Badminton to me was art. It was more beautiful that anything I'd seen in my life. The way people moved while playing badminton, how they moved their bodies, how they swung their racket, how hungry they looked to receive the shuttle. I loved it all.
I had never gotten coaching in badminton. My parents spent all their savings on my sister so she could have the best badminton coaching. She was an amazing player and she had played nationals. When she was seventeen, she suddenly decided to drop the sport.
She hadn't given our parents any reason or explanation to her decision, but my parents had been heartbroken. They had expended so much of their money and time on her badminton, after all.
I learned everything I knew of badminton by observing my sister. I had my own racket, an old heavy thing, but as long as it wasn't broken, it was enough. We had a sports club near our house, and to ask my parents for coaching now, just seemed cruel.
I knew if I wanted to play badminton, I'd have to learn it myself, and no one would teach it to me.
I did some basic drills everyday which I had seen my sister do. I did foot movements across the court. I knew how to hold a racket, I could replicate her body movements, I could copy her.
I began playing with some kids my age in the sports club. I started out worse than them, but I kept a diary, analysed what worked for me and what didn't.
I used to record myself play on my phone, understand my wrong movements and spend hours trying to perfect my play. I watched YouTube videos of badminton; of basic training and of the games played by professionals.
When they played, I couldn't help but hold my breath, because they played so perfectly, every single movement they did was calculated, precise, fast and strong. They seemed so sure of their body, and their body could comprehend exactly what their head wanted.
They were so... coordinated.
I kept at my practice diligently, and I realised even if my body could not exactly perform what my mind wanted; I could still see the other person's weakness.
Maybe it was a skill derived from years of watching badminton from the stands, but I could see also the spots from where my opponent wouldn't be able to reach the shuttle.
I began exploiting this skill, their weakness, and soon enough, I was able to win from the kids my age.
I played with them everyday, trying to increase the strength of my shots and soon enough I was able to hit a toss from the end of one court to the end of the other.