Simple Full-Body Badminton Warm-Up Routine to Boost Your Performance

Warming up your body is vital before any physical activity — especially badminton. Warm muscles mean you’ll move more fluidly on the court, thanks to enhanced oxygen and blood flow. On top of that, you’ll be less prone to injury during games.

Taking the time to warm up also improves your energy levels and speed while mobilizing your joints.

So, try the full-body badminton warm-up routine below to see just how much you can raise your game the next time you step on the court! 

Get Your Body Ready to Move 

Before you start, make sure you have ample time to run through your badminton warm-up routine. Rushing through exercises won’t loosen your muscles or increase blood flow the way you want.

It’s important to note that doing any physical activity outside of your capabilities can cause injuries. So, don’t be afraid to check with your doctor before trying any movements that feel too far outside your comfort zone.

1. Start Slowly with a Light Jog

A light jog can help get the blood flowing to your muscles before you dive deeper into stretches and other exercises.

If your muscles aren’t warm and flexible before you begin the actual exercises, there’s a chance you may strain muscles and tendons. Taking care to loosen up means you won’t run the risk of pain or injury later on during your full-body badminton warm-up routine. 

Try a slow jog for five minutes from wall to wall in a room, jog in place for five minutes, or even jump rope for a while — any light cardio will do.

2. Stretch Each Part of Your Body

Stretching is an often overlooked but crucial part of supporting loose, relaxed muscles. When you take the time to stretch, your body will be ready to move swiftly on the court. 

Dynamic stretching (stretching with movement) is more helpful than static stretching before a game of badminton.  It’ll boost the blood flow to your joints, ligaments, and tendons, raising your speed and range of motion before you step onto the court.

It can take up to ten minutes to reach peak performance after you get moving, and dynamic stretching means you’ll already have that covered at the start of every match.

Remember that these movements should gently loosen your muscles, so it’s best to do them slowly and mindfully.  

Neck

Start by gently pulling your head side-to-side for ten seconds per stretch. Be conscious not to overextend your neck muscles (and don’t be afraid to stop if you feel any discomfort.)

After you move your neck to each side, gently roll your head in a circle five times, in both counterclockwise and clockwise motions. These neck movements get you ready to look in all directions quickly while you’re chasing the shuttle around the court.

Arms & Wrists

To loosen up your arms, swing your shoulders forward and back ten times in each direction. Then, repeat this process with arm circles.

Now, bend your arm at the elbow and spin your forearm for five reps in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions.

For wrist warm-ups, you can do ten wrist circles in forward and backward motions.

Core

Try doing five thread the needle exercises on each side to boost your twisting and shoulder mobility. First, start on the ground on your hands and knees. Then, pick up one hand and slowly reach under your body as far as you can to the other side. After that, reach the same arm out from under your body and towards the ceiling.

Next, do about 20 torso twists by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, elbows bent, and arms at your sides. Then, twist your upper body slowly from one side to the other as far as you can to feel a stretch without discomfort.

Legs

Start with 20 walking lunges in a straight line, making sure the knee on your front leg doesn’t go past your toes.  If you have limited space, you can do two to four walking lunges in each direction until you hit 20 reps.

Next, try some side-to-side lunges. Starting with your feet wide apart, squat down to one side while straightening the other leg as much as is comfortable. You can place your hands on the ground for stability. Try to keep your backside low while you slowly lean towards your bent leg, and then lean slowly to the other side for about ten reps.

With your feet shoulder-width apart (or wherever they feel comfortable), squat up and down slowly for about ten reps, going as low as your comfort level allows.

3. Use Cardio in Your Full-Body Badminton Warm-Up Routine

To really get your blood flowing for explosive movements on the court, try a small amount of high-intensity cardio in your warm-up.

Do some lateral work with side shuffles from one side of the room to the other for at least 50 steps in each direction. If you’re limited in space, you can do two steps to each side and back until you hit 50 steps per side.

Then, do 20 knee tuck jumps (or just hop in place if tuck jumps are outside your comfort zone.)

Lastly, do a set of jump lunges. Get yourself in a lunge position, then jump into a lunge with the other leg forward and repeat until you hit 20 reps.

Try a Full-Body Badminton Warm-Up Routine Before Your Next Game

There’s no right or wrong way to warm up, but it’s enormously helpful to get your blood flowing before you get into a game. Over time, you’ll find that many combinations of stretches and movements are useful.

This post covers one set of warm-up exercises for badminton, but there are tons out there. Try adjusting the reps or time for any activities in this post to make it your own. Beyond that, feel free to add or remove any exercises to create the perfect routine for you.  

For more tips on loosening up before a match, check out these posts on upper-body warm-up and lower-body warm-up routines.

A good warm-up is almost guaranteed to improve your badminton game, So, set aside some extra time beforehand to play a good game, every game!

If you want more tips on how to improve your badminton game, don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel or subscribe to our email newsletter for more!