Footwork is very important in playing badminton.  Good footwork helps you remain balanced while you hit the shuttlecock. Staying balanced will help you control your shot because you do not need to correct for body movement.  Good footwork will also help you recover your position for the next shot.  If you are too slow to recover, your opponent will surely make an edge or gain an advantage. And you will surely lose the game.  Playing badminton also requires you to be alert in thinking where to place your shot so that your opponent will have a hard time hitting the shuttlecock. The most important of all is one has to have good footwork while playing badminton to avoid injuries. Always have yourself a ready position for every different situation.  Being ready means your feet is a little apart.  You cannot just stand there, feet together, as if waiting for something. Your knees should be slightly bent with your weight lowered a little. Your right foot should always be ahead of your left foot.  Another thing to consider is the way you hold the racquet.  Always bring your racquet up. It should always be held out in front of you and away from your body. Also, if you are a right-handed, do not forget your left arm.  It should be used to balance your right arm and racket.

In badminton, a player should always employ a wide variety of strokes in the right situations. These may be done with powerful jumping smashes or delicate tumbling net returns.  A player has to learn deception. Meaning, he has to apply different strokes that look identical such as slicing to deceive the opponent.  In this way, the opponent will anticipate the shot wrongly, and may move in the wrong direction making him unable to hit the shuttlecock.  A badminton player has to always use his mind and have to be alert in hitting the shuttlecock in order to have an advantage over the opponent.  One must know where to place his shot, specifically, to a place where it is not occupied by the opponent.  With these strategies, a player will make badminton an easy sport and fun as well.

Namaqualand is a vast dry and barren desert area in northwest South Africa, situated north of the fertile and flourishing Cape Peninsula. With a glimpse, it may seem to be just another wide semi-desert however first impressions aren’t always right. Wait until you see the magically rainbow colored flowers that bloom after a short winter’s rainy season. The annual springtime flower blast usually takes place between August and September. The arid desert transforms into an amazing colorful carpet of flowers that have yet to be seen by the naked eye. Cameras cannot capture nor can paintbrush replicate the amazing scene of the countryside which showcases a spectacle of beauty enriched with an immense array of diverse flower species in bizarre colors. The countless spread of flowers is what tourists want to witness in the area because the season change within two months and the area is back in its desert appearance once again. Although even outside the flower season, strips of purple, orange, and white daisies float up. In July, early rains are tremendously rare so don’t expect anything. The seeds of daisies, mesembryanthemums (vygies), aloes, gladioli and lilies are inactive under the soil during the ruthless droughts of summer eagerly waiting for the rain to come. Around 4,000 authentic flowers can be found in the area and a portion of it cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Diverse species react to different conditions. That is why flowers emerge at varied times a year to the next.

Some examples of the usual flora to be found are: namaqua daisy jakkalsblom dimorphotheca inuata, t’neitjie pelargonium incrassatum, bottergousblom arctotis gumbletoni, sambreeltjie felicia australis, geelkatstert bulbinella latifolia, viooltjie lachenalia carnosa and sandlelie antholyza plicata.

Because more and more people are getting acquainted with this awesome splendor, it is a wise decision to book your accommodation ahead of time like a year in advance. You should decide where you would like to stay, whether on the farm or in the main centre. If you don’t have your own car, you might consider staying in the farm. You can freely take a walk around the farms’ flower fields.

Some useful tips when you are there:

• Be conscious of the time because flowers are best sighted on a sunny day from 11:00 to 15:00. You can still enjoy a good breakfast. And besides, flowers scarcely open before 10am.
• If you are driving, it’s best to drive westwards in the daybreak, eastwards in the daylight and usually from north to south because the flowers accustom themselves to face the sun.
• Wear comfortable walking shoes.
• Don’t’ forget to protect yourself from the harmful rays of the sun. Wear a hat and a sunscreen. You can also bring insect repellent if you want.
• Bring along your binoculars. You wouldn’t want to miss the breathtaking scenery.
• Take out your cameras too. You wouldn’t want to let pass the wonderland of beauty.
• Get out from your vehicle and appreciate some minute flowers. Namaqualand demands guests to retard, chill out and indulge their days trying to unveil its many wonders. Never mind the mud-spattered patches on your knees.
• Ask the flower guides or experts you know regarding the names of flowers you are most bewildered. You can even buy a book to serve as your guide.

According to a saying in Namaqualand: Once you arrive in Namaqualand, you cannot stop crying and upon leaving, because the attachment has gone so far, you can’t help but weep again.

The mass of flowers which extend as far as the eye can see is undoubtedly one of the most impressive natural shows in the world. Explore the hidden jewels of nature’s wonders! Visit Namaqualand with family and friends and for sure, you would want to keep coming back to meet again the unsurpassed feast of flowers.