Interview with Professional USA Badminton Player Priscilla Lun

We recently interviewed one of the professional players from the United
States badminton womens team, Priscilla Lun. She was the gold medalist
for the Pan Am Juniors U19 category.

It’s no easy task earning a spot to represent your country, but
Priscilla has shown that hard work pays off. Currently she plays for her
country in the women’s singles and mixed doubles.

Read on as she tells us about her career and shares some of her thoughts on the technical questions we asked.

When did you start playing badminton?
When I was 11 years old?

When did you first get to play for USA?
When I was 13, I competed at the Pan Am Junior Championships. That was 7 years ago.

How many hours do you train a week?
I try to train 3 hours every day. Unless I have to go to school, I’ll
train less. Other than that, I go to the gym. So it will be gym and
training at the same time for me every week.

Who is your favourite player?
Myself! Just kidding… My favourite player is Tony Gunawan because I
like the way he plays and his badminton skills. However, I like him
mostly because he is very aggressive and offensive.

Unlike me, I am more of a defensive player but I want to be more aggressive when I play.

What badminton racket do you currently use?
Nanospeed 9900. That’s my favourite racket right now.

What string tension do you use for your racket?
Around 30lbs.

Which badminton skill do you think is the most difficult to master?
I think net shots are the most difficult to master. Net shots are more
important skills for my type of game since I play women singles and
mixed doubles. It’s all about how high or low you take the shuttle at
the net.

Which badminton skill would you advise beginners to learn first?
Badminton clearing.
Because you have to learn how to hit the shuttle to the back first in
order to slowly learn how to do different types of shots.

Why did you choose badminton as your career?
That’s because I like badminton. It is very exciting for me. I think it’s a lot better than tennis.

When I watch badminton, I find it very exciting. Badminton is so fast
and when you’re watching it, you’ll be asking ‘where’d the bird go?’

Besides, there are a lot of tricky shots in badminton that makes the
game so ‘dramatic’. In tennis, there are less ways where you can trick
your opponent.

What is your career highlights?
Last year (2010) I played the Thomas and Uber Cup in Malaysia and my
team made it to the finals. I find it very exciting to have played in
Malaysia.

What are you looking to achieve in badminton?
Money? laughs. I guess that will be my personal goal, participating in
the Olympics and the 2012 Pan Am Games at Mexico in October.

Which are the biggest tournaments that you would like to win the most?
Olympics! Definitely Olympics. Other than that, I would also like to win the World Championships and All England.

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