*We were kindly sent some items to try for this post*
A little known fact about me as that I loved playing badminton as a teen and young adult. My mum also played. in fact she played competitively for her county as a young adult, and she enjoyed playing when she could wherever we lived when we were abroad and she could find people to play with or clubs. She taught me to play and I played at school.
So teaching my kids to play seemed like a great idea and a good way to get them outside enjoying a sport that is easy to learn and minimal fuss to set up for a family. Badminton originated from India from the game battledore and shuttlecock and is now a game played with much skill at the Olympics and is a very popular game all over the world.
Badminton is great, as a game. It encourages activity, hand eye coordination skills, and team playing skills. It’s competative and fun and it’s great to play as a family or as a singles match. It’s a really good way to get kids outside to play and you can set up a basic area to play easily. Of course, being able to play more professionally in matches on a court is an option but having fun, and learning to play is the first and most important thing.
The kids and I have had a lot of fun. I have been remembering my old skills and feeling them coming back and the kids have learned how to serve and try and keep up a rally and we even play basic matches. The husband has been joining in too, and it’s been getting quite fierce round here.
To set us up, we have some rackets and shuttlecocks and a basic net and that’s really all we need.
You can play anywhere really. On the beach, in the garden, out in the park, and you could even take your kit on holiday with you if you wanted. It’s a great game to get fitter and learn a new skill.
Hours of fun, and lots of healthy exercise and everyone is getting quite good at keeping the shuttlecock flying. The only problem is when Dad tries to pretend he is competing for the Olypmic team and we end up having to retrieve shuttlecocks from trees!!