By Jocelyn Li
Teenagers are co
nstantly being pestered by their parents to find a hobby or a sport that provides adequate amounts of exercise. Ever since first grade, my parents pushed me to find a sport that I would be willing to keep. I’ve experienced things like volleyball, tennis, soccer, and swimming, yet none seemed to strike my fancy. I was either too weak, too short, or too apathetic to uphold any of those sports. But as I naively decided for myself that athletic activities were just not for me, I came upon one that somehow twisted my distaste for all things involving physical effort.
Badminton is not a typical sport. It doesn’t involve a ball, nor does it require specific outfits. As a racket sport, it is somewhat similar to tennis, but different techniques allowed me to choose one over the other. While tennis calls for arm and body movement to hit a heavy ball with a heavy racket, badminton requires wrist flicking to hit a light shuttlecock with a light racket. Without a lot of arm strength, I gravitated towards the simpler choice—badminton. After 5 years of extensive training, I don’t see playing badminton as a task forced on me by my parents anymore. It’s a stress reliever, a leisurely activity, and my source of happiness.
Before I started badminton, I surprisingly found a lot of time on my hands. Without a hobby to partake in, my entire afternoon would be spent idling away with nothing to work on. Although that may sound relaxing, it’s actually extremely dull and boring. After first grade, I’ve discovered enough activities to make my life interesting, and badminton is just one of them.
