The badminton experiences you need & some you dont

Courtside Conversations, General

What are the best types of experiences

Which ones should you avoid !

Experiences count, do you agree?

Your development in part is influenced by your experiences

What experiences would really help a player or coach develop

I asked a group of my friends what they thought

These are our thoughts and recommendations.

Do you think you could add to the list?

We divided them into 3 categories

… Great & good experiences that everyone should have 🙂

… Those that are not so good but you may think they are 🙁

… Ones that we were undecided about

I hope that you will agree with these ideas

How to use these suggestions

Players and Coaches

I recommend that you talk with your friends and see how possible it is to incorporate these into your badminton practice and badminton life.

My hope is that they get you thinking

They are designed to either get your agreement or maybe create intrigue, even confusion.

Don’t always accept what you are presented with, and remember you may be in control of your experiences more than you realise.

In order to benefit from some great badminton experiences, you may have to change what you are currently doing or start to dream much bigger than you currently do.

Be motivated to create many experiences; they will help you to grow as a coach or player.

Experiences that are essential for development 🙂

Players

Ensure you do lots of hitting, both deliberate and unplanned practice (ie play games)
Practice with better people of varying standards, both at and below your level. Learn to win comfortably.
Travel to other environments and practice sessions with an inquisitive mind, look for differences and make a judgment.
Experience (try out) lots of different tactics in game situations. Don't just talk about tactics, experiment with them.
Have critical conversations with others (coaches/players/experts), reflect and consider the things you discuss.

Coaches

Working with other coaches - YES, work with others even if it feels uncomfortable or even 'risky' to your ego.
Write down why you do what you do. Find those underpinning reasons why you believe what you do. Then read it again in 6 - 12 mnoths - I wonder if you will still feel the same.
Travel to other environments and see what other coaches do. Have an inquisitive mind, look for differences and make a judgment
Talk with other coaches and trainers, and ask questions.
Tell yourself that you can alwasy leran something new or at least identify why things work.

Experiences that we were undecided about

Coaches

Coach Education courses - that may sound strange, but where do you think most of your learning has come from, has it been coach ed courses?
Attending Coaching Conferences - another strange one maybe. But, do you attend for the certificate, the trip or to analyse the information presented?
Learning by yourself - there is something to be gained, but how do you test its effectiveness?

Players

Watching videos to gain knowledge rather than for interest, there is a difference.
Using shadow practice to establish then develop technique.
Changing coaches on a regular basis or having multiple coaches (more than 2)
Which is best, and which to avoid? : Running, Skipping, Cycling
Multi shuttle – unless there is a specific aim, and you are aware of the limitations or benifits for you. Not just becuase other players do it : that not logical.

Experiences to avoid or reduce

Players

Always doing the same repetitive practice because it’s your ‘go-to ‘practice.
Listening to coaches speak rather than experiencing their practices
Practices that make you chase shuttles rather than trying to outwit your opponent (ensure you have less feeding and more opponent/opposition)
Believing that you need to be bored or struggle emotionally in practice.
Focusing on your body parts, especially those that move in the middle of powerful movements

Coaches

Those environments where everyone seems to agree with your ideas.
People who tell you that the 'modern game' is so very different to that of 15-20 years ago. Players and coaches have over the years encountered the same issues.
Places where the ideas are presented that solve a problem or a 'new' way to coach something - without describing a specific group of players (everything works somewhere nothing works everywhere)
Coaches who don't answer your questions: they don't have to agree with you, or you with them, just have a conversation.