Practice makes perfect.

Hi, it’s me again, Umar Muhammad.  Do you like to play badminton?? Yes, my hobby is playing badminton. Badminton is a sport that requires skills, stamina and good strategies. Badminton always took priority over any other games. Even if I hadn’t ended up playing badminton professionally, I would still be playing it as a hobby.

My dad plays badminton regularly to keep fit.

Badminton is played with a racquet, shuttlecock, a net badminton and a pair of badminton shoes. I started playing badminton from the age of 10 years old. It happened naturally as my father plays badminton with his friend every Friday and Sunday at Badminton Hall in Menara Telekom, Jalan Pantai Baharu. He encourages me to play badminton for fun, good exercise and healthy activities. I’m not very good but I really, really love badminton and I play regularly with my father and his friends together with their sons once a week on Sunday for 2 hours.

Umar and Aiman Sany hit the neighbourhood streets to play badminton.

As in most sports, practice makes perfect in badminton. I also play with my neighbourhood friends who are the same age as me on my street and field and around the local neighbourhood. Sometimes, I will go to Pudu Ulu Park in the evening with my mother and sister and would invite my best friend, Aiman Sany to come along and play badminton with me together with our mothers and sisters. Badminton can be played in singles or doubles by two players. We had school badminton club after school every Thursday. We are taught and guided with the techniques, the stroke play and proper way to play badminton.

My favorite player is Dato’ Lee Chong Wei, our world number one player. Dato’ has won many international badminton titles in his career and being number one for quite some time now. He is able to retrieve powerful smash, good crosscourt smash and a fit player, always focused and hit good clears and drops without errors.

Trying to catch a dropshot.....

Badminton is a fun to learn and enjoyable to play with family and friend. It is a great indoor or outdoor game, and I happen to have a lot of badminton friends to play with. Playing badminton regularly is a great exercise to keep you in top physical condition and a good life style. Badminton is a major and popular sport in Malaysia.