U11 Coaching Weekend

On the weekend of the 31st August/1st September, 24 sporting stars of the future descended on Sewell Park Sports Hall for a fun packed weekend of badminton.

In a bid to attract more young players to the sport Norfolk Junior Badminton put on a coaching weekend for U11 players. The badminton weekend provided players with coaching in the way of racket skills, movement and game tactics, and finished with a very competitive and high standard mini tournament on the Sunday afternoon. To encourage focus awards were given out each day for the 'most improved' player and 'hardest worker'.

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Norfolk junior badminton were able to use the weekend to spot young talent to feed into the county set up for further development and to signpost all in attendance to their local clubs around the county in an effort to enhance badminton at a junior level. This aim was certainly achieved with one child who currently only plays occasional social badminton and commented enthusiastically that he had loved the weekend and really wanted to join a club so that he could play more regularly.

In a bid to inspire the juniors on the Sunday lunchtime they were treated to an exhibition match between Alex Wyett, one of Norfolks best senior county players and Daryl Jacobs, ex junior international, who is currently still ranked in the top 40 players in the country at senior level.

Highlighting the success of the weekend one parent commented that before the weekend their son liked badminton, but they have come home loving it!!

If anyone has a child between the ages of 8 and 11, who thinks they would be keen to try their hand at badminton in similar events, please email juliempike@hotmail.co.uk to ask to be put on the database for county wide information.

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