It’s sports season again and the FDR Badminton team is starting strong! Badminton has always been an underrated sport in the United States, however, in FDR it’s quite popular! Badminton may appear as an easy sport, but it requires immense stamina, excessive footwork, and long hours of practice. FDR’s Badminton team coach Hellman, and the captain of the team Marcus Ko, have given an interview about their expectations and values concerning badminton for this year!

Coach Hellman’s interview below.
Q: How do you organize the large number of athletes on the team?
A: We have a total of five courts and a lot of space in between them. Three main courts are for a group of 7 starters and 10 exhibition starters. There are two courts in the background for beginner players. We also have competition courts that are used for competing. I make sure to encourage players to compete, so that they can take over someone’s position or learn skills from their opponents.

Q: How do you help your students/athletes overcome their struggles?
A: Marcus, who is the Captain of the team, does a lot of the individual training with the players. When I see the weaknesses of my students, we start to focus on those weaknesses and overcome their challenges. For example, if someone is having trouble with backhand skills, we focus on backhand drills. In addition, competition and training help to overcome the weaknesses that cause those struggles.

Q: What are your core values as a coach?
A: The most important thing for me is building friendships, I have friendships set with those who have graduated already. We all become one family and welcome every player. I like to keep a friendly atmosphere and let older players come back and visit. Building friendships is the most predominant quality of the team

Q: Can you describe what a typical practice looks like for your team?
A: We have a large number of members, about 30+. We divide up the courts by main ones being for the starters and back courts being for exhibition or regular players. Main courts are important for the starters to practice their skills and drills, while back courts let players build up basic fundamental skills such as footwork, hand-eye coordination, and agility.

Q: What are your expectations for the team this year?
A: We have a strong team set up for this year. Pretty much the entire starters are returning players which sets my expectation mark really high. This will be the year where I see us making a comeback to the championship, because we worked really hard. A lot of our starters worked extensively over the summer too, which makes my goal simple- to be back into the championships.

Captain Marcus Ko’s interview below.

Q: What do you think is the greatest challenge in playing badminton?
A: The greatest challenge in playing badminton would be having a strong mind during the game, you cannot win without a calm and patient mind, no matter how good your skills or fundamentals are.

Q: How long have you been playing badminton?
A: I’ve been playing for 8 years and I can say those 8 years have been wonderful.

Q: What made you start playing badminton?
A: One time when I was a kid, my mom bought a toy badminton set and we later played it at the park. I loved it so much. I felt like it was the most exciting item I have ever played with in my life, which inspired my passion to start playing badminton.

Q: What are your techniques for preparing yourself before an upcoming game?
A: Before every game, I will go on YouTube to watch matches of pro athletes and learn from them. In addition, I study my opponent’s movements and techniques during the scrimmages.

Q: What do you look for in a coach?
A: I believe that the coach should be able to know what the team needs at a certain moment. For example, if we need more practice, maybe he should establish a scrimmage against another school. However, if we have a tough game, he should cheer us up or maybe create a party to lighten up the mood.

The great connection between the players and friendship is what makes FDR badminton so unique. Thanks to coach Hellman and Marcus for establishing a clear image in our heads of how successful the badminton team will be this year! Good luck Cougars and we hope your reckoning will be achieved!