Dear All,
Please have a read on the below and if you see yourself at any of these development steps, get in touch with Coach Frank and we will work on it. While you help out, we will achieve a mutual goal, which is also a personal gain for you!
Build the future of badminton in Warrington, together.
Dear Parents, Club officials, Enthusiasts, All,
***ENTRY LINK***CLICK HERE***
***PHOTOGRAPED EVENT***
***NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT PAYMENT***
The entries are finally open for the biggest U19 Junior Badminton event of Warrington in 2025 which will be held in the Warrington Youth Zone! Children does not need to become a member, but can if they want.
We might have a nice amount of volunteers but are always on the lookout for enthusiasts/players/parents who can help, in any way, to make the competition a success!
The buffet might not be available at that time, please bring your own drinks and food with you. We are a respected community in the Youth Zone, and therefore I ask you to keep the sports hall as tidy as possible. Please clean up and put your rubbish away after yourself.
28/06/2025 // Saturday // 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM for singles
28/06/2025 // Saturday // 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM for doubles
Please arrive 30 mins before the start time!
GROUP A: County players, anyone else have a ranking and grading with Badminton England, or regularly compete at Junior Leagues
GROUP B: Children who regularly train in a club environment and/or irregularly or not competing at Junior Leagues
GROUP C: Anyone who has no competitive experience and/or never attended training at a club/coach can enter
In all groups, 21 points with no setting in the groups stages, and then 21 points with settings in the knockout stages.
Entries must be consistent, if you enter GROUP A in singles, you have to enter the same group in doubles. Please choose wisely.
We will provide the shuttles to the games, there will be helpers for scoring where needed.
There is a paid car park at the back of the building, or you can park at nearby locations at your own cost. As the building (Warrington Youth Zone) is in the heart of the town, so it is easy to approach with public transportation.
Please follow the entry link, and you will find all the details there. But if you missed it by any chance, please see below:
Please make separate payments for each child.
You can make your payment to the account of the network:
Acc.name: SUNRISE BADMINTON NETWORK
Acc. no.: 19913260
SC: 77-51-05
Amount: £5/entry (Example: Singles + Doubles = £10)
Reference: mention your child`s name and WCJBT (Example: CONNOR-WCJBT)
Let us know as soon as you can if you have any questions or missing any essential info to enter.
Please share this article far and wide. Hope to see you soon! Exciting times ahead!
Many thanks,
Frank
Dear Parents, Carers, Players,
Please see the below pictures of the tournament. If you have any questions, special requests regarding pictures, etc, let me know, and I will do my best to make it happen for you in a reasonable time.
Apologies, some pictures could have been saved only from deletion, if we turned them into black and white. But some turned into black and white because it is emphasizing those moments better, than the coloured versions.
I already contacted a photographer to have better pictures next time, and maybe some video content will also be created for the next event. But anyway…
Enjoy!


































































































































































































































No picture is allowed to be copied, modified, or posted anywhere else without the written consent of the author. These pictures are about children and their parents also holding rights and they are also able to withdraw their consent at any time. Be warned, do not use these pictures, infringers will face prosecution disregarding their current location. If you have used any of those pictures, remove them immediately.
#sunbadnet #Sunrisebadnet #warringtonbadminton #wabanet #sunrisebadminton #sunrisebadmintonnetwork
Dear All,
First of all, thank you for being patient and now I can distribute more relevant information of the day. I have lost access to my email account which made everything super hard to follow, that is why I have had to make entries later than the actual deadline.
But now, things are going forward finally. Here is a bit of a summary of the numbers.
We have 54 entries in 9 different groups, where children will play 129 matches all together. It means, at least 3, to maximum 5 matches in their groups.
Some groups have a large number of entries, which is why they will play a lot more than other age groups.
The Network is currently focusing on building up the Primary age badminton groups all around Warrington to make bigger participation and competition in the lower age groups.
Fortunately, we only have had to consolidate Doubles Entries, which means, all age groups in doubles will be playing together.
Let’s see the groups. Below, you can see all names within borders are showing a group. In categories where there are more groups, they will be playing group matches and then there will be a short knock-out period to decide the first 3. On 1 occasion, Y7-Y9 boys, there will be a bronze match as well to take the 3rd place. Within a group, every player will play with everyone.
This tournament is to allow them to try themselves in a competitive environment. Some have their very first tournament tomorrow, and some are more experienced. Please help them emotionally as winning is usually not the first thing they will achieve, this is something they need to work for to take it.
Please prepare warm clothing for all of you for the day. You will be able to buy coffee or tea inside the Youth Zone to keep yourself warm during the day. There are some shops around so if you would like to do a quick visit outside, you can.
On the day, we will make photographs and video recordings. At the registration, you can tell, if you do not wish to give consent to photos/videos as we will provide paper wristbands.
People doing media activities on the day will see, who would not like to be involved in the pictures. Please do not feel offended if a picture is taken, once we will recognise it, will delete it immediately or blur it when necessary.
You can also withdraw your photo consent after the tournament if there is any content you dislike, just please get in touch and I will do everything to remove any content as soon as I reasonably can.
We will use UNIALL No.5 feather shuttles on the day, no other brand is allowed unless agreed by the organiser due to short of shuttles. Speed is 77, the UK standard speed in this climate. The sports hall will be warm enough for it to fly at a consistent speed.
See you all tomorrow,
Frank
Dear all,
I am thrilled to announce that our Network will open 2 more junior sessions next year in January, under the Badminton England-funded project, called “Are You Ready?”
Read more about this initiative here.
These sessions are designed for Primary School students and aim to present and teach what real badminton is and how difficult and complex it is to become great in this sport.
We will have a session in the Warrington Youth Zone and one in Padgate Academy. These are open sessions, so get in touch and your child can start their own learning journey next week. Find info about the new sessions here.
If you have any questions, click here!
See you and them soon!
Frank
Dear all,
We had a fantastic Saturday where lots of children from Cheshire participated in the Crewe Junior League in the Brine Leas High School on the 2nd of December, once again in Nantwich.
We entered into 4 divisions with 3.5 teams (14 players) and yet again we performed well. Lots of first-timers and inexperienced players played again in the 2nd round from our side. Next time on the 4th of February, Sunday in Shavington, we will be even stronger!
Our team had lots of challenges this time but we could overcome them as our Network got more robust during the last quarter of 2023. Karsten got injured which was a shock but raised the issue that it might happen again in the future with others due to competing in a cold environment. I will make a post about that topic, so we can all learn and prevent an event like that in the future.
You should all be proud of them, as I do. What heroic fights we could see this time from the little ones in Div 4 from Ethan and Cyrus! Some players performed their best and also changed their usual tactics. Oscar and Azure made super improvements!
Some had to enter much higher divisions as their standard to make the teams perform well. Katrina, Navneeth, Ethan and Cyrus were clearly heroes of this round. Special thanks to those who struggled and lost at the end but never gave up.
To take all into account, it was so inspiring to see all of them in action!
It made me more determined to make the changes I have to, to achieve my goal, which is to find the best player in England from Warrington. But let’s get back to reality. 🙂
SUNRISE A Team in Division 1:
SUNRISE B Team in Division 2:
SUNRISE C Team in Division 3:
Hybrid Team in Division 4:
Alternatively, you can follow the results, and scores on their website: https://www.crewebadminton.org.uk/default.aspx?pageID=1008
On other tabs on their site, you can find, all the tables, fixtures and player stats by Divisions.
Let them dive into the stats and encourage them to do more training/exercises away from the sessions as…
…Champions are never born, they are decided to become champions and they make themselves champions. Our job is to help them on that road.
Dear all,
We had a fantastic Saturday where lots of children from Cheshire participated in the Crewe Junior League in the Brine Leas High School on the 4th of November in Nantwich.
We entered into 2 divisions with 2 teams (8 players) and we performed well on this occasion. Lots of first-timers and inexperienced players played in this round from our side and some have faced much larger and stronger opponents than they currently are. You should all be proud of them, as I do.
The Players are:
SUNRISE A Team in Division 1:
Oscar Lam
Karsten Lui
Azure Wu
Suhan Wanjari
SUNRISE B Team in Division 2:
Tansy Siu
Navneeth Vishwanath
Aleph Wu
Gabby Chan
Please see the summary of team results below:
| Division | Match | Team 1 | Team 2 | Team 1 Games | Team 2 Games | Team 1 Points | Team 2 Points | Team 1 Points |
| Junior Division 1 | 1 | Altrincham(J) ‘A’ | Alsager (J) ‘A’ | 6 | 0 | 126 | 88 | Club 1 Win |
| Junior Division 1 | 2 | Sunrise (J) ‘A’ | Wizards (J) ‘A’ | 1 | 5 | 95 | 116 | Club 2 Win |
| Junior Division 1 | 3 | Altrincham(J) ‘A’ | Sunrise (J) ‘A’ | 3 | 3 | 117 | 113 | Draw |
| Junior Division 1 | 4 | Alsager (J) ‘A’ | Wizards (J) ‘A’ | 1 | 5 | 93 | 121 | Club 2 Win |
| Junior Division 1 | 5 | Altrincham(J) ‘A’ | Wizards (J) ‘A’ | 4 | 2 | 108 | 99 | Club 1 Win |
| Junior Division 1 | 6 | Alsager (J) ‘A’ | Sunrise (J) ‘A’ | 3 | 3 | 105 | 94 | Draw |
| Junior Division 2 | 1 | Altrincham(J) ‘B’ | Alsager (J) ‘B’ | 5 | 1 | 110 | 93 | Club 1 Win |
| Junior Division 2 | 2 | Wizards (J) ‘B’ | Sunrise (J) ‘B’ | 6 | 0 | 126 | 81 | Club 1 Win |
| Junior Division 2 | 3 | Altrincham(J) ‘B’ | Wizards (J) ‘B’ | 2 | 4 | 99 | 114 | Club 2 Win |
| Junior Division 2 | 4 | Sunrise (J) ‘B’ | The Crosses (J) ‘A’ | 4 | 2 | 115 | 76 | Club 1 Win |
| Junior Division 2 | 5 | Altrincham(J) ‘B’ | Sunrise (J) ‘B’ | 3 | 3 | 100 | 108 | Draw |
| Junior Division 2 | 6 | Alsager (J) ‘B’ | The Crosses (J) ‘A’ | 1 | 5 | 90 | 112 | Club 2 Win |
| Junior Division 2 | 7 | Altrincham(J) ‘B’ | The Crosses (J) ‘A’ | 4 | 2 | 117 | 98 | Club 1 Win |
| Junior Division 2 | 8 | Alsager (J) ‘B’ | Wizards (J) ‘B’ | 2 | 4 | 89 | 107 | Club 2 Win |
| Junior Division 2 | 9 | Alsager (J) ‘B’ | Sunrise (J) ‘B’ | 3 | 3 | 99 | 108 | Draw |
| Junior Division 2 | 10 | Wizards (J) ‘B’ | The Crosses (J) ‘A’ | 4 | 2 | 117 | 94 | Club 1 Win |
| Junior Division 3 | 1 | Altrincham(J) ‘C’ | Canute (J) ‘A’ | 5 | 1 | 120 | 44 | Club 1 Win |
| Junior Division 3 | 2 | Nantwich (J) ‘A’ | Wizards (J) ‘C’ | 4 | 2 | 120 | 98 | Club 1 Win |
| Junior Division 3 | 3 | Altrincham(J) ‘C’ | Nantwich (J) ‘A’ | 2 | 4 | 87 | 105 | Club 2 Win |
| Junior Division 3 | 4 | Wizards (J) ‘C’ | Shavington (J) ‘A’ | 2 | 4 | 90 | 117 | Club 2 Win |
| Junior Division 3 | 5 | Altrincham(J) ‘C’ | Wizards (J) ‘C’ | 4 | 2 | 120 | 97 | Club 1 Win |
| Junior Division 3 | 6 | Canute (J) ‘A’ | Shavington (J) ‘A’ | 0 | 6 | 51 | 126 | Club 2 Win |
| Junior Division 3 | 7 | Altrincham(J) ‘C’ | Shavington (J) ‘A’ | 2 | 4 | 108 | 109 | Club 2 Win |
| Junior Division 3 | 8 | Canute (J) ‘A’ | Nantwich (J) ‘A’ | 0 | 6 | 44 | 126 | Club 2 Win |
| Junior Division 3 | 9 | Canute (J) ‘A’ | Wizards (J) ‘C’ | 2 | 4 | 75 | 118 | Club 2 Win |
| Junior Division 3 | 10 | Nantwich (J) ‘A’ | Shavington (J) ‘A’ | 4 | 2 | 109 | 102 | Club 1 Win |
Alternatively, you can follow the results, and scores on their website: https://www.crewebadminton.org.uk/default.aspx?pageID=1008
On other tabs on that site, all the tables, fixtures and player stats by Divisions.
Let them dive into the stats and encourage them to do more training/exercises away from the sessions as…
…Champions are never born, they are decided to become champions and they make themselves champions. Our job is to help them on that road.
Dear Parents, Club officials, Enthusiasts, All,
***UPDATE***DOCUMENT AT BOTTOM***OR DOWNLOAD IT***CLICK HERE***
The entries are finally open for the biggest Junior Badminton event of 2024 in Warrington.
Below you can have a good read for this 2-page document. You can download it and send it back to the WCJBT@coachfrank.uk email address and get in touch for confirmation of receipt.
Please feel free to share it, we have 52 days left to prepare everything for the competition. We received a nice amount of volunteers but are always on the lookout for enthusiasts who can help, in any way, to make the competition a success!
Let us know as soon as you can if you have any questions or missing any essential info to enter or share this article. Hope to see you soon! Exciting times ahead!
Dear Badminton Coaches, Club Officials, Fans, Supporters and Enthusiasts,
I have the privilege to announce to you that we are now in the position to make the biggest-ever annual Junior Tournament that Warrington has ever had.
With this not-for-profit event, we would like to provide a competitive environment for all the children who currently do not have a National Ranking or are not involved in a County team, for the aim of mass participation and challenge on or close to their own levels, to inspire the next generation of badminton players of Warrington. We also aim to reward the Best Performers with a big trophy, a medal and good quality prizes they can use to become stronger in the sport of badminton.
The entry requirements are to live in Warrington or to be involved in any of the Warringtonian Badminton Clubs or Groups, whether it is affiliated with Badminton England or not, and they stay clearly within their age groups and not below.
The Warrington Youth Zone has offered their sports hall to organise the Warrington Challenge – Junior Badminton Tournament annually for free of charge.
So from entry fees, which have to cover the organisational costs (e.g. shuttles, prizes, trophies, etc.) any leftover money will be donated straight to the Youth Zone, and in fact, the financial status of the tournament has to be zero at the end.
As every major event needs volunteers, especially Junior events, we would like to cordially invite you to a meeting, which will be held in the youth zone, on a Friday night at the end of November, where we can discuss how the delivery should go, and in what do we need help with on the day of delivery.
PREPARATIONAL ROLES:
DAY OF DELIVERY ROLES
Please let us know if you know anyone who would like to be involved in any way and we will find a volunteer position for them. If we do not find 12 people, it means the Lead Coach has to do all. Please help! 😀
Please get in touch on the below availabilities:
Mail to: WCJBT@COACHFRANK.UK
Or send a WhatsApp message to Coach Frank: 07463633445
I am looking forward to hearing from you soon!
Frank
The ball is not a sphere. Players have to be able to make the quickest and most efficient moves to any direction including up and down in a split second using a light object to hit another super light object. You have to make lots of decisions about your move:
You need to sync all desired actions with the flight of the shuttle to make 1 good shot. And then, you do not have much time to recover and receive the next shot. That is hard to teach in primary schools. But…

Based on what I have seen from high school students, I can make a good suggestion of what to teach as early as you can to make them prepared for badminton.
The 4 following key areas are essential for badminton:
If you could focus on these things throughout the curriculum, they would be better at the following sports:
If you are considering teaching badminton basics within your school setting, get in touch by clicking here.

We have entered into the competition which only happens once a year and it was not held in the past 5 years.
It is one of the biggest events of the year so far in Cheshire County for Junior Players. We wanted to go with a team as big as possible and I personally wanted to make sure I bring all players interested in learning more about the beautiful sport I love and cannot have enough.
It was great to see so many players around at the tournament, coming from Warrington competing for gold.
We had 2 categories U13 and U17, and disciplines of boy and girl singles and level doubles. Some of our players were much younger than their opponents, who were closer to the top of the age limit.
It was also nice to see players from Wizards Junior Badminton Club from Alderley Edge who do not play for the Network but train with me on Sundays during the season.
It was an individual tournament, but whoever reading this might want to know, which schools these players came from. At this point, I have to tell you that some players have never entered such a tournament before and the only expectation of mine for them was, to go through it, and experience it.
Here is the list of entries who could make it to the tournament:
U17 Chit Long Wu Aleph – Bridgewater High School
U13 Ho Yin Wu Azure – Bridgewater High School
U17 Matthew Baird – Bridgewater High School
U17 Michael Ng – Bridgewater High School
U17 Oscar Jones – Bridgewater High School
U13 Sik Fung – Bridgewater High School
U17 Suhan Wanjari – Bridgewater High School
U17 Thomas Dale – Bridgewater High School
U17 Karsten Lui – Sir Thomas Boteler High School
U17 Oscar Lam – Sir Thomas Boteler High School
U17 Tansy Siu – Padgate Academy
U17 Alex Todorov – Grange Senior School – Northwich
U13 Jessica Lillis – Hartford Primary School
U13 Chan Yi Tak Gabby – Marlborough Primary School
U17 Nidhi Tondham – The Blue Coats School Liverpool
U13 Navneeth Vishwanath – Barrow Hall Primary School
Some players could not make it due to serious injury right before the tournament or sudden illness. I personally thank them for their preparational efforts, Mia Shepherd and Keane Michael Wood from Bridgewater High School.
There was quite a nice turn-up in the U13 category where girls and boys competed.
U13 Girls Singles: Sik Fung and Chan Yi Tak entered this category only from the Network. Sik has gained experience of what a competition looks like and hopefully, she will be involved in many more trainings to come. She has done her group matches well and we are proud of what she did. Yi Tak (Gabby) (9 years of age) won her group matches and advanced to the final where she was defeated by a girl higher and much stronger than her. We are proud of her SILVER and looking forward to next year when she has a bigger chance to win.
U13 Girls Doubles: Chan Yi Tak and Jessica Lillis (both 9 years old) have won most of their matches, only the final made a bit of bitterness when they met again with the most powerful girl in their group and they could not neutralize her smashes towards them and became Runner-up. We are proud of their 2nd place and looking forward to winning the category next year!

U13 Boys: Wu Ho Yin Aleph and Navneeth Vishwanath has been entered the competition at this age group where the future of Cheshire was played. Ho Yin could not get out of his group, there were some nice games from him but his opponents were much more experienced in competing at such a tournament. Navneeth won his group confidently and advanced to the knockout stage where he lost in the semifinal to the competitor who later became runner-up of the category. Reaching the semifinal at any tournament is always an achievement, so well done to you!
U13 Boys Doubles: Only Navneeth entered with a player outside the Network to get on the courts once more to show off his skills. They could play the quarter-final but lost to their opponents. They tried and fought well until the end of the match.
U17 Girls singles: The Network had 3 entries in this category prior to the tournament, which was reduced in the last minute to only 2 players. Nidhi Thondam and Tansy Siu had the chance to present their skills. It was a small group, unfortunately, but they had good games at least. Tansy won all her matches with confidence and defeat a county player in the final in 2 straight games securing 1st place. Wow and well done!

U17 Boys Singles: We had 10 entries in this group and therefore that was the biggest group in this tournament. Most of our players had no chance to get out of their groups due to County-level players along the way. They were much more experienced playing in such tournaments and less nervous in competitive situations. Karsten Lui, Alex Todorov, and Oscar Lam have won a chance to get into the knockout stage. Alex and Karsten drop out within the best 8, followed by Oscar in the Semis. We are satisfied and proud of their achievements, Well done guys!
U17 Boys Doubles: Not many of them wanted to play the most intense game, the boy’s doubles. Karsten Lui – Oscar Lam and Matthew Baird – Oscar Jones and Alex Todorov with a player from West Cheshire Performance Centre. They have aimed to get to the end of this category. Matthew and Oscar have tried to keep up the speed with other pairs but could not advance from their group. Karsten & Oscar and Alex with his Partner have played in semis and lost to the finalists of the category.
I am proud of all of them because they turned up to play at such an event. Whether their expected performance met with reality or not, in my head, they all achieved where I thought they should end up. If you feel disappointed, I recommend you to get in touch to sort out how can you join some of the training locations of the Network, we will definitely find a solution. Now is the time to take short rest and get prepared for the next season which starts in September. Have a great summer all, and play a lot, if you can!
Dear all,
There are hundreds of thousands of people playing badminton weekly in the United Kingdom for the joy of movement, making friends, and having that challenge against others.
Being one of them makes me a proud supporter of the sport of Badminton.
While I am playing, I also analyze what people are capable or incapable of, so I can build up my strategy against them to win.
I am visiting many badminton communities throughout the North West of England and can say that about half of the people wear shoes, which have been made for another sport, not for badminton.
So the question is, do people know why badminton shoes are musts, and the fact that this is not a fancy trend?
Badminton shoes for players are like tires for sports cars.
It is important to buy the right tire for the right conditions, otherwise, you eventually got a puncture or the driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Badminton shoes:
Running shoes and other sports shoes are made to use them moving forward. And they feel brilliant and comfortable, even for badminton for a while.
But in this sport, sideway and backward movements are quite common, and you also have to be prepared to move in any direction as your next movement.
Running shoes are increasing the chance of many types of ankle, and knee injuries from minor to major, even for beginners. If you are fit, it will happen later, when you are older.
One day you will be tired, unfocused, or both. Injuries do not select between people, so, please consider buying a badminton/tennis/squash shoe. (Sometimes you can find Top Brand shoes which could do)
There are no paid advertisements here, so if we meet again, ask for some ideas!
Enjoy badminton!
Frank
You have asked what kind of exercises you could do away from our sessions, to make you stronger in badminton.
I would turn around this question and would make a list of what needs to be strong in your body to become a powerful player.
The mentality is key. If you give up, because you are tired or not in the mood, you will not going to achieve a thing.
Muscles build up always starts at the head.
What I would suggest you need the most:
It is crucial to train both sides, otherwise, you will have lots of different types of injuries in your back, hip, and shoulder, at the core of your body and these will also affect everything down the kinetic chain.
Do not start to do exercises if you do not want a strong body. You won’t make it. If you wish for it, it will not be enough to keep you in your reps.
But if you have a goal you want to achieve, preparing for the next league, preparing for the next tournament of the network, etc. then, it might happen.
There will be periods when you are focusing on it more or less, but you should not stop doing them.
Convenience is for ordinary people with ordinary skills. You can decide today what would you like to become. I like a video in this topic, but I turn off the voice as it is too much for me… 🙂
Here is one way to achieve a good result. To increase finger power, use a hand expander or a rubber ring and squeeze it a couple of times a week.
But if you want to boost your forearm rotational power, you need to squeeze it and then slowly rotate your forearm. From side to side.
If your hand is now back to its original position, you can release the pressure and hold it loose. Do that 30 times in one go. Do it with your left hand as well. You will feel it tomorrow. Keep it 30 for a month, no rush.
When you feel your hand will not be tired anymore from 30 reps, do 40 or 50. in half a year, if you achieve 100, your forehand will be brutal. With some technical adjustments, it will work effortlessly.
Any kind of pushups would do.
You don’t have to do the full one, but you should learn the proper one. I suggest making the movements slow. Do fewer reps but make it slow and proper. You`ll be surprised how strong you became from these.
Let’s start doing pushups at the wall, or using a bit of an angle, like on stairs, or at a fence about chest height. Do as many reps as you can with no shakey arms.
Slowly increase the reps if the first amount is now too easy. Believe me, you won’t find a better and easier way with no risk of injuries.
I have to say, this is very hard at the beginning. You feel that it is so inconvenient and tiring after just a couple of reps, you want to give up. But you won’t. You need strong shoulders, don’t you?
The above for triceps is good for shoulders but not enough. Here you need a rubber band, middle strength would do. I recommend this, and this video to do to make it more resilient for badminton.
Also, all throwing movement helps to build up and maintain a healthy shoulder, so why don’t you have a go with a dog and play distance fetching? (Joke alert)
You need stamina with your muscles, so some reps with a big weight won’t do. You need more reps and less and different stress on the shoulder.
This is the part where I would suggest no weights as well. But what are the core muscles? Check it out here.
I recommend this video. Simple things which are so difficult to do. But it gives you the thing you need. Power and stamina.
Here is another part of the body which has to move a lot to develop properly and have stamina.
This has to happen for years, no quick fix for that. This is very tricky and you have to be smart.
The joints are developing slower than the muscles. As a beginner – or someone who never had done exercises like these before – you should avoid using weights, use the weight of your own body.
Here are some examples in this video, but please do not use weights as of yet.
Developing strong legs is a journey, it is not a short ride.
Calves and ankles are the most important part of the footwork. A quick movement is always done under the knee, you have to become jumpy-jumpy!
This is where a good shoe will be inevitable to wear, please find more info here.
You do not only need strong calves muscles, but you need to make all the lower leg muscles very resilient against all possible kinds of movements.
So exercises to grow muscles are great, but after you also need to condition them to do a wide variety of movements to make them work super quickly and accurately.
After a jump, whether it is vertical or horizontal, you need to quickly find the balance of the body. It is the hardest thing to build them up. Please find some good examples here.
#badminton #badmintonplayer #badmintonclub #badmintonparent #badmintonface #midsetblog #gameface #badmintonislife #womenbadminton #mindsetfirst #badmintonbeginner #thisboycan
Sunrise Badminton Network could launch 3 teams across 2 age groups. We have had 2 teams in the “Year 11 & under” and 1 team in the “Year 9 & under” group in the final round.
Based on the previous results, the Sunrise A team in the Y11 group could end up in the following places based on our performance in the final: 4th, 3rd, or 2nd place.
So it was really a decider for them in the final. And they had achieved 2nd place!
I want to say a massive well done to all the girls in all rounds!
That was the first time the Network appeared in any leagues and I was not aware of what kind of levels we will clash. All the girls were brave and tried to score a point against boys of the same age, which is incredibly hard. Boys at around 14-16 are much stronger and faster than girls competitors which made it even harder to achieve a point. I am so proud of them all that they came here and tried their best! Legends!
Furthermore, there was a prize in the League for the most sporting player, who has been always the best in the team selected by the opponents, after every match. And whoever Sunrise B team has played in the “Y11 and under” category, All teams across all rounds and all the matches, have selected the same player as the best in their team, her nem is Erika Pilditch! Congratulations Erika! (Spoiler alert: She received earpods)

The team members in this round are:
Year 9 and under Team:
Matthew Baird, Mia Shepherd, Oscar Jones, Kento Pilditch
Year 11 and under Teams:
Sunrise A: Oscar Lam, Karsten Lui, Oliver Maher, Alex Todorov
Sunrise B: Erika Pilditch, Penh Nicholls, Eliza Stan, Tímea Herdlicska
And last but not least, here is a massive thank you to all the parents, who supported them emotionally, financially, made or brought them food (once to me as well, thank you!) and sorted out the logistics for them to be there on time.
Special thanks again to the parents who came and helped us out with registering their scores, scoring for them, and answering their questions even when I was not there. Your help is really appreciated!!!
There is nothing else left, just to make commitments for next year when we will prepare to win this league at both age groups! That is the plan, let’s see how much we can prepare for it. There will be a selection competition in December 2023, where we will see the best players of the Network on the court and decide who will represent us in the Greater Manchester Junior Badminton League in 2024.
We have 3/4 of a year to get stronger and make our technics more precise to get ready for the League Challenge in 2024. The AGM of the league will be on the 21st of May where we are going to discuss the experiences and the format for next year.
Until then, see you on the court!
Sunrise Badminton Network could launch 4 teams across 2 age groups. We have had 3 teams in the “Year 11 & under” and 1 team in the “Year 9 & under” group this time.
The team members in this round are:
Year 9 and under Team:
Sunrise A: Natalie Chan, Hygea Fung, Pov Nicholls, Kento Pilditch
Year 11 and under Teams:
Sunrise A: Oscar Lam, Karsten Lui, Oliver Maher, Alex Todorov
Sunrise B: Sean Ssuuna, Penh Nicholls, Erika Pilditch, Cherill Khoo
Sunrise C: Matthew Baird, Mia Shepherd, Eliza Stan, Tímea Herdlicska
All our teams have seen great competition with loads of challenging situations and hard rallies. The rich environment of skills and fighting spirits have also made our team change match by match.
One of our teams in the Year 11&under group came 2nd place again despite that one of their teammates could also play in a lower age group!!! Congratulations Sunrise A team!!! Please see the results of the 2nd round of the Junior League:
| Greater Manchester | Junior | Badminton | League | 2023 | ||
| Year 11 and under | Current | Played | Matches | Games | Points | |
| position | won | won | won | |||
| team number | team name | |||||
| 1 | Oldham A | 3 | 10 | 5 | 30 | 602 |
| 2 | Sunrise A | 2 | 8 | 5 | 31 | 538 |
| 3 | Colne | 5 | 9 | 3 | 25 | 525 |
| 4 | Fords | 1 | 9 | 9 | 49 | 698 |
| 5 | Sunrise C | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 154 |
| 6 | Forrest | 4 | 8 | 4 | 31 | 545 |
| 7 | Sunrise B | 6 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 347 |
| 8 | Oldham B | 7 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 155 |
| Year 9 and under | Current | Played | Matches | Games | Points | |
| position | won | won | won | |||
| team number | team name | |||||
| 1 | Oldham | 4 | 10 | 4.5 | 29 | 487 |
| 2 | Sunrise | 7 | 10 | 2 | 13 | 365 |
| 3 | Colne | 3 | 10 | 6.5 | 40 | 557 |
| 4 | Fords A | 1 | 10 | 10 | 56 | 652 |
| 5 | Forrest B | 8 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 330 |
| 6 | Forrest A | 5 | 10 | 4 | 23 | 468 |
| 7 | Fords B | 2 | 10 | 9 | 52 | 623 |
| 8 | Markland Hill | 6 | 10 | 4 | 23 | 450 |
The next opportunity to fight for a good place at the end is on the 23rd of April in the Final round, at the same time and place. Cups and prizes will be presented on the Day.
I’m sure everyone will have a good time. 😉🏸🏸

There was an individual tournament held at the end of the Crewe Junior League this Saturday where 2 of our players (Gabby Chan Yi Tak and Nora Szekely) have won the title at the Under 12 Girls category in doubles, despite the fact that they were the youngest in their groups.
Gabby also got runner up in Singles which makes the victory sweeter as she could take revenge of her singles defeat in the singles final.
Massive thank you and congratulations to all of them performed today and looking forward to next year and hoping for many more to come.
Coach Frank

Dear Parents and Carers,
Please see below Sunrise Badminton Network’s possible locations and times where your child can join us:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |
| Location | WA2 | WA1 | WA4 | WA2 | WA1 | WA5 |
| Venue | Warrington Youth Zone | Padgate Academy | Bridgewater High School | Warrington Youth Zone | Padgate Academy | Great Sankey Neighbourhood Hub |
| Time | 17:00-19:00 | 17:00-20:00 | 17:00-18:00 | 17:00-19:00 | 17:00-18:00 | 09:00-13:00 |
| Status | Open Group Members of Youth Zone only | Invitational Groups | Open Group | Open Group Members of Youth Zone only | Open Group for KS1 & KS2 students | Open Group Entry level: 6-14 years, Leisure and Intermediate levels – 11-18 years |
| Active? | Active | Active | Active | Active | Active | Active |
| Year group | 12-18 years | 12-18 years | 12-18 years | 7-12 years | 7-12 years | 7-18 years |
| Capacity | Welcomes new students | Invitational | Full | Welcomes new students | Full | Full |
| Waiting list | N/A | 1 child(ren) | N/A | N/A | 5 child(ren) |
Sunrise Badminton Network could launch 3 teams across 2 age groups. We have had 2 teams in the “Year 11 & under” and 1 team in the “Year 9 & under” group.
The team members in this round are:
Year 9 and under Team:
Sunrise: Matthew Baird, Mia Shepherd, Cayden So, Kento Pilditch
Year 11 and under Teams:
Sunrise A: Oscar Lam, Karsten Lui, Oliver Maher, Alex Todorov
Sunrise B: Sean Ssuuna, Chantelle Chan, Erika Pilditch, Pov Nicholls
All our teams fought very well and got tired at the end. They have also seen the skills of other players which inspired them to change match by match.
One of our teams in the Year 11&under group came 2nd place!!! Congratulations Sunrise A Y11 team!!! Please see the results of the 1st round of the Junior League:
| Y9&U | Name | Points | Position |
| Fords B | 27 | 1 | |
| Fords A | 27 | 1 | |
| Colne | 18 | 3 | |
| Oldham | 12 | 4 | |
| Sunrise | 10 | 5 | |
| Markland Hill | 10 | 5 | |
| Forrest A | 10 | 5 | |
| Forrest B | 3 | 8 | |
| Y11&U | Name | Points | Position |
| Fords | 23 | 1 | |
| Sunrise A | 17 | 2 | |
| Oldham A | 15 | 3 | |
| Forrest | 14 | 4 | |
| Colne | 13 | 5 | |
| Oldham B | 6 | 6 | |
| Sunrise B | 2 | 7 |
The next opportunity to provide a solid performance is on the 26th of March at the same place. Stay tuned, there are more to come.

Dear Badminton Parents and All,
I regret to inform you that we will close the session at Appleton and will merge it with the one at Great Sankey Neighborhood Hub.
The same age groups have the same options to train and have fun at another location.
Sorry for any inconvenience caused, we hope that your child will stay with us and we try our best to deliver the same or a higher level of care and knowledge support.
All the best for the future for All, See you soon,
Frank
An exciting opportunity arose for the ones who would like to try themselves in doubles!
We are committed to entering 4 teams into the league. We are looking for 16 players who would like to compete on 3 Sundays, once every month from February until April.
Every team has 2 pairs (4 players).
We need team captains and helpers who will guard the teams, registering their results on a sheet given by the Organiser. Adults are preferred for this role, so if any parents would like to help their child(ren)`s team, it would be great!
From February, within the Network, we will focus on doubles games, rotation, and the most important shots in doubles.
If your child(ren) would like to enter, then get in touch with coach Frank through the form below or on Whatsapp as soon as you can.
See full description on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538026731204979
The tournament we organized on the 13th of August, 2022 was a success.
35 children from Primary and High Schools from the students of the Network or Frank`s private students could try themselves against others!
Most badminton sessions started to form in January 2022 and the second test of knowledge went exceptionally well.
We have tried our best to make the competition as smooth as possible. Overall, it was a great event that children and parents could enjoy. For some of them, it was their first competitive experience and they took the challenges very well!
A huge well done to all who took the chance with bravery and decided to participate with some or without any experience!
Coach Frank
A massive thank you to all the volunteers who helped the children tirelessly to count their matches for many hours standing next to the courts.
We have been blessed to have some enjoyable photographs we could capture within the given light conditions. Next time in May, the light conditions in our next venue will be much better to create better quality pictures. Looking forward to it!
The next competitive challenge for the students of the Network is the Greater Manchester Junior League where we play doubles!
As promised, here are the pictures below from the tournament. All pictures are reduced in size and watermarked to protect our content online. Feel free to share these pictures.
If any parent would like non-watermarked pictures of their children, please get in touch!










































































































































































































































































































We have recently started a performance team to create a challenging environment for our best students to prepare them for league matches, tournaments and eventually to fight for a place in the county team.
This is an invitational group and for future applications, we are setting up a selection process to make sure only the ones who really want to compete will get into the team.
In this group, independent work and good focus are musts.
Anyone who would like to join, they should join other regular training groups of the network first (5-10 occasions), so Coach Frank can observe their working attitude, independence, and current skills.
If you would like to know more about the selection process, click on the below link.
The tournament we organized on the 13th of August, 2022 was a success.
18 children in their primary ages among Frank`s students could try themselves against others, some could try it with their parents!
Most badminton sessions started to form in January 2022 and the first test of knowledge is done for now.
We have tried our best to make the competition as smooth as possible. Overall, it was a great event that children and parents could enjoy. For some of them, it was their first competitive experience and they took the challenges very well.
A huge well done to all who competed, whether in singles or doubles!
Massive thank you to the volunteers who helped the children count their matches and also Frank to register results and calculating the scores.
We have been blessed to have a photographer on site to capture the best moments possible within the given light conditions.
As promised, here are the pictures below from the tournament. All pictures are reduced in size and watermarked to protect our content online. Feel free to share these pictures. If you would like non-watermarked, better-quality pictures, get in touch.

































































































































































































































































































Dear Badminton Parents, All,
We are going to hold our first-ever Junior Singles Tournament and also a Parent-Child category to find the best Male and Female players of Sunrise Badminton Network and also to provide excitement, fun, and valuable experiences.
This is a closed tournament only for the current or ex-students of Coach Frank.
Please see below the flyer and the Description of the tournament

If you have any questions about the tournament, get in touch at contact@coachfrank.uk or below:
The below form is no longer available.
Dear players, parents, followers,
On our training yesterday I`ve tried to challenge all of you to try something new to keep your mindset grow and strengthen your current skillset.
I have promised some videos about top-level badminton.
These are fresh ones from China! There is a match for Women and one for Men.
I recommend both. Strong skillsets and mindsets could be observed throughout these matches.
At women`s singles, you can see the current Olympic Gold Medallist (In white shirt: Chen Yu Fei) playing against her very challenging Chinese compatriot right after the Olympics.
At men`s singles, you can see the former Olympic Gold and current Olympic Silver Medallist (Chen Long) playing against a young Chinese compatriot.
Enjoy, see you next week!
Frank
#badminton #badmintonparents #sbnblog #badmintonclub #sunrisebadmintonnetwork #thisgirlcan #badminton10k #mindsetblog
I have made an exhaustive post about mentality to fully describe “What mindset is?” and tried to break down some myths about it.
I still believe that this is a midnight zone for most of us, so I create some posts to make it easier to digest.
Some of you would say it is a thinking technique, so it is a technique so it is a technical thing.
Some of you would say it is a strategy of how we think on the court, so it is a tactical thing.
Some of you would sense that it is none of them, it is about feelings and how we manage them.
But if I ask you how can you describe it on the level of emotions, most of you would have a blank face, some would also try to explain it but after some made-up hypotheses, they would realize that they are as foggy about it as the rest.
I made a diagram about it in my last badminton mindset post but I thought with my current mind that maybe I can clarify it even better why it could be ambiguous.
Mindset is a separate thing to describe your feelings on the court and turn them into something you can control to deliver consistent performance.
But mindset doesn`t stop when you leave the court so how would you describe the off-court mindset? Does that the same or something else? Do we also have another mindset we have never discussed?
Yes, we do my friends. Yes, we do.

This set of thinking methods is not limited to the court. It has a base, which is your basic thinking about everything and anything.
And why is it triangle-shaped? It has a reason, find it here.
Even now when you are sitting and reading this have your own thinking method, a unique sequence of evaluating the input you get.
It is the same or similar sequence of how you eat, think about your overall health, how to value sleeping times and quality, select your information sources, accept people and what they say, select places from awful to your favorites, how you act in the dressing rooms before the training, how you act on court, how you act after a loss or a winner rally.
Mindset could mean the part of the game and also a place that includes all things of sport and life.
But if you are serious about badminton or any sport, then, mindset is everywhere.
It must be there at every movement you do on the streets, at every place, every bite, every classroom or off-court activity, and in your bedroom at the most private moments.
No exceptions. Every little thought on-court or off-court can have an effect on every single shot.
Mindset is the way of the constant evaluation of how you think.
Let me explain it in a different way.
What do you call a skill? What skill means to you? How would you define skill?
If we talk about a skillset, we talk about a bunch of specific skills a person has.
This is no different when we talk about mindset.
For me, this is what it means:

A technique is as strong as it can be performed under pressure with the same quality.
When you cannot perform your personal technique properly at a competition is what I call a weak skill.
Mindset works parallel, here comes the twist.
About the above skill, how much you trust in it will determine how strong your trust is in your own skill.
That is what makes the mind on that shot. Yes, every one of your shots has its own trusted methods.
If you break it, it is less likely, or no longer be trusted by you.
Usually, that is the first point on a match for a weak mindset owner to start physical, verbal, and mental self-punishment which can manifest into yells of anger, frustrated facial expressions (eye-rolling, disgust, contempt, etc…) unfair play, disagreements, disallowed breaks of the game and so on.
It is a self-generating process that leads to a total collapse of a performance.
Most coaches suppress that topic or handle it as this is something a player can never change.
But I am sure, no player wants to be like that.
Players are frustrated because they thought they did everything for a good performance and cannot get why they are failing on court at some situations.
You cannot isolate mindset as it is part of every shot, every meal, every step.
Mindset is exciting. Everybody owns one and how strong is it determines a strong or a weak player.
Skills are important, and so is the mindset.
Every skill has its linked mind method. There is no skill without its trusted way of thinking about it.
A strong mindset owner can be recognizable from a distance, and so is a weak mindset owner.
Anyway, observe yourself on the court and become your better self! 🙂
And one more thing: practice present, because…
#badminton #badmintonmindset #badmintonparents #badmintonface #sbnblog #gameface #badmintonmindsetfirst #badmintonplayer #badmintonclub #sunrisebadmintonnetwork #badmintonadults #badmintonspectators #badmintoninjuries #badmintonparadox #badmintontrust #badmintonscores #badmintonparent #badmintonpressure #badmintonfocus #badmintondeception #badmintondevelopment #thisgirlcan #badmintonequipment #badminton10k

We are offering coaching from the age of 8 to 18 years.
These are coached, 1-hour sessions fit for school half terms* run by a Registered Badminton England UKCC Level 2 coach, Frank – Ferenc Szekely at Broomfileds Leisure Centre.

This post is about planning the next half term* for the club where you can get a decent discount if you sign up your child until the 31st of August at 23:59 on email.
Payments must be paid in full before the first session starts otherwise we cannot provide coaching on this price.
There are 8 places available in total on Thursday and 12 on Tuesday, so you must be quick to secure a place for your child.
Sign up email must arrive through our website or by email to sunbadnet@gmail.com before the 1st of September at 00:00. Sign up email sent after the 31st of August at 23:59 would have to pay £5/session. Booked places must be confirmed by the club in 48 hours. The price of the half term* must be paid in full by BACS transfers to access the offer. For more info visit: https://sunrisebadminton.com/juniors/. Any questions contact us through our website`s form at the “Contact” tab.
*half term – the time between school holidays. There are usually 4-5 school holidays a year.
Dear badminton players,
Hope you could stretch out your limbs and had a nice time at the session yesterday.
If you have any comments, suggestions or question, leave a reply at the bottom and I get back to you as soon as I can.
Every week, I aim to teach little things about badminton and the mindset it requires.
I want you to become conscious about what you already have and what ought to be developed first to increase your playing experience to make the game more exciting.
Believe it or not, counting the game bring even more excitement and waking up your crave to compete.
Competing is fun and most of you naturally like it, whether you admit or not.
However, I am still not expecting you to become an athlete or spend hours on the court.
Learn the rules and get some skills to enjoy badminton for life.
This week`s videos for grip techniques and a singles play to be able to observe counting of the game.
Dear badminton players,
Hope you have had a great half term and ready to the final exams.
The good news is that I have no requirement for you in terms of badminton. So you can relax on the session without performance pressure.
One of the thing whether or not feeling it that you are getting better at what you do here which is an unforced achievement.
I only ask this, trust in your knowledge and allow yourself to make mistakes on the court. If you cannot forgive easy your mistakes, I will.
The other thing is how to move on the court while playing doubles.
It is called rotation or place finding.
It is a complex mutual movement based on self-trust while accepting your vulnerability and earn your partner`s trust by accepting their vulnerability on the court.
Like ballroom dancing. 🙂 Anyway, here is a video I suggest to see about vulnerability and also here are some matches you can check out to see how the rotation works on court for level doubles:
#badminton #badmintonmindset #badmintonparents #mindsetblog #mindsetfirst #badmintonplayer #badmintonclub #sunrisebadmintonnetwork #badmintonchildren #trust #vulnerability #pressure #focus #badmintondevelopment #thisgirlcan #thisboycan
Dear badminton players,
I have mentioned couple of things for some of you on the session to look after.
Some of you were a bit confused on the counting of a game and this is understandable. In order to enjoy badminton, first, you should experience the intensity of a game and try to find yourself in it.
The rules are important but not from the first minute. I gonna place 3 links about how we score in badminton. Please check it out and have questions on the next session.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zp9ck7h/revision/3
https://www.masterbadminton.com/badminton-scoring.html
Remember, Technique under pressure is skill. Trust under pressure is mindset.
Here is a match where you can observe how we count the scores in badminton
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask or send your question to sunbadnet@gmail.com and write “Question” into the subject section.
I wish a good break, lots of laugh and quality time together with family and friends.
See you all on the 15th of June!
#badminton #badmintonmindset #badmintonparents #mindsetblog #gameface #mindsetfirst #badmintonplayer #badmintonclub #sunrisebadmintonnetwork #badmintonchildren #trust #pressure #focus #badmintondevelopment #thisgirlcan #thisboycan #badmintonscoring
It is good news for sure to the Network that we will be sponsored by a large pharmacological company from Europe that is adamant to extend its coverage to the United Kingdom.
At present, they are going to sponsor us with our annual shuttle usage but based on our numbers and achievements they would sponsor our expenses and needs extensively in the future so we can focus on the thing we love the most.

We would like to thank you goodwillpharma.co.uk for their contribution to our club and our sport and hope for a fruitful collaboration between us.
#badminton #badmintonmindset #badmintonparents #mindsetblog #gameface #mindsetfirst #badmintonplayer #badmintonclub #sunrisebadmintonnetwork #badmintonchildren #trust #pressure #focus #badmintondevelopment #thisgirlcan #thisboycan #goodwill #goodwillpharma #goodwillpharmasponsorship
Dear badminton players,
I have mentioned couple of things for some of you on the session to look after.
Some of you are at a good level of fighting spirit, a good level of physical intimidation or on the road to become conscious about your own strengths on the court. Below you can see a list of useful links to grow your skillset.
Remember, Technique under pressure is skill. Trust under pressure is mindset.
#badminton #badmintonmindset #badmintonparents #mindsetblog #gameface #mindsetfirst #badmintonplayer #badmintonclub #sunrisebadmintonnetwork #badmintonchildren #trust #pressure #focus #badmintondevelopment #thisgirlcan #thisboycan
Just a short post for today about a free online course created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about tips and good practices for quicker recovery after training sessions or competitions.
They are giving out lots of useful information not limited to the adaptation cycle, the importance of cool down or sleep and nap methods.
Highly recommended to all the members and sympathizers of Sunrise Badminton Network. Here is the link below to access the course after the login.
https://www.olympic.org/athlete365/courses/
#badminton #sbnblog #athlete365 #recoverfaster #badmintonmindset #badminton #badmintonparents #badmintonface #sbnblog #gameface #badmintonmindsetfirst #badmintonplayer #badmintonclub #sunrisebadmintonnetwork #badmintonadults #badmintonspectators #badmintoninjuries #mindsetblog #badmintonparadox #badmintontrust #badmintonscores #badmintonparent #badmintonpressure #badmintonfocus #badmintondeception #badmintondevelopment #thisgirlcan
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