Action - Badminton (March, 2012)

March has been action packed for me. I played lots of Badminton matches, both singles and doubles, out of which most were against experienced players and some against players at the same level as me. The matches were all of a wide variety as I won some comfortably and also lost some with a tough fight till the end. I enjoyed all these matches as they helped me to challenge myself both physically as well as mentally. It has been an overall successful month for me in terms of action. Most of my badminton skills have improved in this month, however, as there are two sides of a coin, I have been facing a difficulty of calming myself after consecutive losses. After observing my weaknesses and analyzing them, I have realised that after loosing more than 5 points consecutively in both formats of the sport, I tend to hit shots much harder. This results in less accuracy, less variation and less focus from me. Thus, the opponents are able to overpower my team later. Now, my aim is to be more calm, cool and composed while playing as it is the best way to learn from mistakes and proceed without distraction or frustration.

Other than that, I attended all my sessions punctually and consistently and played all matches with complete dedication and active participation till the end.

Below are photographs that were taken on 25th March (I am on the near side of the court - wearing a black t-shirt). The session was moved to the Royal College Badminton Court on that day as D.S. Senanayake College was closed for public.
 

My 'rotating' shot!

An overhead clear.

Reaching for a overhead clear.

Me hitting a diagonal drop shot. I have almost perfected this shot.

Covering for my partner while playing in a rotational formation.

Reaching for a dropshot.

Smash!

Service position.

Playing a short shot by reaching for it is a nice variation.

A successfully saved drop shot in a corner by the net.

 I will continue my practice of badminton in a similar fashion next month as well. I hope to improve in all aspects, especially reducing my anxiety by being more calm and composed. :)