Serving Up Specialist Sports at Hampton

By Ben Wisniacki

With Hampton being one of the country’s leading schools at football, rugby and rowing, boasting numerous titles and competition wins, it is clear that sport is central to Hampton’s way of life.

However, Hampton students are also incredibly lucky to have the facilities, teaching, and opportunity to participate in specialist sports including table tennis, badminton, basketball and even volleyball; with regional competitions and matches for all of these sports, Hampton boys not only prosper on fields or the river, but also in the sports hall.

The rise in the numbers playing basketball highlights the dramatic increase in the popularity of specialist sports. Basketball club was started around 20 years ago by Ms Garrido-Soriano, a member of the Spanish Department, and to have full squads from U12 to U18 is truly remarkable. Furthermore, basketball players hugely benefit from coaching from an external coach, helping them to improve technical skills and understand the game’s tactics.

Being without the ability to improve our understanding of the game, due to the absence of NBA games on TV – the occasional one at midnight aside – coaching has been extremely important in developing the game at Hampton. Moreover, Hampton’s outdoor basketball court, near the main entrance, which was once mostly disused, is now rarely without boys playing – even before school starts! Having seen past Hamptonians featuring in national and international sport, such as Louis Lynagh at Harlequins and Josh King for the England and Fulham youth teams, could we maybe see the NBA’s first Hamptonian in the future?

Table tennis has also been another success story and is a further example of the growth of specialist sports.

There is always the ability to play table tennis at lunchtimes in the sports hall, in which there are often more than 10 tables – featuring both friendly and fiery matches. There is often a great turn out at every lunchtime, with a mix of both casual and competitive players joining in. Hamptonians are also extremely lucky to have the presence of an external coach who comes most lunchtimes as well as Monday’s evening squad session to help players learn the specialised skills needed to be a top player.

The key aspect of table tennis which stands out amongst other racket sports is the importance of spinning the ball; top spin and back spin are both essential for attacking and defensive play. Doubles play is another unique aspect of the game as players are required to alternate shots. For this, communication is key to prevent players colliding as they swap in and out of the playing space!

Another sport attracting much attention is badminton. With Badminton Club on almost every lunchtime, as well as offering an after-school squad session, Hamptonians have plenty of opportunities to play, not only to develop their skills but also to enjoy the game.

For many Hamptonians, including myself, a PE lesson in First Year would have been the first time holding a badminton racket. Yet, as Hamptonians have progressed through the School, the improvement has been exponential at every level.

The common assumption is that badminton is essentially tennis with a shuttlecock: a smaller court, and a smaller racket. Whilst there are elements of badminton that are shared with tennis, overall, the sport is entirely different. For example, footwork must be much sharper and players need even quicker reactions – which is hard to believe given how fast tennis is! Moreover, tactically, positioning is constantly changing from a defensive (side-by-side) position to an attacking (front and back) one. Being able to play so often, with coaching and regional games, Hamptonians have been able to learn how the game works, one which many knew so little about when they first started at Hampton.

Head of Specialist Sports at Hampton, Mr Hooper, observed that ‘specialist sports are introduced to Hamptonians in their practical PE lessons, and the engagement and enjoyment is clear to see. The lunchtime clubs are a chance to have a game with your friends or get coaching from our experienced coaches. Specialist sports have an important place in Hampton life, mixing pupils that may not have usually spent time together in teams, practices, or even just a casual game at lunchtime. Specialist sports offer a lot of transferable skills that can be used in other sporting endeavours, or, for those who are not representing the School in the major sports, this may be their route to representing the School and playing against other teams – and even winning Borough Tournaments.’

Whilst other specialist sports attract slightly smaller numbers, they are not overlooked. The renovation of the climbing wall, behind the pavilion, has allowed avid climbers – and Hamptonians who just love the thrill of being so high up attached to a rope and harness – to enjoy climbing both at lunchtime and games sessions.

Although, unfortunately, golf is one of the only specialist sports which cannot be played on site, there remains the ability to represent Hampton in matches against other schools at local golf clubs.

Swimming is probably the one sport that Hamptonians cannot frequently do at school. Yet, despite this, Hampton still achieves success at the annual Richmond School Swimming competition, often hosted at the neighbouring LEH’s swimming pool, with numerous medals won by strong swimmers each year.

Overall, the importance of specialist sport at Hampton is difficult to understate. They offer the opportunity to improve fitness, play competitive sport, and improve sport-specific skills, as well as offering vast numbers the opportunity to enjoy some relaxed gameplay during a busy school term! A wonderful respite from essays and maths equations! 

With so much success already in numerous competitions against schools across London, with the help of match practice, expert coaching, and increasingly opportunities to play, it will not be long before we see teams from various age groups reaching the very top level.