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Humans of Shuttle Time: Anna Mae Sapinit

TEXT BY BWF STAFF

This is the 65th 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. Anna Mae F Sapinit, Shuttle Time Tutor with Philippine Badminton Association, talks of her journey in badminton.

Childhood Days

I came from a disadvantaged family. During my childhood, me and my siblings learnt to take care of ourselves while our parents were working to put something on the table. This is maybe a misfortune for some but despite the situation we were happy and contented, for our parents did their best to support our needs and our dreams. I was a hyper child. I loved to play and I would give it my all and I didn’t like losing. In school, I tried most sports. I loved to compete with boys and challenge them for they were stronger than me.

Shuttle Time in the Philippines.

Introduction to Badminton

Badminton was introduced to me when I was in high school. When I first saw some students playing badminton, I was interested right away. The coach didn’t hesitate to lend his racket for me to use and that’s how my journey in badminton started.

What struck me first was the beauty of the badminton racket. Whenever I touched it I couldn’t contain my happiness and satisfaction. I love watching rallies and for me it appeared like a puzzle that needed to be solved every time you entered the court. The simplicity of the game on the outside hid its difficulty.

Memorable moments

One of my most memorable moments in badminton was my last international tournament in Japan. I was very nervous and unsure how I would play because our first opponent was the No.1 junior team in the world. That experience meant a lot to me, the opportunity to play with the No.1 junior team. My emotion was transformed from fear to pride for this was a once in a lifetime experience. This experience inspired me to go forward and not give up.

Relationship with Badminton

Once I learned to play, I never stopped. My day is not complete if I can’t play badminton. Badminton became my comfort zone, my me time and anti-stress activity.

Badminton moulds me holistically. Sometimes, when things feel overwhelming, I would just step onto court and it helps me reset and feel alive again. It taught me a lot of things, like discipline, respect, perseverance, and how to be resilient, patient, focused and to value life.

What Makes it Different

Badminton stands out because of its unique blend of intensity and elegance. Whenever you enter the court, it’s like you are solving a puzzle. You need to be a quick thinker, analyser and problem solver at the same time. Aside from that it’s somewhat like a dance, there should be rhythm and every movement should be calculated yet fluid. It also demands agility, precision, accuracy and quick thinking.

Inside the court you can see every expression, hear every breath and feel the tension build with each rally. It needs mental focus, one moment of hesitation can change everything.

Developing Badminton in the Community

It’s not easy. Most of my players come from middle class families. Some of them can’t even bring their own racket and shuttlecocks. Some of them just play badminton for fun and not for competition. We lack badminton infrastructure in our place. This is the challenge I faced from the time I organised a badminton club in our school/community. Despite these challenges, I tried my best to continue developing potential athletes. We train in different places. Luckily today we have one court in a multipurpose hall which serves as our training ground.

Impact of Shuttle Time

Shuttle Time made a difference in our region by transforming how badminton was introduced and taught in schools. It empowers teacher-trainers by receiving structured training programmes.

The lesson I have learned from working with Shuttle Time is by making badminton accessible for all ages including those with disabilities. The programme supports teachers and PE faculty in planning and delivering enjoyable, safe and inclusive badminton activities.

Previous Stories in this Series:

News

Players

Tournaments

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