Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ABC KID]

Korean people love their sport...
Korean people play their sport pretty darned well most of the time...

I have realised how rare it is to see a Korean adult play a sport badly. Back in England, if I go to a local park it is easy to see adults playing sport well. It is also quite easy to perhaps see some adults playing tennis together and virtually being unable to keep the ball in the court for more than one shot. However, they don't care... They are having a good time and you will often hear them having a good laugh. In Korea, I don't see this...

If a Korean plays a sport in public, he or she plays to a very useful amateur level. He or she is a competive player. You don't usually see Korean's playing sport badly. If they have no ability, they don't seem to play, especially in public.

So how do we explain this?
I know that Korea seems to have a pretty good system at sports clubs. A monthly membership fee pretty much guarantees plenty of lessons if the member should want them. That would help most people.
Is it a case of Korean's just showcasing what they are good at and hiding what they can't play well (loss of face etc.)?
Do young children get excellent P.E. lessons at school and then carry this through to adulthood?

What do you think?
Do you agree that Korean's are good at sport?
Have you ever been thrashed by a Korean at a sport?
Do you enjoy playing sport with Koreans?

[Dome Vans]

I agree in almost all sports except one.

Firstly, I've found Koreans to be competitive especially the women at playing badminton or table tennis. They play so much better than women would do back in England. I played a PS PE teacher at badminton and he beat me only slightly but he did use to be a badminton in his heyday, before he took up smoking and drinking soju as a sport.

I think their seriousness is easily shown in other activities like hiking (with all the gear) It's definitely all or nothing with them. Bowling especially, most of the ones who play can curve the ball, have their own shoes and the 'robocop' glove.

I disagree in football (soccer) though. I play a lot with my students and the University teachers and students. The fact they can run all day is spoilt by the fact that they'll just run with the ball until they lose it. It's all about passing. I can easily trump the whole game just by getting the ball down and passing it. So simple. I do like the fact that they'll run all day though, gives you someone to aim for.

It's really fun to play sports with Korean because you know you'll get a competitive game, which is what I found lacking in England. People give up too easily or are just crap or just too fat to do anything. Kudos to Korea for this!

[ajgeddes]

I have to disagree with you. From my experience, they are very, very rarely good at more than one sport. Another reason why they might seem good is because sports are leisurely here. They cost a lot of money and because of that, only people who are really interested end up playing the sport.

In my sport, we have played Korea teams many times and never lost once. In fact, we haven't even had a close game.

To be honest, while most of the guys were nice guys, I did not enjoy playing with Koreans. The simple reason was that they don't like losing to foreigners and take it very personally, so try to make up for it some other way, such as making special rules just for foreigners, or just being complete asses.

[diver]

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

I think it's a combination of factors, largely based on generalisations, such as:

* Koreans are quite competitive and don't like to lose (ie. lose face), so they train hard at what they enjoy.
* Many Koreans have not only a perfectionist streak but also an obsessive streak so they will practice and practice until they get something down pat, one example was at my last hagwon the boss's younger brother (who was a useless sack of bones whose idea of 'working' was walking around the hagwon while everyone else had class, constantly practicing his tennis swing with a 'racquet' he fashioned out of a rolled up newspaper and masking tape. He continued doing this despite much amusement from the foreign teachers and students. But, he eventually got his backhand down pat.
* Being a group culture, Koreans love to join a club and be a member of a group, and will sign to a club financially along with buying club-related merchandise. So, they have already not only made a significant social investment in the club, but also financial. They also want to hold their own weight once in the club, not to let others down so in team sports, they'll practice to ensure they are doing their best for the team.
* Korea's a fairly intense place where people seldom do something just for kicks or just for the hell of it. There always seems to be some meaning or reason behind it, even if it is just a hobby. So, whereas a group of westerners might get together socially to kick a footy once in a blue moon. Koreans prefer a much more structured, formal style of recreation whereas you play more regularly, more seriously and are more devoted to your pastime or hobby.
* Korea's a hierarchical society so your social status comes into play even on the playing field whereas in the West, everyone's even more or less once on the playing field. This means that juniors will always keep in mind their social position when playing to ensure they don't either let down or show up their seniors.

[bogey666]

based on last week's softball game, several of the teachers were quite good at softball..

in the athletic park 2 blocks away there is a baseball stadium where they play baseball (real thing, hardball). Not sure what kind of league.. but they have an ump, and everything.

these guys are quite good.

saw one pitcher in particular who came in later in the game who had a nasty nasty slider/curveball along with a decent fastball. Not gas.. but decent.. and combined with that curve.

he was making guys look silly. You really had to know or guess which one was coming or else you stood little chance.

I stood behind screen to see if I could tell if he changes his delivery or his release point for the fastball or curve. Only the best pitchers deliver their pitches without some minor betraying of what's coming. (one big difference between minor leaguers and those who make it to the show.. even the ones with the best stuff often telegraph) but coulnd't see anything obvious.

of course, in real competititve leagues. a guy like that is caught on film and "broken down" on tape.

but he was good. Damn good.

there are some very good baseball players around here.

[Motto]

well don't know anything about baseball or basketball for that matter but i know me fitba.

play that foot volley game with 7 korean men, a few are really good but most the time we spend the game laughing at mr Kim as he shins one over his head, or at mr ohh as he can't move his feet fast enough and falls over.

also watched some high school soccer matches wasn't anything special,

and K league is a lower standard than conference football.

think about the same as england really, especially if you only compare club members and not blokes who have had a few beers in the park.

[aka Dave]

The American high school system values sports over academics, unfortunately. Athletics is a huge industry in the US, and it's not necessarily a good thing.

However, I played basketball with some of my Korean university students, and they were better than I'd thought they be. You put them in a park in NYC or out at Venice beach in L.A., they'd get schooled big time. But they were better than this old man.

As far as tennis, at my university they're not so hot. I havent seen a Korean hit a decent serve, and heck if they can serve and volley. But Chan Ho Park pitched a decent game yesterday so we know Koreans can play ball (he didn't get the win but the Dodgers won).

Koreans are good at sports though, considering the time their educational system allows them to concetrate on sports.

[PRagic]

If you can't say something nice about somebody, don't say anything at all.

No comment here.

[buster brown]

At our university there's a "Sports Leisure" major to help Koreans figure out how to spend their free time. I guess they take jobs as something like an activity coordinator? Maybe it's a by-product of studying during every waking moment from the time you're in elementary school until you've taken the university entrance exam, I'm not sure. When you're not encouraged to develop outside interests, the natural way to start doing something (for many Koreans I've met) is to study intensely.

When I played badminton with a group of public school teachers, I was constantly pressured to sign up for lessons with the coach. I kept telling them I was only there for fun and I'd get better through experience, but every session someone would ask me "Why don't you taking lessons?" I wasn't the worst player on the courts and far below the best, but it seems that me wanting to get experience before committing to lessons didn't compute and they would have done it the exact opposite way.

[Grab the Chickens Levi]

[Leslie Cheswyck]

[samd]

[oskinny1]

[bovinerebel]

At mine we're a "tennis" school. The kids that play, play all day and are very good. Don't really have the height or strength to make it in the long run one feels.