By Justin Ma, 7x US Junior National Badminton Champion.
Last updated November 9, 2022
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6 min read
As a badminton player, training with other people is one of the most fun (and effective) ways to level up your game. However, it’s not always easy to visit your local badminton club or find a pal to practice with, right?
As a professional badminton player since 8 years – and badminton player since 18 – there are many times I’ve practiced without a partner. In this post, I’ll outline 10 easy tips to practice in the comfort of your home…
These easy-to-follow drills include tips for practicing your smashes, footwork, and more. They’re so effective, your badminton partners will press you for your training secrets at gunpoint in the next training.
Just kidding… but I’m sure they’ll help you a ton. Ready to become a better badminton player?
Here’s a quick overview:
| Drill Name | Key Focus | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Backhand Flick Strength Drill | Backhand strength | Improve the power in your short backhand shots by practicing flick strength with a few shuttles. |
| Grip-Transition Drill | Grip transitions | Improve accuracy, speed, and save milliseconds on the court by practicing grip transitions. |
| Shots Drill | Forehand and backhand shots | Use a sturdy wall to practice forehand and backhand shots by hitting the shuttle against it. |
| Shadow Footwork Drill | Footwork | Improve footwork anywhere without equipment by doing shadow footwork drills. |
| Agility Drill | Speed | Improve speed on the court with agility ladder exercises or homemade ladder drills. |
| Serve Drill | Serving technique | Improve high and low serves by practicing with shuttles and aiming toward a target. |
| Juggle Drill | Coordination | Boost coordination and patience by juggling the shuttle using forehand and backhand hits. |
| Smash Drill | Smash technique | Improve smash technique and power by practicing stationary smashes with various smash types. |
| Coordination Drill | Hand-eye coordination | Train hand-eye coordination using simple drills like wall rallies or juggling a tennis ball. |
| Advanced Wall Drill | Speed, strength, reflexes | Improve speed, strength, and reflexes by hitting two shuttles alternately against a wall. |
Let’s dive right in:
Improving the power in your short backhand shots (aka your flick strength) is one of the easiest skills to practice at home. All you’ll need is a few shuttles to get started.
Position the shuttles so that they’re within easy reach. Then, drop one in front of your racket, keeping a loose grip as you do so. As it falls toward your racket, tighten your grip and use a short backhand swing to flick the shuttle forward.
Repeat until you run out of birds, focusing on producing as much power as you can with your wrist.
Working on your grip transitions can improve your accuracy, boost your speed, and save you valuable milliseconds on the court. And the good news is, it’s one of the easiest skills to practice alone.
Here’s how:
To practice your forehand and backhand shots, all you need is a sturdy wall, your racket, and a bird. Then:
Shadow footwork drills can help you improve your footwork anywhere, alone, and without equipment. They’re extremely handy for replicating on-the-court situations while allowing you to fully focus on your footwork, rather than the shots themselves.
Here are five variations to help you get started:
Lightning-fast speed is one of the best advantages you can have on the court — and when it comes to practicing badminton alone, it’s also one of the simplest skills to train.
As a first step, you can try agility ladder exercises, which involve using a piece of equipment shaped like a ladder that lies flat on the ground. (If you don’t have one on hand, you can also use tape or string to make your own.)
Then, you can get started by practicing a few of the drills below:
As long as you have a few shuttles on hand, you can improve your high and low serves with this easy one-player service drill. Simply:
Shuttle juggling is one of the best ways to boost your coordination, improve your patience, and get a feel for your racket’s sweet spot.
To try it, simply toss your shuttle in the air and hit it upward in the forehand motion. As it falls back down, hit it again with your backhand. Use low hits for a faster pace and high shots for a slower pace.
If you need an extra challenge, you can juggle the shuttle while you jog, or even add a few trick shots to the mix!
Stationary smash training might not give you the exact experience of on-the-court play, but it’s still a useful tool for improving your smash technique and power. Here’s how to try it:
There are tons of ways to train your coordination for badminton, and wall rally drills and shuttle juggling are both great places to start.
But if you don’t want to get your racket and shuttles out, you can also train your hand-eye coordination using a simple tennis ball:
Finally, one of the most fun and intense ways to train by yourself is to practice an advanced, two-shuttle wall rally drill. This exercise is a great way to push your speed, strength, and reflexes to the limit.
Here are the steps:
Figuring out how to play badminton alone can be tough, but the good news is that certain strategies can help. From coordination exercises to solo smash drills, there’s always a way to level up your game — whether you’re on the court or at home by yourself.
For more badminton resources, check out the full Badminton Justin blog today. Or, join the YouTube community for regular uploads covering drills, pro training tips, and more.
