19 when a weaker player is your opponents. I think you can't avoid such people by any clever system or strategy. IMO the best thing is to talk to them and make them think. If they reflect they will come to the conclusion how stupid it is. Just my 2 cents.
If you already group by similar skill level, then how can they hit to the weaker player consistently and win? It must be the lack of tactic that cause this. Watch some mixed doubles match. The opponent will always try to target the woman (weaker player) but they can't do that consistently. Watch their shot placements and movements that gives the man (stronger player) opportunities to attack.
One thing to do is to setup some games where the standards are more equal and competitive for all four players. For the better players, do this a couple of times in the session, once fairly early on and once near the end. If you only put these types of games at the end of the session, then players would arrive late. Once you implement a system where an organiser can will arrange a couple of games within a session like this for better players and weaker players, it gets more enjoyable. You don't have to do it for all games. However if the player wants to be competitive all the time, this particular club is not the best place for that person. Obviously, the player is mismatched and someone will need to explain that the player's needs is better served by a different club in a higher division.
Not many in the club are well versed in mixed tactics but that's a good idea for something that would also help. Of course, some do not take it too well if you ask them to stay up at the front like in mixed. As to why there is some variation within the groups I will try explain. At the start of the night with say 20 players everyone is ranked from 1 through 20 based on the previous week's results. So if there are 4 groups of 5, players ranked 1-5 will be in group one, 6-10 in group 2 and so on. Sometimes there is a significant gap between 1 and 5, sometimes not as much. Occasionally though life is busy and people will miss, and then people from lower groups are "promoted" to fill the gaps (but still in rank order). So, if say 3,4 can't make it, then basically everyone below them gets bumped up two spots, in which case group 1 would now be the players initially ranked as 1,2,5,6,7 - so potentially a significantly larger gap between 1 and 7.
Some of the clubs also penalize by lowering a player's ranking two or three spots each time a night is missed, which also helps to mix up the skill levels a little across the difference groups (for the ladder leagues).
I had these idea several years ago for nearly the same. A friend and I organized fun tournaments with the same system 6-7 years ago for a group. First one worked great, second mediocre, third not much interests. We tried it at my club, too to mix this way and it didn't work. Why? Because people are different. You may have an advanced player who is a nice and supportive person, you can also have a decent player who gives all fault and mistake to the partner. Even if you place 2 guys with the same mindset (I mean these hard playing guys to one beginner) you even out, but the attitude and mechanism will stay. The better guy who gets the first contact will try to use this tactic on his own and cut the better opponent out. With 2 guys it's easier to gang up, but it's also possible to get boring games. If advanced players are annoyed too often they will look for a different place, they want a challenge and have high chance to find a nice place where everybody welcome them. I also made the experience that a lot beginner feel very uncomfortable and under pressure to play with a decent player and make them feel useless like an obstacle instead of a real partner. It can maybe work, but knowledge of human nature and previous experience and talks with advanced players and beginners formed this conclusion. FME only 2 things will work: Talk to the people and try to change their setting or smaller the window of the level. Regardless which system you play and how you pair, if you have often a high imbalance, everybody will be pissed off. It will lead to passing the buck and will create tension instead of relaxed and friendly play and all have fun.
I think it's nice and it's what we have to do Maybe they forgot : 1) They were beginners once 2) We're on court to play badminton AND spend a good time together Any suggestions ? If it's just a few players, just pointing this fact with them, they should realise it's not fun either for the weaker or the stronger player.
My understanding is that Borkya, did nit mean as universal truth like laws of physics ( although they change too ) . It is a generalization and differs based on culture, region and individual and of course as u mentioned on sports as well. Women football!! Say what?? Kind of thing. I like to play in each case, better skilled players, or less skilled, female, male or others. As long as one can find a way to learn something and enjoy, I am up for it. For the main topic, I faced sometimes people who just want to win at any cost, even if it means that they are degrading on their overall game strategy by just hitting on one player. As when next time some new couple will be on the opposite side, they won't know how to move the shuttle around for advantage. In my experience a long term player doing this is beyond words and talks. But maybe then I am not that convincing. But I gave up, as it became too tiring Sent from my Power using Tapatalk
