Badminton Fitness & Training Tips

Training and conditioning for badminton, a popular indoor sport, is similar to racket sports like tennis and squash. The difference is in badminton players making more overhead shots and relying more on wrist work to generate power. A competitive badminton player's training regimen will highlight these differences with tennis and squash, and children who play it outside in the summer will also benfit.

  1. Regularity

    • Train regularly because badminton exercises, such as side-stepping and overhead strokes, use muscles you might not use every day. Do basics, such as running, jumping-jacks and weight-training but incorporate training exercises into your routine that help balance and control, both important in badminton. Rallies in top-level badminton usually last six to eight seconds, with rest periods of 15 seconds between. They put demands on the anaerobic, alactic energy system and training must prepare for that. A match lasts at least 45 minutes, highlighting the need for aerobic endurance training. Lateral movements are a bigger part of the game than in tennis.

    Agility

    • Run in the shape of a letter or number. Set up cones or other guides to help you know exactly where to turn or side-step. This running keeps you alert and gives you a lot of side-to-side and back-to-front step training. Shuttlecocks are unpredictable. Running in odd patterns keeps your knees, ankles and mind ready for any step you need to take to make the return shot.

    Hopscotch

    • Practice hopscotch drills to keep your feet in the best physical shape and prevent twisted ankles during the badminton game. The drills improve your footwork for badminton. Bounce through the traditional hopscotch pattern on the balls of your feet. Practice stepping in and out of the hopscotch boxes as well. This works well if you have another person to train with, who can shout out unexpected directional commands, such as "left," right" or "both feet."

    Stretching

    • Stretch,it's a natural part of the badminton game. In doubles each player covers half the court, the front half or the back half. Practice stretching your arms over your head and then bending and stretching your arm to the opposite side of your body. Touch your toes and twist your waist from side to side. Keeping up with stretching exercises prevents you from pulling a muscle in the middle of the game.

    Explosive Power

    • Train for strength and explosive power with gym exercises. Strength and power are fundamental to a badminton player. They maximize speed around the court and give the impetus for the overheard smashes that feature so much in the game.