Badminton, fashion, and doing it all wrong.

I was flipping through Bazaar today and saw this nifty ad by Hermès:

Hermès Spring 2013

(Photo from: http://www.realliferunway.com/real-life-runway/2013/1/16/a-sporting-life.html)

Beautiful, isn't it? Except, if she were really playing badminton, she would probably fall into the water and ruin her outfit.  Besides, where'd her doubles partner go? And if there are so many birds on the ground, that must mean that she's in a training session. Not doing so well now, are we?

Jokes aside, badminton is considered an honor sport and has historically been played by the wealthy, giving it a very prestigious feel to it, hence the expensive outfit. Although this is the first ad with badminton that I've posted, there have been plenty more-- have you seen any lately? 

Neil DeGrasse Tyson

:(

We should all tweet him with some intense badminton videos so he can understand our sport a little better.

Besides, badminton is HUGE in Asia! 

Cartoon by Randy Otter

http://www.randyotter.com/

Hello, California.

Little bit behind-- it's been more than a month, but I've finally settled down and gotten back into my routine of badminton. (A month off badminton isn't good for the gut. Time to burn off some of that delicious California food.)

I've been playing at Irvine Valley College (http://www.ivc.edu/). They have plenty of banners flaunting their badminton spirit, having won many Women's Badminton Championships over the years.

If you're a student, you can try out for their team for this coming Spring and be a part of their history! Some people have been known to sign up for one online class just so they could join the team, so it's highly recommended! You get to meet some nice people and play competitively-- that's the dream!

I just play weekly-- every Saturday at 6PM. It's an $8 honor-code drop-in fee, and you can play all the way until 10PM. The courts go by a typical two-court rotation rule. Birds aren't provided, but you can buy them at the front desk.

They also have drop in on Sunday from 1PM, and social events Thursday nights, so you have plenty of opportunities to get to know the badminton community around here.

The level is, on average, a B- to C+ (for Washingtonians). You can get a few good games to work up a sweat and get some friendly competition going, but if you're looking for some hardcore rigorous training, I'd recommend driving 10-15 minutes to OCBC.

I'm not too familiar with the badminton scene here, though, but I've heard rumors that OCBC is pretty empty ever since LABC opened up. Guess it's time for me to check them out!

Come visit IVC sometime and say hi! :)

Get nervous before a game?

No fret!

The American Psychological Association recently published an article called "Simple Routine Could Help Athletes Avoid Choking Under Pressure"

Even better?

The study included Badminton players!

The study was done in Germany, and participants included soccer players, judo experts and BADMINTON PLAYERS! So proud!

According to the article, "Right-handed athletes who squeezed a ball in their left hand before competing were less likely to choke under pressure than right-handed players who squeezed a ball in their right hand."

TL;DR? (Too Long; Didn't Read)?

I cut out the badminton portion for you here:

"The final experiment featured 18 experienced badminton players (12 men and six women) who completed a series of practice serves. Then, they were divided into teams and competed against each other while being videotaped for evaluation by their coaches. Athletes who squeezed a ball in their left hand didn’t choke under pressure, unlike the control group players who squeezed a ball in their right hand. A final phase of the experiment had the athletes just clench their left or right hand without a ball before competition, and players who clenched their left hand performed better than players who squeezed their right hand."

Next time you're on the court, remember this tip and see if you play well! Post a comment below if you felt a difference!

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2012/09/choking-pressure.aspx

Anyone in California?

I've been taking the last month to relocate to California.

Any good places to play badminton? :)

California is famous in the US for having a HUGE amount of places to play for badminton, but I'd love first person account on where the best places to play are!

Leave me a comment and I'll come check it out soon!

Badminton trouble at the Olympics

What the heck happened?

Following #badminton on twitter?

In the women's doubles game, China vs. Korea, both teams were booed for not trying as hard, hoping they would lose to get an easier draw.

Is that cheating, or that strategy?

In my opinion, I think in an honorable event like the Olympics, you give it your all, no matter who you're up against. To think that Chinese and Korean fans, both of whom are incredibly proud of their athletes, were all boo'ing their own players.

Badminton is an honor sport. As an athlete, your sportsmanship is paying both respect for your sport, and to your opponents. Playing well during a game, no matter how difficult or easy it is, proves that you are trying your hardest to be the best you can be. It's showing the world that you've worked hard to be the tough athlete that you are, and you're not willing to go down without a fight.

I've always wanted badminton to get press coverage, but not like this.

Let's hope the rest of the Olympics are a little better than what we've witnessed today.

Read more about it here:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/london/story/2012-07-31/Badminton-players-charged-with-throwing-matches/56630488/1