Date:  April 19, 2019

It’s time to get serious in badminton.

This week, both Jay & Kay was asked to attend special training class at the headquarters of Singapore Badminton School in SUTD Sport and Recreations Centre.  I think the head coach wanted to see every one from all the branches and to consolidate the training at SUTD instead of having satellite branches all around Singapore.

http://www.singaporebadmintonschool.com.sg/about-us/

Singapore Badminton School has 6 courts setup in SUTD every Saturday and Sunday.  The morning classes are for very good players with national ranking training.  From 1pm onwards is for the training for others students.

 

We were told they are going to keep potential players from all the branches, to join the training at SUTD for Saturday and Sunday starting May 2019.  Means, for Jay and Kay, if they gets to be kept in the training center after the evaluation today.

It is going to be intense and stressful for the kids, because I told them, if they didn’t make it to the training, for any reason, they got kicked out from the badminton training, I will make sure they go back to Taekwondo training.  Hahahahaha  I know Jay already gotten his 3rd Dan (3rd Junior Black) belt, and Kay just got his 2nd Dan (2nd Junior Black) belt last year.  But for weekly fitness sake, I rather see them having an active and high energetic exercise such as Competition sparring class or badminton.  When they hear this, they “Oh no…”  hahahaha  Because it is painful when got kicked or punched in the competition sparring class.  hahahahaha

The founder and head coach was a China coach who contributed in training Lin Dan, Chen Hong and Liang Xiao Yu before.  Recent years, they also trained Shi Yu Qi.

Previously, we having training at the Clementi branch then move to the Chua Chu Kang branch.  It was a smaller class.  (not more than 6-8 people and usually one single court).  The students are mix, and therefore, the progress from the training is sometimes slow.  Most of the time, the kids are in “playing mode” at the branch.  The coach recognised this, and therefore, wanted to consolidate the training venues.  And they intend to closed down all the satellite branches and concentrate all the training at SUTD.  There will be more students in one single session.  And there are 6 courts as well as more than 6 coaches.  The students can be ground according to their standards and proper training drills can be taught.  I think this is a good move.

But then, it depends on whether the school decide to keep them or not.  Let’s see…

So, let’s see how they do…

This is also first time in many years I watching both kids going thru the training…

Of course, foot work very important.

They grouped similar standard students together so to give consistent training drills.  Kay is practicing the swinging motion.

Since the paring is similar standard, Jay get to do long and longer relays by keep hitting the shuttlecock.

Of course, if you did some steps or drills wrong, or slow, then, you get to do push up too.  Good!  hahahaha

It is truly a great work out session for both of my kids.

Even Kay Kay non-stop doing training today.  Hahaa… And I had never seen Kay “sweat” so much during the last few years.  But today, all his shirts and pants are wet.  Hahahaha.  You can imagine Jay’s also fully wet and stinky.  hahaha

Non-stop training for 2 hours.  And now Jay is training for the back hand near net ball.

Since now got so many coaches around, the head coach can walk here and there give comments on things he doesn’t like to see.  Then, the coach immediately will jump in and demonstrate what the head coach commenting about.  Hahahahaha.. and Jay will have to buckle up and play nicer and nicer.

Jay was representing Pei Tong Primary School, now, he joined SST Badminton squad.  Hopefully, if he got accepted in joining the SBS training at SUTD, he can get more focus training here.  And hopefully can contribute some to SST.

Jay now gets to pair up with many players with similar standards.  I like this young girl.  She is quite good.  She is much shorter than Jay, but she played fearlessly. and look at how she handle every shuttle, quite nice.

Yes, Jay, keep smashing.. hahaha let all the sweat come out.

Still pairing and training with this young girl.  I recorded down every single points when they played.  Later going to show Jay and give him some tips on what he has not down correctly.  He is a bit sloppy.  But he always give excuses.  Haahaha, he said, he is not good in playing single.  hahaha

OK, lastly, the pairing competes.  Jay lost to this young girl, 5-0.  Hahahahaha

Meanwhile, the head coach pulls Kay to aside to correct some of his racket handling and swinging…

OK la… Let’s see how Jay do in Double.  He always play double.  But if you ok with badminton, it does not  matter you are in single or double lor.. hahaha

OK, he did contributes some points in double.

And both the boys won.   21-11.  Yeah.. shake hands time.

So, it is good that they consolidate all the students in one complex here, so that students can be grouped to their own standards and make the game and training fun.

After two hours of non-stop training.

Both boys have perspired so much that I had never seen before.  Especially Kay.  I had never seen him sweat like today.  hahaha

They got paired with players that is similar standards.

The training is more intense and no more “fun and playing”.

I think it is good for them.

The trainer later came and told me that he wished both of the boys come to SUTD for training and it is best to do 4-hours per week training.  So, we decided to break it into Saturday and Sunday, 2 hours each so that they can face more different players and get used to different style of playing.

Of course it is hard work me, the parents as we need to sent them to training near Changi.  hahahaha  So far from Clementi.  But we got it all work out, because after their badminton, I can still sent them to their Python/Robotics programming classes at Katong Village after their badminton at SUTD.  So it shall be.  Badminton for fitness, and Python programming for brain training.