(Warm-up time. Pic cred: The author)

Playing badminton with others after a long time!

Badminton was a sport I’d played and enjoyed quite thoroughly, after trying out and experimenting with various sports (such as netball, tennis, table tennis, etc.) I had come to conclude that badminton would consistently be my favorite sport. Playing with others was something that I appreciated as it allows me to collaborate and refine my strategies when playing.

However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, curfews, and sports associations shutting down, I was not able to partake in these sorts of activities in person – rather, online. I was rather disappointed with this, as playing badminton was one of my favorite pastimes. With the lockdowns all throughout the country, I was made to practice badminton by myself – something that was not half as enjoyable as playing with others.

Thankfully, with the opening up of the country again and with some semblance of political stability being present in Sri Lanka – I was recently able to finally partake in my badminton group again! This was not the same as practicing during ASA’s, it was a little more fun-oriented in the badminton ASA (but just as active!).

The first badminton session in some time was extremely fun to do, it allowed me to be much more active than I would during a normal school day. As this was my first badminton session in quite a lot time, I do not think that I was in top shape – and want to be able to improve more in this aspect. However, I was allowed to teach some of the newer members some badminton basics; this is something that I hope to continue going forward with badminton.

My goals for the future in badminton would be to be more accurate in the aim of my plays, while I find it quite easy to smash the shuttlecock onto the opponent’s side; I have to be more careful in order to not get out. Furthermore, fatigue after playing for a long period of time was an issue, I want to be able to improve my stamina playing forward!

Learning outcomes:

• LO2 – Challenge and skills 
  • I admit that getting back into the groove with badminton and being so active was rather difficult to start up at first – at times I needed a breather when we were playing a match.
  • I think that this was because of my long absence from playing, however, it was just as fun as it used to be before I took a break from playing! 
  • I believe that my main goal here is to overcome the challenge of fatigue, additionally, I of course want to refine my skills more from how they are currently due to being out of practice.

• LO4 – Working collaboratively with others 
  • Whilst certain 1V1 matches in badminton would be played independently, there were also doubles that I played. During games in doubles, good communication with your partner is ABSOLUTELY essential.
  • My partner and I won 3 friendly matches out of 5, which I believe can be taken as proof of pretty good communication between the two of us.
  • I also had to talk quite a bit with the coach during this badminton session, as this was necessary when setting goals for myself about how I will improve with badminton.