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Humans of Shuttle Time: Gabriel Martin

TEXT BY BWF STAFF

This is the 59th story in our Humans of Shuttle Time series, in which we present the perspectives of those who are involved with badminton at the grassroots level. Gabriel Martin, Shuttle Time Tutor with Badminton Hutt Valey, New Zealand, speaks about hisjourney in badminton.

Childhood Days

I was born and bred in the Wellington region. Before I got into badminton, I was into swimming, squash and rugby.

I first saw badminton during lunchtime at my school, as a lot of my mates were participating in the drop-in sessions. I perceived it as a low-impact and not an overly competitive sport to be socially involved in. Then, when I first saw more competitive players, it was exciting to see the wide range of shots, attack and defence, and the atmosphere during team matches.

Shuttle Time activity in New Zealand

Relationship with Badminton

It was diving into the deep end, head first. Once I realised how and where I could play, I was on court 20 hours a week, walking from school badminton to club badminton. While I wasn’t at a competitive level, I learnt I could still be involved with assisting my local association with their events, my first being U-23 nationals, where I got to see some of the best players in the country.

While I love badminton, it has given me three knee surgeries through playing, which drove me to further my non-playing aspects such as coaching (especially better footwork to prevent injuries!), events, umpiring, team managing and eventually a profession in sports management!

Fond Memories

Too many to count! I fondly remember my first coach, Daniel Hakes, who helped me learn my foundational skills, and change my game over the summer. Also, my first time at the New Zealand Open, where I got to meet and work with an awesome group of people who were involved in bringing the sport together, such as Julie Carrel, Sam Paterson, Andrew Mclean and so many more!

What Badminton Means

It is an integral part of how I fill my cup. The true setting of success for myself is ensuring that the first experience is a positive one, leaving players excited for their next opportunity to play!

The sport wouldn’t be what it is today without the phenomenal community that backs it each and every day.

What Makes it Different

It is a sport that has great flexibility; you can play for a couple of minutes for a few rallies, or jump in a tournament for a week. You can have mixed teams, playing doubles, mixed, singles or anything else you can fit on the court.

Additionally, the sport is deeply technical, with immense depth in shot variety, impressive movement in footwork and of course it is the fastest sport in the world.

Developing Badminton in the Community

I have had many fantastic opportunities in the sport from growing the sport at the University of Otago working with an awesome committee at the university club and the great Otago association to working with the three associations in the capital region, from a pro-shop employee to an operations manager.

I now work at the Wellington City Council, as a recreation coordinator increasing participation in sport within the community, which still gives me the opportunity to run and manage Shuttle Time sessions.

Impact of Shuttle Time

The big difference outside of player involvement is coaching development, with an established starting point for students to begin their coaching journeys, providing key support to associations and bringing up the next generation of badminton players.

Lessons from Shuttle Time

The importance of lesson plans! Especially when you are starting your coaching journey, planning your own lessons using the helpful Shuttle Time resources, or adapting someone else’s plans. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Previous Stories in This Series

Humans of Shuttle Time: Alžbeta Peruňská

Humans of Shuttle Time: Yacin Mahmoud Ali

Humans of Shuttle Time: Asylbek uulu Meerbek

Humans of Shuttle Time: Anil Seepaul

Humans of Shuttle Time: Kazadi Kazadi Joel

Humans of Shuttle Time: Wilma Tupu

Humans of Shuttle Time: Laia Oset Moncho

Humans of Shuttle Time: Aisarova Jasmin

Humans of Shuttle Time: Saygufron Davletov

Humans of Shuttle Time: Rafael Lora

Humans of Shuttle Time: Graham Berry