Bamito, because it works!

Only a year ago, OSM Badminton started with Bamito. A new method to get very young children, who cannot actually return a shuttle, to play badminton. It goes without saying that they need extra trainer attention, but how do you do that when 20 other children are also training?

Stations

The solution that OSM adopted from Bamito is working with stations: at the same time, three small groups of children (4 to 8) practice one badminton part. And such an exercise never actually involves the children practicing a stroke back and forth. This traditional training method does not work, because children cannot initially serve, let alone hit back and certainly not stand: with a specific technique.

Game

At Bamito, badminton technique is approached from an accessible form of game. We work with all kinds of basic motor skills such as throwing, catching, aiming, balancing, walking, turning and turning. The selected exercises are always a preparation for movements that are important for badminton. We are gradually expanding this to more and more skipping, because ultimately that is the core of our sport. But at Bamito it starts simple, so that children quickly experience success, enjoy it and therefore become motivated to grow in the sport.

Structure and focus

The design with stations gives a clear structure to the entire training. Children find that structure pleasant and recognizable. After 1 training they don’t know any better. Each station is specifically focused on a badminton component, so that the attention is focused on that. And because the game only takes 10 minutes at one station, the children stay focused, even with difficult assignments.

Own twist

We have added three elements to Bamito based on our experience:

1. Animals to warm up
   In the warm-up we imitate animals. Fun and infectious for the children. What they don’t know: we have secretly hidden badminton running techniques in those movements. It is sometimes tough for the children, but we are amazed at how quickly they pick it up.
2. Meaningful break
   Instead of a passive break, we provide explanations while the children have a drink. Think about types of grip, what does the field look like, what are the lines called, what are the rules of the game, knowledge of strokes, offensive and defensive attitude, etc. etc. It turns out to be a lot of fun to do this together! We have fun in the circle and we listen to each other and everyone dares to say something, they feel safe. And secretly the parents always listen attentively, because they also learn something from it.
3. Finish with free badminton
   We noticed that when children only did the stations, they felt like they had not played badminton. A child does not simply see the link to our sport. And yet we want to let them know that they play badminton. That is why we always end with “free play”, where the children can play with their racket and shuttle to their heart’s content and without any rules. This is what they remember most: I played badminton, while before that we had them practice our sport continuously, but without them knowing it.

Successful introduction

Thanks to the driving forces from the board and the trainers, OSM has succeeded in making Bamito a success: the groups are growing, the membership numbers are growing and our Bamito players are growing.

Also for other associations

We can of course keep our knowledge with us, so that OSM becomes the strongest association. But that is not our objective. We also want children outside Maarssen to benefit from our experience. That is why we are the only association in the Netherlands that has our training plans online. Ready to be used by any association that also wants the best for their pupils. Curious? Check us out Bamito Youth Program. A lot of work has already been done and is still being worked on, because there is always room for improvement. But with what is already in place and what will be added this year, associations can get started today!

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