Smokers

Smoking as in tobacco or THC? If you mean tobacco, I find that anybody that is serious about sports and athletics will not smoke since it is terrible for the lungs. I've known some people who play and smoke, but they play mostly as a hobby and to enjoy their time.

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A serious atlete i know are extremely care for their body & health. They dont smoke, control their diet, & dont even drink a soda. They do so to keep their body always at their peek performance which are needed on tournament as its their work & life.
But hobbyist player are vary alot. Like me. I dont smoke, but love to eat, so thats why im a big panda. So its kinda as i love yummy, i had to balance my body with sports activity & it happen badminton is my hobby, so im commited to it

 

I would estimate 5% or less of the players I have ever played against or with smoked.

 

I unfortunately am one of that group of 5% (or less)... Definitely only hobby players. I have tried quitting smoking a few times, still not successful but at least I'm trying to cut down since I've been playing badminton more often.

You can usually spot us easily. The ones gasping for breath after a slightly long rally, whose stamina is just enough for a game or two before our performance significantly drops.

I still try to do an hour of training twice a week and an hour of games (4-6 games of singles) once a week

 

This is interesting since I've heard of 1st person accounts of Taufik smoking. I know others who smoke or vape and it doesn't seem to affect their play much but then again, we're hobbyist (intermediate to advanced).

 

Yes physical condition matter.
I work behind my computer most of the time while some friend of mine are physical worker & they smoke.
For this tho they all smoking, their stamina are great. But as you mention its hobbyist level, compare to a true atlete (at least few coach i know & play with) their stamina are just insane to keep up.

 

I saw the late Jung Jae Sung smoking during India Open. But that was after he had already retired.

 

I've always wonder how the 90s era professional basketball nba player could smoke and stay on top of their game? Name a player, like Jordan, is a devoted cigar smoker and yet dominated the game. Like Jordan, many of them smoke off court. I was also a smoker for 20years and quit over two years ago. Smoking definitely hindered my performance, i would gas out and it led to premature tiredness. My badminton suffered greatly. But things are different now, since quitting, I've been more health conscious, involving myself in better diet and exercise. My cardio has improved tremendously, surpassing many non smokers and is up there with the fittest people in various clubs i play with. I am now fitter than i could ever be and it feels great to play badminton without feeling gassed out. Wish I've done it sooner but it's never too late to quit. Cherish uour health and body peeps!

 

cheers mate. good riddance. nothing good, NOTHING. comes out of that cancer stick. big congrats for the quit

 

Im office worker, so i work behind my desk most of the time & i dont smoke (just once trying & dislike it). Some my friend from my work are factory worker, so its more physical demanding to them yet they smoke mostly.
Being in more physical demanding environtment day to day, they had better endurance & stamina than me even when im not smoke & they smoke.
Or i know an old badminton player, early 60 but in really good shape. Able to keep up with the youngsters tho due to age he wont be able to jump or dashing fast but stamina wise he is a buffalo. When i ask, he tell his activity daily
1. Play tennis table every night with neighbour around his house.
2. Volleyball every saturday on an open ground near his house
3. Badminton on sunday with his friend.
4. This which i think do help alot, every morning he do jogging & never skip.

Thing about athlete, they train like crazy daily. So their stamina would be above average. Now the thing we would never know.
What if Jordan never smoke. Would he become more ferocious beast that time?

 

It's like people we have seen to be heavy smokers living into their 80s or 90s. I think good genes and genetics also play a big part.

Back to Jordan. I believe is due to him possessing extreme level of "runner's high", good genes, combine with his rigorous training programs which negate the effect of cigar smoking. During intense athletic performance when "runners high" hit, high levels of endorphins is released, giving euphoric sensation and energetic boost to mind and body. I can relate to runners high even in my smoking days, sometimes when it hits, I would reach a mind body connection state where my alertness is elevated, feel more alive, confident, and bursting with more energy, letting me perform better than i normally would. But for me runners high doesn't always happen and seems to only come on when I'm 100% committed during intense badminton . All i can say is runners high is really is amazing!

 

So you're saying that it's easier for professional athletes to play sports and smoke because they have good stamina?

 

I have a mostly sedentary lifestyle and, unfortunately, smoke. For half a year now my girlfriend and I have been playing badminton and I feel much better, even though I smoke. I hope to get rid of this addiction with time.

 

Compare pros athlete to mere player, yes it does. Their intense training are way harder than what we do day to day. But pros agains pros it sure does makes different. Non smoker would had better stamina than smoker.
Maybe simple math
Let say average normal player are around 100
The pros are 300
Smoke takes out maybe like (idk just random number, no medical calculation) 10%
Non smoke normal person 100 vs smoker 270 of pros. Pros still perform better.

But again its harder to compare as one vitality are not always the same to others. We all dont have the same body, physical condition, & many other factor.