By Justin Ma, 7x US Junior National Badminton Champion.
Last updated May 31, 2021
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2 min read
We talk about flexibility a lot here – we give advice for different types of mobility exercises as well as different ways that you should and can stretch. But why exactly is flexibility so important in badminton? Let’s take a quick look!
Movement is the most crucial part of badminton. If you can’t move to get to the shot, how will you be able to hit the shot? In badminton, movement consists of footwork and footwork consists of many different types of movements – many of which require deep lunges and far reaching movements to be able to reach the shots you want to get to.
For deep lunges to the front, you need to be able to bend low and close to the ground while remaining stable. If your body is stiff, you won’t be able to bend your knees down and utilize your muscles properly to plant your feet in the ground.
When you go to the back and try to hit an attacking shot, you also need to be able to move your legs fluidly and either jump or hop to the shot. This also requires flexibility! If you are too stiff, you won’t be able to move smoothly to the back and you can’t get behind the shot when you need to hit it.
In order to move properly around the court, you need to be flexible!
When you swing your racket, your upper body must be flexible as well! If your upper body is stiff, this means that your range of motion will be extremely limited. You won’t be able to generate power from a rough, constricted swing and you won’t be able to play to your full potential.
When hitting smashes or clears, you need a full range of motion in your shoulders and upper body. This will help you to wind up your swing and generate more power behind your strong shots. When you hit any other overhead shots, you will also want to be able to wind up your swing and potentially deceive your opponents if you want to hit a different type of shot.
For underhand shots like lifts or net drops, flexibility also plays an important role. If you only are able to hit a small motion for your lifts, you may not be able to get any power behind the shot! This means that your shot won’t get all the way to the back of the court and that your opponent will have an easy time attacking your lift.
Flexibility in your swings is also a vital part of badminton.
Flexibility in your movements and flexibility in your swings play a crucial role together in badminton. With both, you can become a much better player and play as smoothly as your favorite professional players! Without either, you will have a hard time getting to the shots or even generating enough power to hit the shots to the back of the court.
Make sure you spend time stretching and working on your flexibility and mobility each day. If you are looking for other ways to improve your game, be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more in depth videos on how to improve. Thanks for checking out this post, see you all in the next one!
