Case Study – Linda H.

Teaching is only worth something if learning happens. That is what I believe in. This case study is the first of the series I am planning, as I am conscious, that more people should hear about what an adult session looks like, so they won’t shy away from joining.

Linda found me throughout the summer and wanted to improve her skills. She told me that she played before but her power generation and stamina fascinate me.

Her return to badminton is a brilliant example of how you can get back to a level, where you feel confident and satisfied with your performance.

As a coach, it is important to look after who you are coaching. But, at the same time, you need to try developing them, which means that you also need to find their physical boundaries. With Linda, I have to be careful, but not too delicate, otherwise she won’t be able to present her knowledge under pressure. A great example of how it could be done.

Here is what Linda has to say about her experience:

I am a woman in my late 60s and played badminton to a reasonable level in my late teens and early 20s. I then went on to play squash with a team competing in local leagues until my early 40s. My recent sports were more team games, which have struggled to maintain numbers since Covid, so I’ve been unable to play them on a regular basis, which is why I decided I’d like to take up badminton again.

After a few weeks of playing at my local leisure centre I was hoping I might regain some of my previous skills, although being realistic, I was fully aware this wasn’t going to be an instant achievement! I recognised that I needed some guidance to both undo my squash playing habits and rekindle as many as possible of my badminton skills from decades ago! My goal is to be able to feel confident that I can play to a standard where I am competing at the same level or above of those who attend the sessions at my local leisure centre.

Frank has been coaching me on a 1-1 basis once a week for a few weeks now and I can feel much improvement in my technique, accuracy and consistency, which has significantly improved my confidence. He has been able to identify where my footwork, positioning and timing of shots need to improve, and the 1-1 sessions are invaluable in my being able to practice a particular shot or technique over and over again until I feel I can do it consistently. He guides the sessions in the way he feels is most beneficial to my improvement but gives me the opportunity to ask questions or request something I would particularly like to work on. Overall, I feel I am really improving towards my goal but, more importantly, enjoying the process!

More case studies are just a click away. Click here!