Improving your badminton game takes physical training as well as the motivation to succeed. Follow these tips and tricks and see the difference in your performance.
Physical Preparation
Success in any sport requires adequate preparation. Before walking on the court to compete, make sure to stretch and warm up. If you are stretching properly, the process usually takes between ten and fifteen minutes.
If you are unfamiliar with stretching, look up some full-body stretch workouts to perform before each training session. This helps loosen your muscles and increase performance. Also, never walk onto a competition court with cold muscles. Jog around, jump up and down or play a few practice games before competing.
Mental Preparation
Before you face your opponents, run through the entire game in your head. Prepare yourself to take shots that take advantage of your opponents’ weaknesses. Try to watch your opponents play a few matches before you face them. This familiarizes you with their style and allows you to predict their moves.
Practice Sessions
The best way to improve your game is to dedicate yourself to better practice sessions. If you struggle to keep your form or make good hits, pause for a sip of water and regain your concentration before continuing. Make every shot your best shot, and try to dedicate an extra hour each week to practice alone.
Improving your badminton game takes some time and energy; however, preparing well before stepping onto the court makes your game more successful with every match.
Badminton Shots
When playing badminton, the type of shot you use depends on your location on the court and the stage of the play. The basic badminton shots include serves, drop shots, drives, long drops, clears, and smashes. Let’s look at how these shots differ.
Badminton serves
Serves are shots that begin the game. They arguably are the most important shots of the game since they set up the play’s tone. These shots are positioned based on the effect you wish to have on the play.
Badminton drop shots
The two basic drop shots are the slow drop shot and the fast drop shot. The slow drop shot lands near the net on your opponent’s side and forces him to come to the forecourt area. A fast drop shot lands in mid-court at a faster speed; this shot is meant to surprise your opponent and give him little reaction time.
Badminton drives
Drives are hit low to the net directly in front of the body. These are quick, precise hits that have great power. Do not strive to hit drives for every shot during the gameplay; use these shots as a sneak attack or win a strong point.
Badminton long drops
Long drops are shots made from the back of the court just before the bird starts its downward trajectory. A properly executed shot lands just over the net. The shuttlecock should land low enough so that your opponent is unable to smash it back on you.
Badminton clears
Clears are shots that move your opponent back while allowing you to return to your home position in the middle of the court. The shot lands at the back of the court when you play it correctly, and you usually hear a pop come off of your badminton racket.
Badminton smashes
Smashes are shots made to end the point quickly. From the top of the trajectory, hit the shuttlecock down fast and hard. Try to aim for either your opponent or the sides of the court.
Use these badminton shots appropriately in your next match to get that competitive edge!
Learn also: Badminton Drills To Include In Your Training
How to Generate Extra Power in the Game
To generate more power in the game is very tricky. Some beginners, especially female players, feel they don’t have enough power to perform a smash or a high clear, while some small kids can do pretty well. So it is not relevant to gender differences.
You might wonder how a tiny body can generate so much power? They are all about tricks. To generate extra power when doing the shot, you need to learn some tricks and practice.
1. Pose the right posture before hitting. No matter forehand or backhand, there is a “standard” posture. Getting used to it and doing it every time will give you the power to do the powerful shot.
2. Relax your body, especially your hand, which holds the racket. Use your strength only at the very moment you hit the shuttlecock. In sports terminology, you need to use your explosive force, not common force.
3. We already talked about holding the racket correctly and remembering using the thumb or forefinger to add power by pressing the handle while hitting.
4. Leave enough space between the handle and palm so that the racket can swing freely while your thumb and forefinger holding the racket and making a center of a circle—the racket swings circularly, which will generate centrifugal force.
This is a handy trick for an amateur player. You can make use of the gravity of the racket to add extra power. This is the secret where many small kids used to do high clear. It might be quite hard to understand at first, but you will find this trick very helpful when you try it yourself!
5. Straighten your hand and try to keep close to your head when making high clear. A longer distance from your shoulder to the top of the racket gains more momentum. You need to practice and make it a habit as many amateurs find it difficult to straighten out their hands.
6. Use your wrist. Practice your wrist action to generate the snapping motion. It is essential in producing powerful shots.
Let’s Get Physical With Badminton Exercises
Everyone wants to get fit, both to feel better about themselves and to increase their health. Badminton is a sport that can help you get fit. It is rather demanding and requires you to move around the court a lot. Even if you do not play a serious game of badminton, these exercises are great ways to increase your physical fitness.
Practice shots are one of the most useful exercises in badminton. Find a partner and have them gently serve you the birdie. Then, practice hitting the birdie to a specified area on the court. Repeat each hit until you get it right, then move to a new spot.
Power drills are another great exercise because they require you to move quickly across the court. Stand on one side of the court and have a partner hit the birdie to the other side of the court. This requires you to dive and dodge for the birdie. This obviously takes more energy and also helps you with your badminton skills.
Badminton is a fun sport, and you do not have to play an entire game to get good exercise. Start with these exercises, then create your own and increase your overall fitness.
Defining Badminton Moves
While no two players play the game of badminton alike, there are defining badminton moves that give you an edge over your opponents. Knowing the proper starting stance, a few good shots, and how to mount a good defense gives you an advantage on the court. If you play regularly with the same group, they are likely to stare in disbelief at your new abilities.
Develop a good stance
Professional players always start in a readiness stance that allows them to move in any direction. In this stance, the toes are pointed forward, the knees are slightly bent, and the racket hand rests gently across the front of the body.
Main shots
There are four main shots in badminton. The basic shot is called the clear shot and is the most common. A drop is a gentle shot that is used to score. It falls right over the net and in front of the opponent’s reach. A smash is used to take down a high birdie from above the net, and a drive is a hard shot that travels parallel to the ground.
Keeping on the defensive
To play good defense, remember to always return to the readiness position after a shot. This prepares you to move in any direction to return your opponent’s shot. Return the shuttlecock all over the court to keep your opponent running.
With a few tips and techniques, greatly improve your badminton game. Remember these important shots and stances to get on your way to badminton fame.
Game On! Technique for Tournaments
Some people are turned off at the thought of strenuous and demanding racquet sports; standard tennis is excruciating and hard on the limbs (namely the elbows). Even table tennis is a bit fast-paced, demanding sharp attention at all times.
Badminton is an alternate (yet effective) way to burn calories, and more importantly, have a great time! If you are already acquainted with this quirky sport, you know the importance of proper technique. If not, take a second to understand the strategies behind badminton.
You are adequate at the general mechanics behind the game. You mastered the basic stroke and blocking techniques and perhaps a few more intricate moves. In a play, try to vary your strokes as widely as possible; the ability to deceive your opponent is invaluable. Keep in mind that your rival is likely employing the same tricks as you, so it is crucial to prepare yourself for the challenge.
Although good equipment does not make you a better player, it definitely improves your performance. Choose a racquet that you feel comfortable using and clothing that gives you maximum movement and ventilation. Feeling uncomfortable is detrimental to your performance and muddles your game.
Remember to play with confidence. Do not get too exhausted; the essential element to a great game is having fun.
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