Try: Badminton –

I have a confession to make that might be a little embarrassing in my position as editor of a vehicle that covers, among other things, fitness: I’m afraid of the ball.

Ball sports terrify me because my initial instinct tells me that if a ball is coming towards me at high speed, I should either run or take cover from it. Of course, I try, as you can see from my football experience here, but it certainly doesn’t come naturally to me.

That’s why Badminton caught my attention. Unlike tennis (yes, it’s a small ball but it comes at high speed and the goal is to run towards it and not away from it), the sport is played with a shuttlecock which, despite being able to reach up to 300 km/h , does not cause injuries — although I acquired one in class, as I will tell you later in this article.

On the other hand, the sport requires agility, reflexes and coordination — three things I lack.

But I decided to try the sport and I must confess that I liked it so much that I’m thinking about joining the regular team.

BRIEF HISTORY OF BADMINTON

Badminton House facade ()

The sport was created in the 19th century in England, inspired by a game that was played in India called Poona. Its name refers to Badminton House, owned by a duke and the place where it was supposedly played for the first time.

Its official debut at the Olympics took place in Barcelona, ​​in 1992. Despite not being as popular in Brazil, Badminton has many benefits that Brazilians seek.

BADMINTON BENEFITS

As the sport involves a lot of agility and physical activity, you also lose a lot of calories while using every muscle in your body.

While playing, you are working your calves, quadriceps, hamstrings and also your abs.

Improves heart function

As it increases the heart rate, it helps unclog the walls of the heart, thereby improving blood flow, lowering blood pressure and also reducing hypertension. As a fun sport, playing badminton can also help reduce stress, which is one of the common causes of high blood pressure.

Increases bone density.

Playing badminton regularly promotes cell growth, which also indirectly helps strengthen bones. Strong bones eliminate joint or muscle injuries. It also helps develop calcium, which is necessary for your bones to stay strong and healthy.

Increases concentration and reflexes

It takes a lot of focus to play badminton. It involves rigorous movements, allowing you to stay alert. This makes you more agile and improves your coordination, further improving your cognitive functions.

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EXPERIENCED: BADMINTON CLASS

– (./Pexels)

I tried the class at the Competition gym, through Gympass. There, as it is a popular modality, different schedules are available so that the classes are smaller and the teacher can pay attention to each student. There were 5 students in my class.

We start with a warm-up where we practice a type of serve. The idea is that each student runs to the net and hits the shuttlecock, which the teacher, who is on the other side of the net, throws in our direction.

After this warm-up, the game begins, with 2 pairs, one against the other on each side of the net.

At that moment, while the other students were playing, the teacher called me into the corner and practiced with me typical Badminton movements — the serve, for example, must be done with the racket low, at waist height, different from tennis. And the movement to hit the shuttlecock should not come from arm strength but from the wrist.

The badminton racket has a smaller net area and a longer arm than a tennis racket. (./Pexels)

Then it was time to get into the game. At first, my biggest difficulty was hitting the shuttlecock, but I was assured that this is normal. You’re getting familiar with the racket, it works as an extension of your arm and until you get used to where the net on the racket is (which is further away than the net on a tennis racket, for example), you’ll probably make mistakes. some shuttlecocks.

Not that I got good in one class – far from it –, but at one point I got more confident and started to hit more. I even risked a few jumps to get shuttlecocks that were farther away, which resulted in a sprained ankle that happened due to my fault: I usually wear wider sneakers, to be able to put them on without having to untie them. In bodybuilding this was never a problem but in a sport, it can happen that the shoe slips away from your foot and causes you to fall, as happened to me.

Luckily, it was nothing serious and after a few minutes with the ice in place I was ready to go out on the court again — and I I wanted stepping onto the court, a very different feeling from my high school years when I was almost grateful for an injury if it meant I was out of the game.

I loved the mod. It’s a group sport but it doesn’t make me feel pressured, as there are always 4 people playing (this is in class; in some championships, the game is individual, 1 against 1). I felt very welcomed and really enjoyed myself. For me, team sports should be like that: fun and not make you anxious and feel pressured not to let your team down.

In the next classes — which I intend to attend as often as possible — I already know what to expect: well-laced sneakers and lots of fun.