"Action" - Badminton

This last weekend of Badminton for the first semester was really enthralling and rejuvenating. The one hour Saturday session was organized in the Royal College Sports Complex because the D.S. Senanayake Sports Complex was closed for the Poya Day. Hence, as only one court was booked, I only got the chance to play two doubles matches with senior players as well as my peer Onkar. However, the two hour session today was a period in which I got to play many matches, both doubles and singles, due to the availability of two courts. I was able to challenge myself this weekend by playing continuous matches with minimum breaks, and also winning! This was a result of my dedication and commitment to this activity as I always attended these sessions. In this weekend, I spent time playing matches against and with all players. This helped me to learn new tactics such as the order of placements required to challenge the opponents in a doubles match. Also, it helped me to stay on track to accomplish my first IB year goal of improving my physical stamina.

Below are a few photographs taken on Saturday in the Royal College Sports Complex:

Me (wearing the blue shirt and black shorts), hitting a smash!

Serving smartly :)

Hitting a backhand shot.

Successfully reaching for a overhead shot played by my opponent!

Surprise drop shot.

Another strong smash!

Below are a few photographs taken on Sunday in the D.S. Senanayake Sports Complex:

Me (wearing a black shirt and whitish shorts), serving to the opponents!

A backhand cross-court drop shot!

Hitting a smash in a rotational doubles format!

A simple drop shot!

SMASH!

Me hitting a backhand overhead clear, a shot which I still need to perfect (An area of improvement).

Reaching for a drop shot played by my opponent!

Reflection:

My 'Action' activities this semester, both Badminton as well as Swimming, have been successful. I have been able to develop new skills, work collaboratively with others, and achieve my goals of improving my physical stamina and becoming a more tactical badminton player while enjoying the sport. 

I am now looking forward to continuing this activity in the next weekend in order to further improve my physical fitness in the next semester.