Monday, August 3, 2009

Andre's in the school team!

The focus has been on Lesley-Anne lately, so it's time to turn the spotlight on my little firecracker. The latest update on Andre's badminton coaching - he made the selection for the school team!

We're very pleased with his progress and this for him is a major milestone because he has been dying to represent his school. Since he's only in p3, he probably won't have this opportunity for a while, but at least he's made the first cut.

Letting him receive additional coaching at the academy was definitely a good decision - he has learnt at a pace that he wouldn't have at school alone, sharing a court with 30 kids. His dedication to training has also convinced us of his passion for the game, which we weren't too sure if it was just a phase at first.

There are several coaches at the academy. One of them who also coaches the school team told us that Andre's progress has surpassed her own expectations. It's very encouraging indeed and we're delighted that he has found a niche interest to call his own.

Here's a clip of Andre doing one of the many different drills at the academy. This one was done in pairs. He's the mini one on the left.



I also tried to record Andre's game play with Kenneth a few weeks ago. It's difficult to get a long clip because Andre is taught to play strategically, ie win the point. Here are a couple of the longer rallies I managed to film. The first clip shows him trying to use his smash to bring home the shot but it's not a sustainable plan because you will eventually run out of steam if your opponent is able to return the shots.



In the second clip, Andre shows more variety of shots and this is what he learns at the academy, to mix up his shots to try and wrongfoot the opponent. Having a height disadvantage means it's more difficult to smash without getting the shuttlecock into the net. His plus point is that he's willing to run down every ball. It's what I call the Michael Chang strategy.



To expose the kids to tournament conditions, the academy encourages them to participate in competitions outside of school. There's one coming up at the end of the year and we'll probably let Andre join just to give him experience. Will continue to record his progress!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is for Andre,

<*CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP*

Way to go, Andre!!! Way to go!!!

加油!加油!加油!>

Mon, he really plays very well. I must show this to J tomorrow. The highest record J & I kept the shuttlecock stayed in the air was 5 hits, counts were from both players somemore, and we did not play with the net on...(oh my, this is so embarassing)....LOL.

Chris

monlim said...

Wow, thanks for that tremendous display of encouragement! Aiyah, when we first started, that's how we played too! Just being able to return the shuttlecock was an achievement lol! Now he plays about 3x a week, so sure there's improvement :)

Anonymous said...

WOW! Very impressive! Well done, Andre!

LL

Alcovelet said...

Fantastic, Andre!! Ever since your Mom posted a clip of you playing, I've been raring for more. It's great to see your energy and your powerful strokes onscreen. You're making me realize badminton is a such a fun sport to watch!

Mon, thanks for posting. More leh!

Lilian said...

Congratulations Andre for getting into the school team although we all knew you were a shoe-in. You're amazingly talented, I hope to see you go all the way to Thomas Cup okay?

Mon: You know what? Andre actually bears a strong resemblance to Michael Chang lah! Not bad huh, future heart-throb.

monlim said...

Thanks ladies!

Lilian: Really ah, Michael Chang? Hmm... but not with the glasses!

LadyB said...

Way to go Andre. Your strokes are pretty powerful for your age. With lots of dedication and perserverance, you will make a mark one day :)

Badminton is our favorite sport too!

breve1970 said...

Yes yes... now that Lilian has mentioned it, Andre does resemble Michael Chang :). Well done, Andre.

Am so happy for your mum and dad. You and your sister really make them proud with your individual achievements!

Anonymous said...

Andre seems to always be playing in attacking mode than defensive. Good potential!

qx

HL said...

Andre is an expert in the making! Hope he would represent Singapore one day. Maybe when he grows up to be a heartthrob, instead of he wolf-whistling the girls, the girls are wolf-whistling at him and drooling!

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