I <3 badminton

I love badminton. No, seriously, I love badminton.

Ever since my return to the sport, something about it just gets me. The split-second reaction times required to return a smash, the stretching and bounding to hit a shuttle, the awesome drop-shots, the fact that it's the fastest racquet sport (except maybe for table tennis), everything. I don't know what it is; I just like everything about it. And it's a pretty Asian thing to like, it seems.

I want this shirt. Like, now.

But recently I discovered, on upping my game and playing a little harder and more competitively, that the game isn't without its dangers. After a particularly brilliant and strenuous session of badminton, I noticed a stinging sensation, and after some research, I realized I suffered from nipple chafing. I mean, c'mon... nipple chafing? I've never chafed a nipple in my life!

Oddly enough, it's officially known as "jogger's nipple" (hairy nipple alert!) since it commonly affects runners, most notably those that run long marathons. Luckily for me, I've never experienced the full brunt of it.

Seriously ouch.

After the initial disbelief and embarrassment (and realizing that many male athletes also suffer from it), I thought about maybe investing in some nipple guards. But then I read somewhere about a cheap alternative-- medical tape. And after trying it out over a few sessions, I can safely say it works. No more chafing, no more stinging.

The only drawback is removing the tape. Them's sticky buggers. Slowly pulling it off works best. I discovered the hard way that the "1, 2, 3, RIIIIIP!" method is often worse than the actual chafing.

By Chester with 2 comments