8 Fun Badminton Drills for Beginners to Become Better Players

As a new badminton player, playing a few rallies each day might seem like the best way to level up your skills.

But… what if you want to improve even faster?

The simple answer are badminton drills. The problem: 

• Most badminton drills are boring, or not effective
• Require expensive equipment.
• Or multiple players.

Don’t you worry. In this post you’ll discover the 8 badminton drills I’ve used to improve my game. I’m Justin Ma. A professional badminton player since 8 years – and 7x US Junior National Badminton Champion.

As a quick overview:

Let’s dive right in:

8 Fun Badminton Drills to Level Up Your Skills

Finding drills that not only help you improve your skills but are also fun can be tricky. To make things easier, here are some of the best badminton drills to try the next time you train:

1. Shuttle Juggling

Shuttle juggling is a one-person drill that can help you improve your hand-eye coordination. 

To start, grab two or three shuttles — the more you use, the tougher the drill becomes. Then, use your racket to juggle the shuttles in the air for as long as possible. Compete with a friend or time yourself to keep track of your record!

2. Net Singles

Net singles is a simple one vs. one game that can help you sharpen your underhand net shots. For new players, this drill can help you gauge exactly how much power to use when you want to surprise your opponent with softer frontcourt shots.

Here are the rules:

• The goal is to hit as many underhand shots as you can to a partner across the net. You must only use underhand — no overhand swings!
• Every time a player is unable to return the shuttle with an underhand shot, the other person wins a point.
• If the shuttle touches the top of the net and rolls over, the person who hit that shot gets an extra point.
• The first person to 10 points wins.

3. Tramline Singles

Tramline singles is exactly what it sounds like: Singles played in the tramline area of the court. Since it uses a fraction of the space as regular singles, it’s a great drill for pushing your reflexes and accuracy to the limit. Simply:

• Stand across the net from a partner in the tramline area of your court.
• Play like you would in regular singles — but this time, you score a point every time the shuttle lands outside of your opponent’s tramlines. 
• Play until one player reaches 21 points.

4. Bucket Drill

The bucket drill is a fun, customizable badminton exercise that helps you hone your precision and accuracy. 

Begin by placing a bucket across the net from you. (You can place it anywhere, but consider choosing a spot that’s been hard for you to aim toward in the past, such as the backcourt or sidelines.)

Then, pick a shot type to practice, grab a stack of birdies, and try to hit them all into the bucket!

5. Shuttle Tube Smash Accuracy Drill

If you’re looking for a competitive badminton drill that improves your aim and power, the shuttle tube drill is a perfect option.

Start by setting up three shuttle tubes next to each other somewhere on the court. You can place them anywhere you want to improve your aim to — such as the left midcourt, right tramline, etc.

Then, grab a partner and stand on the other side of the net. Take turns smashing 10 to 15 birdies toward the tubes, counting a point every time you touch one (or knock it down). Whoever gets the most points wins!

6. King of the Court

King of the court is a mini-game-like badminton drill that requires a mix of defense, offense, quick reaction speed, and solid footwork.

To do it, you’ll need to gather three or more players. Then:

• Choose one person to start on one side of the court as the “king.”
• Other players will line up on the other side of the court.
• One at a time, players will take turns playing against the king.
• If the challenger loses the point, the king stays put, and another challenger steps in.
• If the challenger wins two points in a row, they become the new king.

7. Two Vs. One Offense Drill

The two vs. one offense drill is a fun, fast-paced way to level up your offensive skills. Begin by grabbing two friends and standing in a two vs. one formation on the court. Then, have one of the two players start the drill by serving to you.

As soon as the rally begins, start going all out on your offense! Use a variety of drop shots, half smashes, jump smashes, and full smashes. When in the frontcourt, aim for pushes and spinning net shots. 

Play for as many points as you like — and if your other teammates want to practice their offense, simply rotate and play from the defensive side.

8. 6-Corner Shuttle Run Race

If you’re bored of basic footwork drills, the shuttle run race is a fun, energizing way to mix up your routine and step up your skills. Here’s how to try it:

• You and your partner will both start with five shuttles in the front right corner of your courts.
• Use proper footwork to move each shuttle one by one to the front left corner.
• Repeat this process by moving each shuttle to the side right, side left, back right, and finally, the back left. All in all, you’ll be moving the shuttles 25 times.
• Whoever finishes the fastest wins. Repeat as many times as you like to put your endurance to the test!

The Takeaway

Improving as a beginner badminton player doesn’t only mean playing classic doubles or singles. There are countless other fun badminton drills you can use to level up, and they can help with everything from your footwork to your smashes and accuracy. 

To get started, try adding a few that you find interesting into your weekly training routine, even as a warm-up or cooldown. By sticking to it and staying consistent, you could see some incredible results in your game — and you might even find a new favorite drill along the way.

More Ways to Train

Looking for more resources to boost your badminton skills? Visit the Badminton Justin blog or join the YouTube community for regular tutorials and tips from a pro player.