Oxstalls Badminton Academy

• Payment of £150 is in advance and covers a month of sessions (4 weeks)
• This includes my hourly rate as a coach, court fees, cost of shuttles and transaction fees.
• Unfortunately I'm not permitted to coach on courts booked using GL1 membership privileges.  I am only permitted to coach on courts that are block booked at a cost of £11.50/hour per court.
• Sessions can be made more affordable if organised into small groups of 2 to 5 players (ideally players of similar ability level).   For a group, make one person responsible for booking and ensuring that the payment is made using this site.  Then simply divide up the cost by the number of players so a £150 cost for one player for 4 weeks in a month can become £30 each for a group of 5 players for example.

In order to guarantee the court bookings I have to block book. GL1 have a 30 day cancellation term so if you need to cancel then I will still be charged for the court. With at least 2 weeks notice I will carry forward 80% of the coaching portion of the fee (£20) you've paid in advance as credit on the next month's booking, but I am not in a position to cover the court costs myself so I can't refund this.

If you need to cancel a session you have booked, please email AND send me a text (in case I miss one).

1 hour for children 10 years and over + adults.

For younger children (minimum age 7) I offer half hour sessions by arrangement.

• My advice is to play as much as possible. 
•  If you play every day for several weeks improvement will be noticeable.
• Coaching is also essential to learn and practice correct form for strokes and movement and tactical development. Once a week coaching is sufficient to begin with.  
• A combination of playing a lot and receiving regular coaching is the ideal scenario.
• If you are a player who is competing in tournaments then a weekly coaching session with meaningful practice on court every 2-3 days is the minimum.  Playing everyday with strength and conditioning in the gym and having a coach supervise your timetable is the optimum scenario.

My opinion is that younger children of primary age need to gain confidence and have fun on court. In most cases this comes from hitting the shuttle cleanly lots of times.

To begin with the way this can be achieved is by feeding the shuttle with predictable trajectory so that the child can concentrate on the strings meeting the shuttle. Once the child is confident that they can hit the shuttle then other skills can be coached more easily.

I sometimes observe children on other courts becoming despondent and discouraged quickly because they aren't given the opportunity to cleanly hit the shuttle enough by the adult they are with. Parents and coaches require lots of patience with their children and players.

If we can keep things fun for young children they will stay engaged on court. The trick is to keep them playing regularly for a few years with a smile on their face, hitting shuttles with confidence without worrying about how good they are compared to others or whether they are winning then it's an excellent start.

Coaches and parents have to be patient. We must trust that players can develop at their own pace. A happy badminton player who started early at age 7 and was given confidence and enjoyment on court will be a strong badminton player physically and mentally at age 14 and into the future.

• A good racket - to begin with a one piece carbon graphite racket - doesn't need to be expensive or a particular brand at the start
• A refillable water bottle - it's important to keep hydrated while you play
• Comfortable sports clothes - shorts/joggers + t-shirt will do
• Sports shoes - ideally badminton specific shoes - if you commit to playing regularly I will pester you to get some - they are designed to prevent injury and optimise the way your feet move and work for the sport
• Advanced players will eventually need 2 or 3 of the same racket that suit their style of play - I can help advise what models and where to buy them.  I may also be able to obtain Yonex rackets for players to try before they buy.  In time it's likely that strong players will need a racket bag, the best shoes and clothing made by badminton brands.
• The other things to consider are the racket grip which will need to be replaced regularly (not expensive) and strings which will break eventually or if you are an advanced player will need restringing every 3 to 6 months depending on how often you play.  Restrings cost between £10 and £15 per racket depending on who you ask to restring them and your choice of string.

Get in touch anyway. The least I can do is add you to a waiting list and email list so that you are kept aware of any slots that become free or make some suggestions for other places where coaching may be available.

I coach a maximum of 12 hours per week during school term time. As well as being a terrific opportunity for me to indulge my passion for badminton and exercise my skills as a coach, this work provides me with a reliable part time income and gives me the time to pursue other work as a freelance music producer, mastering engineer and musicleader as well as spending time with my family (wife, 2 young boys and 3 kittens).

If you are curious about my music making check out The Powdered Earth, Spaces and my music producer website.

Yes, of course! I'm more than happy to help all levels of adults learn the game, focus on developing a particular aspect of the game, improve existing skills or devise a training plan. I began playing seriously at the age of 28 and it took 7 years with help from coaches and other players for me to gain the skills and experience I needed to eventually attain a modest national ranking in singles and doubles represent Gloucestershire at senior level so I understand how adults learn and fulfil potential.

Parents want the best for their children. A typical scenario which is frustrating for coaches and players happens during around 11+, GCSE and A-level exam time when well meaning parents with the best of intentions withdraw their children from all extra curricular activities to focus on preparation for school exams.

An essential component of good mental health and preparedness for school examinations is time out from revision. It's wise to cut down training hours so that a student isn't physically exhausted during exam time, but an hour of physical activity twice a week to break up exam revision sessions will have a positive effect on mental agility, mental health and general well-being.

A student with a balanced approach to exam time will do better than a student who studies every hour of the day without meaningful breaks for physical and social activities. Students need a healthy positive lifestyle to be able to perform at their best - both in badminton and academically. This means quality food, sensible bedtimes and wake times and a variety of extra curricular activities across the week (taking a walk, sport and seeing friends briefly for example).

Sport might not be a priority for all players so of course it's reasonable to take a break from badminton during exam time if badminton is a low level priority, but for those who have individual goals to perform at county and national level as well as excelling academically it's essential to keep a suitably adapted regular programme of exercise and on court practice intact during exams.

The answer to this question is yes.

However I believe a player needs only one coaching voice in their head on court in addition to their own so it's important that emerging players competing in tournaments for ranking points have one principle guide as they train and compete.

A scenario where a player has more than one coach might be where a team has a team coach that is different to the player's individual coach or a specialist coach is required for the development of a specific aspect of the game. Professional athletes at national level often have a group of coaches that include a sports psychologist, a physio and a performance director responsible for helping the player with technical or tactical development.

• Beginners can learn from many different coaches as they begin their journey
• Developing players can also learn from many different coaches as they develop their badminton skills
• Emerging players starting to compete in junior or senior tournament circuits are probably best with one coach guiding them as they start their competitive career
• Professional players will often have a coaching team helping them

I will refer promising players to other coaches when I believe another coach's input and network will benefit the player. I always put the player's needs first so I am more than happy to make introductions to other coaches if I believe they can take a player further in their career than I can. I have particular strengths as a coach in helping less experienced players to establish fundamentals in their game, giving competitive players an edge and preparing promising young players so that they are ready to work with other coaches at advanced levels.