Learning has no single best practice, only teaching might have. Every child decides how they want to learn. Most children follow the training structure we give them, but some will not, for many different reasons… personality, confidence, attention, energy, or simply the way they process information.
Does that mean they are bad students and should be sent away? If they are not creating safeguarding incidents, then I do not think so.
They return every week, which means something inside them, or inside their family, is committed to this journey. The interest is there, the dedication is there, even if the learning style looks different from the outside.
The impression for parents from a distance
Many parents imagine coaching as something dry, mechanical, repetitive, even a bit painful… as if the child must suffer their way into improvement. Yes, we could train like that, but there are far more humane and far more effective ways to learn.
Children respond with more energy and more progress when the learning comes through creative, engaging situations, not through force and repetition alone. Our aim is not to use the toughest method, but an intelligent one.
Because parents cannot be present inside some sessions, and because safeguarding rules prevent video recording, there will always be uncertainty. Is everything the coach says really happening? Are the children learning, or are they “just playing”? Open days could help, but they are rare in the Youth Zone.
In our two hour sessions, the design is simple. The first hour is structured training, repetition, footwork, technique and purposeful drills. The second hour is when we “just play”. But anyway the first hour is available for all, some children only take that.
Some children only attend that second hour, which means they only play. And many parents assume this is less valuable. In some cases, this might be the best thing that can happen to them. So, here are the real benefits of this type of learning experience.
1. Play Is the Child’s Natural Learning System
Children learn movement, timing, coordination, spacing and balance through games. Their brains absorb patterns faster when the situation feels playful rather than pressurised.
“Just playing” allows them to explore movement freely, without freezing or overthinking. This is the foundation that almost every future technique will stand on.
2. Patterns and Solutions Are Learned Faster Through Play
Badminton is a decision making sport. The child who learns to read the shuttle, react early, and solve problems during rallies will always progress faster than the child who only copies drills. It is also an advantage in their academic journey that their boundaries for decision fatigue will come much later compared to students does not play sports.
Inside play they learn:
- How to judge the shuttle
- How to recover from mistakes
- How to handle pressure
- How to create escape routes
- How to commit to decisions
These skills cannot be taught effectively by lectures or rigid drills. They are learned inside the flow of the game.
3. Playing With the Coach Creates Growth That Children Cannot Get From Each Other
When I play against them, they experience a level far higher than anything a junior can give them. They feel that whatever they try, I know it before they do. They feel that the next shot I send is always keeping the rally alive, but offering very little room to escape. This is not controlling the child, this is guiding the child.
They learn that:
- Performance is possible under pressure
- Hard work creates opportunity
- Creativity can break patterns
- Fighting back is part of the game
The moment the child starts to fight back in the right way, something ignites. That spark cannot be created in a simple drill. It comes only from playing.
4. Play Turns Children Into Thinkers, Not Repeaters
A good rally forces them to think. A drill forces them to copy. Copying creates short term improvement. Thinking creates long term players.
Inside play, children learn how to:
- Adjust tactics
- Use deception
- Take smart risks
- Notice patterns
- Predict opponents
- Control the pace of a rally
These are advanced skills, developed naturally through experience. And we know that there is no confidence without experience. After some sessions, I can see that children have copy-pasted a shot I have done and can observe the same shot from them in future sessions. After 1 game. Isn’t that truly awesome? Isn’t it what we all looking for to accelerate learning?
5. Play Builds Confidence Through Real Success
Confidence needs evidence. Children gain evidence when they experience struggle, improve inside that struggle and feel that they can handle difficult situations.
When the rally continues under pressure, they learn:
- “I can do this.”
- “I can survive this.”
- “I can even win this.”
These moments build durable confidence that classroom-style drills cannot create.
6. Play Shows the Real Child, Not the Practiced Version
Drills can hide weaknesses. Play reveals them.
Inside games, I can see:
- Fear
- Hesitation
- Grip habits
- Footwork errors
- Misjudged timing
- Emotional responses
This allows me to coach the real issue, not the surface issue. Without play, coaching becomes guesswork.
7. Play Encourages Enjoyment, Which Encourages Consistency
A child who enjoys the game will come back more often. A child who comes back more often will improve faster. This is why the best national coaches always say the same thing about U11 players… “I want them to play, to enjoy the game.”
Enjoyment is not a weakness. It is a performance tool.
8. For Some Parents It Looks Like the Lowest Level of Care, But It Is the Highest
It is ironic that the parents who do not value play are often the ones who choose not to pay for the sessions. To them, structured drills look serious, and play looks casual.
But the highest performing coaching systems in the world use play as the central tool for developing young athletes. Private sparring sessions, tactical rallies, coach control points… all of these are simply refined versions of “just playing”.
Play is where the child learns who they are as a competitor. Play is where the foundations grow. Play is where the spark appears. Play is where you have to practice under pressure. Play is how we build future athletes.