Eimear Ryan: Falling back in love with badminton

At its best, badminton feels like a deconstructed sword fight: full of feints, parries, and attempts to outwit your opponent, to find a chink in their armour.

A detailed view of a shuttlecock during Day Two of the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships 2023. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

THE thing is, you have to point at the shuttle. This is a tip I was given on the badminton court recently; I was having one of those nights where nothing is going right, swinging in frustration at the shuttle and missing half the time. I was blaming the lights, high up on the hall’s ceiling, for distracting me. I was blaming my entry-level racket, bought for cheap at Elverys. Eventually I was just apologising to my doubles partner, Anaïs, for my general incompetence.

‘Do you want some advice?’ she asked. I nodded. Aside from a stint in secondary school, which is a long time ago now, I’m a beginner in this sport. I always want the advice.