I went to play badminton with JP and his buddies again last Sunday. There were five of us when we started playing games, and another person arrived in the latter half of the session. JP was a little sore from previous badminton games and coaching sessions, so I ended up playing more games then he did. I started by playing three games in a row, first partnered with JP and then with his friend. In all three games my teams were the dominate side, and my smashes and drops were coming through and decimating our opponents. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the truth is I was playing pretty well in the first three games.
After taking a break, JP and I teamed up against JP’s buddy and the guy who just arrived. The new arrival had fresh legs, while I was starting to get tired, so this turned into a tough game. JP and I kept it close, but I made too many errors and we dropped the game 18-21. After another break, JP and I were up again but this time against the other two opponents. We jumped out to an early lead but soon after my body started to fail me, and our opponents had us on the ropes 18-20. However, we caught a lucky break when our opponents made a service error and we tied the game 20-20. The game was then fought to a 22-22 tie before JP and I came through and won the game 24-22.
I wasn’t feeling too well after the game and that might be the reason why my performance suddenly dropped after game 3. My ability to play drops drastic when I start to feel tired because I rely a lot on my power, so once my strength is gone my smashes and drives become less effective and much more prone to hitting the net. I will start exercising on most days now since my co-op employer has a fitness room, so hopefully my stamina will get better. I still haven’t gone back to my school to play in the badminton club yet, but perhaps I’ll go next week.