Strength is the maximum ability of the muscles to exert force against resistance, and it is primarily an aerobic exercise.
And to keep up with the game’s physical demands, badminton players are increasingly emphasizing strength training. Players put much effort into improving their fitness off the court due to rising competitiveness and technological advancements.
You must have seen professional players exercising in a gym or elsewhere. But have you ever wondered why they train extensively off the court when they have to play on the court?
It is so because to play this racket sport, you must use every part of your body, including your head, shoulders, wrist, leg, and arms. And the muscles in these body parts allow you to perform different movements on the court, like; jumping, smashing, lunging, and running. So they must strengthen all their body parts and sustain themselves on the court.
And therefore, here in this post, we will discuss why strength training is important in badminton, but first, let us discuss the muscles engaged while playing this racket sport.
So let’s begin:
Muscles used in badminton
Muscles predominantly used in badminton are:
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Upper body muscles
While playing badminton, you mostly use your upper body muscles like the forearm, biceps, triceps, wrist, and shoulder to move the racket and hit the shuttlecock. But remember, all these muscles don’t work alone; it’s the combination of all muscles working together.
Rather than this, wrist flexors and extensors play a major role in changing the grip and angle of the racket.
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Midsection muscles
Midsection muscles include core muscles like; Rectus abdominis, obliques, and spiral erectors. And to play badminton, you must have a strong core for lunging, attacking, and minimizing the risk of injury.
Also, having bad core muscles can lead to bad posture and even cause lower back pain, which can even cause stress and injury.
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Back muscles
When playing badminton, bending back and forth is a continuous motion. If your back muscles aren’t correctly strengthened, it can fatigue them.
The trapezius is the main back muscle used while playing badminton. And all the back muscles work together to allow you to bend, twist, and extend your back.
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Lower body muscles
Playing badminton requires strong lower body muscles to move across the court easily because it involves constant mobility.
To reach the shuttle, you must perform infinite lunges, squats, and hops. The development of your leg muscles is crucial as a result. The calf, hamstring, and quadriceps muscles comprise most of the lower body muscles involved when playing this racket sport. The muscles employed in the hip are the gluteals, adductors, and abductors.
Importance of strength training in badminton
It takes remarkable athleticism to play badminton. It utilizes many muscles in concert, from the upper to the lower body. Therefore, for several reasons, it is necessary to develop these muscles for strength training.
Let’s begin with:
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Injury protection
Strength training extends the player’s career by reducing the risk of injuries. Due to muscle memory, your muscles and tendons become accustomed to the continuous impact and extra pressure, allowing them to withstand it throughout a game and lowering the risk of damage. Players’ performances are impacted when they must leave the pitch due to an injury.
As it is said, prevention is better than cure; similarly, building your strength will help you avoid injuries.
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Strength in badminton shots
While hitting the shuttlecock, moving quickly is necessary; you must have strength across your upper body, including your shoulders, arms, and core.
As a result, a combination of body weight and lightweight training is needed to increase your athletic performance. As you may have seen, all elite athletes are incredibly slender and fit.
The duration of a badminton match is typically over 30 minutes, and for players to maintain that level of activity off the court, they must do extensive off-court training.
Rather than this, strength training also helps you get overall improvements in your muscular endurance, strength, and speed.
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Improves speed
Your lower body, in particular, improves your movement and speed on the court. Also, powerful muscles will enable you to push and stretch further to catch the shuttle. You can return to your starting position and easily prepare for the following shot.
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Smooth and perfect movements
In the explosively quick game of badminton, both the upper and lower bodies need lightning-fast reflexes. You move quickly in all directions—backward, forward, and sideways—before stopping suddenly and promptly changing lanes.
To carry out these actions, you must have incredibly strong core muscles. Top athletes move fluidly across the court thanks to rigorous strength training, agility, flexibility, shadow drills, and other exercises.
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Increase power and endurance
However, the upper body cannot always perform aggressive shots. Several muscles are used to transport energy from the lower body.
Power can therefore be increased by improving upper- and lower-body strength. Muscle strength also enables you to continue longer rallies and matches.
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Improves stability
To complete a rally, badminton players must move, pause, halt, jump, and smash. And to perform all these activities, core stability is essential for supporting the body’s other muscles.
Core stability plays a connecting role between the upper and lower body, as it improves energy flow throughout the body.
Misconception about strength training
People have many misconceptions regarding badminton strength training. Some of them are:
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Loss of flexibility
Flexibility includes all areas and joints of your body, not just your legs. Furthermore, studies and research have shown that strength training promotes flexibility growth. As you may have seen, many professional athletes still possess great flexibility despite their high-intensity training.
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You require weight for workout
Strength training does not always require heavy weight for workout as it can be easily done at home with no or minimal equipment. There are several and variations of bodyweight exercises that can help you to gain more strength.
To learn more about such exercises check out the video below:
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Muscle turns to fat
Fat is fat, and muscle is muscle. They cannot be switched out.
Resistance training helps one grow muscle. If you are sedentary, this muscle does not become fat. We gain fat from our foods and lose it through activity and a proper diet. Badminton training is expected to build lean muscle mass while lowering fat levels.
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Your body becomes too bulky
The fear of muscles getting too big is common among people who perform excessive strength training. But if you’re following a specific training regime, you won’t face such problems.
Final Words
Strength training is very important in badminton; therefore, add strength training to your daily routine, depending on your requirements.
It cannot be the same for everyone. For instance, if you want to increase your strength, lift higher weights, but if endurance is the area of improvement, lift lighter weights with higher repetitions.
Rather than this, always consult with a qualified fitness professional if you have any specific concerns or medical conditions before incorporating these exercises into your routine.
And in case you face any problems or have any questions going through your mind, feel free to ask us or pin them up in the comment section below.