Badminton Fever

During the past few days, the weather here in Saudi Arabia seems to be so cold and sometimes when we are playing outside (tennis) it seems that we were not able to sweat it out because of the weather. We enjoy the game more during relatively humid conditions as perspirations come out and we can feel that playing the game as a form of exercise is really working.

Therefore our group decided to try indoor sports as badminton. There is an old squash court which has not been used for a long time and we asked permission from the management to convert the place into a badminton court and it was granted.

Everybody was so excited and we bought the necessary equipment and rackets in order to start playing. Soon we realize it is not that easy. Our mindset being used to playing tennis is different and we have to adjust in practically many aspects of the game. Tennis involves different strokes and spins and you have to bring your whole body and arms up to the shoulder and waist into action. Badminton on the other hand relies more on wrist actions and you have to watch the ball's inconsistency (travel very fast when you are hit with a smash, but slows down as it hits the ground). At first, we were caught at having to slice and put top spins into the ball or sometimes totally not hitting it.

But I can say that it is all fun and I think it is also worth trying as a new sport to play especially with the current weather. When I go on vacation I am planning to play this game also with my family. There is nothing more enjoyable as a past time or games you play with your family.