Two Rackets, One Court

Amira gripped her badminton racket beside her partner, Teo. Across the gym, another pair waited behind the net. This was Amira and Teo's first practice game together. They had practiced hitting the shuttle, the light object that players send over the net, but they had not practiced being partners.

The first shot sailed toward Amira. Unsure whose shot it was, she hesitated. Her feet were glued to the floor. Teo lunged across the court, stretching his racket toward the shuttle, but it landed before he reached it.

On the next shot, Amira rushed forward just as Teo stepped into the same space. Both stopped to avoid bumping rackets. The shuttle dropped between them. “We've made a traffic jam,” Amira said. There was plenty of empty court, yet they kept crowding one small spot.

Coach Lin raised her racket and called them over. She pointed to a chart with the heading “Sharing the Court.” Under a drawing of two players, a caption read, “Partners cover different spaces.” “Watch each other as well as the shuttle,” she suggested. “And let your partner know when you're taking a shot.”

Amira and Teo chose a side for each person to cover. They agreed that “Mine!” would be their signal when either player reached for a shot between them. Amira checked the boundary, the painted line marking the court's outer edge, and took her place. This time, she knew where she belonged.

Their next rally lasted six hits, with the shuttle traveling back and forth above the net. Then Amira sent it too far. Her shoulders sagged. “The next point is a fresh page,” Teo said. Amira pictured turning past a messy drawing to a clean sheet. She lifted her racket again.

The shuttle hovered briefly above the net. “Mine!” Amira called. Teo moved aside, leaving her room to swing. They lost the final point, but they walked off smiling. “Less traffic,” Teo said. “More teamwork,” Amira added, tapping her racket gently against his.