About Me

I’m Andy and I would like to help you widen your knowledge and increase your enjoyment of this great sport

In return, all I ask is that you share your comments and questions

Over 30 years of coaching, I've discovered that my passion is to help and talk with coaches, players and parents. I'm interested in anyone who has something to say and is interested in how to develop themselves.

I am motivated by the process rather than the results, although I hope results also come if you use the content you find here.

We must make our coaching and interactions with others as effective and joyful as possible. Someone once told me that "Wisdom can't be told", so I'm always on the lookout for people to learn from and to try out the things they suggest. Practical reflection works best for me.

Searching for effective badminton information and struggling to find it, then this is for you!

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How my journey began

I started coaching over 30 years ago, hence the grey hairs and tired legs. In the beginning, I knew I had lots to learn and the journey would be a long one. What I didn’t expect was that the older I got, the more I would find out that there was even more to learn. The more questions and thoughts I had, the more my thirst for knowledge increased.

In my late 20’s I was very fortunate to meet Roger Mills, who I am proud to say became my unofficial mentor and dear friend to this day, although sadly he died in 2020. Roger was a man who could not only answer all my questions but also pose at least five or six new ones at every meeting. Having spent considerable time with him, I now understand the art of coaching is to ensure that all work is effective and actually addresses game-like requirements, not sessions that 'just keep players busy'.

After working with Roger I realised that effective coaching must be a mix of theory, practical adjustment, psychological sensitivity (pupil & coach), and hope. With hope being uppermost and remaining uppermost even when other coaching skills are established (if ever). Coaches can only 'hope' that their methods work.

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Inspirational People

On my travels, I have met many coaches, players and parents who I now call friends. Spending time with them in Spain, Ireland, Wales and Denmark has been inspirational.

The best part about knowing them is to be able to draw on their experiences and knowledge. I must thank them for putting up with my continual questioning! It has been a pleasure to be in their company and be equally challenged and supported. I even found out what it was like to play in the Olympics!

The list of people to thank is far too long here, but I will reference them throughout future posts on the site. See who you can spot in the picture and the blog posts. There is one man who deserves all my thanks, he has influenced me throughout my badminton life. I have the honour to call Roger Mills (All England and Commonwealth Champion) both my mentor and my friend.

I'd like to share their inspiration with you and all the things they have shown and taught me. But please remember as Roger once quoted to me.... .."Wisdom cannot be taught"

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I struggled

Badminton Coach Education — My coach education journey

I was an ok player in my teenage years only ever playing County events. My technique was acceptable but with some huge issues, mostly unknown to me. At the start of my coaching journey, I now realise that I made many mistakes.

After a few years, I thought that I had run out of ideas and didn't know how to help my players.

My method was just to repeat the same things over and over. The things I had been taught. It became both frustrating (for me and my players) and also demoralising. Surely there was more to coaching than just repetition and multi-feeding.

If you are having similar thoughts, don't worry. There is a way forward!

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Do you have more questions than answers?

It is not uncommon to feel like you have run out of ideas!

I did after 3 years of taking my first coaching award. At that time my mind became consumed with how to make my players technically excellent. This then morphed into: why aren't my players winning matches.

Finally, I was consumed with the greatest motivation of all, how could I ensure that my young sons (8 and 6 at that time) didn’t develop a panhandle, and also became students of this great sport. If you are a parent or a coach/parent then maybe you feel that same desire to do what is best for them.

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What’s in my head right now …?

This is the shortlist

How to prevent errors in developing players so that we can reduce the time we spend correcting them; establishing effective playing basics. "Error Prevention rather than Error Correction"
How to make sessions more like mini-matches and still develop appropriate technical skills
How to help new coaches transition from playing to coaching, plus how to use the skills of playing in coaching (I'm not talking about strokes!)
Understanding if multi-shuttle practices are damaging or limiting the development of decision-making skills
Working out what players want from a coach; What do parents expect from a coach. Do coaches realise this?
Is there such thing as perfect technique, is it wise to seek it, or could it be fraught with pitfalls?

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Why I need your help

Life without challenge, improvement and friends can be dull. I have met so many people with great ideas and words of wisdom and it would be wrong not to share their advice. If you have something that you need help with or another viewpoint then let me know. I want to help you and speed up your learning. At the same time, you will be helping me.

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How to get hold of me

If you want to say hello then just email me contact@badmintonandy.com or send me a question here

This site needs your thoughts and comments

I'd love to hear from you