Howard Bach wants you to know something about badminton: It’s not a sissy sport.
Oh yeah, everyone has played something they call badminton, usually with a beer in one hand and meat grilling nearby. That is to badminton as your daily commute is to the Indianapolis 500. Real badminton will kick your ass. The best players hit a shuttlecock more than 200 mph, and chasing it requires the speed of a sprinter and the stamina of a distance runner. Bach has on many occasions sent fellow Olympians in other sports stumbling away after 10 minutes on the court at the Olympic Training Center.
Elite badminton is all but unheard of in the United States — we're sending just three players, all Californians, to London — but it’s big in Southeast Asia. Bach was born in Vietnam, where his father was a standout player, and came to the United States at age 3. He was playing two years later and competing at 9. A long list of tournament titles followed, along with two previous Olympaids. Now, at 33, Bach is headed to the 2012 Summer Games for one last Olympics.
Bach has teamed up with Tony Gunawan, one of the best doubles players ever. Gunawan won gold for Indonesia in 2000 and became a U.S. citizen last year, making him something of a ringer for the squad. Gunawan's otherworldly moves on the floor often set up Bach's power shots. They’ve played before — they won the world championship in 2005 — and they are the United States’ best shot at a medal in ages. Reaching the podium, though, will require getting through second-seeded Jae Sung Chung and Yong Dae Lee of Korea and teams from Malaysia and Japan — the toughest grouping in the tournament.
We caught up with Bach to talk about playing with one of the games’ greats, what a solid performance in London could mean for badminton here at home and how the sport saved his father’s life.
Wired: What’s your relationship with Tony like?
Bach: Tony is like Michael Jordan in Indonesia. But he’s humble. When I first saw him one day at the club, he came up to me and said, “It’s a pleasure, nice to meet you. It’s an honor.” And I was like, “No, dude. It’s my honor. You’re the one with the medal around your neck.” He’s a big brother on the court, the person to show you what it’s like. It’s like playing alongside the king in Lord of the Rings.
Wired: Badminton is so much bigger in Southeast Asia. Are you better known there?
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How Our Always-On Culture Made These the Most Watchable Games EverBach: I would say so, yes, unfortunately. [laughs] You know, it’s a shame, ‘cause millions of Americans play backyard badminton, so they know what badminton is. But it floats around people’s mind as a barbecue sport.
Wired: What’s the one thing you want people to know about badminton?
Bach: It’s not the backyard sport you’ve played. We don’t drink beer and cook out while we’re playing. It’s fast, it’s competitive. The top speed of a shuttle is close to 240 mph. It’s not a sport for sissies. When I lived at the Olympic Training Center we had wrestlers, guys in tae kwon do and judo, walk off the court ten minutes later, drenched.
Wired: How would your winning a medal change the image of badminton in the United States?
Bach: If we were to win a medal, that would make history. It would mean everything to the sport. There are two or three big tournaments and the World Championships. I’ve accomplished that, but nothing trumps the Olympics. If we were to win in London, that would put badminton on the map.
Wired: You’ve said badminton saved your father’s life. How so?
Bach: Right before the Olympics in 2004, my dad was in a coma. He was in Vietnam and the doctor said, “He has a 20 percent chance that he’s gonna live.” Now, my dad is Mr. Badminton. He grew up playing badminton, he always wanted to represent Vietnam but it wasn’t a full medal sport until ’92. So I’m at his bed saying, “Hey Dad, you gotta wake up ‘cause I’m here in the Olympics and I want you to see it.” The doctor told me to keep talking to him. So every day I’m there saying, “Hey! You’ve gotta wake up because I’m gonna be there. I need your advice…” And then he woke up.
Wired: Really?
Bach: Yeah. The doctor’s like, “Are you kidding me? How did that happen?” I asked my dad if he heard me talking to him. He’s like, “Well it just felt like a dream, but yeah, people were talking to me.” It’s crazy.
Wired: Your father instilled your love of the game. What is it about badminton that incites such passion?
Bach: It’s dynamic in ways that require you to be well-rounded. You can’t just be a sprinter or you won’t make it through three sets. You gotta have speed, you’ve gotta have endurance, you’ve gotta have finesse and some jumping ability, great eye-hand coordination and reflexes.
Wired: How do you train?
Bach: Practice, practice, practice. We hit and hit and hit to the point where it’s just muscle memory. You just react. We do weights, cardiovascular, biometrics, agility workouts. And then we do on-court stuff, with boxes and boxes of birdies. We stack ‘em and whack ‘em.
Wired: You said elite players hit a shuttle at more than 200 mph. What’s it feel like to get hit?
Bach: It’s not fun. I’ve known athletes who’ve gotten hit in the eye and needed surgery, but that’s rare. People wear goggles, but I don’t.
Wired: Will this be your last Olympics?
Bach: Yes. I feel I’ve had a good run and this will be my best shot. There are no stones unturned. And there are other priorities in life. Traveling is not as enjoyable because family and priorities change. I’m ready to kinda close one chapter and open a new chapter in life.
Wired: How big a story will it be if you medal in London?
Bach: That would be another Cinderella story. That would be another miracle on ice, except for, you know, in badminton.
