1.What is your name? Paul Stewart, I'm a badminton coach.
2.How old are you? I'm 56 years old.
3.Where do you live? i live in Warrington, UK.
4.Do you have any brothers and sisters? I have one older sister.
5.Why do like badminton so much? I’ve always loved badminton because it can be played on so many levels. It’s a great family and social sport. I enjoy it from beginner to international standard. I love the speed, tactics, physicality, skills.
6.Did you string rackets for world badminton player(s) and if so which one(s)? I was head stringer for Victor in the UK and have attended 5 All England’s, 1 World Championships, 2 Spain Masters as a stringer for team Victor. I have restrung rackets for many famous players including Korean team, Malaysia team etc the most famous names being Lee Yong Dae, Yoo Yeong Sung, Goh V Shem, Lee Jia Zia. Also Kirsty Gilmour, Robin Tabling, Cheryl Seinen and many more.
7.What is your favourite racket at the moment? The Yonex Astrox 100 ZZ.
8.Which brand of Shuttlecocks you practise with? The Yonex Aerosensa 40.
9.What is the first tip you give to badmintonplayers? Grip is the master skill. It’s the essential connection between player and racket. Learn grips and changing grip fast. This is often overlooked as too basic.
10.Who is your favourite world badminton player? Previously Liem Swie King, Park Joo Bong, Lee Chong Wei. Now I have many favourites.
11.Which celebrity have you ever met? I’ve met many stars from Viktor Axelsen to Kirsty Gilmour. I haven’t met Kento Momota yet.
12.Do you have any hobbies other than badminton? I play guitar and was in a band for 20 years but rarely play these days. I don’t have much time to relax these days but love music, especially played live.
13.What does your ideal day off look like? I don’t have a day off, I’d be bored. I enjoy coaching so much I feel it’s not work but pleasure.
14.How will you get through your day now with the COVID-19? Through lockdown I recorded a lot of videos, undertook many live training calls and completed most of the tasks on my to do list. The house repairs are nearly complete with just a few small jobs remaining.
15.Which clothes do you feel most comfortable in? Tracksuit or badminton kit.
16.Where do you like to go on holiday? Somewhere hot with a pool or decent beach. I’d love to return to Asia although there are so many countries in Europe I haven’t visited yet.
17.Fish & Chips or Sunday Roast? Sunday roast although I love fish and chips.
18.Lee Chong Wei or Lin Dan? It’s an unfair comparison as I love both players. If pushed I’d go for Lee Chong Wei as I’ve met him.
19.Which tv-series do you watch? Don’t watch much tv but if I want to place myself in another world then Star Trek works for me. I also enjoy NCIS.
20.Have you ever been to the Netherlands and if so where? The only time I was in Netherlands was a quick landing en route from Manchester to Hong Kong and then on to Australia.
21.Which music do you like? I like lots of genres of music from rock to blues. Favourite band is Bon Jovi. Artists Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, Michael Bublé, Eric Clapton.
22.What is your favourite kind of food? Roast dinner, but also enjoy curry, Chinese food. I’m not that adventurous as there are too many foods I don’t like.
23.Which string do you use on your rackets and with how much tension lbs/kg? I now use the Yonex Aerobite at 27/30 lbs 12.5/13.5kg.
24.What is the best and worst purchases you’ve ever made? Best purchase mmm maybe my Apple iWatch and iPhone. Worst purchase probably too many things I’ve bought and never used, although the intention was good at the time.
25.Do you have any advice for our club? Have fun and take care of each other. Badminton works best when players are in a giving frame of mind, helping each other improve. Set aside practice time to improve your skills. A player that is improving and helping others is a huge asset to a club. If everybody does this then the club is improving and growing.
Kijk ook ns op Paul Stewart Youtube Channel!
Thanx Paul and al the best for the future.
Tot volgende week Stel jezelf even voor met onze Hans Mentink!