When Will They Learn?

WHEN WILL THEY LEARN?
By Vip Malixi

The book, "Advanced Badminton Techniques" by Butch Oreta and yours truly recently came out. In it, folks can learn to power the shuttle like Peter Gade, finesse shots like Taufik. If you've always wanted to fix a weakness in your game, maybe a smash that you want to be steeper, or more power to effortlessly reach the ends of the court, maybe how to do a net-hugging tumbling drop, how to jump smash, or maybe gain a decent backhand, then it's all in the book. These are the same techniques used by the world-class players, the Lin Dans, the Taufiks, the Peter Gades, and it's now available to us mere mortals to learn from and help us enjoy the game even more.

Reaction to the book has been outstanding. Karen of IBC 13 wrote, " Congratulations on a very informative and comprehensive book, it's a sure hit once it hits the market I'm definitely promoting this to my fellow badminton addicts." Others are wishing the book well and hoping it'll become a bestseller.

I wouldn't have considered producing the book if there had already been a good book on badminton that revealed the proper way to do the various techniques. But after years of searching, I couldn't find SUCH a book. But I never lost my lust to learn, to improve my strokes and fix my weaknesses. So when I ran into Butch Oreta again after so many years (he was my first Badminton teacher), I jumped at the chance to partner with him to come up with SUCH a book. I remembered Butch to have always been the guy who, in just two lessons (this was all I could afford at the time--I was only 14-years-old then), imparted so much valuable information (the standard grip, the past-body grip, the forehand stroke) in such a clear, direct manner, that it let me enjoy the game so much that I grew to love it. When we lost touch for several years, I always wished I could've gotten more lessons from him. So when I ran into Butch again, I jumped at the chance to be filled with his encyclopedic knowledge of the sport. This time though, we were going to share it with everyone. It'll be his legacy.

But why the title of this article? Why "when will they learn"? Well, though reaction to the book has been very positive, I was kind of surprised that some of the people I knew who I thought would gain the most benefit from the book, that is, they'd enjoy the game more by learning how to play badminton like the pros, were very dismissive about it. I would have thought that they'd actually read the book and test the techniques out, see if it'd work for them or not. But no. They just flipped through the pages nonchalantly and gave it back. Was it a credibility problem? I would've assumed they wouldn't use me as a gauge for the book's content since it is based on Butch Oreta's (a former top national player and a recent coach of the Philippine team) knowledge, plus I'm not a national player and have never been one and am way past my peak physically. I would have assumed that, if they were interested at all in achieving their full potential, they'd at least be curious to find out if they could learn something valuable. Unfortunately, no.

Which is kinda sad. Most of these people are my friends and it would've given me great pleasure to see them reach their full potential. Most of them are younger, naturally faster, stronger, have better reflex, have great court sense than me. How much better could they be, I often asked myself, if they only knew Butch's techniques so that whatever's wrong or missing in their stroking patterns could be corrected.

Well, who knows? Maybe some day. Maybe they'll run across players in tournaments or clubs who they used to clobber and have suddenly gotten way better than them. Maybe they'll learn these people, who always had natural talent but just didn't know the proper techniques, had gotten hold of the book and it finally let them reach their full potential. Maybe one day they'd be browsing through a bookstore and run across "Advanced Badminton Techniques." And since they're by themselves and no longer subject to peer influence, maybe they'll look through the book, actually give it a serious once-over. And maybe they'll run across the parts in the book that actually provide the keys to improving their stroke and they'd have their AHA! moment. Then looking left and then right, to make sure nobody they know is around, they'd go over to the cash register and get themselves a copy. Then, we'll all know the answer to "when will they learn?".

In the meantime, the book is getting into the hands of myriads of strangers, people I've never met, people from far away. And maybe one of them has a kid who has the genetics to jump higher, lunge faster, smash more powerfully, have complete control of the shuttle. And this kid will study the book, learn from it, practice the techniques, make the sacrifices to achieve mastery, and then...

For these kinds of people, the answer to the question "when will they learn?" then, is: "Now!"

"Advanced Badminton Techniques" is a available at http://instructoons.com/book/