Laura Vana of Estonia finished her training at the Odense Certificated Training Centre a few weeks ago. She had applied for a Badminton Europe Scholarship to train two weeks in Denmark in order to improve her game. She shares with us her experience at the Centre.

“My stay in Odense was great. I feel I improved a lot and got so many new ideas that I can use in my further practice back home. I am also much more motivated at the moment and got a good kick to improve my level. I could already use what I learned in my tournament in Finnish Open, where I played my best ever and beat or played very even with some players I have lost to before. I feel I improved my footwork, my technique in net and overhead a lot.

The practice in Odense was very well structured and in the beginning of every practice we had a plan about what we were going to do and to focus on during the practice. We focused a lot on technical aspects of the game which I feel was exactly what I needed. Coach Lennart wants you to think a lot during the practice at what you are focusing on, which is very important. I had very good sparring partners like Petya Nedelcheva, Lene Clausen and Spela Silvester. I was very happy to practice with the girls for a change since at home I only practice with the guys and that can be very hard mentally at times.

Every morning the practice started at 8:00 and lasted for two hours. In the morning we usually had some multi feeding, some technical practice and some one-against-one or two-against-one exercises. The exercises on court were mostly shorter intervals and we focused a lot on speed on court. In the afternoon, twice a week we had gym practice with the physical coach and after that we had a 1.5-hour badminton practice where we did one-against-one or two-against-one exercises. Three times a week in the afternoon was a club practice where there were many players. Usually we did some one-against-one short interval exercises for 30 minutes and then played 2 or 3 rounds of matches. On Friday evening we had a technical training where we could focus on what we needed to practice individually.

I had a great time in Odense and felt immediately part of the group. Everyone was very friendly and we also did something together after the practice, so the life wasn’t boring at all.

The location of the hall and of the apartment was perfect. Players’ apartments were 15-minute walk or 5-minute cycle away. In addition, I could cook my own meals, which was very positive.

I would recommend Odense training centre to everyone who wants to improve their level. I will definitely go back there in the summer for a longer period!”