No Strings and Smash Up! badminton sessions continue to go from strength to strength in Northamptonshire.
Ciara Linehan is a Level 2 UKCC coach and runs five No Strings and Smash Up! sessions per week at Towcester and Brackley leisure centres. The sessions are always well-attended, and players continue to improve and have fun playing badminton and meeting new people.
The sessions are suitable for badminton players of any ability, with everybody welcome and a huge range of ability, including complete beginners, high level club players, county players and even an ex-England squad player. Players new to badminton are given tips and support from our current players and coordinator, if this is something they find helpful.
The sessions continue to grow and get more and more popular as time goes on. Previous No Strings coordinators did a fantastic job setting up the sessions and growing a strong base of players who still attend regularly. This continues to be built on week by week with new players regularly attending, and being welcomed to, the sessions.
The two longest running No Strings sessions in Towcester and Brackley have 30 players in attendance every week. The community is inclusive, welcoming, fun and all players share a passion for badminton. Player retention remains high with some people having attended the sessions for over ten years.
No Strings Badminton has long-standing links with the local leisure centres who facilitate the sessions and local clubs, many of whom have players who have loyally attended No Strings for many years.
A special thanks should also go to a local coach, Peter MacCallum, who has donated equipment and volunteered at the junior Smash Up! sessions. Many of the players who attend No Strings now were also previously part of a thriving junior club run by Peter.
The popularity of the sessions is also borne out by the thoughts of the players themselves, with a selection of feedback below.
- “This session is the highlight of my week!”
- “No Strings is a great social activity to get out and have fun!”
- “There is a great atmosphere and it’s great being able to chat to different people.”
- “It’s been great to come back to No Strings and connect with old friends and make new ones too. Everyone is there because they enjoy playing so the sessions are always full of fun and great rallies!”
- “I love the friendships and easy attitude of No Strings. There are some fantastic players who are also good coaches and happy to help me improve my game.”
- “After only six weeks of attending I have already noticed an improvement in general fitness. It’s a fun way to get fitter, it’s cheap, friendly and a helpful crowd to play with.”
- “We love to see how the No Strings badminton sessions help bring the community together. With users of a wide range of ages and abilities enjoying themselves and sharing their love for the sport, it helps us work towards our goal of being a sport and leisure hub for the community.” – Legacy Leisure Centre Manager
- “I love watching people having fun in their games and hearing afterwards about the fantastic shots and long rallies! It’s great watching the new players improving every week and I admire the more experienced players whose rallies have me on the edge of my seat! It’s so lovely to see people getting to know each other and forming new friendships. I am very proud to be part of such a lovely community.” – NSB Coordinator
Follow Ciara on Instagram @whatstheracket to see a variety of the action.
