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Christmas is now behind us, we’re just getting over the New Year celebrations and the three wise men have bought their presents to the children of Spain. Consequently our thoughts now inevitably turn to losing some of these additional unwanted kilos that we gained over the festive period and even perhaps, getting a bit fitter as well.  If, like many of us, the thought of pounding along on your own on a treadmill fills you with dread, or queuing to get on the cross trainer winds you up or wiping someone else’s perspiration from the rowing machine turns your stomach then we can offer an alternative. 

How about a game of badminton?

Badminton has much to offer. Firstly it is a very social event, you will play in pairs and those pairs will change every game so, you’ll make new friends and acquaintances (whether you want to or not!!!).  Badminton, like all racket sports, can be as strenuous or as gentle as you you want it to be. We have players of all standards, from beginners to ex county players so you will always find some one to have a good game against. 

 We can also boast a few nationalities within our ranks. Whist we are predominately British we have German, Dutch and Spanish players amongst us and we are delighted to report that a large proportion of our members are female, many of whom are our keenest members. 

Although our aims are fitness we do try to make it fun and I can guarantee that during a session you will hear bursts of laughter all over the sports hall. It is also not uncommon that we are treated to the odd ‘sticky bun’ or tin of sweets to celebrate someone’s birthday and we organize an informal get together each Christmas plus the odd small social event from time to time.

For some, a couple of hours of badminton is a really tough but enjoyable workout. For others it is a couple of hours of steady ‘fat burn’. Many of us wear fitness watches and it is not uncommon to achieve your 10,000 daily steps in just a two hour session.

We have many players who have made the transition from other ball sports; table tennis, squash, tennis, paddle, cricket, hockey etc so if you’ve ever played a ball sport you will be able to play badminton and you will enjoy it, honest! Many people believe that badminton is too slow and you have to wait forever for the shuttlecock to arrive, please be assured that as your competency increases, so does the speed of the game. We have players in the club who accelerate the shuttle to speeds greater than any other racket sport (but we generally tend to avoid these players!).

Badminton is great for both physical and mental skills, the constant looking up for the shuttle and refocusing as it drops is excellent for focus and balance. The learning of a new skill, different types of shots  using different grips, a new scoring system (yes it has changed since most of us last played) and remembering the score during long tough rallies all help our cognitive and memory skills.

Totana, Aledo and El Pareton make up by far the best badminton club in the area. We boast excellence at all age levels from infants, juniors, teenagers and young adults and we have teams successfully representing the club in most of these age groups. We have a fully qualified Spanish badminton coach who looks after the youngsters and ensures that they learn the correct skills and techniques to make them better players. 

We also have a thriving senior section with players ranging in age from their 40’s right through to their 70’s. One of our better senior players celebrated his 74th birthday just a couple of weeks ago, he is as fit as anyone in the club and looking at him he will be playing well into his 80’s. Some of our senior players are seriously good players and are always there to offer advice on issues ranging from the rules and scoring, how to hold the racket, how to play certain shots, efficient movement around the court and even tactical positioning.....but only if you want it!!!

If you do not have a racket please don’t worry, we have many spare rackets.  We provide all the shuttlecocks and we will help in any way to introduce you to and integrate you into the club. All we ask in return is €3 for a two hour session, great value in anyone’s eyes.

So, go on, give it a go, what do you have to lose? If you have never played before or haven’t played since you were at school or were once a good player then you’re the sort of person we’re looking for. For more information call...............

Source: Totana.net