(A scene from badminton practice. Pic cred: The author)

Back to badminton!

This semester was the start of Season 3 SAISA activities, and something I was ecstatic about was the commencement of SAISA Badminton. I had not gotten the opportunity to participate in this activity in my previous years, so this was a new experience.

I have participated in two sessions of badminton thus far, and I believe that both of them have been highly valuable in refining my badminton skills. The first session was a bit challenging as my aerobics in the morning made my muscles a bit sore. But, I realized that this was a learning opportunity for me and I learn how to balance my workouts at home with badminton practice. Therefore, for the following session, I did aerobics for a shorter time than on Monday.

In terms of playing, I think that getting coached by Ms. Gayana has been quite beneficial even just in the two sessions I have attended. She pointed out some of my careless mistakes such as having my feet too close to each other and not emphasizing the curvature of my serve enough.

Thus, serving the shuttlecock is definitely something that I want to improve over the following badminton practices. I want to be able to hit it with my power – this brings me to another goal in my badminton practice.

After talking with Mr. Turner, he coached me more on how to channel my throwing power when hitting the shuttlecock. Although I am able to hit the shuttlecock easily, I think that I have the potential to put more power into my hits – consequently making it harder for my opponent to hit. Therefore, this is going to be one of my main goals in the upcoming weeks.

Overall, badminton practice has been quite fun so far but I definitely have a lot to improve on. I look forward to seeing my progress!

Learning outcomes:

• LO1 – Strength & growth
  • I want to build my athletic strength by attending badminton practice – I hope that by the end of Season 3 SAISA I will be more agile and able to react when rallying much faster.
  • By listening to the advice of my coaches, I hope to grow my badminton skills and be able to learn more ways of hitting the shuttlecock. As of right now, I believe that my knowledge of striking techniques is basic.

• LO2 – Challenge & skills
  • It definitely will not be an easy journey to reach my badminton goals, I think that progression in any sport is quite difficult. However, I am ready to grow my agility, serves, and striking skills.
  • This can primarily be done by attending practice consistently and making sure to take the time and implement the advice that has been given to me by my coaches.
  • Additionally, as aforementioned, balancing personal workouts and badminton practice will be difficult as I enjoy both. However, this time management and physical wellbeing skills are something that I hope to learn over the upcoming weeks.