The 2022 Shuttle Time Tutors/Trainers Course in Caldas de Rainha, Portugal concluded successfully with participants ready to implement lessons in their countries.
“The two-and-a-half-day course, split into theoretical content and court sessions, was a great opportunity for the attendees to learn about how youngsters should discover and play badminton in a fun way,” General Secretary of the Portuguese Badminton Federation Patricia Rosa said.
“At the end of the course, the participants shared their powerful learning experiences and left ready to start implementing Shuttle Time in their home countries.”
In 2012, to grow the sport’s popularity while promoting a healthy and active lifestyle, BWF launched the Shuttle Time Schools Programme with the aim of making badminton more accessible to schoolchildren. Badminton Europe’s Development & High Performance Officer Tommi Saksa is pleased with how the Tutors/Teachers Course went this year.
“It’s been two and a half days full of learning new skills and getting all the Shuttle Time wisdom in Portugal. It was delightful how actively everyone was taking part when giving and receiving feedback after the sessions. Group cohesion and the atmosphere in the course were amazing,” Saksa said.
Diversity enriches experience
With 12 participants from eight countries, the group in Portugal was diverse. They all went home with the same aim – spreading their passion for badminton at schools through Shuttle Time.
“The group is nice because there are coaches and teachers from different countries. They also come from diverse backgrounds. Seeing the growth of badminton in the whole of Europe inspires me,” Course Tutor Andre Høidebraaten from Norway said.
Inspired, plans on the horizon
From staff of National Federations and clubs to PE teachers, the participants shared their love for badminton and a will to develop Shuttle Time in their home countries.
“There are many things I learnt. The most important has been how to talk to the children and give advice to the teachers. I enjoyed all the interesting games we were shown, which can be helpful for the kids to learn badminton exercises,” Miroslav Petrov from Bulgaria said.
The hands-on approach made the course enjoyable and kept the participants active throughout its duration.
“When I go back to Croatia, I plan to gather all the teachers planning on learning. I will be travelling to cities which don’t have badminton clubs,” Filip Lončarić said.
“We want our children in Bulgaria to play this beautiful sport. This summer, I’m planning to organise a training camp for PE teachers so that they introduce badminton in their schools,” Petrov added.
