Learning a new sport is really fun and I enjoy it. However, there are also many things that I found difficult. The motions are a bit difficult and since I have just started playing I am not that comfortable in those stances. Moreover, during rally’s your neck needs to be craned high for long periods of time. I am not used to this and so I will have to work on this. Moreover, I am not that used to move around the court. I have never been used to playing on courts as throughout my childhood I am more used to spatial awareness in fields. I was actually quite good at my spatial awareness on a field. I was good at it because I played football and my position became central defense for most of my childhood. I really enjoyed playing football and I try and play it whenever I can nowadays since I don’t want to lose contact with the sport. It is just so much fun to play and I am really thankful that I was part of a competitive team from young as this has helped me develop a fighting and competitive spirit. It has also helped me become a team player as I had to always be aware of where I am relative to the ball and also where my team players are.
In badminton, it is just me on one court. This huge difference has been a struggle for me to adapt to but I am enjoying the challenge. My calves aren’t as worn out as they would have been if I had taken up football this year, that’s for sure. Badminton, on the other hand, strains my biceps and core more. Badminton players must be very deft and agile to move around the court quickly. One of the largest differences I have found that has been the biggest struggle in my transition to Badminton is the time length. In football, I am used to playing for the long term – starting out slow, then a very intense play before break and intense to slow again. My brain has been trained to endure long sessions of playing and as a defensive player, I was never trained on having to score. As I got older, I started playing some more central, and I played attack once or twice in games just before I left the sport. It is a very different mindset and I enjoy both. In badminton, the games are much shorter, lasting 2 or 3 minutes. I was not aware of this. I have had to change how I play and think about competitive games because of this.
