Mobility and flexibility are sometimes misconstrued since they appear to be the same thing but are actually quite different and are both crucial for playing badminton. The distinction between flexibility and mobility is:
The term “mobility” describes how a joint moves within its typical range of motion. The type of joint determines the range of motion. For instance, your hinged knee joint can rotate slightly inside and outward in addition to moving backward and forward.
You can lift and lower your arms and carry them back and forth or in a circle thanks to the ball-and-socket joint in your shoulder. A muscle’s flexibility refers to its capacity for brief stretching. Imagine your strength as a rubber band; the more pliable it is, the easier it will be to pull.
Although flexibility is crucial for mobility, it is not very significant in and of itself. Flexibility is an essential aspect of mobility because it helps your muscles move more freely around your joints. If the muscles and tissues surrounding a joint are overly tight, forcing the joint will be challenging. Tight muscles can strain a joint, making it unstable and out of alignment.
Mobility is crucial for enhancing performance as well as preventing accidents. Some joints should be more stable than mobile, while others should only be as mobile as feasible.
In order to perform the numerous fast movements required for badminton, your body’s joints and muscles must be mobile and flexible. It is incredibly simple to sustain an injury if you don’t warm up correctly.
Thus, these mobility drills are focused on the joints that you will need to be very mobile to play badminton.
Effective Mobility Exercises for Badminton Players
Let’s begin with:
1. Ankle Mobility
Although the ankle also serves a stable purpose (to prevent sprains), it is primarily thought of as a movable joint, with dorsiflexion playing a crucial role. You can try it out by standing straight in a kneeling position and pushing your leg forward without lifting your heel off the floor. Your ankle becomes more mobile the deeper your knee travels.
Rather than this, ankle mobility is crucial for badminton players to perform quick movements, change direction, and maintain stability on the court. Here are some exercises to help increase ankle mobility for badminton:
Exercises to increase ankle mobility
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Ankle rotation (Clockwise and Anti-clockwise)
Ankle rotation, or circles, is a dynamic stretching exercise that helps to open your ankle joints and reduce stress and tension.
So, to perform this exercise, you need to sit or stand with one leg lifted off the ground. Rotate your ankle in a circular motion, first clockwise and then anti-clockwise. Perform 10–15 circles in each direction for each ankle.
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Dorsiflexion and plantar flexion stretch
Sit on the floor with your legs extended. Loop a resistance band around the ball of one foot and hold the ends with your hands. Gently pull the toes towards you (dorsiflexion) and then point your toes away (plantar flexion). Hold each position for 15–20 seconds and repeat for both ankles.
Performing this exercise helps you improve your foot and ankle flexibility naturally.
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Calf stretch
To perform this exercise, you need to stand facing a wall and place your hands against it at shoulder height. Step one foot back and keep it straight while the other foot is forward with the knee bent. Lean into the wall to feel a stretch in your calf. Hold for 15–20 seconds and switch legs. Repeat 2-3 times on each side.
The benefit of performing this exercise is that it helps to stretch your calves, improves blood flow, and helps to increase your short-term range of motion and flexibility.
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Toe taps
To perform this exercise, you need to sit on a chair with your feet flat on the ground. Tap your toes up and down rapidly for 30 seconds. This exercise helps improve ankle flexibility and strength.
Performing this exercise helps to make your core stronger, reduces back pain, promotes balance and flexibility, and improves the rotation, extension, and flexion of your trunk.
To learn more, click on the video below:
2. Knee Mobility
It is already clear that the knee joint has a stable function because it only permits (or should permit) movement in one direction. Your leg axis should always be straight, especially when you land and leap since the knee needs to stay in position to prevent serious injury.
Also, performing knee mobility exercises can help improve flexibility, reduce stiffness, and enhance overall knee joint health. So, here are some activities to increase knee mobility:
Exercises to increase knee mobility
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Seated knee extensions
To perform this exercise, you must sit straight on a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Extend one knee as much as possible while keeping the heel on the ground, then return to the starting point. Repeat 10–15 reps on each leg. Performing this exercise helps you regain a full range of motion in the knee and strengthen your knees.
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Knee flexion stretch
To perform this exercise, you need to lie on your stomach with your legs extended. Bend one knee and gently pull your heel towards your buttocks. Hold for 15–20 seconds and switch to the other leg.
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Foam Rolling
While performing this exercise, you must use a foam roller to massage and release tension in the muscles surrounding the knee joint. Roll your quads, hamstrings, calves, and the sides of your thighs, spending extra time on any tight or sore areas.
Performing this exercise helps you reduce your muscle pain, improve your blood circulation, and improve your muscle flexibility and mobility.
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Butterfly stretch
Butterfly Pose helps loosen up your lower back, hips, and inner thighs, which may ease discomfort and help you feel better overall.
So, to perform this exercise, you need to sit on the floor with the soles of your feet together and your knees bent out to the sides. Gently press your knees toward the floor to stretch the inner thighs and improve knee mobility. Hold for 15-20 seconds.
To learn more, click on the video below:
3. Hip Mobility
A great illustration of what hip mobility means in badminton is the lunge. You can only perform a large lunge while you are pressed down and low if your hip is mobile.
Hip mobility is crucial for badminton players to execute agile movements, make powerful shots, and maintain balance on the court. Therefore, you should perform these exercises to improve your hip mobility specifically for badminton:
Exercises to increase hip mobility
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Hip rotations
This exercise not only improves your mobility for badminton but also makes your daily activities much easier. Performing hip rotations also helps to prevent lower body injuries and improve athletic performance.
Also, performing this exercise requires a little stuff. All you need to do is lie on your back with your legs extended. Bend one knee and bring it towards your chest. Rotate the bent knee across your body and then back out to the side. Perform 10–15 rotations on each side.
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Lunge with hip twist
To perform this exercise, you do not need any equipment. All you need to do is step forward into a lunge, then twist your torso towards the front leg. This exercise combines hip mobility with core engagement. Repeat for 10–15 reps on each side.
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Dynamic hip flexor stretch
To perform this exercise, you need to stand upright and take a step forward with one leg. Bend your front knee and lower your hips toward the ground. Then, shift your weight back, straightening the front leg and flexing the toes toward your shin. Repeat this dynamic stretch for 10–15 reps on each side.
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Seated leg swings
Seated leg swings are very easy to perform. You can even perform this exercise before a run or other physical activities. All you need to do is sit on the edge of a chair or bench with your legs extended. Swing one leg forward and backward, keeping it straight, for 15-20 swings on each side.
To learn more, click on the video below:
4. Lumber Mobility
The bottom section of the spine is called the lumbar spine. We require a lot more stability and strength in the abdominal region compared to the thoracic spine to build power in the arms and legs and protect the lower back.
Lumber mobility is essential for badminton players to maintain their posture, help generate powerful shots, and prevent injuries. Therefore, below are some of the effective exercises that will help you improve your lumber mobility:
Exercises to increase lumber mobility
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Cat and camel exercise
To perform this exercise, you need to begin on your hands and knees with a neutral spine. Inhale as you arch your back (Cow Pose), and exhale as you round your spine (Cat Pose). Repeat this motion for 10–15 cycles to warm up your lumbar spine.
The benefit of performing cat and camel exercise is that it helps to improve the mobility of your spine, stretches your back and neck, improves circulation and spinal fluid, strengthens the muscles of your hand and wrist, and also helps to reduce the fat of your thighs.
Also read: How to boost your wrist and forearm strength for badminton?
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Child’s pose
The child’s pose stretch helps alleviate tension in your hips in the gluteus muscle group—hip flexor muscles. Your hip flexors are a muscle group at the front of your thighs. This group includes the iliacus, psoas major, rectus femoris, and sartorius muscles.
To perform this exercise, start in a kneeling position and sit back on your heels. Extend your arms forward and lower your chest toward the ground, keeping your buttocks on your heels. Hold this stretch for 15–20 seconds, focusing on relaxing the lower back.
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Knee to chest stretch
The knee-to-chest stretch is an effective technique to relax tight muscles in your lower back and hips, which are frequently brought on by activities like climbing and descending stairs or prolonged periods of sitting. Enhancing hip, hamstring, and gluteal flexibility and range of motion are additional advantages.
The knee-to-chest stretch is a great way to relieve muscle tension in your lower back and hips, often related to activities like going up and down the stairs or sitting for long periods. Other benefits include Improving flexibility and range of motion in the hips, hamstrings, and glutes.
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Bridge pose
There are a lot of benefits to performing this exercise, as it helps to stretch your neck, hip, and chest, improves your blood circulation, and calms your brain and nervous system.
To perform this exercise, you need to lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Lift your hips off the ground, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold for a few seconds, and then lower down. Repeat for 10–15 reps.
To learn more, click on the video below:
5. Shoulder Mobility
Shoulder mobility is a very important joint for badminton players because it allows a lot of movement. The joint socket is very small compared to the head of the bone, so muscles mainly control the joint.
Although the shoulder allows a lot of mobility, a lot of badminton players have problems moving with a full range of motion, which can have a huge impact on their technique.
Therefore, below, I have mentioned some of the effective exercises that will help you improve your shoulder mobility for badminton:
Exercises to increase shoulder mobility
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Shoulder rolls
Performing shoulder roll exercises can help you relieve tension in the shoulder muscles and improve blood circulation, which directly helps to reduce shoulder pain.
And to perform this exercise, you must stand tall with your arms hanging by your sides. Roll your shoulders forward in a circular motion for 15-20 seconds, then reverse the direction for another 15-20 seconds.
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Wall angles
A “V” to “W” stretch, so named because of the beginning and ending arm positions, is another name for wall angels. They’re usually carried out with your back to a wall. Your arms and spine remain in their proper places, thanks to the wall’s response.
If you spend most of your day sitting down and engaging in a lot of upper-body resistance training, this exercise will be beneficial for you.
So, to perform this exercise, you need to stand with your back against a wall, feet hip-width apart, and arms bent at a 90-degree angle with your palms facing forward. Slide your arms up the wall as far as you can while keeping your elbows and wrists in contact with the wall. Then, slide them back down. Repeat for 10–15 reps.
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Cross-body arm stretch
The cross-body arm stretch helps increase the range of motion in the shoulder joint. By stretching the shoulder across the body, it encourages greater flexibility and mobility in the shoulder girdle.
Also, regularly incorporating this stretch into your routine can help improve posture by stretching and opening up the chest and front shoulder muscles. It counteracts the effects of rounded shoulders, which are common in individuals who spend a lot of time at a computer or desk.
To perform this exercise, you need to stand or sit with your back straight. Extend one arm straight out in front of you. Use the opposite hand to pull the extended arm across your chest gently. Hold for 15–20 seconds on each side.
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Wall-chest opener
Wall chest openers help to counteract the effects of poor posture, especially in individuals who spend extended periods sitting or hunched over a computer. This stretch opens up the chest, which can alleviate rounded shoulder posture.
Also, like most stretching exercises, the wall chest opener can help promote relaxation and reduce stress levels. It encourages deep, mindful breathing, which can have a calming effect on the nervous system.
To perform this exercise, you must stand facing a wall. Place your palm flat on the wall, fingers pointing behind you. Gently rotate your body away from the wall while keeping your arm straight. Hold for 15–20 seconds on each side.
To learn more, click on the video below:
6. Wrist Mobility
You may already be aware of the importance of wrist strength when making decisive, explosive strokes on the court. In addition, having strong wrists will enable you to place the shuttle during a match quickly and accurately.
So, to improve your wrist mobility, I have mentioned some of the effective exercises below. Check them out:
Exercises to increase wrist mobility
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Wrist rotation
To rotate your wrist, first extend your arms in front of you, and then make small circles with your wrists in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction. Perform 10-15 processes in each order.
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Finger and thumb mobility
This exercise helps to improve your finger and thumb mobility, such as finger circles, finger spreads, and thumb opposition exercises, to enhance overall hand and wrist mobility.
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Wrist Flexor and Extensor Isometrics
To perform this exercise, you need to place your forearm on a table or your thigh with your wrist hanging off the edge. Press your palm down onto the surface to engage the wrist flexors, holding for 5–10 seconds. Then, press the back of your hand onto the surface to engage the wrist extensors, holding for 5–10 seconds. Repeat for both wrists.
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Wrist Radial and Ulnar Deviation Stretch
To perform this exercise, you need to hold your one hand with the fingers facing upward and gently apply pressure to the palm to tilt your wrist towards the thumb side (radial deviation). Hold for 15-20 seconds. Then, flip your hand with the fingers facing down and apply pressure to tilt your wrist toward the pinky side (ulnar deviation). Hold for 15-20 seconds on each hand.
To learn more, click on the video below:
7. Neck Mobility
You may improve your flexibility, mobility, and range of motion by doing neck mobility exercises. Moreover, addressing your joints from the neck down can help you stand up straighter.
Also, improving neck mobility is important for badminton players to maintain proper posture, track the shuttlecock, and prevent neck-related injuries.
To help you out, I have mentioned some of the effective exercises that will help you improve your neck mobility.
Exercises to increase neck mobility
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Neck rotation
It is the simplest exercise to improve your neck mobility. All you need to do is sit or stand with your back straight. Gently turn your head to the right, bringing your chin toward your right shoulder. Hold for a few seconds, then return to the center and repeat on the left side. Perform 10–15 repetitions on each side.
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Chin tucks
This exercise helps to improve the body posture by retraining your head and neck to stay backward in a leaning position. Performing this exercise on a regular basis can also help reduce neck and shoulder pain. Rather than this, it also helps to relieve headaches and eye strain.
To perform this exercise, all you need to do is sit upright and look straight with your ears directly over your shoulders. Then, place your finger on your chin, and without moving your finger, pull your chin and head straight back until a good stretch is felt at the base of your skull and the top of your neck. Hold on to this position for about 5–10 seconds. Then, bring the chin forward to the finger. Try to repeat the same thing about 8–10 times.
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Shoulder blade squeezes
To perform this exercise, you need to sit or stand with your arms relaxed at your sides. Then, squeeze your shoulder blades together as if trying to hold a pencil between them. This exercise helps improve posture and relieve tension in the neck and upper back.
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Self-massage
Instead of performing all these exercises, you can also use your fingertips to gently massage the muscles along your neck and upper shoulders to relieve tension and promote relaxation.
To learn more, click on the video below:
8. Thoracic Mobility
The spine can move in a variety of directions, but it is not a “real joint” like the hip or the ankle. The thoracic spine, which is the top portion of the spine at the level of the chest, is another place you want to be mobile.
While it’s important to have shoulder mobility in all directions, you also need to be able to bend sideways or stretch out, for instance, to hit the shuttle really high. And to improve your thoracic mobility, I have mentioned some of the effective exercises below. Check them out:
Exercises to increase thoracic mobility
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Rotation with a stick
If you want to improve your lower back health and core strength, then you must perform this exercise.
To perform this exercise, all you need to do is sit on a chair with a stick (e.g., a broomstick or PVC pipe) held behind your neck with both hands. Rotate your upper body to one side, keeping your lower body still. Hold for 5–10 seconds and then rotate to the other side. Perform 10–15 reps on each side.
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Quadruped thoracic rotation
To perform this thoracic mobility exercise, you need to start on all fours. Reach one arm under your body, and then rotate your upper body to the same side while lifting the opposite arm off the ground. Hold for a few seconds and then return to the starting position. Perform 10–15 reps on each side.
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Foam roll extension
By breaking up accumulated scar tissue in the muscles, foam rolling also increases blood flow to the area, giving your muscles more nutrients and oxygen. Moreover, it stops the excessive formation of lactic acid. Your muscles will then feel and work much better as a result.
To perform this exercise, you need to lie on a foam roller horizontally along your upper back, just below your shoulder blades. Support your head with your hands. Gently arch your upper back over the foam roller and then return to a neutral position. Repeat for 10–15 reps.
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Thoracic rotation in sitting
Thoracic rotation generally helps improve your body posture. To perform this exercise, you need to sit cross-legged on the floor. Place one hand on the opposite knee and the other hand behind you. Gently twist your upper body to look over your shoulder, keeping your lower back straight. Hold for 15–20 seconds on each side.
To learn more, click on the video below:
Final Words
These are some of the most effective mobility exercises that will help you improve your body’s strength and flexibility.
And you want to play more effectively, enhance your skills, and prevent injuries during a badminton match. In that case, you must perform these mobility exercises according to the steps I have mentioned above.
If 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.