The Quiet Moments
On Tuesday I have class with my coach. We do it in the morning, so no one else bothers us. There are no other players, and the only other people there are Lao Shushu, the old uncle who lives at…
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Tag Archive: improvement
Training Like I’ve Never Trained Before
When I came back from my summer travels I wasted no time getting back into the badminton game. And by “wasted no time” I mean, devoted myself entirely. I decided to not see my friends, not go out for lunches…
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When Will my Sore Muscles Adapt? (WU #23)
Now that I’ve upped my game from playing three times a week (for 2 hours a time) to five times a week (4 hours a time) I am basically a walking sore muscle. Even with two rests days, spaced apart,…
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Why am I So Into Badminton?! (Or Dealing with a Sports Obsession in your Middle Age)
The other night my friends and I were hanging out. I was talking about how my two-month summer holiday had began and how I was now playing badminton five nights a week. “Wow, you must really suck,” my friend joked….
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My Coach is in My Head (WU #22)
On Tuesday, playing with my foreigner group, I got a shot over the net (barely) and my opponent wasn’t able to return it. “Hao qiu!” my partner said (good shot) but I silently cursed myself. Because booming in my head…
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The Racket is Dead! Long Live the Racket!
So I did it. I pulled the trigger and got a new racket. It’s a Wish brand, which might not be familair to most player, but it’s a common racket in China, and the company is based in Xiamen so…
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Figuring out the Coach/Player Relationship
Get me to start talking about badminton and within the first minute I’ll gush about my super awesome coach who’s the greatestthinginthewholewideworld. We’ve only had four months of class and I know very little about him personally. I know he’s married…
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Becky Got Her Groove Back (WU #14)
So ever since that soul crushing Wednesday a few weeks back, I have decided to just accept my fate. Wednesday I will focus on my awesome class, and just deal with the humiliation that follows. The other people at the court…
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“If You’re Losing Then Why are You Smiling?”
The other night I was smiling and laughing and a friend asked if my team was winning. “No,” I said. “If you’re losing, then why are you smiling?” Good question. See, now “winning” is no longer my goal or purpose…
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