Badminton Monthly March 2014

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Junior International Trial, High School Special

· Tournament Results & News

Faces of Junior Team USA JIT U19, U17 Full Results Team Profile

UC Berkeley

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84 Badminton Monthly January 2014

March 2014

www.badmintonmonthly.com

Road to Rio

by Paula Obanana

Interview with

Shannon Pohl A Day with a H.S. Badminton Team from Tokyo Skill Feature

Footwork to the Sides

by Kowi Chandra

Basic Overhead Stroke

by Ben Lee

March 2014

CONTENTS

4

Next Issue Highlights and Submission 3 Letter From the Editor

Junior International Trial · Complete Results of U19 and U17 · Faces of the 2014 Junior Team USA · JIT Team Selection Process, by Ray Ng

21 Badminton 2 Cents

What aspects of international competitions do you enjoy watching the most

30 Intl. Game Results · Superseries Finals 2013 · Korea Open · Malaysia Open

22

32 Love All Play

Blazing the Trail for High School Students

· Juniors in Seattle are Booming

37 Christianna’s Athletic Edge

An Interview with Shannon Pohl

Relieving Lower Back Pain

45 Junior Player Spotlight Emmelie Frausing (10) from Seattle “To Be As Good As My Brother”

46 Team Profile

26

UC Berkeley’s Cal Badminton

Aiming for National Tournament

50 Tip of the Month How to Humidify Shuttles

Spending a day with a high school badminton team from Tokyo

Skill Features

40 Basic Overhead Stroke

by Ben Lee

58 Graham/Toms US Senior International

by BOB COOK

62 Workout of the Month Strong Core Rules!

51 Footwork to the Sides

by Kowi Chandra

64 Jump Smash

Chapter 3: Dark Shadows Threaten Robert’s Future with Yuko!

78 Event Schedule/Directory 81 Evenings with Coach Dick Ng Opening a Junior Program in SSF

82 Road to Rio

by Paula Obanana

ON THE COVER Kerry Xu (14) wins U19 Girls Singles at the Junior International Trial on Dec. 30, 2013 2 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Issue #4, May 2014

• US Adult Nationals

Full Coverage on 2014 US Champions

• Bay Area Corporate Badminton Challenge Also featuring 2013 Champion, Cisco Systems

• Skill Feature

Footwork to the back, by Kowi Chandra Basic Strokes, by Ben Lee

• Team Profile

Winning high schools around the nation

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EDITOR’S NOTE

March 2014

Impressed by Players from JIT As athletes from around the world competed in Sochi Winter Olympics, I was impressed to see so much coverages on the athletes. They sacrificed their time and money to accomplish their dreams to win the gold at the winter games. For many athletes, the Olympics is the only stage where they can gain the spotlight and be featured on TV. Only once every four years, they become the most popular athletes in the U.S., and possibly in the world. This can be the only chance for them to become nationally recognized. Well, badminton, unfortunately, is one of these sports in the U.S. In this issue, we spent extra time covering the Junior International Trial U17 & U19 (JIT) and Junior Team USA, which will compete in the World Junior Championships in April this year. When I was there shooting the action, I foresaw the possibilGames like Boys’ Singles between Timothy Lam (left) and Alex ity of those athletes being qualified and competing Cheng draw a large crowd. Both players played hard on every rally in the summer Olympics to come, either Rio in 2016 to try to win a spot on the Junior Team USA. or Tokyo in 2020 or in the distant future. That idea excited me and made me frantic. I wanted to take as many pictures of these players as possible in the 4-day competition. Some players had to play 18 matches in those four days because they were trying to qualify in multiple events. It sure was exhausting, but I could tell in their eyes that they never lost focus.

Olympics gold medalists and world champions were born from the World Junior Championships in the past. I dreamed that someday covering these junior players will help them succeed what other US badminton players have never achieved in the past, which is to win gold at the Olympics and get featured on national TV. In this issue, we also put a spotlight on high school badminton by putting stories on the Shannon Pohl Academy in Chicago and a Japanese high school in Japan, hoping to help players and coaches in the US badminton community.

This is our third issue, and we already have received many feedbacks from the readers. Thank you so much for your support, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Kota Morikawa Editor-in-chief kota@badmintonmonthly.com

Publisher: Dwight Sung Associate Publisher: James Young Marketing Director: Sophia Law Editor-in-Chief: Kota Morikawa Managing Editor: Joy Ma Assistant Editor: Rebecca Weiner Assistant Editor: William Cheung Art Director: Elizabeth Sung Photography: Derick Santos Manga: Rocket Mango

Badminton Monthly is published bi-monthly in the USA. Copyright 2013 by Badminton Monthly, Inc. at 1482 Oddstad Drive, Redwood City, CA 94063, all rights reserved. Subscription rate for US is $59.88 per 12 issues. If postal service is unable to deliver, we have no further obligation unless we receive corrected address within six months. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Badminton Monthly, Inc., 1482 Oddstad Drive, Redwood City, CA 94063. Any and all material in this publication must not be reproduced in any form without permission. Requests for permission should be directed to editorial@badmintonmonthly.com. Customer service and subscriptions please visit www.badmintonmonthly.com or write us at Badminton Monthly, 1482 Oddstad Drive, Redwood City, CA 94063.

As with any sport and fitness activities, injuries may occur when playing badminton.

Badminton Monthly will not be liable to any injuries caused from the stretches, exercises or training described in any of our magazines or website. To avoid injuries, we recommend training with a specialist and consulting with doctors and other experts in the field. www.badmintonmonthly.com 3

WJC Results for Team USA in the past 10 years 2013 (Thailand): 27th(32) 2012 (Japan): 18th(30) 2011 (Malaysia): 21th(22) 2010 (Mexico): 20th(24) 2009 (Malaysia): did not participate 2008 (India): did not participate 2007 (New Zealand): 16th(25) 2006 (South Korea): 20th(28) 20th(20) 2004 (Canada): *() next to the year indicates the Venue. *() next to the result indicates the total number of participating countries.

Kerry Xu (14) and Timothy Lam (16), the new champions for U19 Girls’ Singles and Boys’ Singles, respectively, were selected to be a part of Team USA competing at both World Junior Championships (WJC) and Pan American Junior Championships (PAJC) this year.

The USA Badminton Junior International Trials, which was held this past December 27-30 at Affinity Badminton Club in San Carlos, California for the U19 and U17 categories, determined the members of Junior Team USA who will compete in the 2014 World Junior Championships (April 7-18, Malaysia) and the 2014 Pan American Junior Championships (July 23-27, Guatemala).

Last year, Team USA was 27th place out of 32 countries in the WJC held in Thailand. The team had close matches against France, Spain, and Sri Lanka, but unfortunately fell short in the end.

Aston Khor from Texas will return to the team this year along with his Boy’s Doubles partner Kevin Chan and Anna Tang, Khor’s Mixed Doubles partner, both from California. Along with Xu and Lam, other fresh faces are Jordy Supandi and Crystal Pan from California and Victoria Chen from Washington.

Pictures on this spread page: The future stars of USA badminton in action.

Junior International Trial Dec. 27-30, 2013, San Carlos, CA

Jr. Team USA

Decided Photography and Story

BY KOTA MORIKAWA, JAMES YOUNG

BOYS’ SINGLES U19

2014 Junior International Trial

Final Standings 1. Timothy Lam 2. Jordy Supandi 3. Justin Ma 4. Nicholas Waller

Timothy Lam

JIT BOYS’ SINGLES U19

Jordy Supandi

Justin Ma

Nicholas Waller

www.badmintonmonthly.com 7

GIRLS’ SINGLES U19

2014 Junior International Trial

Final Standings 1. Kerry Xu 2. Crystal Pan 3. Annie Xu 4. Anna Tang

Kerry Xu

JIT GIRLS’ SINGLES U19

Annie Xu

Crystal Pan

Anna Tang

www.badmintonmonthly.com 9

BOYS’ DOUBLES U19

2014 Junior International Trial

Kevin Chan (left)/Aston Khor Jordy Supandi (left)/ Nicholas Waller

Timothy Lam (left)/Justin Ma

Final Standings

Ryan Shuche Liu (right)/Roberto Zeng

10 Badminton Monthly January 2014

1. Kevin Chan/Aston Khor 2. Timothy Lam/Justin Ma 3. Ryan Shuche Liu/Roberto Zeng 4. Jordy Supandi/Nicholas Waller

Cherie Chow (front)/Christine Yang

GIRLS’ DOUBLES U19

1. Cherie Chow/Christine Yang 2. Victoria Chen/Crystal Pan 3. Annie Xu/Kerry Xu 4. Sonya Wong/Angela Zhang

2014 Junior International Trial

Final Standings

Annie Xu (right)/Kerry Xu

Sonya Wong (right)/Angela Zhang

Victoria Chen (left)/Crystal Pan

www.badmintonmonthly.com 11

2014 Junior International Trial

MIXED DOUBLES U19

Aston Khor (right)/Anna Tang

Final Standings

1. Aston Khor/Anna Tang 2. Vinson Chiu/Crystal Pan 3. Raymond Hsia/Cherie Chow 4. Timothy Lam/Angela Zhang

Raymond Hsia (left)/Cherie Chow

Timothy Lam (right)/Angela Zhang

Vinson Chiu (left)/Crystal Pan

12 Badminton Monthly January 2014

BOYS’ SINGLES U17

Final Standings

Vinson Chiu

Gokul Kalyanasundaram

1. Vinson Chiu 2. Gokul Kalyanasundaram 3. Brian Duong 4. Benjamin Chen

2014 Junior International Trial

Brian Duong

Benjamin Chen

www.badmintonmonthly.com 13

2014 Junior International Trial

GIRLS’ SINGLES 17

Final Standings 1. Priscilla Long 2. Rina Yan 3. Krista Hsu 4. Madeline Sporkert

Priscilla Long

Rina Yan

14 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Krista Hsu

Madeline Sporkert

BOYS’ DOUBLES U17

Gokul Kalyanasundaram (left)/Cadmus Yeo

2014 Junior International Trial

Mason Jiang (left)/Darren Lo

Alan Chuang (left)/Anthony Chu

Final Standings

1. Mason Jiang/Darren Lo 2. Vinson Chiu/Brian Duong 3. Anthony Chu/Alan Chuang 4. Gokul Kalyanasundaram/ Cadmus Yeo

Vinson Chiu (right)/Brian Duong www.badmintonmonthly.com 15

GIRLS’ DOUBLES U17

2014 Junior International Trial

Priscilla Long (left)/Madeline Sporkert

Final Standings

1. Priscilla Long/ Madeline Sporkert 2. Rina Yan/Julie Yeung 3. Nicole Frevold/Krista Hsu 4. Karen Ma/Ivy Xie

Rina Yan (left)/Julie Yeung

Karen Ma (right)/Ivy Xie 16 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Nicole Frevold (right)/Krista Hsu

MIXED DOUBLES U17

1. Joseph Pitman/ Nicole Frevold 2. Ambrose So/ Michelle Zhang 3. Mason Jiang/ Madeline Sporkert 4. Anthony Chu/ Sarah Chang

2014 Junior International Trial

Final Standings

Joseph Pitman (left)/Nicole Frevold

Mason Jiang (left)/Madeline Sporkert

Ambrose So (left)/Michelle Zhang Anthony Chu (right)/Sarah Chang

www.badmintonmonthly.com 17

Faces of the 2014 Junior Team USA

A

fter the heated 4-day Junior International Trials, some players played 18 games during that span to make the team. Here are the faces of the 2014 Junior Team USA and their comments on the coming World Junior Championships in Malaysia in April.

Kevin Chan (18) Fremont, California

I am both excited and eager to compete once more, and again I hope to be able play my best for the team. I hope to win at least two of my matches this time around, and I am preparing myself by going to practice a little more often and finding time to also do some conditioning on my own.

Aston Khor (17) Irving, Texas

I’m really looking forward to being a part of the team because it’s really motivating seeing juniors that are so amazing, yet they’re the same age as me. I’m not going in expecting anything other than gaining experience and watching some amazing matches. The juniors playing there that are from Asia and Europe are on a whole different level. I’m just going to try my best and learn from them.

Timothy Lam (16)

Mountain View, California

I feel very honored to represent the US Team to compete on an international level. It has always been my wish to compete with other junior players outside the US since it will definitely be a good experience for me. I hope to learn some new skills and techniques while competing and from watching others compete. My goal is to try to play my best and hope that I will keep a strong and determined mindset during the game.

Jordy Supandi (16) Fremont, California

I am honored to have the privilege and opportunity to compete against the best junior players of other nations. I know that I will have to work harder than before to prepare for the WJC. My goal for this tournament is to achieve the highest possible world ranking and at the same time, show my best performance during the team events. In order to achieve those goals, I have been preparing myself since the beginning of this year to be physically and mentally ready for such a world class tournament. Another thing that I would like to achieve is to prove to the world that USA players are worthy opponents. We are considered underdogs and have been labeled as weak competitors. I would like to correct this image and prove those criticisms wrong.

18 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Victoria Chen (16) Bellevue, Washington

I’m very excited about World Juniors this year. Our team is so lucky to be able to represent the US, and we wish to bring our country pride and confidence.

Also, traveling to Malaysia will be a blast because there’ll definitely be a lot of elite players from countries all over the world and some amazing matches to watch! However, I am also nervous because World Juniors will be one of the biggest tournaments that I’ve ever played in. My goal for the tournament is to win at least one match with each of my partners because I know that the tournament will be at a very high level. To prepare for the tournament, I will train even harder than I did before and add in some more private lessons to my training schedule. The next couple of months will be long and arduous, but I know it’ll all be worth it in the end.

Crystal Pan (15) Fremont, California

It is an honor to represent the United States in the World Junior Championship this year, and I am very excited for this opportunity. As for goals, I just hope that I am able to play my best and have no regrets in the end. Preparation wise, I have been and will be training hard to be in the best shape I can possibly be in to compete. Physical preparation is very important, but mental preparation is equally important. Most people believe that the United States stands no chance against the traditionally dominant Asian countries. No matter how hard physically it is to win, believing in myself and my teammates is the first step to victory. With all of our hard work and persistence, we can break through this misconception.

We will never forget why we fight so hard: for our country.

Anna Tang (16) Fremont, California

I feel so thankful for another opportunity to play at the World Juniors, and I will definitely cherish it.

I’m really excited to visit Malaysia and watch the professionals play, as well as test my skills against them. This time I just want to play my best and play for the team, not give up until the match is over, and exercise my full potential. To prepare, I’m going to go to practice more often, even if I’m busy, and try to start running in the morning.

Kerry Xu (14)

San Jose, California

I was very happy at JIT to come out in 1st place. I thought [my twin sister Annie and I] would have a chance to get into teams with doubles and the results took me by complete surprise. When I go to World Juniors, I hope to not play players from Asia during the first few rounds, but if I do, I’ll have a good chance to see my level compared to players from higher-ranked countries. Every day of the past has been building me up to be a stronger player, and my coaches are working with me on my speed, power, and of course, techniques. But this tournament shouldn’t be stressful in any way- it is just to show me how far I really am compared to other junior international players.

Players in Individual Events Boys’ Singles Timothy Lam

Jordy Supandi

Justin Ma

Girls’ Singles Cyrstal Pan

Kerry Xu

Annie Xu

Boys’ Doubles

Justin Ma (left)/Timothy Lam

Darren Yang (left)/Jerry Yang

Girls’ Doubles Annie Xu (right)/Kerry Xu

Crystal Pan (left)/Victoria Chen

Mixed Doubles

Timothy Lam (left)/Angela Zhang

Darren Yang (left)/Victoria Chen

Kevin La (left)/Jenny Jin www.badmintonmonthly.com 19

Referee’s Corner

JIT Team Selection Process

by Ray Ng

USAB certified National level Referee

T

he US Junior Team, which represents the U.S. for the World Junior Championships and the Pan American Junior Championships, was selected at the Junior International Trials 2014 (JIT) that were held last December. JIT, hosted by USA Badminton (USAB), decides the players (U19 only) for the team event and for the individual events for the age groups U11, U13, U15, U17 and U19.

Over the years, I have gotten a lot of questions about how the team is selected since the Team Event Selection Process is very complicated. I am going to focus here on giving one example when we used the process at the JIT in 2010.

The following are the USAB rules for the Process in 2014. a) The 2014 JIT winners of GS, BS, GD, BD, and XD from JIT are selected first. b) Doubles pairs are selected together. If one athlete of a winning Doubles pair is unable to compete, the other athlete is consequently not selected (but may be selected by step d below). c) If for either boys or girls, the above procedure does not yield enough athletes, the Singles 2nd place finisher is selected next. d) If for either boys or girls the above procedure does not yield enough athletes, than sufficient additional athletes are to be selected in the order of their JIT scoring total based on their two best events – Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles using the scoring formula as follows: Each 1st Place = 30 points Each 2nd Place = 15 points Each 3rd Place = 7.5 points Each 4th Place = 5 points Each 5th Place = 3 points Each 6th Place = 2 points Each 7th Place = 1 point Each 8th Place = 1 point e) USAB reserves the right to revoke selection of an athlete at USAB’s sole discretion.

Now, you know how the points are counted. Let’s take a look at how the four female players in the 2010 Pan Am Junior Championship were selected.

They are Sharon Ng, Samantha Li, Isabel Zhong and Emily Kan. The JIT Results and the points are calculated as shown in the chart.

Let’s walk through the selection process.

1. Select the 1st place of each event. Rule a applies.

We have Cee Ketpura (GS, MX), Sharon Ng (GD), and Karine Hsu (GD) 2. At this point, all GD, MX were all going so there is no problem with rule b.

3. We only have three players because Cee Ketpura won two events.

Then rule c kicks in. The single runner up will be the next one.

Sharon Ng is the 2nd place but she’s also 1st place in GD. 4. At this point we are still short one player. Therefore, rule d applies here. Based on the highest total points. Samantha Li was selected as the 4th player of the team.

20 Badminton Monthly January 2014

5. This was the initial team.

Cee Keptura, Sharon Ng, Karine Hsu and Samantha Li. 6. At a later dates, Cee Keptura and Karine Hsu decided not to go to Pan Am Junior Championship. Sharon is 2nd in singles so she is on the team, and since there were no number one finishers left so the next three players with the highest points were selected - Samantha Li, Emily Kan and Isabel Zhong, and this was the final team.

7. The top 8 positions with the highest points may have a chance to be on the team, so it’s very important to never give up during the tournament especially after the round robin before going to the ranking tournament. You never know when you will need the extra points.

On a final note, if after the whole process is completed and there are still spaces left, it is up to the USAB selection committee’s discretion to select who will be on the team or individual event.

The Selection Committee is comprised of: · USAB Chair - Junior Advisory Group · USAB Director - Coaching & High Performance · Junior International Tournament Coordinator · Pan Am Junior Championships and/or World Junior Championships Head Coach · Pan Am Junior Championships and/or World Junior Championships Team Manager

Ray Ng

USAB certified National level Referee, Coach and Coordinator of 2013 World University Games. Held various positions for the badminton community since 2006, including USAB certified umpire, Junior Advisory Group member, Junior Ranking Committee, Team Manager, Junior International Tournament Coordinator, tournament organizer, USAB coach training module instructor. He will be the Team Manager for Team USA for the 13th World University Badminton Championship to be held in Cordoba, Spain from July 23-29 this year.

YONEX USA International 2013 11/6-11/10, Orlando, FL

BY ELMO RAMOS

We can witness professional badminton competitions in person twice in the United States. The US Open is from July 8-13 in New York this year, and the USA International is from October 22-26 in Florida. Badminton Monthly went out to the USA International in Florida last year to ask the local spectators what aspects of international competitions they enjoy watching the most.

Cheryl Gao (26)

It’s really exciting and really fun to watch and cheer.

You become so emotionally invested in the game- it’s awesome.

Carla Smith (46)

Joanne Chin (37)

Kaixia Liao (36)

In person, badminton play is stronger, faster and smarter. Watching these professionals, it makes me want to play.

The crowd participation makes this an interactive experience not just a spectator sport. The ‘ohs’, ‘ahs’ and encouragement from the crowd for the players and the player acknowledging us and at times yelling with us make watching the tournament in person way more riveting.

I enjoy watching because it is energetic and high paced. I like to see them smash it. It’s so exciting.

Linda French (49)

The facility here is very nice.

Watching is very entertaining, now that it’s not me doing all the work. (Linda was a member of the Olympics Team USA 1992 and 1996.)

Tony Lee (51)

I love the explosive power and the speed these players bring. It’s incredible.

William French (7)

I really enjoy watching badminton in person because it’s more exciting. I hope that more kids my age will come and see what the big deal is about and get involved in playing.

www.badmintonmonthly.com 21

An Interview with Shannon Pohl Blazing the Trail for

High School S

BY JOY MA

Photography: Courtesy of Shannon Pohl

Participants at the Shannon Pohl Badminton Academy’s 2013 Junior Winter Challenge Tournament

S

ol Students

hannon Pohl didn’t start playing badminton until she was in high school. From that point her badminton career took off landing her a fifth place ranking in the state, a member of several World Championship Teams, top US Ranking, and in 2012 she was named USA Badminton Development Coach of the Year and was a top three finalist for the USOC Coach of the Year amongst all sports. She’s been working tirelessly to grow the sport of badminton in the Chicagoland area.

Badminton Monthly caught up with Shannon to find out what she sees in the badminton scene in her area, what advice she would give to high school coaches and what lies ahead for badminton in the future.

Are all your students from high schools and how many are you working with now?

I don’t just coach high school students. My students are from ages 5-65. On average I have coached close to 600 players since 2008 when I moved back to the United States after training in Denmark. In any given year I coach about 200 students from all ages.

Coaching the 2012 USBEF Midwest Regional Junior Camp

What advice would you give coaches on how to coach high school students? Is it more fucused on technical skills or mental conditioning?

That’s an interesting one. I started playing badminton in high school. Until that point I had never held a badminton racket, although I had been a tennis player from a young age.

Looking back at what I needed as a beginner, I would say you need lots of instruction in technique and footwork. Getting the basics of the sport is important.

For high school students, it’s important for the coach to relate to the individual and determine different strategies for different personalities. I find there is no single way to train all students.

Training to a specific individual player’s needs and strengths has been the most successful method for me.

It’s very important to know what your player’s goals are. I have them write down short and long-term goals. When you’re in high school, a large part of joining a team is the social aspect. It’s important to recognize which students are just looking for a social sport and which ones have the desire to go further. I encourage them to go after their goals, whether it is making the junior varsity team, winning the state championships, or getting involved in the national level.

In addition to coaching at the Shannon Pohl Badminton Academy, I also coach at the Golder College Prep, an inner city school, www.badmintonmonthly.com 23

An Interview with Shannon Pohl

Shannon with her students at the 2013 IHSA State Championships

in Chicago. The biggest challenge is that it’s a very small school with limited funding and resources. There’s no school gymnasium. Students practiced in the hallways or the low-ceiling cafeteria for several years until we were recently able to find a small gym at a local park district.

Most players have never played any sports before, and are learning the importance of hard work and team commitments. With no experience in sports, they lack fundamentals and technique. Golder often competes against players who train year round and have 16 badminton courts at their school. Students at this school can’t afford their own rackets so I donated rackets to the school, but had the kids earn their new rackets by winning points in their school matches. With little chance of winning matches, we set small goals of winning points to earn new rackets. This gave them something to fight for. Making badminton fun is what keeps them engaged in for the long term.

What are your thoughts about the high school badminton coaches in general?

High school coaches have a wide range of skill levels. Some coaches have a lot of badminton experience while many others are starting as a new coach and need to learn the basics of the game. Making sure they get educated in the latest techniques, gameplay and strategy is important so that they are teaching the correct skills to their students.

How did you recruit your students?

When I first opened the academy, I would go to the high school tournaments with flyers. I was in touch with high school coaches who knew me as a player and they often referred high school students to me. A couple years ago most of my students were 15 years old and up and had never played before high school. These students would usually see tremendous growth as they learned fundamentals of the sport and then their success attracted their friends and teammates to join the academy.

Lately there are more clubs available in the area where people can play, so I’m seeing more junior high and elementary school children joining. Some are younger siblings or friends of badminton players, and some students’ parents had played in Asia so they are exposed to the sport at a younger age. Google search is also a powerful recruiter.

In most other areas of the country, boys participate far more than girls. There are far more boys ranked in the junior national rankings than girls and Men’s Singles are typically the most popular events.

However in this area far more girls play than boys do. This is because it is only a high school sport for girls in Illinois. With more clubs opening in the area, boys in the region are now given an opportunity to practice and play in tournaments. This has led to more boys’ tournaments and 24 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Shannon Pohl and students in action

club teams for boys in the high schools.

Do your students play and compete in other sports?

Many of my girls play multiple sports.Our best badminton players grew up playing multiple sports and many of them still do. Some of my top players in the club are state champions in golf, or are successful tennis and volleyball players. However, the multisport athletes are becoming less common as specialized sports facilities are turning up for many sports in the area.

Do schools hold team and/or individual tournaments? How many teams are typically at a meet and from which regions do they come from?

There are about 80 teams in the Illinois High School Association

Players study their cards before a game of Knock Out.

Varsity teams use feather shuttles, junior varsity teams use feather or nylon shuttles, freshman teams use nylon shuttles. They use 21 point rally scoring.

What unique drills do you have to share with our readers?

My favorite drill for students is “Knock Out” which I learned from my coach, Michael Kjeldsen of the International Badminton Academy in Denmark. Knock Out teaches players how to think strategically. Students play half court singles with a partner. Each student gets to look at a secret card that may say something such as, “Hit three in a row to the backhand”. Meanwhile, the opponent has a different opposing task such as “Hit a clean smash winner”. In this example, the player trying to hit the smash will be forced to use an around-the-head smash and the opponent will have to think of new creative ways to hit the shuttle to their backhand side. The players need to achieve the task on the card in order to achieve a “knock out.” If a player gets a “knock out” they win no matter what the score is. If no one achieves a “knock out” by the time limit, then the player with the highest score wins that round. After the “knock out”, accomplished players guess what the other opponent’s task was. When they find out they usually laugh quite a bit because they often don’t realize what is going on when winning the points. This drill teaches them to implement strategies and also be aware of what strategies are being used against them.

program. Each team has 30-40 players divided into three levels: Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshman Teams. Schools compete in up to 16 dual meets (meets between two school teams) a season, in addition to weekend tournaments. In a dual meet each player plays one singles and one doubles match against the opposing team.

Weekend Tournaments usually have 4-16 schools participating.

Weekend Tournaments frequently have awards for both individual and team winners and they are in a variety of formats. The teams are from throughout the Chicagoland suburbs, with the exception of Golder College Prep. Tina Lulla and I coach the Golder College Prep Team--the only team located in the City of Chicago.

Very important question: Do they use feather or nylon shuttles?

Before we conclude, what else would you like to tell us about badminton and the role you see yourself playing?

Badminton in the Midwest is growing and opening out to a larger demographic. I started coaching students who were 15, and now I coach children as young as five and six, with more boys joining the program all the time. With more kids participating, there has been a growth in tournaments and interest.

My personal goal has been to improve opportunities for badminton in the region. We have just been given approval to host the Midwest Regional Junior Championships on February 15-17th at the Shannon Pohl Badminton Academy. I’d like to invite junior players across the country to participate in this event! This is the first junior ranking tournament ever in the Midwest Region. This will be a wonderful opportunity for players in the Midwest to gain higher level experience against east and west coast players. It will expose Midwest players to the world of badminton outside of high school. Most players in the region don’t currently travel to junior nationals and junior national events. Hopefully this will be a stepping stone for more participation on the national scene in the future. www.badmintonmonthly.com 25

Faces of Hachioji High School.

The team banner states “vibrant�.

Aiming for the National Tournament

Spending a day with a high school badminton team from Tokyo

U.S. high school badminton season typically runs from January to June in which leagues or divisions around the nation hold the playoffs. Unfortunately, the playoffs end at the league level during the summer - there are no state or national championships for the leagues to play for. Unlike the U.S., badminton powerhouse Japan has a year-long badminton season, including summer, winter, and spring breaks. I had the opportunity to visit one of many high schools in Tokyo to talk with the players and coaches about the nature of competitive badminton in their country.

Story and Photography

BY KOTA MORIKAWA

26 Badminton Monthly January 2014

I

n an underground gym about an hour train ride from the metropolitan area of Tokyo, over 20 badminton players for the Hachioji High School (HHS) team begin their warm up. The players are about to start their training at 4 p.m.

Even though it is very cold inside, they are all ready.

Although HSS is a private high school that focuses more on academics, they encourage their students to be well-rounded and manage their lives both academically and athletically.

While it is clear their number one goal for students is to attend higher education after graduating, they also understand the importance of athletics to a healthy lifestyle.

The players practice four days a week after school for three hours a day and on the weekends for about four hours. During longer breaks like summer, they meet and practice 30 out of the 40 days of their break. On top of all those practices, they have many tournaments throughout the year. This rigorous schedule begs the question: do the players ever get a break?

“We don’t have any long breaks,” says one of two coaches, Michitaro Takeda, who has coached the team for over 30 years. “They all have a hard schedule with year-long training and competing all the way up until the last summer tournament in their senior year.”

The primary goal for high school players in Japan is to win the Tokyo qualifier, which starts around May, so that they can advance to the annual Inter-High School Tournament in August - the biggest national tournament for high school students. Only one school team for both boys and girls, and individual winners and runner-ups from each BS, BD, GS, GD categories from 47 prefectures (similar to the 50 U.S. states) can qualify for the tournament.

Many top Japanese adult players, such as Kenichi Tago, have won the Inter-High School Tournament.

Tokyo’s qualifier is the biggest of all, with over 200 boys’ teams and over 250 girls’ teams participating every year. Some of these high schools’ main focus is athletics, and their players finish academic classes before noon and start practicing badminton right after class until the evening. For that reason, players at academic oriented high schools like HHS need to work even harder within the limited time and resources to be able to compete against these top athletic schools. About 10 years ago, a girls’ doubles pair from HHS won the Tokyo qualifier to advance to the Inter-High School Tournament. During that time, the school’s academic policy was not as strict and the badminton team used to practice until late at night, as well as recruit experienced players both locally and from other areas of Tokyo and

neighboring prefectures. However, the policy changed years ago, requiring that every athletic team’s practice end by 7 p.m., at which time students must leave the school ground.

“Winning a qualifier and sending a team to the national tournament brings huge publicity. That is the best way to advertise the school to the public in Japan. Managing a high school is a business,” says Takeda. “Hachioji High School emphasizes academics more than athletics to raise well-rounded individ- Many tournaments for high schools are scheduled throughout the year in Japan. The tournament sheet on top has 142 different high school teams uals, and we are well competing for a title in west Tokyo. known for that.”

With the Japanese school year beginning in April, seniors compete in the Tokyo qualifiers and through the summer break should they advance.

Once done, their focus quickly shifts to studying for the university entrance exams.

“After retiring from the competition last summer, some of our senior players managed to pass tough examinations to enter some of the best universities in Japan,” says Takeda, referring to the students who are graduating day’s training to make the practice more inthis spring. “I am very proud of them.” teractive. Coaches believe in the captains and other players to practice hard on their own to veryday practice consists of both physachieve their goals. ical conditioning and badminton skill The coaches do spend the time, of course, training. Players work on speed and to teach the essential skills and strategies. endurance through sprints and long-distance Aiko Tsuchiya, the other coach for HHS and a running in the gym, where a single running former national player for Team Yonex in the track surrounds in the upper deck. Players Japan League, strongly encourages players to do push-ups, sit-ups or other core-building teach each other and grow together. She also exercises while they wait for their turn for the encourages players to improve and learn the drills. skills by themselves.

Coaches encourage both boy and girl “I respect each player’s style of badmincaptains of the team to make plans for the ton,” says Tsuchiya. “My focus is to improve

Coach Takeda says “We don’t have any long breaks. They all have a hard schedule with yearlong training and competing all the way up until the last summer tournament in their senior year.”

E

www.badmintonmonthly.com 27

Japanese High School Team their skill level based on what they are starting with rather than changing their style into my style. Excessive instruction might result in players losing their own unique style, but of course I will make the necessary changes to avoid injury.”

Half of the team’s players previously trained in their middle school years. Only a few of them had experience in their local junior team; in Japan a “junior” player means someone who trains in badminton before going to a middle school, which has its own year-long badminton team similar to the high school system. Beginners are always welcomed to join the HHS team. Coaches and experienced senior or junior players usually teach them the basics.

Kento Kimura, a junior, was one of the beginner players and learned to play badminton from senior girl players. He also learned by observing the good players and copying what he saw.

“I like badminton because I must think about

Drills are prepared and executed by players.

Pointer footwork before the conditioning.

28 Badminton Monthly January 2014

each shot I make. I also like the fact that one shot can change the outcome of the rally and sometimes the entire game,” the 17-year-old says.

T

he day’s practice started off with working on basic shots for 20-30 minutes, then drills like four sets of 30 multi-shuttle training or double’s rotation drills. When captains instructed the team for the drills, players moved quickly to stock the shuttles to get ready.

“I’d rather be hated by the teammates for the strict and tough training plan I make than go easy on them. I will take the full responsibility,” says 17-year-old Naoki Shirasawa, the boy’s captain.

“I consistently tell the team players what to practice in a way that they can follow and waste no time,” says Rika Saito, the 17-yearold girl’s captain, who has been playing badminton since 5th grade. “I get my voice out and try to be an example in front of my teammates to be a player who takes training

The coed team lines up to listen to the coach’s instruction at the beginning of the training.

as seriously as playing matches, so that I can create a focused atmosphere in the gym.”

Conditioning came at the end of the training that day. Following the footwork drill for about 10 minutes, all players lined up by the wall to do sprinting across the gym while doing other exercises, like high jumps, in between.

Then they played games with each other

“I get my voice out and try to be an example in front of my teammates to be a player who takes training as seriously as playing matches, so that I can create a focused atmosphere in the gym.” girls’ captain Saito Says

A player always stands as a judge even during practice games during training. They consume about 30 dozen feather shuttles a month, totally over 4000 shuttles a year.

during the remaining 20 minutes until their 7 p.m. cut off.

B

efore the summer break, junior players have one more big tournament before the Tokyo qualifier for the Inter-High School Tournament. They just finished the West Tokyo Team Tournament in the beginning of January. The girls team came out in first place out of 142 schools, while boys’ team lost in the group round before the elimination tournament round. The next tournament is a Tokyo qualifier for the Kanto Team Tournament, in which the five best teams from each of the seven prefectures, along with Tokyo, compete.

Competition goes on after the summer for the remaining junior and sophomore players, including the Summer All Tokyo Doubles Tournament, the Fall New Student Tournament, the qualifier for the National Spring Tournament, and others similar invitational regional tournaments.

Each prefecture has a slightly different structure for the annual tournament schedule, but the goal for all students in Japan is the same: make it to the Inter-High School Tournament. These players train so much, at times it seems as if the training will never stop.

Players do sprinting and lunges as part of their conditioning.

www.badmintonmonthly.com 29

BWF Superseries Digest

Superseries Finals 2013, Korea Open, Malaysia Open

Two Titles for Pedersen

Superseries Finals 2013 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia December 11-15 Winners Men’s Singles 1.

2.

3.

3.

Chong Wei Lee(Malaysia) Tommy Sugiarto(Indonesia) Jan O Jorgensen(Denmark) Kenichi Tago(Japan)

Men’s Doubles 1.

2.

3.

3.

Ahsan/Setiawan(Indonesia) Kim/Kim(Korea) Boe/Mogensen(Denmark) Ko/Lee(Korea)

30 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Women’s Singles 1.

2.

3.

3.

Xuerui Li(China) Tzu Ying Tai(Chinese Taipei) Shixian Wang(China) Yeon Ju Bae(Korea)

1.

2.

3.

3.

Pedersen/Juhl(Denmark) Ma/Tang(China) Wang/Yu(China) Jang/Kim(Korea)

1.

2.

3.

3.

Nielsen/Pedersen(Denmark) Zhang/Zhao(China) Chan/Goh(Malaysia) Xu/Ma(China)

Women’s Doubles

Mixed Doubles

Denmark’s Christinna Pedersen (right) celebrates her Women’s Doubles title at World Superseries Finals 2013. She would win Mixed Doubles later that day becoming the first player ever to win two events at Superseries Finals (Photography: Badmintonphoto)

Korea Open

Denmark’s Mathias Boe (right) and Carsten Mogensen celebrates the first Superseries victory in 2014 for Men’s Doubles at Korea Open (Photography: Badmintonphoto)

Seoul, Korea January 7-12, 2014 Winners Men’s Singles 1.

2.

3.

3.

Long Chen(China) Chong Wei Lee(Malaysia) Kenichi Tago(Japan) Boonsak Ponsana(Thailand)

1.

2.

3.

3.

Boe/Mogensen(Denmark) Fu/Hong(China) Endo/Hayakawa(Japan) Adcock/Ellis(England)

1.

2.

3.

3.

Yihan Wang(China) Ratchanok Intanon(Thailand) Shixian Wang(China) Ji Hyun Sung(Korea)

1.

2.

3.

3.

Bao/Tang(China) Luo/Luo(China) Maheswari/Polii(Indonesia) Kakiiwa/Maeda(Japan)

1.

2.

3.

3.

Zhang/Zhao(China) Xu/Ma(China) Chan/Tse(Hong Kong) Liu/Bao(China)

Men’s Doubles

Women’s Singles

China, 1 Event Shy of Completion Denmark’s Men’s Doubles Carsten Mogensen and Mathias Boe shaped the China’s dominance at Korea Open 2014. Every other categories are won by Chinese. Great Start to start the 2014 BWF Superseries for Chinese team.

Malaysia Open

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia January 14-19, 2014 Winners Men’s Singles 1.

2.

3.

3.

Chong Wei Lee(Malaysia) Tommy Sugiarto(Indonesia) Jan O Jorgensen(Denmark) Kenichi Tago(Japan)

1.

2.

3.

3.

Goh/Lim(Malaysia) Chai/Hong(China) Endo/Hayakawa(Japan) Pratama/Saputra(Indonesia)

1.

2.

3.

3.

Xuerui Li(China) Shixian Wang(China) Xue Yao(China) Yeon Ju Bae(Korea)

1.

2.

3.

3.

Bao/Tang(China) Matsutomo/Takahashi(Japan) Kakiiwa/Maeda(Japan) Pedersen/Juhl(Denmark)

1.

2.

3.

3.

Xu/Ma(China) Nielsen/Pedersen(Denmark) Zhang/Zhao(China) Ahmad/Natsir(Indonesia)

Men’s Doubles

Women’s Doubles

Mixed Doubles

First SP Title for Goh/Lim While the Malaysia super star Chong Wei Lee cruised past all the games without losing any games to the top, Men’s Doubles Goh V Shem and Lim Khim Wah brought their first Superseries victory to their home country.

Malaysia’s Men’s Doubles Goh V Shem (right) and Lim Khim Wah at the podium at the Malaysia Open 2014 (Photography: Badmintonphoto)

Women’s Singles

Women’s Doubles

Mixed Doubles

www.badmintonmonthly.com 31

LOVE-ALL PLAY [ NEWS, RESULTS, GEAR and MORE ]

2014 NW Regional Junior Badminton Tournament Jan. 18-19, Kirkland, WA

Juniors in Seattle are Booming story and photograph by Sonya Chen and Tao Yuan, Contributing Writers

O

n the weekend of January 18th, 2014, the Seattle Badminton Club began its competitive season in the greater Seattle area. 56 junior players competed in different age groups and had a chance to earn 20 ranking points towards the Junior National Championships, the biggest tournament for juniors in the United States. Participants played hard and had fun at the event. The head coaches from the two major clubs in the area, Seattle Badminton Club and Bellevue Badminton Club, were in attendance to cheer and coach their young athletes.

Seattle Juniors Badminton Community

It is hard to believe how much the Washington badminton community has grown compared to what it was 10 years ago. Bellevue Badminton Club was the first dedicated badminton club in the region to open its doors nine years ago. Years later, at the end of 2010, Seattle Badminton Club opened after the demand for badminton grew. Both clubs have continued to grow in the past years. It is hard to predict how much more the sport will grow in the next 5-10 years, but grow it will.

Children in the Seattle area started competing in national level tournaments in 2007.

When they first started, they had no idea that they would be flying around the country to compete in various tournaments. In the past few years, they gained a lot more skills and experiences from training and competitions.

Now we have a group of talented players who

are strong at the national level.

As of now, Victoria (Vicky) Chen ranks 1st in U19 GS, 1st in U19 GD, and 2nd in U19 XD. Rina Yan ranks 7th in U17 GS. Benjamin Chen ranks 2nd in U17 BS, 3rd in U17 BD, and 8th in U17 XD. Jenny Jin ranks 7th in U19 GS and 2nd in U19 GD. Adrienne Lin ranks 6th in U19 GD and 8th in U19 XD. Kevin La ranks 13th in U19 BS and 15th in U19 XD. Besides them, many others hold strong national ranking in their age group.

Competing in an International Stage

The Seattle juniors also started their international competitions years ago. In 2012, an U19 junior Christine Chen became the first Seattle player to represent the US in the World Junior Championships held in Japan.

Jenny Jin also played in Japan in the individual event. This year, Victoria Chen and Rina Yan will represent the US in the 2014 Pan-Am Junior Championships in Guatemala.

In April, three of our young players, Victoria Chen, Jenny Jin, and Kevin La, will represent USA in Malaysia at the 2014 World Junior Championships. We wish them the best of luck and hope they have fun. They have all been playing since the beginning of competitive play in Seattle. Much thanks to all the past and present coaches - Paz Ben-Sira, Raju Rai, Huaiwen Xu, Kenn Lu, Wendy Carter, Zheng Li, Nick Jinadasa, and Mesinee (May) Mangkalakiri - who guided and pushed our kids to a completely different level.

Besides the competition, players also build strong and lasting friendships over the years.

Many of them are best friends who have fun together, on and off the courts.

The tournament officials 32 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Back row (left to right), Victoria Chen, Adrienne Lin; Front row (left to right), Annette Lam, Jerry Song, Kevin La, Jenny Jin, Sonya Chen

The 2014 NW Regional Junior Badminton Tournament

56 players competed in the 2014 NW Regional on Jan. 18-19, 2014. Out of the 56, more than 10 players were fresh faces in the USAB tournament scene. The audience enthusiastically cheered their first appearance.

Also participating were a few out-of-town players from Spokane, Washington, and even California. It was very encouraging to see them make the effort to compete at this tournament. In the two days of the tournament, everything went very smoothly. Matches were on schedule and went at a good pace. We were supported by a strong umpire team led by Referee Patrick Ip. The umpires were very helpful during the matches, with one for almost every match. This was also great practice for the Seattle umpires to prepare for their next national level tournament.

Winners and Results

As for the results, there were five triple crowners in different age groups. Victoria Chen and Kevin La in U19, Jared Lai in U17, Jacob Zhang in U15, and Caroline Oei in U13.

Their hard work paid off and we congratulate them for their outstanding achievements. Also a heartfelt thanks goes to all the volunteers who ran the tournament. We couldn’t have done this great event without you.

In a few months, the Seattle Badminton Club will again host the 2014 Northwest Super Regional junior tournament in May. It will be the third NW Super Regional held in Washington. Our young players are now back to training mode to prepare for their next competition. We hope you all have fun on the court and good luck in your next tournament!

[News, Results] LOVE-ALL PLAY Junior 2014 USBDF Winter Junior Internationals U19 Jan. 3-5, Orange, CA

U9 Boys’ Singles

1. Aaron Bai 2. Jatin Yang 3. Keith Natakusuma

U11 Mixed Doubles

1. Wyatt Fong/Allison Lee 2. Adriano Viale/Gianna Stiglich 3. Angel Daniel Ramirez/Andrea Herrera 3. Jedd Perea/Zoey Yong

Boys’ Singles 1. Adriano Viale 2. Jedd Perea 3. Wain Guo 3. Andrew Tan

Boys’ Doubles

1. Wyatt Fong/Caio Li 2. Jedd Perea/Adriano Viale 3. Wain Guo/Andrew Tan

Girls’ Singles

1. Netra Shetty 2. Gianna Stiglich 3. Fernanda Munar 3. Andrea Herrera

Girls’ Doubles

1. Kodi Lee/Netra Shetty 2. Allison Lee/Gianna Stiglich 3. Andrea Herrera/Vanessa Lopez

U13 Mixed Doubles

1. Erza Guerrero/Brenda Mendez 2. Connor Lam/Ashley Yu 3. Ethan Chang/Ye Feng Sun 3. Joshua Yang/Kodi Lee

Boys’ Singles

1. Gustavo Salazar 2. Mateo Bossio Castro 3. Ji (Franco) Lu 3. Connor Lam

Boys’ Doubles

1. Mateo Bossio Castro/Gustavo Salazar 2. An Nguyen/Joshua Yang 3. Trevor Hwee/Connor Lam 3. Robin Chew/Gerek Sieng

Girls’ Singles

1. Brenda Mendez 2. Neha Shetty 3. Claire Wang 3. Ashley Yu

Girls’ Doubles

1. Neha Shetty/Netra Shetty 2. Kodi Lee/Ashley Yu 3. Sudi Feng/Claire Wang

U15 Mixed Doubles

U17 Mixed Doubles

1. Bryce Kan/Jamie Hsu 2. Simeon Tong/Yun Chiang 3. Justin Lam/Xinyu Zhang 3. Jeff Chow/Gwyneth Wang

Boys’ Singles 1. Diego Mini 2. Ryan Siu 3. Brenton Hwee 3. Bryce Kan

Boys’ Doubles

1. Diego Mini/Hans Natakusuma 2. Justin Lam/Ryan Siu 3. Jeff Chow/Brenton Hwee

Girls’ Singles

1. Disha Gupta 2. Ariel Lee 3. Minelli Martinez 3. Yesenia Duarte

Girls’ Doubles

1. Disha Gupta/Ariel Lee 2. Sydney Lee/Flavia Stiglich 3. Yesenia Duarte/Minelli Martinez

2014 NW Regional Junior Badminton Tournament U19 MX winners Victoria Chen (left) and Kevin La

U19 Mixed Doubles

1. Jonah Perea/Nadia Susanto 2. Yu Chiang/Yun Chiang 3. Clay Gilmour/Lynn Wang 3. Diego Morales/Cecilia Garza

Boys’ Singles

1. David Peng 2. Vinson Chiu 3. Melvin Tok 3. Victor Ramirez

Boys’ Doubles

1. Raymond Hsia/Melvin Tok 2. Clay Gilmour/Daniel Martinez 3. Pow-Hwa Chan/Minghao Yu 3. Vinson Chiu/Jordy Supandi

Girls’ Singles

1. Daniela Macias 2. Jamie Hsu 3. Disha Gupta 3. Nadia Susanto

Girls’ Doubles

1. Daniela Macias/Danica Nishimura 2. Jamie Hsu/Nadia Susanto 3. Mu-Hua Hsia/Rebecca Tzou

2014 NW Regional Junior Badminton Tournament Jan. 18-19, Kirkland, WA

U11 Mixed Doubles

1. Ishaan Kapil/Hailey Hung 2. Lucas He/Lydia Kirschenbaum

U13 Mixed Doubles

1. William Hu/Caroline E Oei 2. Aaron JR Wu/Abigail Li 3. Wei Sheng Aw/Bella Chang

Boys’ Singles

1. Jacob Zhang 2. Jack Yu 3. Emanuel Chang 3. Eric Fan

Boys’ Doubles

1. Jack Yu/Jacob Zhang 2. Eric Fan/William Hu 3. Emanuel Chang/Elias Frausing

Girls’ Singles

1. Annette Y Lam 2. Catherine J Oei 3. Melinda Liu Guo 3. Hannah S Bi

Girls’ Doubles

1. Melinda Liu Guo/Catherine J Oei 2. Hannah S Bi/Jeongmin Lee 3. Joyce Yunju Jeong/Sruthi Joshy

U17 Mixed Doubles

1. Jared Lai/Megan Chang 2. Adrian Ray-An Unruh/Annette Y Lam 3. Timothy Mark Bi/Maya Chen

Boys’ Singles

1. Jared Lai 2. Brian Zhu 3. Timothy Mark Bi 3. Jerry Song

Boys’ Doubles

1. Jared Lai/Jerry Song 2. Adrian Ray-An Unruh/Brian Zhu 3. Timothy Mark Bi/Rex Orth 3. Albert Lam/Andrew Wei Li

Girls’ Singles 1. Maya Chen 2. Megan Chang 3. Leah A Chen

1. Justin Coca/Sydney Lee 2. Bruno Mendez/Adelina Quinones 3. Ji (Franco) Lu/Mia Tsao 3. Alan Lopez/Yaquelin Duarte

Boys’ Singles

1. Bruno Mendez 2. Alan Lopez 3. Karl Jiang 3. Nicolas Macias

1. Wei Sheng Aw/Aaron JR Wu 2. Lucas He/Ishaan Kapil

U19 Mixed Doubles

1. Caroline E Oei 2. Bella Chang 3. Abigail Li 3. Hailey Hung

Boys’ Singles

Boys’ Singles

Boys’ Doubles

1. Nicolas Macias/Gustavo Salazar 2. Justin Coca/Boaz Lin 3. Alan Lopez/Bruno Mendez 3. Henrick Zhang/Brandon Zhou

Girls’ Singles

1. Xinyu Zhang 2. Charisse Chow 3. Sydney Lee 3. Adelina Quinones

Girls’ Doubles

1. Charisse Chow/Xinyu Zhang 2. Yaquelin Duarte/Adelina Quinones 3. Sydney Lee/Mia Tsao

1. William Hu 2. Aaron JR Wu 3. Wei Sheng Aw

Boys’ Doubles Girls’ Singles

Girls’ Doubles

1. Bella Chang/Caroline E Oei 2. Abigail Li/Rosie Pingxin Zhou 3. Hailey Hung/Lydia Kirschenbaum

U15 Mixed Doubles

1. Jacob Zhang/Melinda Liu Guo 2. Jack Yu/Catherine J Oei 3. Terrance Y Li/Jeongmin Lee 3. Emanuel Chang/Hannah S Bi

Girls’ Doubles

1. Leah A Chen/Maya Chen 2. Megan Chang/Annette Y Lam

1. Kevin La/Victoria Chen 2. Alexander La/Adrienne Cheng Lin 3. Jerry Song/Alicia J Lam 3. Victor You/Rina Yan 1. Kevin La 2. Benjamin Chen 3. Victor You 3. Pingbo Zhou

Boys’ Doubles

1. Alexander La/Kevin La 2. Benjamin Chen/Victor You 3. Louis Lam/Pingbo Zhou

Girls’ Singles 1. Victoria Chen 2. Rina Yan

3.Sophia Ding

Girls’ Doubles

1. Victoria Chen/Adrienne Cheng Lin 2. Sophia Ding/Rina Yan 3. Alicia J Lam/Jessica Zhang

2014 Midwest Regional Junior Championships Feb. 15-16, Vernon Hills, IL

U11 Boys’ Singles 1. Alvin Ng 2. Wain J Guo 3. Rupak Biswas

Boys’ Doubles

1. Alvin Ng/Franklin Y Yiu 2. Rupak Biswas/Wain J Guo

Girls’ Singles 1. Amanda Ng 2. Maggie Chen 3. Anna Cai

U13 Mixed Doubles

1. Presley Smith/Amanda Ng 2. Alvin Ng/Xinyi Hu 3. Rupak Biswas/Alexandra Molly Sugrue 3. Franklin Y Yiu/Maggie Chen

Boys’ Singles 1. Presley Smith 2. Forest Ma 3. Franklin Y Yiu

Girls’ Singles

1. Benna Li 2. Xinyi Hu 3. Alexandra Molly Sugrue 3. Shibani Ram

U15 Mixed Doubles

1. Ryan Nibu/Benna Li 2. Justin JI Yang/Emma R Lin 3. Jason Xie/Esther Shi

Boys’ Singles 1. Jason Xie 2. Ryan Nibu 3. Justin JI Yang

Boys’ Doubles

1. Ryan Nibu/Jason Xie 2. James Brendan Sugrue/Justin JI Yang 3. Forest Ma/Presley Smith

Girls’ Singles

1. Julianna Rylko 2. Emma R Lin 3. Kristen Wing-Kei 3. Nitya Nagarajan Choi

www.badmintonmonthly.com 33

LOVE-ALL PLAY Girls’ Doubles

1. Emma R Lin/Julianna Rylko 2. Claire Pan/Esther Shi 3. Lauren Ho/Benna Li 3. Kaitlyn Lu/Nitya Nagarajan

U17 Girls’ Singles 1. Judy Yang 2. Moriah Gau 3. Surya S Nair 3. Michelle Fan

Girls’ Doubles

1. Arthi Cunkari/Surya S Nair 2. Jiayi Huang/Katie Jarosz 3. Elaine Chen/Michelle Fan 3. Gabrielle E Ecanow/Allison Macdonald

U19 Mixed Doubles

1. Preston Lee/Amelia Lee 2. Jonathan Shee/Kiley Walsh 3. Jay Wang/Jessica Hu 3. Chun Lok Lo/Brinda Dollu

Boys’ Singles

1. Chun Lok Lo 2. Jonathan Shee 3. Preston Lee 3. Jikai Jia

Boys’ Doubles

1. Chun Lok Lo/Jonathan Shee 2. Jikai Jia/Jay Wang 3. Preston Lee/Isaac Lu

Girls’ Singles 1. Amelia Lee 2. Kiley Walsh 3. Michelle Fu 3. Ryan Ricker

Girls’ Doubles

1. Amelia Lee/Judy Yang 2. Mady Berns/Madison Fortman 3. Jessica Hu/Allison Ma 3. Michelle Fu/Ryan Ricker

2014 USAB California Championships - Junior Super Regional Feb. 15-17, Fremont, CA

U11 Mixed Doubles

1. Andrew Wang/Jolie Wang 2. Siddhartha Javvaji/Kalea Sheung 3. Joshua Yeung/Netra Shetty 3. Andrew Yuan/Francesca Corbett

Boys’ Singles

1. Andrew Wang 2. Brandon Wu 3. Adrian Mar 3. Siddhartha Javvaji

Boys’ Doubles

1. Andrew Wang/Edward Zhang 2. Adrian Mar/Brandon Wu 3. Nikhil Vasudeva/Andrew Yuan 3. Siddhartha Javvaji/Mihir Raja

Girls’ Singles

1. Jolie Wang 2. Netra Shetty 3. Francesca Corbett 3. Kalea Sheung

Girls’ Doubles

1. Kalea Sheung/Jolie Wang 2. Kodi Lee/Netra Shetty 3. Francesca Corbett/Allison Lee 3. Emily Han/Kristine Ngo

U13 Mixed Doubles

1. Tony Liuzhou/Tammy Xie 2. Derek Tan/Maggie Li 3. Alistair Lee/Carolynn Cai 3. Eric Duong/Cassandra Yu

Boys’ Singles 1. Tony Liuzhou 2. Brandon Xu 3. Alohi Sheung 3. Andrew Zhang

34 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Boys’ Doubles

3. Crystal Pan

Girls’ Singles

1. Victoria Chen/Crystal Pan 2. Annie Xu/Kerry Xu 3. Priscilla Long/Madeline Sporkert 3. Anna Tang/Christine Yang

1. Brandon Xu/Joshua Yuan 2. Derek Tan/Trevor Tan 3. Eric Duong/Alvin So 3. Aaron Low/Alohi Sheung 1. Maggie Li 2. Tiffany Kuang 3. Cassandra Yu 3. Lauren Lam

Girls’ Doubles

1. Lauren Lam/Cassandra Yu 2. Maggie Li/Sasha Tang 3. Claire Chen/Nicole Ju 3. Tiffany Kuang/Yuqing Qiu

U15 Mixed Doubles

1. Eric Chang/Breanna Chi 2. Bryce Kan/Xinyu Zhang 3. Alexander Zheng/Jennie Gai 3. Derek Hu/Karen Ma

Boys’ Singles 1. Derek Hu 2. Eric Chang 3. Adrian Unruh 3. Bryce Kan

Boys’ Doubles

1. Ricky Liuzhou/Tony Liuzhou 2. Eric Chang/Karthik Kalyanasundaram 3. Raymond Chen/Bryce Kan 3. Justin Banquiles/Clayton Cayen

Girls’ Singles 1. Christine Yu 2. Jackie Cai 3. Bianca Tam 3. Breanna Chi

Girls’ Doubles

1. Jamie Hsu/Nadia Susanto 2. Jennie Gai/Helen Ye 3. Bianca Tam/Helen Wang 3. Danice Long/Christine Yu

U17 Mixed Doubles

1. Phillip Jap/Jamie Hsu 2. Joseph Pitman/Nicole Frevold 3. Darren Lo/Krista Hsu 3. Anthony Chu/Danice Long

Boys’ Singles

1. Gokul Kalyanasundaram 2. Ricky Liuzhou 3. Andre Wang 3. Joseph Pitman

Boys’ Doubles

1. Phillip Jap/Ambrose So 2. Mason Jiang/Darren Lo 3. Benjamin Chen/Joseph Pitman 3. Anthony Chu/Alan Chuang

Girls’ Singles

1. Joanna Liu 2. Julie Yeung 3. Soumya Gade 3. Cindy Yuan

Girls’ Doubles

1. Rina Yan/Julie Yeung 2. Cindy Yuan/Michelle Zhang 3. Kiko Li/Ivy Xie 3. Megan Chang/Sophia Ding

U19 Mixed Doubles

1. Vinson Chiu/Crystal Pan 2. Kevin Chan/Victoria Chen 3. Roberto Zeng/Cally Chung 3. Jordy Supandi/Pinky Li

Girls’ Doubles

Local 2013 YONEX IBC Open Dec. 14-15, Edison, NJ

Men’s Singles Open A

1. Ruifan Xia 2. Jimmy Pohan 3. Alan Shekhtman 3. Ronald Toledo Cardoso

Open B

1. Raymond Chen 2. Ernst Philip Weis 3. Muhammad tariq Sharif 4. Vish Maruthachalam

40+

1. Mir Tahir Ishaq 2. Tomasz Malcharek 3. Charles Mustila 4. Seshagiri Babu Akula

3. Xun Wang/Min Chern 4. Alex Cheng/Brianna X Wang

Open B

1. Ernst Philip Weis/Jennifer Yan 2. Jason Zheng/Nadia Lin 3. Sarath Panchanathan/Vijayalakshmi Annadurai 4. Andrew Zhang/Evelyn Zeng

40+

1. Andrew Then/Tille Yu 2. Jia Xu/Wei Zou

U11 Singles

1. Carolyn Zeng 2. Lukas Chang 3. Rupak Biswas 4. Jason Wang

U15 Singles

1. Evelyn Zeng 2. Jason Zhan 3. Kristen Choi 3. Franklin Yi

U15 Doubles

1. Kristen Choi/Siya Ragade 2. Kenneth Chao/Franklin Yiu 3. Rupak Biswas/Matthew Liu

Inaugural Synergy Open Dec 20-22, Menlo Park, CA

Men’s Doubles Open A

Men’s Singles Open A

Open B

Open B

1. Alan Shekhtman/Ruifan Xia 2. Vincent Lobo/Ajit Umrani 3. Seng Ming Tan/Zaw Win 4. I Ketut Suardana/Liman Sutadi 1. Balaji Adapala/Ganesh Raj 2. Pankaj Duggal/Keten Patel 3. Muhammad Shakir/Muhammad tariq Sharif 4. Alex Grogorian/Philip Su

40+

1. Mir Tahir Ishaq/Muhammad Shakir 2. Tomasz Malcharek/Ning Qi 3. Pankaj Duggal/Keten Patel 4. Alex Grogorian/Philip Su

Women’s Singles Open A 1. Charmine Ried 2. Soumya Gade 3. Amelia Lee 4. Matilda Teng

Open B

1. Evelyn Zeng 2. Bonnie Chan 3. Kristen Choi 4. Aihua Li

Women’s Doubles Open A

1. Yan Cheng/Soumya Gade 2. Charmine Ried/Brianna X Wang 3. Amelia Lee/Matilda Teng 4. Min Chern/Elena Yang

Open B

1. Nadia Lin/Jennifer Yan 2. Vijayalakshmi Annadurai/Tille Yu 3. Aihua Li/Ronnie Yin

Mixed Doubles Open A

1. Ruifan Xia/Charmine Ried 2. Milind Dake/Soumya Gade

1. Yoga Pratama 2. Mark Shelley Alcala 3. Pratik Patel 3. Sittichai Viboonsin 1. Willie Chen 2. Pinky Sheung Wei Li 3. Charles Yang 4. Roberto Zeng

Open C

1. Stanley Ooi 2. Julie Yeung 3. Danny K. Chan 3. Trevor Taylor

Open D

1. Timothy Ting Hsu 2. Saneesh Nambiadan 3. Eric Duong 4. Tri Tran

Men’s Doubles Open A

1. Howard Bach/Raju Rai 2. Pratik Patel/Sittichai Viboonsin 3. Ricel Almirola/Gabriel Villanueva 3. Thanh Luong/Bo Zhao

Open B

1. Joshua Dao/Andy Lam 2. Willie Chen/Eric Cheng-Jie Lin 3. Syafruddin Abdullah/David Yedija Pohan 3. Cally Chung/Pinky Sheung Wei Li

Open C

1. Gautam Srinivasan/Charles Yang 2. Stanley Hung/Michael Xiong 3. Danny K. Chan/Kenny Chung 3. Kiko Chin Wai Li/Pinky Sheung Wei Li

Open D

1. Van Pham/Huey Duc Trinh 2. Hung Ba Tran/Nathan Wang 3. A.Sam Alcoba/A.Harrison Sarsito 3. Daniel K. Bi/Tri Tran

Boys’ Singles 1. Phillip Jap 2. Kevin Chan 3. Kevin La 3. Justin Ma

Boys’ Doubles

1. Timothy Lam/Justin Ma 2. Kevin Chan/Jordy Supandi 3. Albert Li/Christopher Zhang 3. Ryan Liu/Roberto Zeng

Girls’ Singles 1. Annie Xu 2. Kerry Xu 3. Anna Tang

Inaugural Synergy Open AMD winners Howard Bach (right) and Raju Rai (Photography: Joseph Lam)

[News, Results] LOVE-ALL PLAY Women’s Singles Open C 1. Carmen Chung 2. Martina Reyes 3. Isabelle Rusli

2. Gary Lim/Rebecca Wan 3. Van Pham/Mai Tran 3. Cj Cullen/Martina Reyes

National Capital DC OPEN 2014

Open D

1. Lauren Lam 2. Joanne Chan 3. Juna S

Women’s Doubles Open B

1. Cally Chung/Carmen Chung 2. Heidi Chen/Sophia Law 3. Mu-Hua Shu-Shu Hsia/Lily Wen 3. Carol Quach/Donna Tran

Open C/D

1. Lauren Lam/Cassandra Yu 2. Lillian H Tran/Allyson Nguyen Vu 3. Martina Reyes/Isabelle Rusli 3. Lan Lee/Juna S

Mixed Doubles Open A

1. Howard Bach/Daphne Ng 2. Mark Shelley Alcala/Pinky Sheung Wei Li 3. Jan Banquiles/Malvinne Alcala 3. Bo Zhao/Sophia Law

Open B

1. Roberto Zeng/Cally Chung 2. Thanh Luong/Christina Ja 3. Trevor Taylor/Lillian H Tran 3. Jarold Fiesta Cordero/Lucy Chang

Open C

1. Timothy Yue/Fiona Yue 2. Michael Xiong/Helen Weidemann 3. Devin Dhillon/Lillian H Tran 3. Jarold Fiesta Cordero/Lucy Chang

Open D

1. Christian Basa/Nickie Hoang

Jan. 17-19, College Park, MD

Men’s Singles Open A

1. Solomon Mensah Nyarko 2. Anant Agarwal 3. Eliot A Bohr 3. Kenneth Bohr

Open C

1. Bobby Huang 2. Rijo Reji 3. Eugene Soon 4. Kim Jepsen

40+

1. Mir Tahir Ishaq 2. Chong Lai 3. Sami Z Saour 3. Charles Mustika

Men’s Doubles Open A

1. Vincent Lobo/Ajit Umrani 2. Milind Dake/Pushkar Phadke 3. Andy Chong/Adam Tyler Scholl 3. Hsin-Yu Chen/Sandro Rossi

3. Navjeet S Chabbewal/Arnold Poey 3. Anantha N Kalale/Khalid Zafar

Women’s Singles Open A

1. Soumya Gade 2. Sanchita Pandey 3. Joanne Chen 3. Yi Hsuan (Ned) Chung

Open C

1. Laura Soon 2. Cordelia Chesnutt 3. Pearl Loo 3. Ling Huang

Women’s Doubles Open A

1. Ruth L Menchaca/Deepti Reddy 2. Sung Ik Pak/Connie Wang 3. Jane Lee/Ying Liao 3. Sandy SumYee Chan/Sanchita Pandey

Open C

1. Kimberly Kramer/Teresa Kramer 2. Cordelia Chesnutt/Nancy Ann Tran 3. Liwei Huang/Yusun Wang 3. Pearl Loo/Hannah Nguyen

Mixed Doubles Open A

2. Jun Yu/Yusun Wang 3. Anantha N Kalale/Giao (Gina) Nguyen 3. Watkins Fessal/Sue Dickson

2014 Polar Bear VII Jan. 18-19, Berkeley, CA

Men’s Singles Open A

1. Mark Shelley Alcala 2. Serge Blanchet 3. Andy Quach 3. James Young

Open B

1. Roberto Zeng 2. Louis Hinnant 3. Stanley Ooi 3. Desmond Tae Yang Hung

Open C

1. Saneesh Nambiadan 2. David Li Zhao 3. Ishan Devang Shah 3. Surya Tatapudi

Open D

1. Johnjo Riguera 2. Daniel K. Bi 3. Saneesh Nambiadan 3. Kelvin Do

Open C

1. Milind Dake/Soumya Gade 2. Satyajeet Deshpande/Deepti Reddy 3. Andy Chong/Joanne Chen 3. Solomon Mensah Nyarko/Nguyet Nguyen

Men’s Doubles Open A

Open B

40+

1. Stephen Wong/Liwei Huang 2. Zdravko Tyankov/Garwai Ng 3. Peter Thai/Nancy Ann Tran 3. Sam Phimphachanh/Anne Mikaela Custodio Bayani

1. Dao Hoanh Nguyen/Zdravko Tyankov 2. Andrew E Wong/Stephen Wong 3. Billy Z Huang/Bobby Huang 3. Sam Phimphachanh/Andrew Hwan So 1. Mir Tahir Ishaq/Muhammad tariq Sharif 2. Pratap m Joshi/Chong Lai

Open C

40+

1. Mir Tahir Ishaq/Batool Kazim

1. Terrence Pang/Andy Quach 2. Thanh Luong/Dan Nguyen 3. Mark Shelley Alcala/Jan Banquiles 3. Evan Blomquist/Michael Trevor Taylor 1. Evan Blomquist/Michael Trevor Taylor 2. Jeechee Chen/Kevin Yao 3. Christian Basa/Justin Chung 3. Tri Tran/Roberto Zeng

www.badmintonmonthly.com 35

LOVE-ALL PLAY Open C

2. Cindy Chen/Kelley Yuan 3. Shuming Chen/Michelle Wu 3. Allison Chan/Patricia Tran

1. Long Trinh/Henry F Wong 2. Long tieu Chung/Joshua Dao 3. Lawrence Chan/Devin Dhillon 3. Kevin Hui/Yian Tseng

Mixed Doubles Open A

Open D

1. Eric Chen/Eurico Xavier 2. Joseph Wei/Jonathan Yuan 3. Van Pham/Vinh t Vu 3. Tsz Fung Chan/Jonathan Siu

1. Mark Shelley Alcala/Crystal Pan 2. William Cheung/Kerry Xu 3. Bo Bob Zhao/Sophia Law 3. Terrence Pang/Sarah Chan

Open B

Women’s Singles Open A/B

1. Timothy Lam/Annie Xu 2. Michael Julian Buasan/Natasha Hsu 3. Bo Bob Zhao/Sophia Law 3. Kevin Hui/Vivian Dien

1. Karen Ma 2. Isabel Zhong 3. Helen Wang

Open C

Open C

1. Albert J Chau/Fanny Yu 2. Jacky Lui/Chloe Chow 3. Joshua Travis Cheung/Fiona Lai 3. Long Trinh/Jennifer Yip

1. Carolynn Cai 2. Jackie Cai 3. Flavia Stiglich 3. Alyssa A. Sun

Open D

Open D

2014 YONEX Northeast Collegiate Team Badminton Championships Division 1 winner team Drexel University

1. Gary Lim/Rebecca Wan 2. John Paul/Shannel Cheung 3. Jonathan Siu/Annie Zhen 3. Huey Duc Trinh/Trisha T Nguyen

1. Varsha Kumar 2. Michelle Wu

Women’s Doubles Open A

1. Malvinne Cabanillas Alcala/Crystal Pan 2. Annie Xu/Kerry Xu 3. Qiu Ming Wu/Isabel Zhong

Open B

2014 YONEX Northeast Collegiate Team Badminton Championships

1. Bianca Tam/Helen Wang 2. Angela Lin/Phoebe Lin 3. Melisa Ann Byrd/Fiona Lai 3. Chloe Chow/Fanny Yu

Division 1

1. Carmen Chung/Flavia Stiglich 2. Lucy Chang/Phing Lee-Ean Turner 3. Allison Chan/Patricia Tran 3. Bianca Tam/Helen Wang

Division 2

Feb. 1-2, Westborough, MA

Open C

Open D

1. Alisia Lu/Rebecca Wan

1. Drexel University 2. New York University 3. University of Pennsylvania 4. Cornell University 1. Yale University 2. Princeton University 3. Columbia University 4. Stony Brook University

2014 YONEX Northeast Collegiate Team Badminton Championships Division 2 winner team Yale University

For the latest events, Badminton Monthly updates, fun pictures and more!

36 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Christianna’s Athletic Edge

Relieving Lower Back Pain

by Christianna Aronstam Photography: Derick Santos

P

ain in your lower back can be very uncomfortable and debilitating to your daily routine. If you have ever suffered from painful pressure, pinching, or tightness in your lower back, these three stretches can give you both relief and be a preventive measure for this unpleasant condition.

1

The Knee-to-Chest Stretch

The Knee-to-Chest Stretch is a great way to relieve back pain after a long day at work or a workout mishap. Even better, this stretch can be done in your bed, so there is no excuse to not do it twice a day ― after waking up and right before going to bed.

Lie on your back with your legs extended.

Gently bend your right knee into your chest. Clasp your hands in front of your shin and gently pull down to increase the stretch. Release any tension in your shoulders and neck. Keep your left leg relaxed in a comfortable position. Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat with the left leg.

www.badmintonmonthly.com 37

Christianna’s Athletic Edge

2

The Cat Cow Stretch

The Cat Cow Stretch is a great way to warm up your spine, loosening tension in your lower back. If you aren’t familiar with this stretch, it is fairly easy to do and feels great.

Begin with your hands and knees on the floor. Make sure your knees are under your hips and your wrists are under your shoulders. Begin in a neutral spine position, with your back flat and your abs engaged. As you inhale, arch your back and lift your head and tailbone. This part of the stretch is called cow. With an exhale, round your spine up to the ceiling, pulling your abs toward your spine, and simultaneously tuck your tailbone and tuck your chin toward your chest. This part is known as cat. Continue flowing back and forth from cat to cow, breathing deeply so as not to rush each movement.

about the Instructor

Christianna Aronstam

Christianna is a founder and CEO of Athletic Edge, one of the premier massage therapy groups in California. Since 2006, Athletic Edge has advanced the application of massage therapy to complement the treatments of orthopedic doctors, physical therapists, and athletic trainers from all over the West Coast to help injured clients and athletes reach their full potential. Christianna’s passion is to keep people healthy, happy, and performing at their best during every stage of life, be they recreational athlete or Olympian. She understands the many intricacies associated with individuals who may be competing, training, recovering, or simply seeking a more satisfying level of physical fitness.

38 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Stretch of the Month

3

Spinal Twists

Spinal twists are another great way to loosen up your spine and add movement to the joints in your lower back.

There are many types of spinal twists, but here are the steps to a seated spinal twist that can easily be adapted for your desk chair.

Begin seated on your mat with your legs extended in front of you.

Keeping your left leg extended, bend your right knee and cross your right foot over your left knee. Plant it on the floor so your right ankle is next to your left knee. Reach your right arm behind you and place your palm on the floor. Then bend your left elbow and cross it over the outer side of your right knee. Keep your elbo bent, gripping your right thigh for stability. Continue breathing normally and press your left arm into your right knee. Use each inhale to lengthen the spine and each exhale to rotate further right. Stay here for five or more breaths. Then release the twist, straighten your legs out in front of you, and repeat this pose with your left leg crossed over your right.

www.badmintonmonthly.com 39

TECHNICAL FEATURE

Basic Shots - Forehand Stroke

Developing the

Proper Form I

t is very common for beginners to start off holding a badminton racket with a flat grip (like a panhandle) as it initially gives them a false sense of good racket control. This way of gripping, however, prevents them from further developing their badminton skills in many ways. Most notably, it inhibits the players’ ability to effectively execute all the shots in badminton. Also, holding the badminton racket like a panhandle will be detrimental to the development of one’s footwork as it does not encourage the player to rotate their bodies, which makes it hard for developing players to stay balanced while moving around the court. In this issue, we have coach Ben Lee, the owner of Synergy Badminton Club in Menlo Park, California, where he coaches junior and adult players, teach us the proper basics and fundamentals of the Forehand Overhead Stroke.

Ben Lee (Coach)

9-time U.S. National Champion, 1992 U.S. Olympian, and 2012 U.S. Olympic Coach

Jarold F. Cordero (Demonstrator) Playing since 2004 and started to participate in tournaments in 2008. Currently training at Synergy Badminton Club under Ben Lee and Howard Bach

Lesson by

Ben Lee from Synergy Badminton Club

Types of Gripping Handshake Grip

Point the racket forward and rotate it so you cannot see the strings. Hold the grip like shaking someone’s hand. This is the proper way of gripping as it allows us to maximize our wrist movements to execute the strokes / shots properly. In addition, this makes it easier to switch back and forth between the forehand and backhand grips.

Handshake Grip

Panhandle Grip (or Hammer Grip)

This is not common among high performance players. Put the racket face horizontally and hold the grip directly on the flat side. It may be easier initially for beginners to gain racket control; however, it limits our wrist movements for the forehand overhead stroke and therefore limits the shots we can execute. In addition, it makes it difficult to switch to the backhand grip.

Note: Professional players may use the panhandle grip for backhand strokes in the backcourt, which we will discuss in future issues.

Panhandle Grip

Panhandle Grip

Basic Shots Using Overhead Stroke Clear:

An upward shot from the backcourt to your opponent’s backcourt. Ideal striking point is right above or a tad bit in front of your body. For developing players, the shot becomes a lot more difficult to execute if the contact point is behind the body because then we are relying on our wrist to do all the work. For more advanced players, even with good wrist controls, hitting behind our bodies will limit the ability to be deceptive.

Clear Drop Smash

Drop:

A downward shot from the backcourt to your opponent’s front court. Ideal placement is right around the opponent’s service line to make your opponent move forward. Similar to a clear, the best point to contact the shuttle is slightly in front of the body. If the contact point is behind the body, having good wrist control helps with the execution of the drop shot (another reason using the handshake grip is very important).

Smash:

Like spiking in volleyball, this is a hard-hitting stroke. To make it effective and for best results, it needs to be angled down by striking the shuttle in front of our body and as high as possible, while staying balanced. www.badmintonmonthly.com 41

TECHNICAL FEATURE

Basic Shots - Forehand Stroke The Setup for the Forehand Overhead Stroke

1

2

7

8

1

2

7

8

These images will help guide you through the basic form of a forehand overhead stroke. The power is generated by something Coach Lee calls “timing”: the body turn, arm swing, and wrist snap all put together within the stroke. Depending on the shot selection (drop, clear, or smash), the wrist angle and contact point will vary.

Common mistakes:

· Not enough body turn · Facing too square to the net.

Make sure that the FIRST move is to turn the body before the swing. · Arms too stiff or arms too low. · Not enough wrist strength.

42 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Lesson by

Ben Lee from Synergy Badminton Club

3

4

5

9

10

11

3

4

5

9

10

11

6

1 Stand perpendicular to the net. Feet shoulder width apart.

2 Raise both hands up. Make sure that you have about 90 degree angle at the armpit and at the elbows.

3 Turn face towards the net (without turning the body yet).

4 Left foot - take a small step forward (for right-handed players) 5 - 9 Body pivot then arm swing. All done simultaneously.

6

www.badmintonmonthly.com 43

TECHNICAL FEATURE

Basic Shots - Forehand Stroke Recommended Training Methods Shadow Throw Doing the throwing motion by applying the forehand stroke with nothing in hand. The Forehand Overhead Stroke is very similar to the motion of a pitcher pitching a baseball.

Shuttle Toss Throwing a shuttle while applying the forehand stroke. You can have fun doing this by placing targets (for example: a basket) near the net for throwers to hit from the backcourt. (as shown in the image to the right) Tennis Ball Throw Against a Wall Throwing a tennis ball against a wall while applying the forehand stroke. Throwing and catching the ball is great for developing good hand-eye-coordination.

Q&A with coach Ben Lee and Jarold F. Cordero “Start with the basic first and build the good foundation...”

Badminton Monthly: How did you improve the overhead stroke?

Ben Lee: Well, I learned the badminton form from the same way I explained here in the article. I practiced over and over. That made my badminton stroke a lot easier. Kids love doing the catch with a football or baseball, so doing other things like that really helped the badminton stroke.

BM: Any difficulty you had?

BL: In playing, yes. As every beginner learns a new sport or new activity, they probably won’t experience the success right from the butt. It takes practice and time to get used to it. After you put some time into practice, then you will start to improve, but doing those throwing types of drills really helped a lot.

BM: Any advice to beginners who are learning the overhead stroke?

BL: Start with the basic first and build the good foundation before they try to put the racket in their hands. I don’t know if it’s true but I heard that they do in China. They will have kids practicing form and techniques even before they get the racket.

BM: How about adult players without the proper form after learning how to play? Any advice?

BL: It is very very difficult to change the adults who’s been playing for years without proper form. It’s possible, but it is difficult.

They’ve already got the set style in place. I hold adult classes and I teach them proper form. They do the drills properly, but once they get back into the games, they go back to the habits again. Even if they just did the drill prior to the games, they go back the habits again. The only way to completely change the stroke for the adult is really having them stop playing for a while to do the these basic throwing drills over and over.

“Practice, practice, practice!”

Badminton Monthly: How did you improve the overhead stroke?

Jarold F. Cordero: Practice, practice, practice! At first, I always watched how the good players swing.

Then, I would hold my racket when I had free time or maybe was waiting for a court. I tried to copy how they play. Now, with the help of my coaches, they make it easier for me because they explain to me what I should do to make my form correct.

BM: Any advice to beginners who are learning the overhead stroke?

Jarold F. Cordero: Nobody gets anything for the first time they try. Everything takes time so don’t give up too easy or early. Practice makes it perfect.

44 Badminton Monthly January 2014

JUNIOR PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Emmelie Frausing (10)

s A e To B od Go y As M er h Brot

Starting age: 10 Trains at: Bellevue Badminton Club (Bellevue, WA) Having watched her 13-year-old brother Elias play badminton for years, Emmelie Frausing finally began playing the sport last November. She fell in love with badminton and genuinely enjoys playing with her teammates. (photo courtesy of Tine Frausing)

How did you start playing badminton?

My older brother plays and he says that it is really fun, so I went for a couple drop-ins with my family.

How many days do you practice?

Twice a week.

Do you practice extra at home?

Yes, but only if the weather is calm, so I can practice hitting and playing around.

What do you like about badminton?

It’s fun that there is a competition in every class, and I like that there are both big and smaller kids playing at the same time. It will be fun to play someone from outside [Bellevue Badminton Club] so that it is not always playing with the same kids.

What is your favorite shot?

I don’t know how to smash yet, but I think it looks really cool when the big kids smash it right down the line.

Which event do you like the most - singles, doubles, mixed - and why?

I really like doubles because it involves teamwork and gives me a challenge. I like working with other people and challenging myself.

What’s the best thing about being a badminton player?

I like the strength training because it’s a fun way of working out.

What is your goal for your badminton career?

I would love to become as good as my brother Elias so I can go to regional [competitions].

What part of practice do you like?

I absolutely love strength training.

Would you like to play mixed doubles with your brother?

Yes, because he’s so good.

But then I would have to play his age group, so I better practice a little more.

How long do you think you

can hit clear shots for without making a mistake?

I would rather answer that question in a year, but, about 10 times since I just started taking classes.

Who is your favorite badminton player and why?

Tine Baun [Denmark] because she stopped playing badminton but she played All England 2013 when she was about to retire and won.

What is the best thing you have ever learned through playing badminton?

Teamwork is something that I learn in doubles and teamwork is something that you can use all through your life.

What does your coach teach you the most?

Stability and making your opponent run.

Can you beat your parents?

No, not yet. I need to work on my speed and consistency.

Any sports before badminton?

I have tried a lot: horseback

riding, gymnastics, handball, swimming, cheerleading, and hip hop.

What food do you like to eat before, during, and after playing badminton?

In general I eat very healthy food - a lot of fruits and vegetables. My mom tells me it is important to eat the long-lasting carbohydrates when you play for many hours. Once my brother ate a lot of pizza in between his matches in a tournament and that was not good energy-wise.

When you tell your friends about badminton, how do you describe it?

That it’s a fun sport which deserves to be played a lot more here in the US and not just in backyards. That is how most Americans know the sport, I guess. But I’m glad that they have badminton in the middle school I will attend next year.

Hopefully I can make some of my friends interested in taking classes.I say that badminton is a sport where you use a racquet, much like a tennis racquet to hit the shuttlecock back and forth. www.badmintonmonthly.com 45

Cal Badminton members at 2014 Polar Bear VII (Photography by Queena Xu)

A Place to

Train & Bond

A Closer Look at Last Year’s Collegiate National Champions

Story and Photography

BY SARAH CHAN

W

hat does it take for a badminton team to be Collegiate National champions?

“It takes a combination of factors: individual talent in the sport itself, depth in the team, and teamwork,” said Jeechee Chen, President of last year’s champions, the University of California, Berkeley’s Cal Badminton Club. “Individual talent can take you pretty far in competitions, but it must be molded to contribute to a team effort: one person cannot win the Collegiate Championships alone.”

Collegiate Nationals is an annual tournament, in which teams from colleges around the country come together to compete against one another. Each team is allowed to enter three players each for men’s and 46 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Cal Badminton at a glance

Located: Berkeley, California Highlight: Collegiate National 2013 1st place Practice Schedule: TUESDAY: 4:00pm-8:00pm THURSDAY: 4:00pm-8:00pm FRIDAY: 7:00pm-10:00pm SATURDAY: 10:00am-1:00pm Members: 37 Girls, 49 Boys Practice Location: Recreational Sports Facility (RSF) Blue Gym

[Team Profile] UC Berkeley’s Cal Badminton women’s singles and two teams each for men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles as point-scoring entries. These entries are also known as the “scoring team” and, based on their performance, will earn a certain number of points for their respective colleges. The team with the most total points takes the championship title.

Last year, Cal Badminton had not just the honor of winning such an event, but also the privilege of hosting it as well. “We had a dedicated group of officers and were able to use our previous experiences in hosting tournaments to run Collegiates smoothly,” said Chen, who has been a member of the team since his freshman year and an officer since his sophomore year. “From organization to advertisement to execution, running tournaments is something Cal Badminton is quite experienced with.”

Unlike most collegiate athletic teams, Cal Badminton is a student-organized club that is affiliated with the UC Berkeley Sports Club Program. Both the team and the club are managed by the officers, a small group of students who are elected to their respective positions by the club and are in charge of the behind-the-scenes logistics. “All the officers in the club have responsibilities when it comes to planning and running our tournaments,” said Chen. “We usually select one or two officers to be the official tournament directors, who call all the shots and do the bulk of the tournament planning.”

The club itself is composed of about 50 players, with members ranging from undergraduate and graduate students to even UC Berkeley faculty and unaffiliated individuals from the Berkeley community. These members are not only a part of the club itself, but are also part of the team that represents UC Berkeley at tournaments like Collegiate Nationals and dual meets against other colleges. “For all of our meets and Collegiate [Nationals], we hold tryouts to determine who gets to represent Cal in each event,” explained Chen. “Teams

What do the coaches think about this year’s team?

We sat down with this year’s Cal Badminton Coaches and ask how this year’s team compare to last year’s in terms of skill.

Coaches Kevin Yao (left) and Arnold Yeung

Kevin Yao

Coach Since: 2013 “I think as a whole, it’s around the same or even higher. We lost some key players, but we also gained some and there are a surprising number of “solid” players. They also do a good job of keeping themselves in check by maintaining healthy competition within the group. I see a couple of players stepping up to fill the holes and improving at a good rate.”

Arnold Yeung

Coach Since: 2012 “The stronger players have graduated, but the juniors have been drastically improving. As they build more game experience, along with participating in our training program, I can see our team doing quite well at Collegiate Nationals.”

2013 Collegiate National Champion team (Photography: Kevin Yao)

www.badmintonmonthly.com 47

or individuals that finish in the top three places in our tryouts get to officially represent Cal at meets/Collegiates. Those who don’t still get to compete, but their matches don’t count towards rankings.”

Aside from running last year’s Collegiate Nationals, Cal Badminton also holds two annual tournaments: Smashapalooza and Polar Bear.

Smashapalooza is held in the summer, while Polar Bear is held in the

winter. Both of these tournaments have had a steady increase in participants in recent years. “We’ve reached about 300 participants for Polar Bear, and almost 450 for Smashapalooza. It’s kind of bittersweet: we are excited that we have so much publicity, but we have to reject more and more participants each year due to the large number who sign up,” said Chen.

The club is a testament to how players can still continue to play competitive badminton after high school.

Who Are Cal’s

Top Players

There are a lot of experienced players in Cal Badminton. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Q1: What is your greatest accomplishment in badminton?

Q2: What is your most memorable Cal Badminton moment?

Austin Liou Planned Graduation Date: 2016 Major: Computer Science and Mathematics Experience in Badminton: About 10 years 1. My greatest accomplishment in badminton is representing USA at the 2011 Pan-Am Junior Championships in Jamaica. A close second would be my 1st place in U13 BD at the 2006 Junior National Championships.

2. All of the meets and tournaments are pretty memorable. It’s a lot of fun to represent Cal. Because of our school’s rivalry with Stanford, sweeping them last year stands out to me.

Dominick Lim Planned Graduation Date: 2014 Major: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Experience in Badminton: About 7 years 1. My greatest accomplishment in Badminton? It’s a tie between winning singles at California Scholastic Federation’s North Coast Section (NCS) Badminton Championships in 2010 and getting 4th place in U17 and U19 Singles at Junior Nationals in 2008.

2. My most memorable Cal Badminton moment is directing Smashapalooza VIII. It means a lot to me that everyone pitched in and worked together to make it a success. It definitely wasn’t the smoothest-run tournament, but we supported each other and I learned a lot. I’m really thankful to be surrounded by such great people.

48 Badminton Monthly January 2014

[Team Profile] UC Berkeley’s Cal Badminton Cal Badminton has training sessions for its members every Saturday morning. The coaches are Kevin Yao and Arnold Yeung, two Cal Badminton alumni who recently graduated and are still in the area.

“Our coaches are usually Cal Badminton alumni, which makes it fun for them to keep in touch with the club,” continued Chen. “The more experienced players of the club often help out the coaches with the training as well.”

Training usually consists of footwork and basic drills for beginners, while some of the more advanced players focus on exercises specifically for doubles or singles. Afterwards, all of the members will participate in some kind of conditioning that either Yao or Yeung choose.

Aside from training and playing on the courts, Cal Badminton members also spend time together outside of the gym at various socials.

These socials include different types of activities, such as an annual ski trip to Lake Tahoe, potlucks, and movie nights, and allow the members to be more than just acquaintances on the court.

“Some of the friendships I’ve made in Cal Badminton are among the strongest friendships I’ve made in college,” said Chen.

Yet, perhaps Cal Badminton’s biggest triumph is not the strong bonds its members make or even its multiple National Collegiate Championship titles, but the fact that the club is a testament to how players can still continue to play competitive badminton after high school. Under most circumstances, the vast majority of players stop playing badminton once they graduate from high school, choosing to pursue other endeavors in college. However, many of the members in Cal Badminton are former Junior National players who continue to play recreationally and competitively.

So, how will Cal fare this year at Collegiate Nationals?

“They should be able to land in the top three,” said Yao. “I’m not sure if we have the ‘exceptional’ players, but we definitely have a very large group of advanced players at around the same level. Optimistically, I think we’ll get first,” he said with a smile.

Isabel Zhong Planned Graduation Date: 2014 Major: Psychology with a Minor in Education Experience in Badminton: About 15 years 1. Winning the team event at the Pan American Junior Championships held in the Dominican Republic in 2010 was a huge achievement. In a way, the doubles match I played in was the deciding match for Team USA at the tournament, and it was a really close one! The score for the third game was something like 26-24! Our team was extremely nervous, but I tried to maintain a clear mind, and when we won our third set my teammates were beyond thrilled! They rushed onto the courts, cheering so loudly, and gave us all big hugs. It was really a great moment and accomplishment. I’ll never forget those Pan Am games: the great team members I had, the silly chants we came up with, and all the wonderful international players we met.

2. My most memorable Cal Bad moment was when we won Collegiates. Working together towards a common goal and then achieving that goal was such a wonderful feeling. Besides that, spending time with those Cal Bad ‘goobers’ is always a blast. I absolutely love it and am going to miss it when I graduate.

Qiu Ming Wu Planned Graduation Date: 2014 Major: Sociology and Statistics Experience in Badminton: About 13 years 1. I have won many tournaments and achieved numerous accomplishments throughout my badminton career. However, my greatest accomplishment does not stem from the glory of standing on a podium receiving my winning prizes, but rather from the happiness I acquire simply by being on the court. Through badminton, I have met a lot of important people with whom I share the same deep love for the sport, as well as the same dreams in life. We play together, improve together, and fight for our dreams together.

That defines Cal Badminton, my second family, and I will always cherish our times together.

2. Last year during a game in the Collegiate Nationals Badminton Tournament, I was losing to my opponent. When I turned around after losing a rally, I was shocked to find that the entire team was standing behind me and cheering for me. I was especially honored and moved when I saw many officers among the crowd, who were already so exhausted with organizing the tournament, yet still able to squeeze out bits of time from their extremely busy agendas to show me their support. At that moment, I suddenly felt that I was no longer standing on the court by myself, but had the entire team behind my back, watching, cheering, and loving. I was encompassed by a sphere of warmth, a warmth that I thought I would only find among family. www.badmintonmonthly.com 49

Tip of the Month 1

2

3

4

How to

Humidify

F

Shuttles

or those of you who play badminton with a plastic shuttle, congratulations you don’t need to worry about the shuttle breaking the same way a feather one would. But at the same time, you do not get to enjoy the control, speed, and true-flight that a feather shuttle provides. Feather shuttles can be great for quality of play, yet James Stabler can go bad quickly if they are too dry. James Stabler from Colorado Springs gives us some tips on “humidifying” shuttles to make them last longer during play. “Our gyms in Colorado are so low in humidity that shuttles dry out very quickly. You will find that with this method your shuttles will last much longer,” James Stabler says. Read on to find out how to lengthen the life of your own feather shuttles.

1. Wring out a damp towel as dry as you possible can.

(1) 2. Remove the shuttles from their tube and lay them onto the damp towel. (2) 3. Cover the shuttles with the damp towel and let them sit for at least five to six hours or more. The quills have to have time to absorb the moisture from the towel. It takes time; it can’t be done in a few minutes.

You want the quill to be flexible when being in play so the shuttle won’t shatter when struck. (3) (4) 4. After the time has gone by for the shuttles to become humidified, place them back into their tube and take them for play. Please make sure to put the top cap back on the tube to hold in the moisture.

5. During your play session, keep them in the damp towel so they won’t dry out too soon.

Send us your badminton related tips like this article.

Email us at editorial@badmintonmonthly.com. Thanks!

50 Badminton Monthly January 2014

TECHNICAL FEATURE

Lesson by Kowi

Chandra from Bay Badminton Center

Footwork to the

Sides

W

e witness champions at the international tournaments dive for the shuttle, then effortlessly get back up and continue with the rally. How do they do it? They are able to make such spectacular plays because they have mastered the basic footwork. Without proper footwork, players not only cannot move around the court efficiently, it will also affect their shot execution. Kowi Chandra, the head coach from Bay Badminton Center in Milpitas, California, show us the basics of proper footwork. This issue focuses on the defensive footwork to the sides. Coach Chandra stresses that reaching for the shuttle as early as possible is essential because you will have better control in your shots when hitting defensive shots like the block shots or lifts; as well as counter-attack shots like the drive shots.

Kowi Chandra

(coach)

Former Indonesian National Team member. 2008 USA Adult Nationals Mixed Doubles 1st place. 2012 USA Adult Nationals Men’s Doubles 1st place.

William Cheung

(demonstrator)

5-time Pan American Junior. 2012 World Junior Championships. 2013 Kenneth Davidson Sportsmanship Award recipient.

Sharon Ng (demonstrator)

2012 USA Adult Nationals Women’s Singles 2nd place. 2010 USBDF Winter Junior Badminton Internationals 1st place U22 GS.

Editing and photography

by KOTA MORIKAWA & JAMES YOUNG www.badmintonmonthly.com 51

TECHNICAL FEATURE

Footwork to the Forehand Side Shufe Move

This is an attacking drive move to the right side (right-handed players), and it ends with a hop to catch the birdie as high and as early as possible. Push the right foot to make a left foot shuffle first and reach the side with the right foot.

This shuffle method allows us to cover more distance.

Push the right foot to begin the footwork Shufe Move

2

1

One Step Move

Push off the left foot to shift your body weight to the right side, then quickly extend the right leg to a side-lunge and reach for the shuttle. Use this footwork to defend a shot down the sideline on the forehand side. Sometimes we do not have time to use two steps, and one step may also help in conserving energy.

One Step Move

1

52 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Lesson by Kowi

Chandra from Bay Badminton Center

Left foot shuffle to reach the side

Push the right foot strongly to begin the footwork

Reach the side with the right foot

Reach the side with the right foot

www.badmintonmonthly.com 53

TECHNICAL FEATURE

Footwork to the Backhand Side Right Foot Lunge

Push off on the right foot to make a small left foot movement to the left side, then push off quickly on the left foot and crossover the right foot to reach for the shuttle. Use this footwork to defend a shot down the sideline on the backhand side.

Push off on the right foot to make a small left foot movement to the left Right Foot Lunge

2 1

One Step Left Foot Lunge

The left foot lunge is an advanced move. Some consider it to be unorthodox because it covers less distance and lunges with the “wrong� foot; on the other hand, others use it to their advantage as a faster step if their reach is far enough for the shot. Use this footwork when you need to move quickly to receive a quick shot down the backhand sideOne Step Left Foot Lunge line. This method could help in recovery and gives you more time to react to the next shot.

1

54 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Lesson by Kowi

Chandra from Bay Badminton Center

push off quickly on the left foot and crossover the right foot to reach for the shuttle

Push off on the right foot quickly to make a left foot lunge to the side

Reach the side with the left foot

www.badmintonmonthly.com 55

TECHNICAL FEATURE

Common Mistake & Advices Common Mistake Shoulders/hips not squared up to the net If you do not shuffle your left foot behind your right foot when you move to the right, the upper body tends to face sideways and not towards the net. This will limit the shot-selections for your shot return.

For example, it will be very difficult to hit crosscourt returns if the shoulders and hips are not squared up to the net. In addition, it makes it harder for the player to stay balanced and thus make it more difficult to hit consistent shots.

Planting your feet flat on the ground This applies to every situation during a badminton game. When getting ready, you should bend your knees and stay on the balls of your feet. This is crucial especially when you need good reaction time on a quick first step during defense.

Ask coach Kowi Chandra

“Practice until your muscle memorizes” Badminton Monthly: For those who have weak legs, what can they do on the court to do improve their footwork? Do you have any suggestions on how to strengthen legs?

Kowi Chandra: You can practice your footwork by doing the pick-up-shuttle drill. The pick-up-shuttle drill is a really good way to train your leg muscle as you have to make a big lunge which requires strong muscle. Another suggestion is to do fitness workouts such as jump rope, squat jump, burpee, lunging, and other similar exercises. However, in my opinion, the pick-up-shuttle drill is the best method to strengthen your legs. Back in Indonesia, I would also practice footwork in the sand. It’s a great workout for the legs.

BM: Do you think it is too late to practice footwork when you are more than 40 or 50 years old?

KC: Yes and No. Here’s what I mean.

Yes, it is hard to gain as good a form as when you train at an early age. It becomes even harder if you already developed the improper footwork for years.

No, if you practice footwork enough, it will definitely help your game. It makes your game more efficient, you can cover more area, and you will move a lot faster. So, do the footwork practice until your muscle remembers or you gain muscle memory.

56 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Lesson by Kowi

Chandra from Bay Badminton Center

S P TI from the Demonstrators William Cheung

“Be patient!”

Badminton Monthly: How did you practice footwork?

William Cheung: There are many different drills. Working with a partner is the best since we can do the six corners drill where one person points and the other person does the footwork. It also helps with someone watching to ensure the footwork is correct.

By myself, I would do the pick-up-shuttle drill by placing five birdies at one corner then use proper footwork to pick them up one at a time and place them to the opposite corner.

BM: What did coaches teach you about footwork in general?

WC: My coaches told me that I could learn all the techniques and all the strategies of which shots to hit and when to hit them, but all that would be useless if I did not first learn how to get to the birdie first!

BM: Any advice for those who are learning footwork?

WC: My advice is to be patient when learning footwork. It’s not something that can be learned overnight. It takes lots of practice and repetition. It’s all about the effort put in. The more practice you put in, the more footwork will become second nature. It may seem boring and repetitive doing the same motions over and over again, especially without hitting birdies, but it will be well worth your time in the end. You will be able to move so smoothly around the court and navigate with ease!

Sharon Ng

“No success without good footwork” Badminton Monthly: How did you practice footwork?

Sharon Ng: The best way to practice footwork is to have someone point the shots in the direction you do the footwork. This six corners drill is excellent because you cannot predict where that person will point. It is especially important to visualize the shots you are hitting as you do the footwork. Are you hitting a clear? A drop? A smash? You should always pretend you are playing a game when you do footwork.

If I want to improve my speed, I also do the pick-up-birdies drill. My favorite drill is placing six birdies in one corner then move each birdie to a separate corner then bring them all back to the same original corner. This drill is repeated five more times for each different corner.

BM: What did coaches teach you about footwork in general?

SN: Footwork, like learning how to swing a racket, takes lots and lots of practice.

Ideally, you should practice footwork every week and even use it as warm up before playing games.

BM: Any advice for those who are learning footwork?

SN: Definitely strengthen your legs through doing lunges, weights, wall sits, and other leg routines. Footwork requires a lot of lunging and staying low so your legs need to be strong. And practice as much as you can! A skillful player cannot be successful without good footwork.

www.badmintonmonthly.com 57

2014 Graham/Toms US Senior International Jan.7-11, Miami Lakes, Florida

2014 US Senior International Badminton Championships, Miami Lakes. Mixand-Match Mixed Doubles 80-70 Challenge, Wolfgang Arit and Elsie Wilson

Senior Players: Like a Vintage Wine Getting Better With Age

BY BOB COOK

Contributing Writer Partnering up four 80-year old men with younger women proved to be a most challenging undertaking in the 35th Graham/Toms US Senior International. Innovation, though, has always been the nature of this tournament.

F

rom the birth of senior badminton tournaments from the 1930’s through the 1980’s, the age groups started at 40 plus before it jumped 10 years to 50 and again to 60. That was it. In 1988 the US Senior International initiated the 35-year age group which now has become the worldwide standard. In 1991 five year age groups were incorporated and the age groups continued pushing upwards to finally include 85 in 2009.

This year’s 110 entrants were similar to previous years with half from the US, and the other half from international. With 40 percent 58 Badminton Monthly January 2014

of the participants being women, all events except Women’s Singles 55-plus age group were well populated. Most of the players were past participants, who like the five-day format which allows them to participate in many different events. The average number of events each player entered was slightly over four, which is almost twice as many as one would expect in most senior tournaments. This meant that many played six or seven events. Still, no one was able to dominate with more than three gold medals, including Gary Foong (CAN), Hélène Dubé (CAN), Ian Assing (CAN), John Wright (CAN), Margaret Hudson (CAN),

Mary Ann Bowles (USA), Bob Cook (US), Roger Kirby (CAN), and Sarah Ball (CAN).

Since the cold weather and snow made it difficult for Canadians and Midwestern Americans to make their way to the tournament, many matches needed to be rescheduled. Players trickled in with horror stories of cancelled flights and round about connections. By day three, the last of the lost Canadians drifted in very eager to get warmed up.

After several unsuccessful tries to fairly combine 80-year old men with 70 year old women, we finally got the formula right. The four ladies ranked themselves and the weakest of them, Carole Charnutzky, picked first and chose Jim Duberry, then Dorris Taylor selected Roger Kerby, Elsie Wilson opted for Wolfgang Arlt, and that left the strongest lady, Marge Hudson, to play with Frank Melvin.

With the skill level of the men and women

being about equal on the four teams the play was competitive and the rallies lasted longer than normal for the 70-plus age groups. Everyone agreed that this was a wonderful event and should be a regular feature.

As always, the dinner/dance on the final night was a superb affair. The tournament organizer, Paisan Rangsikitpho, gave a warm thanks to the attendees and indicated that for 2015 the dates of the tournaments would be January 13 to 17.

Bob Cook followed by announcing the adoption of an official tournament wine, Vino Paisano, a vintage wine crushed from sun ripened grapes of the Florida everglades. He was optimistic that it would one day rival Château Lafite-Rothschild 2000 ($1,100). Two bottles of the wine were awarded to Dorris Taylor and Roger Kerby, who won the inaugural 80/70 mixed doubles. Another bottle of this fine vintage went to Hélène Dubé for winning the Kelly Tibbetts Sportswoman award. And, Murray Foubister scored the final Vino Paisano by winning the Bill Graham Sportsman award.

All drank to another vintage year of Vino Paisano, Vintage of the 35th Graham/ badminton at Miami Toms US Senior International Lakes.

Mix-and-Match Mixed Doubles 80-70 Challenge, (from left to right) Frank Melvin (USA) and Marg Hudson (Canada), Umpire Curt Dommeyer, Elsie Wilson and Wolfgang Arit (USA)

2014 U.S. Senior International Badminton Championships, Miami Lakes. Women’s Singles 65, Gold Barbara Gibson (England); Silver, Marg Hudson (Canada)

70 Mixed Doubles Gold Marg Hudson/Murray Foubister (Canada); Silver Heini Johannsen (Denmark)/Eliana Schroder (Peru)

Mix-andMatch Mixed Doubles 8070 Challenge.

Silver James Dubery and Carole Charnutzky (Canada) and Bronze Elsie Wilson and Wolfgang Arit (USA) www.badmintonmonthly.com 59

Bill Graham

Bill Graham:

A Man and his Sidekick

BY BOB COOK

Bill Graham was the vision and force behind Miami Lakes, one of America’s most innovative new towns. As a long time die-hard badminton player, his vision included a slice of badminton into his planned community.

H

e was born February 7, impression on Bill that he related 1924, on a houseboat that story until his last days. moored at the edge of When Bill met his future wife, the Miami Canal at Pat, he wanted to know if she a sugar plantation in the Florida played badminton.

Everglades. When Bill Graham was 13, his father, in an attempt to keep the restless kid occupied, bought an outdoor badminton set for him and his boyhood friend, Jerry Toms. Inside the canning factory they marked out court lines, erected a net, and learned to play the sport of badminton. Even back then (according to Jerry), Bill never beat him in a single’s game.

Both Bill and Jerry trained and played incessantly, and got to be quite good. Their enlate Bill Graham thusiasm was infectious and many farmhands became regulars as well. Then “Yes,” she said and that was along came the Second World as good as a marriage proposal.

War and duty called, taking them Pat wasn’t as good as Bill, but away from the game they loved that didn’t matter, as she was his — but not for long. During his mixed partner. It proved to be a stint in the Army Air Corps, Bill true love story as the partnership managed to squeeze in some tour- and the marriage endured. Of naments. Bill was winning and course, that never stopped his feeling like “The Man” until he competitive nature. He told Pat ran into this slight Filipino player the only way she was getting her who he figured he could easily own racket would be if she genubeat. That opponent ran down inely earned a point from him in and returned every conceivable a singles game. She did and Bill shot Bill tried. It made such an bought Pat her racket!

60 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Despite being a very active badminton player into his 60s, Bill just couldn’t make it to the Senior International. When Tom Carmichael brought the Tournament to Bill in 1985, he relished the experience and said, “Let’s do this again.”

So every two years Bill competed in an international senior tournament.

His gentlemanly and warm

late Jerry Toms

personality carried over to his court demeanor. On hesitant legs, he managed to somehow play through the Tournament in 2003 before hanging up his racquets.

Two years later he arranged to make the Senior International a yearly occurrence at Miami Lakes and dedicated it to his lifelong sidekick, Jerry Toms.

The Graham Dairy Farm Ernest Graham, a former state senator and one-time candidate

for Florida governor developed the Graham Dairy Farm. The cows grazed on the acreage he acquired following the demise of the Pennsylvania Sugar Company (PENNSUCO), of which he was general manager. Following World War II, Ernest’s son, Bill Graham, established a registered Angus herd, and in the early 1950’s, began to supply bulls for the Graham’s large commercial herd on what is now Miami Lakes and Venus, in central Florida.

Bill Graham pioneered the master-planned community of Miami Lakes, Florida’s first “new town” which opened in 1962.

He had help from his two brothers (the late Philip Graham, publisher of The Washington Post and Newsweek), and Bob, (former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator), and was also aided by Lester Collins, grandson of Miami Beach developer John S. Collins. As a result of sound land planning, conservative financial management and careful construction timetables, the community of Miami Lakes became nationally recognized as a successful prototype.

Today, the community, now incorporated as the Town of Miami Lakes, is home to more than 27,000 residents, many of whom are numbered in the nearly 10,000 employee-base of Miami Lakes businesses. Miami Lakes is a totally integrated combination of single family homes, townhome

I

’ll always remember the first time I lob and you’ll know what I mean. met Bill Graham. It was on the courts Eventually, when Jerry’s knees started at Miami Springs Senior High School, to deteriorate (and Dudley Chen still wasn’t playing doubles against him and his son, old enough to play in seniors events), Bill Bee Graham. The two of them had similar asked me to be his senior doubles partner; games and were quite annoying at the net, a request I accepted without hesitation. since, if you couldn’t return your shot to I learned a lot about badminton through the back, either one of them at the net was playing and talking badminton with Bill. there to pepper Over the years, in you with flat ataddition to him tacks. Eventually, being one of my I got to know Bill, closest friends, and was even forI guess I kind of

BY DAVE ZARCO tunate enough to adopted him as my travel every once second father. in awhile with the I could go on selected group of players Bill would fly in and on about Bill and regale you with so the corporate plane to tournaments in the many on and off-court stories about Bill, Southern region. Those days were such a but I won’t. I’ll just say, I miss him. But he blast, not just for the badminton, but for all lives on in all of us who continue to play the off-court fellowship. badminton and to pass on the goodwill he Ask Linda Harvey about knowing the spread while he was with us. difference between Budweiser and Miche-

villas, apartments, condominiums, hotels, resort facilities, shopping centers, office and industrial buildings, parks, lakes, schools, churches and public services.

Bill along with his brother Phil also arranged for 2000 acres of the former World War II military airport (now Opa-Locka Airport) to be deeded to Miami-Dade County for future development of the Amelia Earhart Park. The park now includes the Bill Graham Farm Village, the first authentic farm village in Miami-Dade. It includes a petting zoo, sugar cane press, boiling shed, smokehouse, gazebo, general store and barn, a windmill, haystack, tractor, livestock pens and a tropical fruit grove.

2014 U.S. SENIOR INTERNATIONAL Jan. 7-11, Miami Lakes, FL

Winners Men’s Singles 35+ 1. John Wright 2. Cosmin Ioan 3. Chris White

40+

1. Krishna Balwalli 2. Hemant Patel 3. Toru Ikeda

50+

1. Jose Arsenault 2. André Lafortune 3. Guy Tetreault

55+

I Remember Bill

3. Brian Miles/Hemant Patel

60+

1. Ian Assing/Garth D’Abreu 2. Laszlo Drimusz/Andrey Golikov 3. Hemant Patel/Donald Tremblay

65+

Mixed Doubles 35+

70+

40+

45+

50+

1. Jose Arsenault/Michel Guilbert 2. Dudley Chen/Pedro Garcia 3. Marcel Leblanc/Donald Tremblay

55+

1. Gary Foong/Luke Huang 2. Dudley Chen/Calvin Foong 3. David Carton/Cordell Parsons 3. Guy Tetreault/Donald Tremblay

60+

1. Laszlo Drimusz/Gary Foong 2. Bill Brennan/Bill Thompson 3. Michael Chin/Larry Wagner 3. Bob Cook/Curt Dommeyer

1. André Lafortune 2. Michel Guilbert 3. Luke Huang 3. Pedro Garcia

65+

1. Laszlo Drimusz 2. Bill Thompson 3. Cordell Parsons

1. Murray Foubister/Owen Stickels 2. Heini Johannesen/Wilfrid Pineault 3. Roger Kerby/Gordon Pearman

1. Bob Cook 2. Larry Wagner 3. Gordon Pearman

1. James Duberry/Roger Kerby 2. Wolfgang Arlt/David Murray 3. Phil Brunner/Wilfrid Pineault

1. David Murray 2. Heini Johannesen 3. Wilfrid Pineault

1. Wolfgang Arlt/Roger Kerby 2. James Duberry/Frank Melvin

60+

65+

70+

75+

1. Wilfrid Pineault 2. Robert Clark 3. Harrison Orr 4. Ken Money

80+

1. James Duberry 2. Roger Kerby 3. Frank Melvin

Men’s Doubles 35+

1. Ian Assing/Cosmin Ioan 2. Elliott Beals/Chris White 3. Brian Miles/Colin Taylor

40+

1. Elliott Beals/Harry Mah 2. Toru Ikeda/Colin Taylor

1. Lucia (Gloria) Jimenez 2. Barbara Gibson 3. Margot Hurst 1. Barbara Gibson 2. Margaret Hudson 3. Andrea Weiss 3. Lucia (Gloria) Jimenez 1. Margaret Hudson 2. Margot Hurst 3. Carole Charnutzky

2. Margot Hurst/Eliana Schroder 3. Carole Charnutzky/Dorris Taylor

1. John Wright/Sarah Ball 2. Cosmin Ioan/Duyen Nguyen 3. Harry Mah/Carol Fu 3. Ian Assing/Heather Dart

75+

1. Ian Assing/Sue Eng 2. Alek Klysz/Duyen Nguyen 3. Elliott Beals/Shirley Thomson 3. Hemant Patel/Sheilagh O’Driscoll

Women’s Doubles 35+

1. John Wright/Sarah Ball 2. Hemant Patel/Hélène Dubé 3. Dudley Chen/Terry Lira 3. Jose Arsenault/Joelle Mimeault

40+

1. Dudley Chen/Terry Lira 2. Garth D’Abreu/Virginia Chariandy-Balwant 3. Guy Tetreault/Hélène Dubé 3. Lars Michelsen/Angela Bukowski

45+

1. Gary Foong/Susan Mcmaster 2. Bob Cook/Mary Ann Bowles 3. Jean-Francois Beaudet/Betty Gordon 3. Donald Tremblay/Zhong (Linda) Ye

50+

1. Curt Dommeyer/Mary Ann Bowles 2. Bob Cook/Sanne Dryborough 3. Michael Chin/Mary Blandino 3. David Carton/Betty Gordon

1. Dorris Taylor 2. Carole Charnutzky

45+

1. Ai Lean Lim/Duyen Nguyen 2. Tamiko Foster/Panita Norton 3. Virginia Chariandy-Balwant/Heather Dart 4. Anna Cheah/Caroline Craighill

50+

1. Sarah Ball/Lynn Michel 2. Sheilagh O’Driscoll/Tami Parks 3. Duyen Nguyen/Ai Lean Lim 3. Sue Eng/Shirley Thomson

55+

1. Jacqueline Myers/Louise Simmons 2. Sarah Ball/Lynn Michel 3. Anna Cheah/Caroline Craighill 3. Sue Eng/Shirley Thomson

60+

Women’s Singles 35+

1. Virginia Chariandy-Balwant/Lynn Michel 2. Hélène Dubé/Joelle Mimeault 3. Angela Bukowski/Sheilagh O’Driscoll

65+

40+

1. Joanne Cicrich/Sanne Dryborough 2. Betty Gordon/Terry Lira 3. Cindy Guan/Zhong (Linda) Ye

45+

1. Joanne Cicrich/Sanne Dryborough 2. Mary Ann Bowles/Andrea Weiss 3. Barbara Gibson/Susan Mcmaster

1. Bob Cook/Curt Dommeyer 2. Paisan Rangsikitpho/Tom Wilmshurst 3. Gordon Pearman/Larry Wagner

70+

75+

80+

1. Heather Dart 2. Jacqueline Myers 3. Carol Fu

55+

1. Hélène Dubé 2. Jacqueline Myers 3. Joelle Mimeault

60+

1. Hélène Dubé 2. Jacqueline Myers 3. Kendall Balchen 3. Anna Cheah

65+

50+

1. Hélène Dubé 2. Louise Simmons 3. Joelle Mimeault

1. Mary Ann Bowles/Andrea Weiss 2. Mary Blandino/Barbara Gibson 3. Sanne Dryborough/PeruLucia (Gloria) Jimenez 3. Margaret Hudson/Elsie Wilson

70+

1. Bob Cook/Mary Ann Bowles 2. Curt Dommeyer/Sanne Dryborough 3. David Carton/Barbara Gibson 3. Paisan Rangsikitpho/Andrea Weiss

70+

1. Murray Foubister/Margaret Hudson 2. Heini Johannesen/Eliana Schroder 3. David Murray/Elsie Wilson 3. Wilfrid Pineault/Carole Charnutzky

80-70 Challenge

1. Roger Kerby/Dorris Taylor 2. James Duberry/Carole Charnutzky 3. Wolfgang Arlt/Elsie Wilson

75+

1. David Murray/Elsie Wilson 2. Wilfrid Pineault/Carole Charnutzky 3. Robert Clark/Dorris Taylor

1. Margaret Hudson/Elsie Wilson

www.badmintonmonthly.com 61

Workout of the Month

Strong Core Rules!

by Jonathan Magno Photography by Derick Santos

In our last issue, we introduced the plank reach and a few lower body exercises that help with better balance. We will go one step further in this issue and build our balance from within - our core.

Besides improved balance, having a stronger core will also improve posture, reduce back pain and give you a more toned looking midsection! Abdominal muscles are commonly mistaken to be our core, but in reality, it is only a part of it. Our core also includes pelvic muscles, mid and lower back muscles, as well as part of our hip muscles. Think of it as the “middle” of your entire body, 3-dimensionally, that connects your upper and lower body.

Our new trainer, Jonathan, designed a 25-minute circuit training, with a total of five exercises, guaranteed to help strengthen your core!

5. Walk-Outs

4. Fireflies

62 Badminton Monthly January 2014

1. Plank Knee Tuck

Instructions:

Knee Tucks (left leg)

Exercises 1, 3, 4, 5, start from a high plank position (as shown in the picture right).

Complete each exercise for 30-40 seconds followed by a 20-30 seconds break based on your fitness level. Once you’ve run through all the exercises, repeat the Circuit three more times for a total of four rounds:

2. Leg Lowers

3. Plank Knee Tucks (right leg)

About the Instructor

Jonathan Magno

Hyper-Active Monkey Fitness - Certified Personal Trainer - 1,000+ hours in coaching - Over 15 years in martial arts training - Works with boxers, athletes, and people with general fitness goals. https://www.facebook.com/hyperactivemonkeys

www.badmintonmonthly.com 63

Workout of the Month

EXERCISE 1, 3

Key Point

Plank Knee Tuck

Make sure you stabilize the plank position during the entire exercise and don’t twist your hips.

The Plank Knee Tuck is all about stabilizing your core positioning. If the positioning of your body is tilted too much to the left or right, you lose the ability to move efficiently in multiple directions.

1

Directions: 1. Get in a high plank position.

2. Shoulders above your wrists. Shoulders, hips and ankles aligned in a straight line.

3. To begin the exercise, straighten your left leg behind you keeping your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles in line. (1) 4. Pull your left knee towards your chest with your foot dorsiflexed, making sure that your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles stay in-line. (2) 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for 30-40 seconds.

2

EXERCISE 2

Leg Lowers

Key Point

The Leg Lowers ensure that you can perform separate and dynamic movement with your lower body while still keeping your core stabilized.

Directions: 1. Lie down on your back with your shoulders resting on the floor 2. Lay your head on the floor with your chin tucked in and neck relaxed 3. Place your hands to your sides, palms facing down 4. Straighten your legs and lift above your hips with your feet dorsiflexed. Creating a straight line with your ankles, knees, and hips. (1) 5. While stabilizing your core, lower the legs 1-2 inches off the ground. (2) 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for 30-40 seconds.

7. If the exercise proves to be difficult. Leave one leg above your hip, with the opposite lowering. Alternate legs each round. (3)

3

64 Badminton Monthly January 2014

2

When you raise your feet over your hips, make sure your hips do not extend off the floor.

1

Fireflies

EXERCISE 4

Key Point

With this being a dynamic movement, core stabilization is extremely important to increase your agility and capacity to move on the floor within a variety of directions, starts, and stops.

Fireflies are another exercise about stabilizing your core positioning but in a more dynamic fashion. This will force you to focus on stabilizing your core while moving your lower body.

1

Directions: 1. Get in a high plank position 2. Shoulders above your wrists. Shoulders, hips and ankles aligned in a straight line.

3. To begin the exercise, open up your right hip with your inner thigh parallel to the floor.

4. Pull your knee towards your right elbow with your foot dorsiflexed. (1) 5. Extend your right foot back onto the floor returning into a plank position.

6. Alternate to the opposite leg and repeat for 30-40 seconds.

7. For higher intensity, do a pushup while pulling your knee towards your elbow. (2)

2

EXERCISE 5

Walk-Outs

Key Point

Walkouts is an exercise which will allow you to stabilize your core while being able to move and deliver force from your upper body.

Directions: 1. Get into a high plank position.

2. Shoulders above your wrists. Shoulders, hips and ankles aligned in a straight line.

3. To begin the exercise, walk your left hand in front of you at a 45 degree angle and making sure the hand is in line with your shoulder. (1) 4. While Keeping the left hand in position, walk your right hand in front of you in a similar position. (2) 5. Once Your right hand is in position return your left hand to the starting position.

Followed by the right hand.

6. Repeat steps 3-5 for 30-40 seconds.

1

As with most of the exercises in this circuit, make sure you stabilize the plank position during the entire exercise and don’t twist the hips. For higher intensity, keep your feet closer to each other and vice versa for less intensity.

low intensity

high intensity

2

www.badmintonmonthly.com 65

JUMP SMASH 66 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Chapter 3: Dark Shadows Threaten Robert‛s Future with Yuko

By Rocket Mango

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JUMP SMASH 68 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Chapter 3: Dark Shadows Threaten Robert‛s Future with Yuko

By Rocket Mango

www.badmintonmonthly.com 69

JUMP SMASH 70 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Chapter 3: Dark Shadows Threaten Robert‛s Future with Yuko

By Rocket Mango

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JUMP SMASH 72 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Chapter 3: Dark Shadows Threaten Robert‛s Future with Yuko

By Rocket Mango

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JUMP SMASH 74 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Chapter 3: Dark Shadows Threaten Robert‛s Future with Yuko

By Rocket Mango

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JUMP SMASH 76 Badminton Monthly January 2014

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Tournament Calendar & Directory GET OUT THERE AND PLAY

National/Local

Junior

International

3/28-30 Adult Nationals Boston, Massachusetts Venue: Boston Badminton Club Contact: Chris Lawrence (CCclawrence@aol.com)

4/4-6 Maryland Junior Open Sanctioned Parkville, Maryland Venue: Northeast Regional Recreation Center Deadline: 3/23 Contact: Peter Teuben (teuben@ gmail.com)

3/4-9 Yonex All England Badminton Championships Birmingham, England Superseries Premier

3/19-22 Masters Nationals Tucson, AZ Contact: Dudley Chen (diggychen@juno.com) Venue: University of Arizona 5/9-11 Adidas MIT Boston Open Cambridge, Massachusetts Venue: Rockwell Cage Contact: Chris Lawrence (CCclawrence@aol.com) Deadline: 4/25 www.bostonopen.com

4/18-21 Junior International Trials San Carlos, CA Category: U11, U13, U15 Trials for Pan Am Junior Championships Venue: Affinity Badminton Club 7/1-6 Junior Nationals El Monte, California Widya Susanto Venue: LA Badminton Club 7/28-8/3 MBBC Junior International Manhattan Beach, California Deadline: 7/23

78 Badminton Monthly January 2014

3/11-16 Swiss Open Basel, Swissland Grand Prix Gold 3/25-30 YONEX-SUNRISE Malaysia Grand Prix Gold Johor Bahru, Malaysia Grand Prix Gold 4/1-6 YONEX-SUNRISE India Open New Delhi, India Superseries 4/7-18 World Junior Championships Alor Setar, Malaysia

4/8-13 Singapore Open Singapore City, Singapore Superseries 4/15-19 SKYCITY New Zealand Open Auckland, New Zealand Grand Prix 4/15-20 China Masters Jiangsu, China Grand Prix Gold 7/8-13 Yonex US Open Grand Prix Gold Brentwood, New York Venue: Suffolk County Community College

To submit your event for listing, email us at editorial@badmintonmonthly. com. For advertising inquiries, contact us at ads@badmintonmonthly.com

Directory Badminton Gyms United States Arizona Mesa

Arizona Badminton Center 2150 W Broadway, Suite 107 (480) 699-2760 www.azbadmintoncenter.com

Phoenix

Phoenix Badminton Center 21430 N. 15th Ln. (602) 666-6169 www.phoenixbadmintoncenter.com

Northern California Campbell

Bintang Badminton Academy 600 E. Hamilton Ave., Suite 189 (408) 871-1683 www.bintangbadminton.org

Dublin

Bintang Badminton Academy 6780 Sierra Court, Suite I (925) 829-3200 www.bintangbadminton.org

Emeryville

Eastbay Badminton Association 4230 Hubbard St. (510) 655-8989 www.eastbaybadminton.com

Fremont

CBA Badminton 46049 Warm Springs Blvd.

(510) 438-0445 www.cabadminton.com United Badminton Club 43901 Boscell Rd. (510) 656-2582 www.unitedbadminton.com

Menlo Park

Synergy Badminton Club 190 Constitution Dr. (650) 838-9318 www.synergybadminton.com

Milpitas

Bay Badminton Center 1191 West Montague Expressway (408) 942-2888 www.baybadminton.com Bintang Badminton Academy 746 S. Milpitas Blvd.

(408) 935-9915 www.bintangbadminton.org

Rancho Cordova

Northern California Badminton Club 2421 Mercantile Dr. (916) 790-2208 www.norcalbadminton.com

San Carlos

Affinity Badminton Club 403 Quarry Rd. (650) 752-8071 www.affinitybadminton.com

South San Francisco Bay Badminton Center 1404 San Mateo Ave. (650) 588-2088 www.baybadminton.com

Bintang Badminton Academy 245 S. Spruce Ave., Suite 700 (650) 624-0002 www.bintangbadminton.org

Sunnyvale

Bintang Badminton Academy 1365 Geneva Dr. (408) 541-1837 www.bintangbadminton.org

Union City

Z-Badminton 33540 Central Ave. (510) 487-9282 www.zbadmintontrainingcenter.com

Southern California Arcadia

Arcadia Badminton Club 12336 Lower Azusa Rd. (626) 672-0113 www.abadminton.com

El Monte

Los Angeles Badminton Club 10410 Valley Blvd.

(626) 279-9919 www.labadmintonclub.com San Gabriel Valley Badminton Club 9255 Telstar Ave. (626) 307-4650 www.sgvbc.net

Lakewood

Badminton Center Court 3699 Industry Ave. (562) 426-9299 www.badmintoncentercourt.com

Manhattan Beach

Manhattan Beach Badminton Club 516 18th St. (310) 545-9052 www.mbbadmintonclub.com

Orange

Orange County Badminton Club 1432-A N. Main St. (714) 639-6222 www.ocbadmintonclub.com

Pomona

San Gabriel Valley Badminton Club 3410 Pomona Blvd.

(909) 839-1939 www.sgvbc.net

San Diego

San Diego Badminton Club Balboa Park Activity Center 2145 Park Blvd.

(858) 581-7100 www.sandiegobadminton.org

Florida

Orlando

ClearOne Badminton Center 4141 N. John Young Parkway (407) 730-3596 www.clearonebadminton.com

Hawaii

Honolulu

Massachusetts Westborough

Boston Badminton Club 169 Flanders Rd (508) 329-1710 www.bostonbadminton.com

Nevada

Las Vegas

Las Vegas Badminton 3655 W. Sunset Rd., Suite D (702) 776-6720

New York

College Point

CP Badminton 20-24 119th St. (347) 688-0650 www.cpbadminton.com

North Tonawanda

Rally Niagara Badminton Club 875 Eggert Dr. (716) 381-4571 www.rallyniagarabadminton.com

Flushing

New York Badminton Club 132-63 34th Ave (646) 271-3228 www.newyorkcitybadminton.com

Oregon

Hillsboro

Portland Badminton Club 7275 NW Evergreen Pkwy., Building F #250 (503) 640-8659 www.portlandbadmintonclub.com

Virginia Sterling

K2 Badminton 45805 Woodland Rd. (571) 223-6006 www.k2badminton.com

Washington Bellevue

Bellevue Badminton Club 13405 SE 30th St., Suite 1C (425) 562-2950 www.bellevuebadminton.com

Seattle

Seattle Badminton Club 10858 117th Place NE (425) 889-5958 www.seattlebadminton.com

Canada Alberta

Calgary

Clearone Badminton Centre 1853-120 Ave., NE (403) 265-3886 www.clearonebadminton.com

Honolulu Badminton Club 1336 Dillingham Blvd.

(808) 354-0146 www.honolulubadminton.com

Sunridge Badminton Centre 401-33rd St., NE (403) 263-9222 www.sunridgebadminton.com

Illinois

British Columbia

Naperville

Midwest Badminton Club 2019 Corporate Ln., Suite 103 (630) 888-0721 www.mbadminton.com

Woodbridge

Midwest Badminton Club 1020 Davey Rd., Ste. 600 (630) 783-1910 www.mbadminton.com

Kelowna

Kelowna Badminton Club 1098 Richter St (250) 763-4616 www.kelownabadminton.ca

Vancouver

Vancouver Racquets Club 4867 Ontario St (604) 874-0242 www.vrc.bc.ca

Richmond

Clearone Badminton Centre – Browngate #100-4351 No.3 Rd. (604) 278-0221 www.clearonebadminton.com Clearone Badminton Centre – Leslie #138-4551 No.3 Rd. (604) 231-8281 www.clearonebadminton.com Richmond Pro Badminton Centre 130-5800 Minoru Blvd.

(604) 231-0999 www.richmondprobadminton.com

Ontario Aurora

Machi Badminton Training Center 159 Don Hillok Dr., Unit 2 (905) 726-1700 www.machibadminton.com

Chatham

Maple City Badminton Club 14 rue Notre-Dame, Paincourt (519) 436-1493

Richmond Hill

Flying Dragon Badminton Club 30 Vogell Rd., Unit 3 (905) 918-1318 www.flyingdragonbadminton.com

Markham

Everyday Badminton 480 Hood Rd., Unit 1 (905) 604-6698 www.everydaybadminton.com KC Professional Badminton Club 2680 Fourteenth Ave., Unit 3-6 (905) 766-4561 www.kcbadmintonclub.com Lee’s Badminton Professional Training Centre 80D Centurian Dr., Unit 3-9 (905) 940-0703 www.leesbadminton.ca Mandarin Badminton Club 500 Esna Park Drive, Unit 8 (905) 940-0600 www.mandarinbadminton.com Su Badminton Club 170 Shields Court, Unit 1 (905) 752-6857 www.subadmintonclub.com

Mississauga

Lee’s Badminton Professional Training Centre 6597 Kitimat Rd., Unit 1 (905) 819-8018 www.leesbadminton.ca Su Badminton Club 4140B Sladeview Crt., #6 (905) 615-9996 www.subadmintonclub.com

Ottawa

RA Centre Badminton Club 2451 Riverside Dr. (613) 733-5100 www.rabadminton.com

Toronto

Toronto Granite Club 2350 Bayview Ave. (416) 449-8713 www.graniteclub.com

Saskatchewan Saskatoon

Riverside Badminton & Tennis Club 645 Spadina Crescent W (306) 242-5584 www.saskatoonriverside.com

www.badmintonmonthly.com 79

Directory Badminton Stores United States California Arcadia

Wayne Sporting Supplies 4105 E. Live Oak Ave., Ste. #B (626) 821-0676 www.waynesporting.com

Cupertino

Racket Supply 10570 S. De Anza Blvd.

(408) 873-0188 www.racketsupply.com

Encinitas

San Diego Badminton Supply 1343 Encinitas Blvd.

(888) 223-6468 www.badminton.net

Escondido

Online Sports 2121 Chablis Court, Ste 100 (800) 856-2638 www.onlinesports.com

Milpitas

Badminton Superstore 16 Corning Ave. www.ebadminton.stores.yahoo.net Racket Supply 59 Dempsey Rd. (510) 962-3358 www.racketsupply.com

80 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Newark

AK Badminton 7691 Thornton Ave. (408) 666-4322 www.akbadminton.com

San Diego

Digisports 5805 Mission Gorge Rd., Ste. #B (619) 283-3650 www.digisports4u.com

San Jose

ASBY 392 North Capitol Ave. (800) 995-ASBY www.asbysports.com

Sunnyvale

Badminton Alley 1237 South Mary Ave. (408) 746-0646 www.badmintonalley.com

Maryland Rockville

Supreme Sports Supply (301) 924-4918 www.supremesportssupply.com

Massachusetts Paxton

NRC Sports 603 Pleasant St. (800) 243-5033 www.nrcsports.com

Michigan

Union Lake

Muqueem Sports (248) 344-0744 www.muqueemsports.com

Canada

Illinois

Ontario

Badminton Warehouse (800) 650-0562 www.badmintonwarehouse.com

Baddymania 777 King Street West (905) 920-9986 www.baddymania.com

Naperville

Hamilton

Kentucky

Ottawa

Louisville

Louisville Badminton Supply 1313 Lyndon Ln. Suite 103 (502) 426-9526 www.angelfire.com/biz/lbs/current/index.html

Racquet Source (888) 789-3116 www.racquetsource.com

Toronto

Brown’s Sports 2447 Bloor St. West (416) 763-4176 www.brownssports.com Max Sports 4675 Steeles Ave. E, Unit 1C18 (416) 321-8168 www.maxsports.ca

Vaughan

MJ Strings 1 Thornhill Woods Dr. (416) 725-1422 www.mjstrings.ca

Windsor

LY Sports 1315 Wyandotte St. E. (519) 982-4461 www.lysports.com

Quebec Montreal

Racket Sports Montreal (514) 830-8878 www.racketsportsmontreal.ca

To add your organization for listing, email us at editorial@badmintonmonthly. com. For advertising deals, contact us at ads@badmintonmonthly.com

Evenings with Coach Dick Ng #3 Coach Dick Ng devoted 39 years of his life to coaching badminton in the Bay Area. While coaching more than 1,200 players, Ng was fortunate enough to see some of his students such as Howard Bach, Ben Lee, Joy Kitzmiller and Chris Jogis go all the way to the Olympics. Ng’s core philosophy in coaching has been to teach not only how to play badminton, but also how to become a person of good character. As a player, Coach Ng was ranked first in Singles, Doubles, and Mixed in Northern California from 1966-1972. We spoke to Coach Dick Ng about his career and philosophy.

Opening a Junior Program in SSF While actively competing in the US, Dick Ng would travel around to different gyms in the San Francisco Bay Area for practice. Coaching came naturally to him when he started taking younger players to tournaments.

The desire to hold regular practice and to train kids grew, and he found South San Francisco High School (SSFHS) to initiate regular badminton hours open to the public. Ng’s junior program at the high school gym started in 1973 and produced numerous US champions and Olympians for many years to come.

How did you start coaching?

Coaching came by accident. When I played tournaments, I took other junior players with me. I wanted them to win at the tournament, so I started to give them tips. The kids were 11-13 years old, but they were forced to play against adults. They got beat, but that’s how they became very good.

It was fun having kids around to teach a bit. Like my uncle, who took me around to play badminton when I was young, I gave them the same opportunity. I always wanted to give back to the community and help the kids.

It was not really coaching, but to some people it might have looked like I was coaching.

What was the city’s reaction?

The city was supportive. The communication between the school district and the Parks and Recreation was not so good. We often had a problem when the school had an activity in the gym and did not notify me about it. I had to apologize to all the people who came to play on those days. Well, that’s why we needed 24/7 badminton dedicated gyms.

How did you get SSFHS to open their gyms for badminton?

When I was 19, I was looking for a place where I could play badminton on a regular basis. I found out SSFHS had 14 badminton courts. Marlowe Tyler, assistant principal for the school, would open the gym every Sunday from 12 noon to 4 p.m. I wanted to get a hold of the gym by organizing a junior program.

Dave Nardini, from the Parks and Recreation for the city, helped me get an interview for opening the program. I was the #1 doubles player in Northern California back then, and I knew what I was doing. I became a staff of the department and was able to open the gym.

I opened the gym on Monday, Wednesday

Before we go into the specifics, how was your 39 years in South San Francisco?

I had great memories in South San Francisco for 39 years. My actual kids were born there.

I always had young champions coming by. I didn’t want to let it go easily, so I fought hard to keep the program going for many years. I was very loyal to my community and the people I worked with. It was not about the money.

Coaches like me don’t make a lot of money.

I coach only because of the love and passion for the game. Badminton became all about my life at some point, and all the destinations on my vacation became badminton tournaments.

I made sure I could go to the Nationals around

and Thursday from 6:30p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

People came from all over the Bay Area. It got so crowded sometimes with more than 100 people. Some people argued and fought for open courts.

Christmas break.

Some friends asked me how much money I have spent on badminton because I went to all the nationals and took many players to the games. I don’t know, but I have made a fortune there.

Can you share one of the memories with your younger players?

I once took about 10 kids to Ohio for a tournament, some of the kids got so excited to see snow that they asked me to stop the car.

They had a snowball fight right outside in the freezing cold temperature.

You started at SSFHS, and retired there. Have you ever thought about scaling up your coaching career?

At the height of the dot com bubble in the late 1990s, I wanted to open a gym, but the real estate market was too expensive so I did not succeed in starting a gym. Then after that the bubble burst, and many warehouses became available therefore driving the price down.

Now, many gyms have opened. Phu Khu (the owner of Bintang Badminton Academy) started the Bay Area’s first gym. He took the risk.

We should give him a credit for doing that. He is a gutty guy.

-to be continued (Coming Next Issue: Dick Ng continues to talk about the junior program in South San Francisco.)

Dick Ng gives an animated speech about hard work, motivation, and morals at South San Francisco High School, December 2012. (Photo courtesy of Wayne Lum) www.badmintonmonthly.com 81

ROAD TO RIO

by Paula Obanana

Rio, My Goal Born in Philippines. Participated in the first national tournament at the age of 10 and joined the Philippine National Team at age 13.

In 2006, migrated to the United States. Stopped playing for 2 years while living in Minnesota. Back to competitive badminton in 2008.

Joined the U.S. National Team in 2009. Currently ranked #20 in the world with Eva Lee in Women’s Doubles.

W

Paula Obanana in action at Hong Kong Open 2013. (Photography: Badmintonphoto)

hen I first started participating in international tournaments in 2010 with my doubles partner, Eva Lee, we ranked #243 in the world. Before the 2012 Summer Olympics, we had reached #27, which was not enough to qualify for the London Olympics. It was frustrating, yet it hasn’t deterred us from playing and training harder for the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Looking back on what we accomplished from 2010 to 2012, we certainly know that we need to work harder to reach our goals. We had a “roller-coaster” year in 2013, as we participated in around 14 international tournaments, excluding the Denmark League. During the first half of the year, we moved down to #51 - however, we were able to recover and climbed back up the ladder to #20 at the end of 2013.

The most exciting and most rewarding tournament was the 2013 Sudirman Cup held in Malaysia. Eva and I won all of our WD matches against Scotland, Sweden and Russia. Playing against European players is always challenging since they are mentally very tough. They tend to be very tall and agile on the court. We had some long rallies that were exhausting but fun. Each member of our U.S. team gave a good performance, but unfortunately we were not able to reach our goal. This tournament reinforced how we should not focus on winning or losing but how we play the game and how we can improve. From this experience, we were able to identify our strengths and weaknesses.

Another memorable tournament was the 2013 Pan American Championships. I had butterflies in my stomach as we moved to the finals because it was my first time participating in that particular tournament, and we needed to win. Even though I felt a lot of pressure going into the finals against Canada, a strong team, we were able to pull through and win. Through our collective efforts, Eva and I got a Gold medal in 82 Badminton Monthly January 2014

With doubles partner Eva Lee at the Denmark League (Photo Courtesy of Paula Obanana)

WD with a Silver medal in the Team Event.

The most inspiring tournament for me was the All-England where we beat the Thai pair who had notoriously won multiple tournaments, including a Grand Prix Gold Tournament. We reached 2nd round in both All-England and World Championships last year, which was a big step for the both of us.

In the last two months of 2013, Eva and I joined the Denmark League per their invitation. The League is considered a big event since a lot of people are watching, sponsored by different business sectors with full-media coverage. We had a great experience as we played against different sparring partners in WD. We really need these sparring partners to hone our skills, learn other techniques, and build more confidence to face stronger players in preparation for Rio de Janeiro.

I am very optimistic that we will be able to get over this hurdle and improve our ranking. With the help of our dynamic coaches, I will train harder and, most of all, work on my weaknesses and build up my strength. I am so thankful that I have a partner who gives me constructive criticism to help improve both my skills and strategies for dealing with pressure on the court.

We already have our future tournaments lined up. Apart from physical and mental preparation, we need the logistics too. One of the tournaments that we will be participating in is the 2014 U.S. Open. Cheered on by our friends, loved ones, and fellow badminton enthusiasts, we will need this strong support the most as we play on the courts. To me, athletes should not just be committed to improving themselves at their sports, but also to being inspirations to the next generation - therefore, I fix my eyes on my goal without losing sight of my driving force. Good luck to all of my teammates and the other participating teams heading down the road to Rio.

March 2014

CONTENTS

4

Next Issue Highlights and Submission 3 Letter From the Editor

Junior International Trial · Complete Results of U19 and U17 · Faces of the 2014 Junior Team USA · JIT Team Selection Process, by Ray Ng

21 Badminton 2 Cents

What aspects of international competitions do you enjoy watching the most

30 Intl. Game Results · Superseries Finals 2013 · Korea Open · Malaysia Open

22

32 Love All Play

Blazing the Trail for High School Students

· Juniors in Seattle are Booming

37 Christianna’s Athletic Edge

An Interview with Shannon Pohl

Relieving Lower Back Pain

45 Junior Player Spotlight Emmelie Frausing (10) from Seattle “To Be As Good As My Brother”

46 Team Profile

26

UC Berkeley’s Cal Badminton

Aiming for National Tournament

50 Tip of the Month How to Humidify Shuttles

Spending a day with a high school badminton team from Tokyo

Skill Features

40 Basic Overhead Stroke

by Ben Lee

58 Graham/Toms US Senior International

by BOB COOK

62 Workout of the Month Strong Core Rules!

51 Footwork to the Sides

by Kowi Chandra

64 Jump Smash

Chapter 3: Dark Shadows Threaten Robert’s Future with Yuko!

78 Event Schedule/Directory 81 Evenings with Coach Dick Ng Opening a Junior Program in SSF

82 Road to Rio

by Paula Obanana

ON THE COVER Kerry Xu (14) wins U19 Girls Singles at the Junior International Trial on Dec. 30, 2013 2 Badminton Monthly January 2014

Issue #4, May 2014

• US Adult Nationals

Full Coverage on 2014 US Champions

• Bay Area Corporate Badminton Challenge Also featuring 2013 Champion, Cisco Systems

• Skill Feature

Footwork to the back, by Kowi Chandra Basic Strokes, by Ben Lee

• Team Profile

Winning high schools around the nation

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84 Badminton Monthly January 2014

March 2014

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Road to Rio

by Paula Obanana

Interview with

Shannon Pohl A Day with a H.S. Badminton Team from Tokyo Skill Feature

Footwork to the Sides

by Kowi Chandra

Basic Overhead Stroke

by Ben Lee