It's all in your mind.

I love the game of badminton. Ever since I decided to take the sport a little more seriously and get a coach to work on the technique, I've been wanting to find out more about the sport and how to play it better.

Heck, that's the exact reason why I started this blog - to explore the wonderful sport and see how else I can get more fun out of it. I've been fortunate to share this joy with many friends and avid supporters from all over the world, and I must say I am truly blessed to share and hear from the fans.

In the course of the game, I've had experiences where I suddenly grasp a certain concept to the game - how to perform a slice smash, how to make my smashes stronger, how to get a bit more distance from my backhand.

Each and every time, I'll take the lesson and give it a few more tries on the court to make sure that the theory works. And when I found that it did, I'll keep at it until I get it in my system. It's taken awhile longer to get those epiphanies and also to get them indoctrinated due to my lack of rrequent playing, but it's always a good feeling when I learn something else new.

I was on the courts in a singles game last Saturday, and I was missing the left corner of my opponents' court badly. I was putting the shuttle out hit after hit, and it was getting a little frustrating. 

Then a great shot came, and it left me wondering how I finally managed to pull it off. I remembered that at the moment of swinging, I was consciously telling myself to take this shot calmly and not put in too much of a swing. 

So I gave this approach a try, and honest-to-truth it worked!

Each time I was presented with a shot, I would concentrate willingly on where I wanted to put it, and how I wanted it to travel. I told myself that I shouldn't put too much strength into the swing, no matter how far I wanted it to travel. 

The end result of a carefully calculated shot can be amazing, and I'm glad I took the time to discover and try it out.

It may sound simple enough, and a lot of players out there may already be able to hit the courts accurately without psyching yourself up, but I hope those that those who still throw off wild shots give this method a try.

It's simple, yet agonizingly hard to do.

Let me know how it goes.