Badminton - February 2013 - Its going well

As my badminton sessions for February concluded today, I felt that I should reflect upon my experiences and development over the past month. As this was the first month of my last school semester, it is even more important for me to assess my growth in accordance with my goals for the semester as well as my goals for the year.

February has been a pretty academically busy week for me as I have my college entrance examinations approaching (for Indian universities) before the final IB examinations in May. Thus, while attempting to balance myself between academics and co-curricular activities, I managed well to attend all the badminton sessions punctually and with full perseverance. However, as I also attend guitar classes during weekends, I was not able to continue swimming practice, which for this reason will be one of my main targets during the next month.

Badminton sessions continued as usual for me because I rarely skip these fun-filled and action-packed breaks from my daily routine. I played singles and doubles matches mainly against more experienced players who challenge me to the brim of my stamina. However, the majority of the matches I played were doubles matches. Hence, using the collaboration and communication skills I acquired over the past 2 years due to my commitment towards the activity, I enjoyed applying myself to the sport and appreciated the reciprocated competition. Reflecting upon my strengths and areas of growth, I feel that my stamina, reflexes and overall communication and play tactics have improved. However, one area that I believe to be an area of growth requiring most focus is my spontaneity and variation in shots. Despite having my own plethora of orthodox and unorthodox shots, I tend to be quite predictable at times. Thus, this will be my main attention during next month's sessions. Also, as an 'knower' and an IB student, I believe that there is always room for improvement. Hence, other things I will work towards improving are my movement across the whole court, my body attack smashes as well as my backhand shot strength.

In general, I believe that I am on track to achieving my semester and year goals, respectively. As it goes for the global and ethical implications of any important task, continued commitment and perseverance is always fruitful. Thus, this will be my motto not only for the semester, but it will define my optimistic approach towards all tasks in life.

Photographs from one of my doubles matches are attached below (I am wearing a black shirt and camouflage shorts).

Reaching out to hit a short-court smash.

Responding to a low cross-court smash.

Serving ... but with a plan!

Responding to a overhead smash.

Some of my footwork at work.

Hitting a smash!

Responding to a drop shot with a well-placed cross-net drop shot.

Hitting a smash!

Being a good sportsman :)

This month has been very enjoyable and I now look forward to badminton in March.

Action - November - Badminton!

November 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, I have now identified a new area of growth for myself. After observing my game play and reflecting upon it, I have realised that I tend to experiment too much with my service when under pressure. Even though variation is important in the game, some risky and very new serves tend to be less accurate and hurt my chances of gaining an advantage in the game. Thus, the opponents are able to overpower me/my team later. Now, my aim is to think in a balanced manner and to rationalize my decision of trying a new service that could be risky. Before trying a new serve, I will analyze a few factors such as the opponent's, i.e. the service reciever, position at the time, his/her reach, i.e. a player's ability to move to play differently placed shots usually determined by his/her height and agility, and his/her experience level as a player in order to judge the possible types of responses. Please note that it is more preferable to make the opponent play defensive shots and thus create pressure in order to gain points through their enforced errors, such as hitting the shuttle into the net or outside the court, or earning points through successful attacking shots, such as well-placed smashes, drop shots and cross-court overhead clears.

Other than this, I attended all my sessions punctually and consistently and played all matches with complete dedication and active participation till the end. I am now looking forward to an action packed December in which I can improve in the newly recognized areas of growth!

P.S.

Dear readers, I was unable to take any photographs of the action this month as my camera broke. I will add more photographs of my games, and maybe videos as well, as soon as it is fixed.

Badminton - October - Focus on backhand!

I have been involved consistently in my self-initiated badminton sessions during October. I attended all the sessions with commitment and perseverance despite pressure due to academic assessments. This month I played more doubles matches relative to singles matches since the courts were booked completely. However, they were active sessions as I played many consecutive matches against opponents of different experience levels. I have become a strong intermediate level player as I have a wide variety of offensive and defensive shots which are both orthodox and unorthodox, good service variations, quick movement skills on the court and am improving my strength in smashes and my response reflexes.

These months my main focus has been on improving my backhand strength, i.e. make my backhand overheard shots stronger. The backhand is important in a badminton match as it is crucial for defence as well as offense. It is useful for covering the whole court efficiently while also for playing cross court rallies. Thus, by identifying this area for growth last month, I have now worked on it and continue to improve. It is important to note that this is an on-going process and requires extra work-outs. Hence, my goal for November will be to take part in excercises that focus on muscle building. Similarly, consistent play will enable me to improve stamina.

 

I am looking forward to more action next month!

 

Given below are a few photographs from my badminton sessions that took place this month (I am wearing a red shirt.)

 

Stepping forward to play a cross court shot.

Hitting an overhead smash.

Playing a cross-court clear backhand shot.

Smash!

Reaching out to respond for a drop shot.

Hitting an overhead shot.

Playing a backhand shot. This has been one of my main focuses for improvement.

The importance of backhand to cover the complete court.

Me (on the other side of the court) reaching and responding successfully to the opponents dropshot.

Hitting an overhead clear.

Playing an unorthodox drop shot in order to vary shot speed (Shot created by myself)

Reaching for a short cross-court smash hit by my opponent.

Playing one of my favourite smashes - The drop shot smash.

Action - Badminton continues...

I believe that badminton is my most consistent activity. For the last one and a half years, I have regularly attended weekly sessions with my brother and played against many relatively more experienced players (with relatively few exceptions). My commitment to this activity is fueled by my passion for badminton and sports. 

August and September have been very special months for me in terms of badminton. I attended all my sessions punctually during this time, except for the one on 23rd September due to Extended Essay works. By spending much time over summer, I had further improved many skills and developed new skills in variation and fake shots. Thus, in these months, I mostly played very rigorous matches against strong, agile and physically fit players. I was successful in posing a challenge, however, not very consistent in winning the matches. By reflecting upon my play, I have identified my strengths and areas of growth. My strengths are being committed and skillful, i.e. playing smartly and nicely responding to my opponents shots in both offensive and defensive manners. On the other hand, my strength and agility can be further improved through more practice and more action. Thus, I intend to continue my sessions in a similar fashion!

Below are a few photographs taken during the badminton session on 1st September.

Me playing a backhand shot.

The scorpion position is very important for agility in the game.

Reaching for a drop shot. (I am on the opposite side of the court.)

Placement helps me to easily tire 'easier' opponents.

Victory!

Me serving in a doubles match against more experienced players.

Hitting a cross-court smash!

Grade 12 - CAS goals

Major objectives for the year and goals for the 1st Semester

 
This post marks the beginning of the CAS programme for my final IB Diploma year. Returning from a refreshing summer break, I now plan to broaden the horizon for co-curricular activities by taking the previous year’s activities one step further.

 

Creativity:       

My main goal is to further develop my Guitar skills through continued lessons, learn new techniques to enhance and develop my music playing range, and increase my performance experience. 

Thus, I am going to continue learning to play the Guitar by attending hourly classes every weekend with my teacher Mr. Netaji and practicing on a regular basis. In this, I will:

• Be punctual - Attend classes regularly.
• Practice regularly.
• Enjoy the learning process!

To become a confident player, I will start recording some of the music I learn to play. For the first semester, I will upload at least 5 such videos onto my CAS blog. In addition, I will take part in at least two performances, either inside or outside (or both) of school. Both these tasks will be new challenges and shall help me to achieve my main objective.

Action:
The main goal I aim to achieve is improving my physical fitness level by increasing my stamina and improving my physique through Badminton, swimming, and regular exercises at home.
  

Hence, I am going to continue to attend Badminton sessions at the D.S. Senanayake twice every weekend. This activity has helped me to improve as a player as well as a sportsperson. Thus, I wish to continue these sessions as they provide a nice exercise environment between busy school days. They will also help me to fulfill my ‘Action’ criteria comfortably. By attending these sessions, I will become a more tactical and physically capable 'skilled' badminton player. The timings for these badminton sessions will be:

• Saturday – 7:00 am to 8:00 am
• Sunday – 7:00 am to 9:00 am 

For this activity, I will:

• Be punctual - attend class regularly.
• Utilize free time to do light exercises.
• Participate actively.
• Learn more and enjoy.

In addition, I will take part in at least one competition inside or outside school or attempt to represent my school in SAISA badminton.

Also, I plan to attend hourly sessions at the Thurstan College Swimming Complex at least twice every month. This program will continue to help me to improve my swimming as well as achieve my goal, i.e. to improve my physical fitness. I will always:

• Be focused.
• Be active.
• Raise the bar, i.e. try to do better every time.
• Work hard and have fun!

Service:        

My main objective for this domain of the CAS programme is to be well-involved with a particular service program at OSC and give my best efforts. I will achieve this by initially understanding the ethical implications and global importance of my actions, and subsequently taking responsibility, helping my peers, and planning and initiating activities in collaboration with them. 

Therefore, I will take part in the school’s Recycling service activity supervised by Mr. Ian Lockwood. The following tasks must be accomplished in order to succeed in accomplishing my goals:

• Be punctual and committed.
• Be focused.
• Participate actively.
• Help my peers.
• Take up new tasks and challenges.
• Learn and develop new skills.
• Enjoy!

In addition to these tasks, I will post monthly reflections with constant updates about my CAS related activities.

I look forward to a busy final year with lots of new experiences!

Action (May - 1st June) - Last, but not the end!

Badminton has become a regular part of my life. It has a reserved period in my weekend mornings and I take it very seriously. I enjoy the sport very much and am prepared mentally and physically to play at any given time :) The month of May has been packed with numerous highs and lows for me in my badminton sessions. Playing against far more experienced players than myself, I have been able to learn through the journey even though the results varied between wins, losses and many down to the wire matches.

This month, I played more doubles matches than usual in comparison to singles. I was puntual and committed in all sessions and collaborated and communicated well with other players, both inside and outside the court. My communication with my partners was key in many doubles matches where the opposition was recovering with surprises. However, minor new challenges were always part of the journey. These included difficulties during the matches such as judging the partners call when it may be wrong and reading each and every player's body language. 

The sports sessions this month especially motivated me this month as at the ends of matches, I was always able to share and celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship with other players. This may not really be considered a new skill, however, sportsmanship is crucial for one's growth, both as a player and a human. Also, it is the best way in which players share each others experience and learn from each other. Hence, the moral of sports will always be preserved within me as considering ethical implications associated with learning from the game and fellow players, primarily summarised by the term sportsmanship.

On the other hand, I was unable to attend swimming sessions this month due to the short preparation time remaining before the examinations in the last week of May.

This month marks the end to all the Action in this school year. However, I will continue to participate regularly in badminton. Also, I will resume my swimming schedule and enjoy the sessions during the summer break.

Action continues actively - Badminton (April, 2012)

April has been an action packed month for me. I have been able to continue my swimming practice along with Badminton during weekends.

Badminton continued as usual. However, the speciality was that this month was an even blend of singles competitions and doubles matches. I played in collaboration and with persistence and commitment with the other players. As my brother was the only person of my age group playing, while the remaining were experienced adults, I got many opportunities to implement my playing strategies, while also to learn new techniques by becoming aware of some of my weaknesses. For example, I tend to hit drop shots repeatedly even if the opponent is standing near the net, thus, making it easy for my opponent to 'read my game plan'. Thus, I developed the skill of using this understanding of my opponent to my own use by surprising them with corner to corner overhead shots and occasional body smashes. I would say that this month has motivated me to become more spontaneous and less planned in game play, while also smart and clever by understanding my opponents' mindset. I will continue my badminton sessions next month in the same consistent manner as in the past year while balancing my study time for the approaching exams.

Below are a few photographs and a video taken at a session that was shifted to the Royal College badminton courts.

Me at the end of a sweaty session.

"We will learn of books and men, and learn to play the game" - Outside the Royal College badminton complex.

Me successfully reaching for a backhand shot.

Good communication led to no accidents and a successful game.

Hitting a overhead clear.

Being a part of a long rally.

Hitting a smash against my brother.

Playing a backhand shot in a singles match against my brother.

A video of the instance where I learnt that being predictable can be used to one's advantage with a surprise shot.

Swimming was a special delight in the hot weather of this month. I visited the Thurstan College swimming pool for two single-hour sessions. I noted that my breath holding duration had decreased since I had not visited the pool for a few months. Thus, I started by doing some breath holding practice and underwater swimming. Later, I followed this with continuous swimming laps. I alternately did freestyle and breaststroke while also adding the backstroke at intervals. My speed was not that impressive as I lacked consistency, however, I was happy to be able to do 10 continuous laps without any breaks in the first go. These swimming sessions were really useful as they taught me about the importance of consistency and the consequences of a 'long gap' in practice. 

Below are a few photographs of mine from these sessions.

Me (in the center), doing freestyle swimming.

Underwater swimming practice.

Me (at the back in the picture), starting a new lap.

Completing lap with breastroke.

Now, my aim is to be more consistent with swimming. However, due to the exams coming up next week, I feel that missing it can be excused. Thus, my sports practice will increase over the summer break. I also intend to start regular jogging and exercises in the morning at the beautiful independence square avenue park during the summer.

I am looking forward to the next few highly 'Action' packed months.

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. :)