hopinet

Badminton

16th September 2009

I’ve been back playing badminton for must be about 6 months and I’m really enjoying playing again, so I thought I would give a quick progress check of how I was getting on and why I play. Over the years I’ve played at and still play various different sports – too many to list. Most I’ve never had any formal training in I just pick up and play however Badminton was a sport I was lucky enough to get some training in and what great training it was. I was lucky enough to go to a club (in the school holidays) for a few years run by Andy Wood, that name may mean nothing to you but he is now part of the coaching team for Badminton England and looked after Nathan Robertson & Gail Emms (probably the best mixed double pair England has produced in recent times, getting to Number 1 in the World rankings). I used to love these courses and they gave me a great basis for my shot production, tactics and court movement. I continued playing as I went through school and a little at University but I stopped playing when I left Uni, now it’s nice to be playing regularly again and I can feel my standard getting better every most weeks.

Am I the best player the world has ever seen?
No, that’s for certain! I’m an average club player, slightly better on my day, a lot worse when things don’t go so well! I just think it’s a great way to stay fit, for me it’s much more enjoyable than spending hours in a gym. I’ve got some pretty good shots and my technique is pretty solid, except for a slight shoulder problem which is due to a slightly dodgy technique on high clears, I have many, many weaknesses but I’m not going to share those in case one of my competitors reads this! The one thing that I get regular comments on at my club is how quick I am round the court, I pride myself on trying to chase every shuttle (this can be a pain for my doubles partner as they never know where to stand, I have to learn to leave things to them!) but my logic is even if I don’t play the best shot when I get there if I can make my opponents play another shot I have a chance of winning the point!

Go on, Get involved
The really purpose of this post (yes there is one I promise!) is to say, if you never played badminton give it a go, hire a court with friends or family, play in your back garden, find your local club, it’s a really enjoyable way to do a little exercise every week and if you have played before, come on what are you waiting for?