A well deserved explanation for our players and parents at Sunrise Badminton Network
One of our talented young players, who are attending many other sessions and see different coaching attitude from me, recently asked, “Coach, why don’t we do pushups at the end?” A great question, and the kind that shows curiosity, ambition, and a love for performance.
The real answer is simple, but it touches everything I believe in my coaching towards all the children and I want all the other coaches to own this mentality.
1. We welcome children of many ages, abilities and motivations
Every week we have dozens of children coming through our Foundation and Advanced sessions. Some are absolute beginners at Level 1 learning to make a single clean shot. Others are at Level 5, already moving fast, hitting hard, understanding deception and building a real athlete’s mindset.
But they are all here for different reasons.
- Some want to push themselves, sweat, and feel the burn.
- Some want to play because the game is fun and unpredictable.
- Some come to connect, socialise, and belong.
- Some love the quiet satisfaction of getting a tiny bit better each week.
A single rule like “pushups at the end” does not serve all of these children equally.
2. Badminton is fun first … and the fun changes as you grow
At the lower levels the game feels chaotic and unpredictable. This is what makes children laugh. Then as they get better, the unpredictability reduces — rallies become longer, technique improves.
Later, at higher levels, unpredictability returns in a new way: through deception, disguise, reading patterns and setting traps. Now the skill creates the fun.
I don’t want to clip that progression by forcing physical training on children who are not ready for it yet.
3. Not every child has the same relationship with physical effort
Some children naturally love pushing their limits. It gives them joy, power, identity. They adore being tested.
Others hear “physical exercises” and immediately lose energy. It feels overwhelming, heavy, or simply not what they came for. And that is absolutely fine.
“Loving when it hurts” is a high performance mindset.
Some are born with it, some develop it, and some never embrace it fully. All paths are valid.
4. Foundation sessions are not about forcing athletic potential
Foundation players are not expected to “die for the session” or squeeze out their last drop of energy. They are here to:
- build habits,
- come every week,
- enjoy playing,
- gain confidence around others,
- and slowly discover what they want from the sport.
If I push them too hard too early, many of them would simply stop coming. And they would lose a beautiful opportunity to belong, grow and maybe discover — naturally — that competitive spark later.
5. I want every child to thrive their own way
Our job is not to force one model on every child. Our job is to create the right environment for each child.
Some learn through structured training. Some learn through play.
Both are valid. Both work. But not for everyone, and not at the same stage of their development.
As I wrote earlier in my article “Learning Has No Single Best Practice,” every child has their own door into learning. Our sessions allow each child to walk through the door that is right for them.
So why no pushups at the end of every session?
Because for many children, pushups do not build confidence, they take it away. Some children might:
- not feel safe, because being asked to do something they cannot do makes them feel weak,
- not feel welcome, because they think everyone else belongs more than they do,
- not feel successful, because they cannot complete even one pushup and it becomes a reminder of what they lack,
- not feel excited to return, because the session ends with an uncomfortable signal about their limitations,
- not feel they have space to grow, because the physical task overshadows the joy of just playing and improving in their own way.
Not every child wants to be an athlete, and that is completely fine. Some come to move, some come to connect, some come to play, and some simply enjoy the rhythm of the game. Our job is to make sure everyone feels they belong, no matter where they start or what they want to become.