A message for girls, and a reminder for parents of future County players about strength.
In badminton, girls are watched for everything. For how they move, how they react under pressure, how they cope with mistakes, how they rise again.
Somewhere along the way many girls begin to believe that strength is something dangerous for them. They think strength will make them look masculine, too serious, too different from the version of themselves the world keeps selling to them.
So they choose something safer. They choose softness. They choose to stay weak. Not because they cannot be strong, but because they are told in a thousand quiet ways that strength does not belong to them.
This is one of the biggest invisible obstacles in girls’ development. It stops them from lifting heavier, jumping higher, smashing harder, chasing faster. It stops them from discovering what their body is truly capable of.
And it keeps them in a place where they doubt their own value every time the game gets unnecessarily hard.
What I want girls to understand
Strength does not take anything from you. It does not erase your femininity, your personality, your kindness or your confidence. It gives them a foundation.
If anything, strength protects you. Strength supports the life you want. Strength builds a body that can last.
Girls who train strength do not become masculine. They become capable. Their posture changes, their reactions sharpen, their movements become controlled, their confidence grows because confidence always needs evidence.
Badminton is a sport of speed, precision and physical expression. To play it seriously, especially at County level, you need a body that can deliver the game you imagine. That means building strength. Not to look a certain way, but to move with purpose and to compete without fear.
A short message directly to the girls
Strength is not something that takes away from you, it is something that makes everything you already are more powerful. You do not lose anything by becoming strong, you only gain the ability to play the sport you love with courage, control and freedom.
A message to parents of girls aiming for County
Parents often worry before their daughters ever get the chance to try. They worry lifting will change their body too fast, they worry strength work is too aggressive, they worry their girl will somehow lose softness if she becomes powerful.
Please trust this truth.
Strength training for girls does not create masculinity, it creates resilience. It lowers injury risk, supports healthy growth, improves posture, builds confidence and helps them cope with the physical demands of County level badminton. A weak body cannot play strong badminton. Expecting high level performance without strength is like expecting a house to stand without foundations.
Your daughter will not become someone else by becoming strong. She will become a more capable version of herself. And when she steps on court to represent the County, that strength will not make her stand out in the wrong way, it will help her stand where she belongs.
Why this matters for County level players
County badminton is fast and physical. Long rallies, explosive movements, repeated lunges, constant recovery. A player who avoids strength work because she thinks strength will change her appearance will get physically overwhelmed, lose confidence, or pick up avoidable injuries. Strength is not image, it is safety, stability, and performance.
Final thought
Girls need to see that strength is not a threat to who they are. It is a tool that lets them grow into the athletes they could be. Parents need to help remove the fear around it, not reinforce it.
If we can shift this mindset early, County level becomes reachable, enjoyable and sustainable. And girls will step on court knowing they were never meant to stay weak. They were meant to learn how to fight for something they love, with a body built to support them.