How to Boost Your Wrist Power for Badminton: 5 Essential Exercises

Curious to discover how to improve your wrist power for badminton – quickly?

As you may know…

• … wrist strength is vital for hitting powerful, explosive shots on the court.
• … strong wrists can help you place the shuttle with speed and accuracy during a match.
• … strong wrists can also prevent any nagging injuries and reduce aches.

In this post you’ll discover everything you’ve ever wanted to know about wrist strength in badminton. And 5 exercises you can do today to improve your wrist strength quickly.

These are drills I use personally, as a professional badminton player for 8 years and 7x US Junior National Badminton Champion.

As a quick overview:

Let’s dive right in:

Why Is Wrist Strength for Badminton Important?

Your wrist tendons, muscles, and ligaments are connected to your forearm and hand. And when your wrist muscles lack strength, the bones and ligaments tend to make up the difference.

So, if you don’t have strong muscles supporting your wrist, you may be more prone to injury. Fortunately, working out your wrist-supporting muscles can help you avoid these injuries. (And it’s just a bonus that these exercises can improve your shot power and accuracy!)

Most wrist exercises for badminton will work out the supporting muscles above and below the wrist. To reap the most benefits from your routine, you can also try incorporating these exercises into your upper body workout.

Try These Wrist Exercises for Badminton

If you feel that you have weak wrists, it might be related to forearm and hand strength. And while many exercises may seem to only focus on forearm muscle building, they improve your wrist strength, too. Over time, you’ll start to experience the benefits of doing these exercises regularly.

Here are some tips to remember before you begin:

• It’s best to do these exercises about three times per week. However, it’s perfectly fine to adjust the workout’s timing and details to whatever feels best for you.
• Try not to do these exercises directly before a badminton game. You don’t want to start your game with tired muscles!

1. Dumbbell Wrist Extension

For dumbbell wrist extensions, sit in a chair with your forearm on a flat surface. Grab a dumbbell (between one and five pounds works for most people) and line up your wrist along the edge of the surface.

If you don’t have a dumbbell, you could use a bottle of water or exercise band as a substitute. And if you don’t have a flat surface, you can sit in a chair and rest your forearms along your thighs, with your wrists at your knee.

To start, hold the dumbbell with the palm of your hand facing downwards. Then, slowly raise your hand towards your forearm as far as you comfortably can and hold for five seconds. After the pause, slowly lower your hand to the starting position.

Repeat this ten times for at least two sets on each wrist. This exercise strengthens your forearm extensors, which adds power to your wrists.

2. Dumbbell Wrist Flexion

For dumbbell wrist flexions, place your forearm on a flat surface and align your wrists to the edge for maximum range of motion. Similar to the last exercise, you’ll want to use a light dumbbell. But you can use exercise bands, a water bottle, or another lightweight object as an alternative.

Holding the weight with your palm facing upwards, slowly raise your fist up towards your forearm, only bending your wrist. Hold for three to five seconds, then slowly lower your hand to the starting position.

Try out at least two sets of ten repetitions on each arm. This exercise works your forearm flexors to strengthen your wrist.

3. Dumbbell Side Flexes

Dumbbell side flexes are an incredible exercise to work your wrist-supporting muscles from a different angle. By doing so, you’ll also strengthen your forearm flexors and extensors.

Starting in the same position as the dumbbell wrist extension, hold the dumbbell palm down. Slowly bend your hand to the inside, with your thumb towards your forearm. Hold this for three to five seconds, and slowly turn your hand to the outside, again towards your forearm. Hold this position for another three to five seconds.

Repeat this exercise for about two sets of ten repetitions on each hand.

4. Figure 8s

For this exercise, you’ll need your badminton racket with a headcover for extra resistance. Using a forehand grip, hold your racket in front of you with your hand at about shoulder height.

Then, use your wrist and forearm to make a “figure 8” motion. Afterward, alternate the movement in the opposite direction. So, if you swooped upwards in the middle of the first “8”, swoop downwards for your next one.

You should aim for at least 100 repetitions of this exercise. Figure 8s help you build strength in your hand, forearm, and elbow area while boosting your wrist’s range of motion.

5. Kneeling Mobility Stretches

Lean forward and place the back of your hands fully on the ground. Then, lean back gradually, without letting your hands lift off of the floor. Only lean back as far as is comfortable for your wrists and hold for 10 to 20 seconds.

While kneeling in the same position, place your hands palm-down and repeat this stretch for 10 to 20 seconds.

Stretching is very important for the mobility of any muscle group, and this exercise will help boost the range of motion in your wrists.

When Will You See Changes in Your Wrist Power?

After one week of doing wrist exercises for badminton, you’ll notice small increases in strength. In about two weeks, you’ll start to feel a significant improvement in your wrist strength and mobility. And if you keep up with these exercises for a few months, you might just be shocked at your progress!

As you move forward in your wrist training, you might have to increase sets, repetitions, or weight to keep challenging yourself to become stronger.

Eventually, you could incorporate a full-body workout into your weekly routine. Proper training can help you achieve maximum speed, power, and accuracy on the court. And while wrist exercises for badminton are important, they’re just one aspect of taking your game to the next level.

So, don’t be shy about trying different exercises to strengthen other parts of your body. The right training might just give you the edge you need to win against your next opponent!