It’s been a rough few months for me. First I spent a week in the hospital and had a long recovery period. Then I got a major flu which knocked me down for 3 weeks and THEN I got food poisoning. Errrghhhh. (The picture above is me when I had to travel the day after I got food poisoning. I was no longer sick, just very exhausted so I stayed in my hotel room and watched badminton until my meeting.)
To say my badminton playing hasn’t been great lately would be more than fair. In February and March combined I played a mere 19 times which works out to be two and a half times per week, much lower from my normal six times a week, and much lower than my semester plan of 4 times a week.
But the end is in sight. This week I played five times in eight days and I’m finally feeling better. Though I’m sure I lost fitness, I haven’t seem to have lost too much skill and with my health coming back my playing is improving. And not just back to the level I was before I was sick, but leaps and bounds past it.
Spending long hours sitting outdoors at cafes has helped the healing process immensely.
My coach is having a second baby and for weeks he has been inconsistently at badminton. So we haven’t had a chance to train or play together but he’s been keeping an eye on me from afar. Thanks to the security cameras he has still been watching my game play unbeknownst to me.
“I’m sorry I stood you guys up tonight,” he said one night via text. He had planned on coming but needed to take care of his son while his wife went for a checkup.
“No problem,” I said. “I’m playing good tonight. I played singles and I won!” I bragged.
“I saw,” he answered. “You improved a lot tonight,” he said.”Actually, during the women’s tournament someone told me that my tudi (disciple) didn’t play very well.”
Before I could defend myself he typed “I told them you were sick.”
“I had the flu!” I wrote back quickly. But it was still a kick in the pants. I obviously don’t like playing poorly, but it’s even worse when someone gossips to my coach about it. I have no problem embarrassing myself, I just hate embarrassing him. I’m famously his student and my performance reflects on him, a responsibility I take seriously.
“But tonight you’ve improved,” he said. That made up for it.
We also had one night before his son was born where we played a few games together. He tried to be stern, but I was playing well. The biggest problem that night was keeping my racket low. (I have a bad habit of dropping my racket low after hitting a shot instead of keeping it high and ready.) Despite all his yelling at me to keep my racket up, I left the courts smiling.
“You only called me stupid once!” I said beaming. “And you said ‘nice one’ several times.” It’s been the first time in recent months where the “nice’s” beat out the “stupid’s.” I’ll take what I can get.
My coach had his (healthy and happy) son over a week ago and while he is still coaching the children’s classes during the daytime he is obviously not at the courts much. I’m not sure when we will start training again but for now I’m just gonna enjoy my health and enjoy being back on the court kicking ass!
Hi Becky,
Good to see you getting better and back on the courts. The silver lining might be the break sometimes helps to rejuvenate you. Thank you also for posting the video (on my asking) on Badminton Central of your coach near the glass wall. It will help me and other too.