Varsity Coed Badminton lost 20-10 to Milpitas High School on Thursday, April 2. According to senior and captain Amish Tyagi, MHS is one of the best schools in the SCVAL De Anza division. MVHS previously lost to MHS, so in preparation for the match, MVHS focused on practicing long rallies and movement drills.
“I saw a lot of close matches, and people implementing what we told them in practice,” Tyagi said. “It was good to see them being consistent.”
Additionally, Tyagi emphasizes nerve control as an important skill MVHS practices. He observed much individual improvement overall through drills focused on consistency to ensure athletes are prepared and used to situations that present themselves in the game.
“We just try to teach them the nerve control that comes with playing close matches,” Tyagi said. “In high-pressure situations, when it’s close, you tend to make a bunch of mistakes just because of the pressure. Being used to that pressure, and trying to calm yourself is really important.”
The final match to finish was freshman Josiah Lim’s JV2 singles. Toward the end of the event, MVHS and MHS players surrounded the court to cheer for Lim and his opponent, with Lim ultimately winning the match. Lim believes this was his best performance of the season so far, as he was able to overcome high pressure.
“The match was pretty intense, but I just decided to smile because I thought that would give me a power up,” Lim said. “Usually, I do really badly under pressure. But today was an exception, and now I’m just flooded with dopamine.”
Despite the team’s overall loss, Tyagi is optimistic about the team’s future. Lim shares this sentiment and plans to continue improving his backhand and drop shots.
“I’m going to keep smiling, and I’m going to train really hard during the practices,” Lim said. “Hopefully, I can get better and maintain my performance.”
