Gym Workout for Badminton Players: How to Improve Your Game:

Badminton is one of the most popular racket sports in the UK, and continues to grow in popularity, with such figures as Gail Emms, Nathan Robertson, and husband-and-wife duo Chris and Gabby Adcock – who between them have achieved numerous medals at Olympic and Commonwealth Games – as figureheads within the game. 

If you played the sport during PE lessons at school, you’ll remember how tiring it can be. 

Although there is no strict time limit on how long a game can last, badminton is typically played as a best of three games, with each game being the first to 21 points wins. When you compare badminton to tennis, a match can last around 45 minutes – shorter than a tennis match. 

However, unlike tennis, the shuttlecock can be in play for around 20 minutes, double that of a tennis match. A player can run around four miles per match, making hundreds of quick direction changes, all whilst striking the shuttlecock with a smaller racket face than tennis. 

Indeed, badminton players are some of the fittest going and require supreme hand-eye coordination to make the shot. 

If you currently play the sport, or you’re looking at improving your physique, following some badminton gym training routines could serve you well. 

What key areas are covered? 

When playing badminton, a few different areas are covered. Three of these are:

• Arm strength
• Core strength
• Lower body strength

A badminton player will work hard on ensuring these skills are the best they can be to give them a competitive edge over their opponent and to give them the best chance of winning. Below are just some of the best ways you can work on each of these areas. 

Arm Strength: 

Arm strength is crucial to a badminton player’s game, as it’s where they’re going to generate the power for the shot. This feat becomes more impressive when you learn that the strongest players can smash the shuttle at over 200mph. 

You can achieve some of these exercises with a few different pieces of equipment, including dumbbells. 

Wrist Flexion: 

Working on your wrists can help when it comes to playing smash shots, drop shots, and anything you want to deceive your opponent with. 

Hold the dumbbell in your hand, keeping your palm facing upwards. Place your hand on the edge of your knees. From there, using forearms only, raise your wrists upwards and hold them there for 3 seconds, before slowly returning them to their original position. 

Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 

This can be done sitting down, and if doing so make sure your bench is completely upright. From there, ensure your feet are firmly on the ground, before bringing the dumbbell up to your shoulder. Keeping your elbows lined up with your hips, raise the dumbbell up.

Hold it for a few seconds, before slowly bringing it back down again, keeping your wrists straight. 

Core Strength: 

Core strength is key in badminton for several different reasons, such as keeping yourself from collapsing when lunging, generating rotational power when playing an attacking shot, or even simply to prevent injury, as a weaker core can lead to back problems from bad posture. 

Side Plank Rotations: 

Ensuring your elbow is underneath your shoulder when you’re balanced on your side on the floor, and keeping your hips straight and not flexed, with your other arm starting in a raised position, rotate your arm down underneath your body. 

Keep your hip as high as possible as you do so, before holding the position for a few seconds and returning back to the start. Ideally, your head and chin shouldn’t move whilst you do this, so try to keep them as still as you can. 

V-Sits: 

V-sits are a great exercise for boosting core strength. Simple to complete, and without the need of any additional equipment, start by laying flat on the floor with your arms stretched out above your head. 

From there, raise both your legs and your top half, driving your hands towards your feet and using your hips as a pivot point. 

Leg Strength: 

With badminton players needing to move across the court at speed and often with explosive power to make the shot and keep the rally going, it’s imperative to have strength in the legs. 

You can strengthen your legs through squats, both single legs or together, also enhancing balance, but there are a number of other techniques you can use. Having leg strengthening exercises as part of your badminton gym workout will help you make the hundreds of fast, rapid on-court changes needed throughout a match. 

Seated Leg Press: 

Seated leg presses work just about all of the muscles in your lower half, making them a great tool for improving leg strength for when you’re out on the badminton court. 

Sat in a 90-degrees position, and with feet flat to the backplate hips-width apart, press against the machine. You can start with two sets of 10 reps, and as you progress you can gradually start to build up the weight. 

When doing leg presses, however, it’s important to make sure you don’t lock your knees, as this could cause serious damage. 

Whether you’re a seasoned pro, a newcomer to the sport, or simply just looking to train as the pros do, there are a number of different gym exercises for badminton you can perform to keep fit. By doing so you’ll soon reap the dividends on the court.