ya i dont understand why badminton isn't popular, it's such an easy sport to get into, but can take alot of training to master and all.
Badminton binds growing number of aficionados Sport - Families and friends enjoy lobbing a shuttlecock at Tualatin Hills Athletic Center Thursday, November 02, 2006 JOE FITZGIBBON BEAVERTON -- Instructor Danny Thean calls badminton the sport that bonds. He's watched parents and kids laughing as they chase each other's volley. He's enjoyed friends who slam serves at one another, argue loudly, then walk off the court arm in arm. He's even studied couples who flirt and banter while lobbing a shuttlecock high in the air. "You can run someone ragged or really humble them on the court, but you always want to walk off as friends," Thean said. "Badminton is so popular, I think, because it has always relied on good sportsmanship and good will." Monday afternoons and evenings, Thean bounces around the badminton courts at Tualatin Hills Athletic Center, encouraging children and adults to throw themselves into the sport while not taking themselves too seriously. "My philosophy foremost is for people to have fun and enjoy themselves," he said. "There's always time to learn the skills later." As he teaches those skills, he cautions against inflated egos. "No matter how good you think you are, there's always someone out there who is better," Thean said. "You learn right away it's not how big and strong you are, but how fast you move and how well you excel at deception that separates you from other players." The sport of badminton -- be careful about calling it a "game" to an aficionado -- wasn't sanctioned for the Olympics until 1992 but has long been associated with the cultures of India, Japan, Indonesia and China. The U.S. Badminton Association estimates there are 14 million players worldwide, with about 1.4 million in the United States. About 500 high schools and dozens of universities, including Portland State, have competitive teams. "All you have to do is go to a tournament in the area or start looking at power rankings on Web sites to see how much it is growing," Thean said. Rackets are thin and lightweight. The regulation shuttlecock, or "birdie" to the uninitiated, is constructed with 16 goose feathers of equal size implanted in a tightly wrapped goat skin. At Tualatin Hills, the sport is played on indoor courts about half the size of a tennis court. The first player or team to reach 15 points wins. Kai Bang Liu and his doubles partner, Lei Wan, grew up with badminton in China and immediately bonded when they met at the athletic center six years ago. "We are both about equal," Liu said, just before blistering a serve in his friend's direction. Wan stood his ground and dinked a return that just cleared the net. "It's all about strategy," he laughed, as Liu struggled to reach the shuttlecock as it bounced on the floor. "But we both love to get out of the house and play and relieve all the stresses at work." Pete Warnken and his wife, Maggie, both former tennis and racquetball players, signed up for lessons with Thean last month, partly for the exercise, but mostly to spend active time together. "For us, it's like a date or a night out, only it's much better for us than going out to a restaurant," Warnken said. "I wouldn't say that we are ready for a tournament yet, but we're getting better all the time."
MY IDEA: Buy a few cheap 100 packs of DVD's and burn some of the best matches on them... drop them in people's mail boxes.
well can you explain what you meant by untapped market. do you mean that badminton is not popular in USa,India etc?
It definitely can't be described as popular here. It may be popular in very small enclaves, comparatively speaking, but not as a whole. And from what I've read 'round here the situation is very similar north of the border, India, Australia, etc.
well i personally think the games really popualr in india..i imean in most of the part of the country....
not a lot of ppl like badminton because of its "sissyness" in my opinion theres not much physical training needed in doubles, but it affects me because everytime they say this they intend it to go for everything. If badminton is indented in ppls minds as a "tough" sport then maybe itll be recognized even more. But i think it should all start with the U.S., if its recognized there, all countries follow. Maybe have allen iverson play against tracy mcgrady or sumtin lol
My two cents: 1. Subsidize badminton training costs for classes with money from sponsors, in areas all over the world. More people will see badminton as an accessible sport for themselves if the costs can be substantially lower than the training costs of, say, basketball and volleyball. Plus, people who attend classes in badminton (and learn proper techniques) will learn to enjoy the game and realize that badminton isn't just their standard backyard sport. A larger player base will mean more attention gained for badminton, which will in turn push for more badminton halls and clubs in areas where badminton wasn't strong before. 2. Make REALLY slow birds, ones that are maybe 1.5x slower than what people usually use. I know that I'll be getting a lot of flak for this one, but beginners may feel strongly intimidated by the sheer speed of badminton rallies. If they lose their point in only two or three strokes, they will not get enough of an opportunity to really enjoy the game. By "buying" people more reaction time with slower shuttlecocks, they can really get into the sport with longer rallies, and learn that hitting the really high midcourt clears towards each other won't gain them much points (the bird will have too much drag for clears anyways). As a side note, badminton players who use this kind of bird will undoubtedly focus more on a strength aspect than technique, which will hurt them on the long run. But hey, once they get their initial interests going, I would have accomplished my goal of increasing the popularity of the sport
Wow, a thread back from the dead. (RIP 2006. Revived from cryogenics 2014) Not trying to nitpick Treebranch, but how are you going to get sponsors to subsidize the sport "all over the world"? If badminton is not popular in a particular region, then why would a company sponsor it? National or international success and charisma are the factors that attract sponsors. For example, professional tennis in Canada had a low media profile in recent years. Then Miklos Raonic got some good results. Then drop-dead gorgeous Eugenie Bouchard started winning. Now tennis is all over the Canadian news. SO wherever you live, find the most beautiful athletes possible and teach them to play badminton well. If they start winning tournaments, then sponsors will follow. (Not so easy). As for your second point, a slow shuttle makes it impossible for beginners to clear. One could argue that faster shuttles would be more attractive to beginners. At least they could hit it to most of the court and have the thrill of a fast smash. But your argument has merit, too. Long live the battle to popularize the sport in the West! (but not so much that I can't find an empty court)
It's a good topic to revisit from time to time. The marketing of the product has improved. Increasing popularity means increasing mass marketing rather than pleasing only the people who come to badminton forum. Tweaking the scoring system? Not sure about that. I watched the just played Indonesian open. Saw Ma Jin get a yellow card for time wasting. The rule that play must be continuous (or near continuous) has drawbacks. After a great rally, the replay is rushed and the commentators have no time to slightly explain the tactics or comment on that rally. Commentary needs to be educational as well to be interesting. So, longer breaks inbetween points are better. In fact, excitement needs to be built up with slow phases of the game (unless the performance is a magical one I.e. All England 1990 men's singles final). I'd also like to see a bit more of the horizontal angle on TV. This angle gives a very good impression of the stance, balance, posture and pace of the rally.
