u/linhhoang_o00o

When I play against intermediate level players, when they lose a point to my smash, they go: your smash is bad, it's not steep, I should be able to defend it. But then they keep on losing points to the same "bad" smash and become annoyed.

I think the most common misunderstanding from intermediate level players is that a smash has to always be 100% powered with a steep angle, but there're more than 1 version of "smash", higher level players don't just grind their teeth and go all-in on a smash, they often target difficult-to-defend areas, such as: body, right hip, racket shoulder, etc., these are much harder to defend compared to a straight forward smash.

Have you had the same experience? Keep losing to a "bad" smash? I'm actually very bad at defending smash that goes slightly above my right shoulder (racket shoulder), do you have any advice?

I have done quite a number of online shopping every year, and this year the missing/wrong deliveries rate is at 20%, and all of them are from DHL. I guess it depends on the area; some delivery workers in certain areas are just incompetent.

What bothers me is that DHL don't take resposibilities for these mistakes at all. They simply say "please contact the shop for more info", when it's clear as day that the problem lies within their delivery workers.

I noticed that both my girlfriend and I are catching a cold/flu more and more often, and the symptoms are more severe. 3-4 years ago, I hadn't had a flu that last more than a day, but the last 2 years I have had at least 3 flu that lasted more than 2 days. Also noticed that people in my office were in sick leaves more often than before. Have you been noticed the same? Do you have any recipe for faster recovery, apart from just lay in bed?

I don't have an ambition to win anything big, but the more I play badminton competitively, even at a low level, I find out that the casual sessions will slow down your progress significantly. Playing with casual players, especially older folks who rely on experience, trick shots and deceptions (sometimes even illegal shots) to win quick points does more harm to your growth than helping. Maybe it's just my view, but I find it a waste of time to play a game where 90% of points are made within 2-3 strikes. I mean if you have no other options, then a casual play to keep you active is still better than nothing, but keep it t minimum and focus on actual trainings.