Announcements

Thank you all for a fantastic season! I’m so proud of you all for the work you put in these past couple of months. It’s been an honor being your coach and I hope you’ll continue to play badminton even though I won’t return next year! You can view all the photos from this season here:

Individual Portraits + Group Photo
2025 Season Album


Summer Training Opportunities

Private Coaching Sessions

I am excited to announce that I will be offering private/small group coaching this summer. This coaching is not affiliated with Tartan or the school district in any way, shape, or form. This group will aim to be smaller so that I can focus on giving you more attention and guidance. I will also aim to make it as affordable as possible. Previously these sessions took place once a week at the Phalen Recreation center in St Paul.

I’m still finalizing details on location and schedule, but if there is interest please fill out the following form.

https://forms.gle/Qq4J1xdHFubeVibVA


We can connect and discuss from there. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you know who might be interested in these sessions, even if they are not on the team or the school.

Burnsville Summer Training Camp

Many of the girls at the top-ranked schools in Minnesota train at a camp that takes place during the summer in Burnsville high school. The coach there, Summer Mao, was a professional player in China in the 1980s and 1990s. I also know many of the coaches there personally, and they are all very solid players/coaches. The beginner sessions will be from 6:30-8:00 PM and the intermediate sessions will be from 7:30-9:30 PM. I understand it is expensive and Burnsville is kind of far. However, I think it may be worth it.





For more details and to sign up, please follow this link:

https://www.minnesotabadminton.com/post/2025-summer-badminton-camp


For questions, contact Summer at maosummer@hotmail.com or (651)246-6074.

Locations to Play Badminton

In case you wanted to play badminton this summer but didn’t know where to go, I wanted to include some locations! Here are some of the places closest to Tartan High School. I would recommend confirming the schedule with the facility ahead of time as this is subject to change.

Arlington Hills Community Center

1200 Payne Ave, St Paul MN 55130

Mondays 5:30pm – 8:30pm

-$3 fee

-3 courts

West Minnehaha Recreation Center

685 W Minnehaha Ave, St Paul MN 55104

Tuesdays 5:00pm – 7:30pm

-$3 fee

-2 courts

Apple Valley Community Center
14603 Hayes Rd, Apple Valley, MN 55124
Sundays 5-8 PM
Tuesdays 12- 2 PM, 6:30-9:30 PM
Wednesdays 6:30-9:30 PM
Thursdays 12- 2 PM, 6:30-9:30 PM
Saturdays 3-6 PM
-$5 fee

Frogtown Community Center

230 Como Ave, St Paul, MN 55103

Thursdays 5:30pm – 8:45pm

-$3 fee

-3 courts




You can refer to the St Paul Recreation Activies search to find other facilities and times to play. Make sure you clear all filters and use keyword search for “Badminton”https://web2.myvscloud.com/wbwsc/mnsaintpaulwt.wsc/splash.html

You can find more locations using this website as well:https://www.minnesotabadminton.com/places-to-play

If possible, I would always confirm the times and any cost/fees involved with the facility before going.

Equipment

Some of you have asked for equipment recommendations. My two favorite websites to buy gear from are Badminton Warehouse and Joy Badminton.
https://www.badmintonwarehouse.com/
https://www.joybadminton.com/


They have a wide selection of rackets, shoes, and apparel for reasonable prices. They also offer free shipping on some of their items. For specific recommendations, refer to the below information!

Badminton Rackets

There are tons of racket options out there, and it can be intimidating trying to find the right one for you. If you just want a recommendation and aren’t interested in the details, the issued racket for our varsity lineup has been the Yonex Arcsaber 7 Play. Make sure you buy your racket from a reputable retailer. Don’t buy from Amazon, as most rackets sold on there are fake.

My general recommendation is to find a light and even balanced racket between 75-85 grams(4U). Some of you have asked for specific recommendations, and I’d personally recommend something from the Yonex Nanoflare, Astrox, or Arsacber series. Between the models, they also usually have different versions of the racket (Play/Game/Tour/Pro), which have slight differences in price and performance. Choose the one that works best for your budget and preference!

When buying your own badminton racket you’ll also have to start paying attention to string tension. String tension will make a huge impact on your playing ability and how the racket feels. It can be kind of complicated, but here’s the TLDR version:

Lower tension = More Power + Larger Sweet Spot + More Durability + Less Control

Higher tension = Less Power + Smaller Sweet Spot + Less Durability + More control

Beginners will typically play with a lower string tension, since the softer string bed will create more bounce/repulsion and thus more power. This makes it easier to get power and clear to the back court. The sweet spot refers to the area on the string bed which will give you the most power and control. Lower tension strings will also create a larger sweet spot, which is more forgiving and requires less accurate strokes. As you get more experienced, you can gradually increase your string tension to get better control.

I recommend beginners to play with a tension of 22-24 pounds. For reference, I play with around 26 pounds of tension, and professional/Olympic players will play with 28+ pounds of tension. Beginner rackets will typically come prestrung with a lower tension, but if your strings ever break this will be important information to know and request when restringing your racket.

You can refer to the following guide for more useful information about badminton rackets.https://badmintonprofessor.com…

Badminton Shoes

The type of shoes you get can be a bit more flexible. Any indoor court shoe or volleyball shoe will work. The most important thing is that you don’t slide around while playing. My favorite brand of badminton shoes includes Yonex and Li-Ning. You can see a wide selection of shoes on Badminton Warehouse. Otherwise, for a good budget option, check out the ASICS Gel-Rocket Court Shoes on Amazon.

Badminton Apparel

This is not nearly as important, but if you want to look and feel legit while playing or training you can check out some of the shirts/apparel from Badminton Warehouse as well :)

Helpful Resources

Finally, I wanted to include some helpful online resources!

https://www.minnesotabadminton.com
– Great website with training and venues information, resources and more!

https://www.badmintonwarehouse.com
– Online store with wide selection of Badminton apparel, shoes, equipment, and more

https://www.youtube.com/c/BadmintonInsight
– Great channel run by professional badminton players with videos on techniques, tactics and practices

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfRMnJ4f02bKXts3OE8eOEw/about
– Another great channel run by Tobias Wadenka, a former pro player and current professional coach.

I hope that announcement wasn’t too long and you found some of the above information useful. Feel free to reach out to me with any further questions about any of the above, and I hope to see you all again real soon!