As I play badminton this year, I am frequently playing with a partner in a doubles game. A singles game allows you more freedom, in a sense. Although it is tiring to cover the entire court by yourself, it is easier than a doubles game in the sense that you don’t need to call out which shot is whose, establish how much of the court to cover and to sheepishly apologise if you made a mistake. Generally, I do not mind playing a doubles game, mainly because I’m playing with and against close friends who joined the activity with me. It is more convenient than playing with a stranger, as you know your partner well enough to expect what shots they will go for, and there is a more relaxed atmosphere in the court. This is still collaboration in a sense, but not necessarily the most challenging to demonstrate.
However, during recent sessions, I had to partner with people I do not know very well. Because it is the start of a new season, a lot of new faces joined the activity. I was partnered with someone I’m unfamiliar with, a boy from Grade 10, to play against opponents I’m similarly unfamiliar with. To be honest, I was a little afraid because I am not the most outgoing or outwardly friendly, nor am I a good enough badminton player to receive every shuttlecock without fail. A familiar feeling of dread arose, like during PE lessons all throughout school, of “What if I miss this shot and my partner/teammates get frustrated at me?”
Long story short, it was fine. I actually got to know my partner better, laughing and enjoying my time playing badminton with him. We didn’t win every round, but we didn’t lose every either, and we got progressively better at playing together as time went by. For instance, we would try out different formations based on our playing style. He is better at long, strong shots to the back of the court, while I lack the strength to do so. I’m better at short, snappy shots at the front of the court. So we tried out a formation where I stood in front, and he stood behind, and another formation where one stood to the left and the other to the right, experimenting together. We were trying to overcome challenges together through active communication and collaboration. My goal was to simply enjoy myself and make myself sweat a little, so our collaboration definitely contributed to my success in this goal. In the future, I would also like to call out loudly for shots that I’m happy to take on—as sometimes I simply decide to stay silent—to improve my collaboration with my partner.
Here is a photo of some new people and me doing lobbing drills:
