Top 7 Tips for Badminton Players to Improve Performance
Posted by in Badminton on July 15, 2011
There are certain factors that affect a badminton player’s performance. However, there are a few things you could do to avoid bad performances during badminton games.
1. Sufficient Rest
Get enough rest. It’s essential in helping you deliver peak performance during your badminton games. It’s quite impossible to concentrate when you’re feeling drowsy and tired.
Unlike other sports, concentration and reflex action is very important in badminton – the shuttlecock is capable of flying at 300 km/h! You will need quick reflex to retrieve your opponent’s shots.
Ensure you have at least 8 hours of sleep every night in order to deliver your best performance on the court.
2. Stay Hydrated – before, during and after your sessions
Water is vital to the everyday functions of a human body. Lack of water makes you dehydrated. A mild dehydration could make you lethargic, lose concentration and might also cause a mild headache.
Make sure you drink around 8 glasses of water every day. Besides these 8 glasses, make sure you also drink more during exercise.
3. Have a Meal Before Your Game
I can’t play badminton well when I’m hungry. What about you? You need energy to move around the badminton court. The only way you’re getting energy is from the food you consume.
When your body has all the energy it needs to burn, you’ll be able to move and strike faster, delivering all you can, physically. However, make sure you eat your meal around 90 minutes before you play to allow time for digestion. If you are feeling lack of energy in the middle of your games, you could always have energy bars or sports drinks to power you up.
4. Quit bad habits
If you’re serious about badminton and if you want to perform at your peak, you should quit smoking and drinking.
Smoking in general is harmful to your lungs. In terms of sports, it affects your fitness level dramatically. If you smoke, you might experience having less stamina compared to non-smokers. Drinking on the other hand affects your reflexes.
Social drinkers will probably not experience the effects of alcohol whereas hardcore drinkers will be greatly affected. If your reflex ability is slow, you’re not going to be able to retrieve a high speed shot. Read the rest of this entry »
5 Tips to Prevent Injury in Badminton
Posted by in Badminton on July 15, 2011
There are many possible injuries one could potentially get as a result of playing badminton. The common ones are lower back pain, sprained ankle, tennis elbow and ligament tear.
If you are a serious badminton player, you should take precautions to prevent these injuries. The more intense you are during your game, the higher chance that you’ll get these injuries.
1. Warm Up/Warm down and Stretching
The reason why professional badminton players spend about 30 minutes in total to warm up/warm down is because they know the risks involved if they skip their warm up sessions.
Failure to warm up and stretch before exercise might result in muscle pulls. Not only does warm up and stretching help prevent muscle pulls; it will also help increase your performance when you play.
Therefore, do not get too eager to start playing when you reach the badminton court. Spend a few minutes to warm up and stretch so that your muscles are loosened and are more flexible during your badminton session.
2. Correct Technique
It is also important that you perform the right badminton techniques at all times. Performing the wrong techniques not only makes you perform poorly, you might get injured!
For example, the non-racket arm plays a very important role in helping you maintain body balance in badminton. It’s important at all times that you use your non-racket arm to balance the weight of your racket arm.
If you execute a badminton jump smash without using your non-racket arm to maintain balance, there’s a high chance that you will injure the muscles around your waist, hence causing lower back injuries.
Similarly, doing the wrong badminton strokes might cause you exerting unnecessary strength. This might make you pull a muscle.
3. Use the Correct Racket
Using the wrong badminton racket is a common cause for injuries. Seek advice from the racket dealer or any professionals on what racket best suits you.
For example, choosing a racket with a heavy head (power racket) might cause shoulder injuries to beginners. Power rackets are difficult to control and require the user to have good badminton strokes technique. Read the rest of this entry »