Yanina Geist plays badminton at the club level. For her, sports in general – and this one in particular – are a perfect way to unwind and relax with an enjoyable activity. “Afterwards, you feel really good.”
Almost everyone has played badminton informally at one time or another – on the beach, in a swimming pool, in parks, or in the backyard at home. With a little practice, people manage to volley for extended periods, especially by hitting the ball softly in a high arc for their opponents to easily reach. But the sport that Yanina Geist, Assistant, Battery & Fuel Cell Systems at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, plays in her free time, only bears resemblance to that informal style of play at first glance, and only to an amateur. It’s true the shuttlecock and racket are the same. But with its dynamism and athleticism, competitive badminton cannot be compared to informal, recreational play. It is those qualities that excite many millions of serious players around the world,.
Badminton is considered the fastest ball sport around. The players are not trying to set their opponents up for an easy return. On the contrary, “our goal is for the opponent not to reach the shuttlecock and for it to land on the ground on the other side,” Geist said.
The feathered projectile can leave the racket with a speed of several hundred kilometers per hour during a smash, so the sport requires good reflexes, “fast legs,” agility, endurance, power and precision. The play is based on well-honed techniques, especially involving the various strokes. Intuition is another aspect: reading the opponent, inferring in advance what he or she plans to do. This diverse mix has fascinated Yanina Geist since her school days. One positive side effect: With a contactless indoor sport, the risk of injury is significantly less than with soccer, for example.
“What I especially like is that badminton is an individual sport, but you still work as a team,” she said. She trains and plays for Fortuna 96 Schwetzingen. On each game day, several men and women form a team. They compete with teams from other clubs in women’s and men’s singles, doubles and in mixed contests, where a man and a woman take their positions on each side of the net. Geist described a strong team spirit. “There is a really good group structure. We push each other, cheer each other on, and celebrate each point.”
JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT
At two sessions per week, each running two-and-one-half hours per week, the training is demanding. “I really love playing sports. Naturally I have to spur myself on sometimes. But it pays off. Afterwards, you feel really good,” she said. “You just have to find the right balance for yourself personally. Then it’s fun.”
The level of her involvement is high. She has gone beyond active training and playing at her club and feels committed to young talent. She also likes horseback riding. And she has happily turned to a much larger racket for the Freudenberg tennis tournament. Her physical fitness and her experience with badminton are proving to be very helpful.
But how did Geist happen to embrace badminton? “My dad regularly played in the backyard with neighbors …”
Das richtige Maß
Zweimal zweieinhalb Stunden Training pro Woche – das fordert. „Ich treibe unheimlich gerne Sport. Natürlich muss auch ich mich manchmal überwinden. Aber es lohnt sich. Danach fühlt man sich so richtig gut“, beschreibt die FST-Mitarbeiterin ihre Erfahrungen. „Man muss beim Sport nur das richtige Maß für sich persönlich finden. Dann macht es Spaß“, rät sie anderen.
Bei ihr liegt dieses Maß sehr hoch. In ihrem Badminton-Verein engagiert sie sich übers aktive Trainieren und Spielen hinaus, fühlt sich auch den Nachwuchskräften verpflichtet. Sie reitet auch gerne. Zudem greift sie seit Kurzem in der Freudenberg-Tennisrunde mit viel Freude zum – deutlich größeren – Schläger. Ihre körperliche Fitness und ihre Badminton-Erfahrung erweisen sich dabei als sehr hilfreich.
Doch wie kam Yanina Geist eigentlich zum Badminton? „Mein Vater hat mit unserem Nachbarn regelmäßig Federball im Garten gespielt …“
