Brilliant Badminton
Why teach it?
As a result of the digital revolution, there is no doubt that students are not as active as we would like because of their enhanced online digital interaction and activity. School is an excellent opportunity to encourage activity, sport, and participation, even for those children less interested or stimulated by organised sports.
Badminton which remains popular in the UK is hugely popular in the Far East. It is a great game to start teaching early on, right through to teenage years and then into adulthood due to its array of dynamic benefits. It improves agility, coordination, and responsiveness, as well as improving overall fitness.
Here are Maudesport's Top 5 Benefits to playing Badminton and why you should teach it in school:
It’s an excellent option for socially distanced play – with opponents at opposite sides of the net there is much less risk of cross-contamination and touch. Ensuring sterilising processes are in place for use of the equipment, this is a minimal-risk game to play indoors when it’s windy and raining or outdoors when the sun is shining.
Physical benefits – Badminton offers many physical benefits across the whole body. You are continuously on the go, therefore maintaining an increased heart rate throughout the game and strengthening cardiovascular health. We know that a healthy body equals a healthy mind so the game will also help to reduce stress levels in children.
Improved agility, coordination, and responsiveness – are all key components of the game and great attributes for anyone to learn. The sharpness of each skill will be increased through regular play and training and will ultimately help with good general health and wellbeing.
It is an inclusive sport – The Youth Sports Trust works with a wide range of National Governing Bodies to provide ‘inclusive’ sport formats across intra and inter-school competitions, that include methods of adaptation to make the sport more challenging or easier and to enable inclusion across a breadth of special needs and disabilities. Badminton is on the list as one of the more inclusive sports.
Improves memory and motor skills – most sports have a positive effect on brain function and memory. This game requires alertness and quick thinking which are stimulants for enhanced brain function. Badminton enables children to keep a score in their heads which in turn can help improve memory.
The ideal age to start teaching Badminton is 7-8!
It is also a low-impact game that is safe for younger students, reducing the risk of direct contact with other players and ultimately the risk of injury and accidents happening.
