What are the 3 things you can’t do without

August 17, 2021January 22, 2023 badmintonandy

Routine, Family, Guidance

A strong routine and consistency. Knowing I have these two definitely helps me in matches as when it gets to the tough stages I know that I have a good foundation behind me.

My family - without the support of my parents and little sister I would never ever be able to be a professional badminton player

Guidance - for many years I lacked guidance in a coaching capacity. I had talent but needed a lot of help to understand how to use that talent. Unfortunately, I had to wait until I was 23 to find a coach who has the knowledge and patience to find out what worked best for me. But I think I was lucky as I’m sure some players never find that guidance. I would say it’s nearly impossible to do it alone.

My list changes depending on how I fee, but generally ...

Top 3 things I can't do without in my career. These aren't listed in order because I find that the order changes depending on my scheduling and mental state at the time, but these 3 things consistently come up as necessary for my career.

Physical exhaustion, I need to be exhausted regularly, I have to push my body further and further until I end up in a puddle. I want to highlight that this is not every day, but when I set my mind to a physical session I won't rest until I can't go any further - more than once in this past month have I had to call someone to come pick me up because I've pushed my run too far and too hard.

Jokes, for anyone that knows me you will already know that I love a joke and it's these little comments/remarks that keep me going in training when things get repetitive and potentially a little on the boring side, making light of hard work makes it easier for me to work hard. It also keeps the fun in skill sessions, I regularly attempt trick shots just to develop some coordination, prove that I can, or sometimes to mark the end of a strong rally. (keeping this part in check for tournaments of course)

Hobbies, training can be challenging, especially now during Covid and lockdowns. I need these non-badminton related distractions to keep me energised and focused, on occasion I end up looking forward to a hobby more than an on court session. I tend to keep mine in line with building and developing skills that are useful for my training. For example other sports, I have been bouldering for over a year now and it definitely works badminton specific muscles in a different way