Birdies whistle and the swings of rackets fill the gym as new badminton coach Jack Ip takes up the mantle of responsibility. Ip said he became the team’s coach because he already knew many of the varsity players through his son, varsity team captain Justin Ip, and had lots of playing experience. The position combined his love of both badminton and involvement in HHS, which made coaching a perfect fit, Ip said.
As the new coach, Ip also brings an interesting take on coaching, varsity player Sarina Chan said. She previously played singles last season, but Ip has helped her transition into playing mixed doubles which she previously struggled with, Chan said.
“Last year’s coach was more focused on having us learn specific techniques, but coach Ip has us focusing on playing our own event better instead of just general [badminton skills],” Chan, a sophomore, said.
Justin Ip, a junior, said he started playing badminton because both his dad, coach Ip, and uncle played in high school, with his uncle’s team winning CCS.
“Originally, I played other recreational sports [other than badminton],” Justin Ip said. “But in high school, I wanted to switch up what sports I played, so I just took on badminton [by] playing with my dad in the backyard.”
Ip has a different perspective on the game because of all of his previous playing experience, he said. The mix between Justin Ip’s new, fast-paced ideas as team captain and Coach Ip’s traditional take on the game provides the team with great strategies, Justin Ip said.
“One advantage [of this relationship] is I can work closer with him behind the scenes and it allows me to share some ideas with him and understand him better,” Justin Ip said. “However a disadvantage is sometimes he’ll yell at me more. Outside of badminton, he inspires me to work hard and become the best version of myself.”
Ip said he deeply values individual progress and overall skills improvement as a coaching strategy.
“[For varsity], I like to observe more and then fine tune when needed because most of the players are already experienced,” Ip said. “For JV, a lot of the [other] skills come in [with] being a coach and knowing how to teach.”
Ip said the teaching aspect of his primary job as an engineering program manager translated well into coaching because the two fields are similar in terms of feedback and continuous management. He ensures all players are treated equally and Justin trains just as hard as any other player on the team, Ip said.
“My goal this season was to take the kids to the upper division this year because we’re undefeated and I think the varsity kids especially want to move up to the next division,” Ip said. “A lot of the players enjoy the sport, so I hope they’ll play more because the more they play, the better they get at all skills. As their coach, I just hope to instill the joy of playing badminton.”
