After one year playing badminton

Badminton was excellent today. I think recently I've really gotten back into the groove. I don't think I've recovered my ability, technique and most things I learned from my old coach (put the sport down for four years because of work), but I find I'm playing with a much greater freedom than I ever did - psychologically and physically. I think the tension I used to get after work contributed to my stiffness and immobility as well as poor movement technique. Now I'm far more relaxed and maybe the time out of badminton has helped my body recover. I'm now able to move around a lot better, I'm less tense and less wary of 'doing it wrong' with regard to technique, movement, etc. 

I also used to be afraid of cramping up my calf muscles as have often happened in the past. Now I've been playing for almost a year non-stop, stretching, moving, twisting and there hasn't been a hint of it happening again (a few bruises, though, but that's neither here nor there). I think it had been a psychological thing as well - the more I thought about it, the more likely it was going to happen (that's what it seemed in hindsight). I also used to do a lot of warm up routines in the hopes it'll eliminate the chance of injury entirely - which it didn't. Now I don't think about it and I find I'm moving around a lot better and more freely. I don't even bother warming up beyond an initial knock up.

Truly, my shackles are off.  

That said, warming up is beneficial, if only to give you a great head start in games.

Anyway, I had a lot of very well contested and very close games. The first one I never really expected to win cos I was playing against a guy I usually have a lot of trouble with, but somehow I did. Not bad considering it was my first game and I'm sure my opponents have played one or two games already before I arrived on court. It went right down to the wire.

Next game, I played against two strong players alongside the weakest of the four. Won that one, though we were in danger of throwing it away.

Third game, I lost 22-20. The set up was a bit more balanced this time round.

Fourth game was another game I won. Had to come from quite far behind to win that one.

Fifth game was the pick of the bunch. Really went down to the wire. We were never more than 2 points away from each other, but eventually lost it 25-23. I could have finished it much earlier, but a critical miss on my part when it was match point meant I threw it all away. Better not think about it too much, I think.

And then there were one or two other games, with the last one being an anticlimax. Losing by a large margin in a game that was largely one sided.

And finally, I wonder if it's because I'm playing in a more leisurely environment that I am able to express myself better. If it's a league club, sometimes you feel the wrath of your partner after one mistake. But I think it's cardinal sin to take it out on your partner. It's easy to take it out on someone because of your own inadequacies half the time.