27th September
GOAL: To improve my skills in badminton and use it to give me exercise and a way to improve my overall well-being.
This month I have started truly working on my goal for physical activities, which is above. I have already been doing badminton classes for some time and have learned some basic techniques to play. One lesson is one hour, and I have a lesson every Thursday.
This month I worked on agility by using different exercises and practice gameplay with my coach, I do this every lesson to make my muscles more used to the activity as well as the amount of speed needed to receive a shuttle and be able to hit it back using the techniques I have learned during the beginning of the classes. I also learned how to aim for different areas in the court to try and make my opponent move to different places and make it harder for them to receive my shots.
This has helped my goal because it has added some techniques to the ones I already know, like lifts, net shots, lobs and so on. It has also pushed me to my limit each week and I have used it as an outlet for any energy I build up throughout the week. The constant exercise and need for me to use my muscles have caused me to try and be more healthy in my daily lifestyle and consume less sugar and other foods that could be considered potentially harmful to my health over a longer period of time.
Learning badminton from this teacher has also helped me figure out personal ways to help me improve my skills even at home. One of these is a simple way that can just increase flexibility which aids in being more relaxed which can surprisingly help the way you play a lot. Stretching at home is also just a generally relaxing way to stay calm and reduce stress. Doing these stretches have helped my wrist get more flexible and have improved the amount of power I am able to use in shots as they let my body be more relaxed and I can focus where I want to use more power.