I took badminton as my personal sport (PS) in the Holistic Development Program (HDP) in Grade 11 (Academic Year 2023-24). I have always liked playing badminton and have been playing it since childhood. I gradually increased playing the sport in grade 10 and learned that I was good at it as I used to play badminton in all my playtimes with my friends even when the professional synthetic courts were not constructed yet. All my close friends appreciated me a lot about how good I was playing and convinced me to join badminton in PS to learn it professionally as before I used to do gymnastics. After a while I thought about it and finally joined badminton at the beginning of grade 11.

When I joined, I was first playing with beginner and intermediate-level players so that our coach could identify my play style and level. Soon after 2 to 3 classes, I was shifted to advanced players with my 3 friends who have become a lot closer to me in my life. They had been playing badminton for 1-2 years and were really good at it. As time went by, I kept improving and learning from our coach and my friends. My parents were very supportive of me playing badminton and bought me professional shoes and a racket.

In my PS slots, we used to start with a warm-up by running 5-10 rounds of the badminton court and then continue with full-body stretching. We had a planned schedule for all 4 slots in a school cycle of 6 working days where in each class we used to practice different skills. The skills include footwork (6 corners, 4 corners), various drills such as serve practice, smash and defence, drops, etc, and in some classes we used to play matches. Matches were my favourite part, we used to play singles or doubles matches or knockouts and it improved my gameplay and skills.

Learning Outcome 1 → Identify own strengths and development areas for growth.
Learning Outcome 2 → Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.

I had been playing badminton at a good (above average) level from grade 10 as I gradually improved whilst playing it in all my playtimes with my friends and was then convinced to join badminton as my HDP PS. Playing with power and agility are some of my strengths as I am able to hit good smashes and move quickly around the court. But I still need to improve my endurance and control, in between and after a game of 21 points, I get a little exhausted and tired and need a break of 5 minutes but we don’t get such breaks in competitions as it is all continuous. I can improve it by doing drills everyday or a minimum of 3 to 4 times a week. By this, I can improve my endurance and set my limits as a higher range. Additionally, drops one important part of the game as badminton is a mind game, it is not just all about power, but it is really getting into the player’s mind and anticipating their next moves. Drops help hitting the shuttle just next to the net for which the opponent has to travel 2 to 3 steps in a second.

My racket was of Yonex, model: Astrox 88s Game, and it was very lightweight and good for gaining control. Throughout the year, I worked on my control by practicing drops continuously in drills and matches. And by the end of the year, I was able to overcome this challenge.

Learning Outcome 4 → Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

I was very dedicated to playing the sport as I love it a lot. It is one of my hobbies and throughout the process, I improved my game and physique. I was committed to attending all of my PS slots without ever missing one, and participated in all drills, workouts, footwork and matches even if it was difficult and exhausting.