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It's taken most of my life, but I've finally found a sport I enjoy playing: badminton. To the rest of the world, the concept of badminton as a real sport is not a new idea, but most Americans I know associate badminton with backyard barbecues, not Olympic meets. I certainly don't mean to suggest my level of play is Olympic (!), but I have improved beyond the level of lawn play (at least a little bit). I've got a good clear shot, my drop shots drop where I want them at least half the time, and when the moon is full and all other conditions are right, I can smash that bugger down somebody's throat. Er. Lightly. The real surprise in all this, though, is that I'm playing at all. I'm an original mouse potato. I hate to sweat. I have very little competitive spirit--the thrill of victory is a minor buzz, the agony of defeat a minor letdown. I hadn't played badminton since high school...so why have I picked it up again? That question, at least, is easy to answer. When I played in high school, I enjoyed it enough to go out for the team (the only time I did so). That they let me on was not in recognition of my skills at the time--I'm at least marginally better now--but in their policy at the time of letting anyone on the team who bothered to show up regularly. I was one half of the worst doubles pair on the team. But I did show up and play, and in my 11th grade yearbook there's a photo of a geeky looking kid in glasses, long hair and a big smile, holding a badminton racquet. So when I found out last winter that my school friends Shubha and Fran were playing, it didn't take much convincing to get me to sign up for the class. This quarter is the third in which I've played. Wayne even gave me a racquet of my own for Christmas this year! Two, actually (so he can play too). The keys to good badminton play are the same as they are for all racquet sports: be where you can hit the shuttlecock and hit it where your opponent isn't. It takes a lot more quick thinking than it takes raw muscle, though of course muscle doesn't hurt. Play is much faster than tennis because the birdie is so light, so if your first guess at what direction to move is wrong, you're likely to miss. That's where I have trouble--sometimes the top half of my body is trying to go one direction while my feet are heading in another. Probably quite comical to watch. In case you're interested, here are some badminton links. The International Badminton Federation is the "sole governing body of the game of badminton throughout the world" (according to their bylaws); it keeps track of rankings, etc. The IBF magazine is World Badminton. Wayne got my racquets at Asby Sports, the only local sports shop that specializes in badminton (I was just in there last week to get a racquet handle rewrapped, and they'll restring racquets too). They mostly carry racquets by Yonex and Carlton (I've got a Carlton Classic Carbon and a Prince Axis 65, which has been discontinued). Shuttlecock.com is a local badminton site that covers equipment, local tournaments (I wonder if any of my classmates are going to be in the Spring Tournament coming up?), discussion about badminton here in the Bay Area. Anyone else play? Cheryl |
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