Looking to improve your leg strength, reflexes, and whole-body power to perform better on the badminton court?
You’re in luck. With a bit of know-how and research, it’s possible to create a full-body workout routine that you can easily do at home, with little-to-no equipment. And even though it might not take place in a gym, it can still make a significant difference in your game.
Read on to learn how to structure a simple badminton home workout for speed and power, along with four of the best exercises to try and how to do them.
How to Put Together a Simple Badminton Home Workout
The best thing about badminton home workouts is that they are entirely customizable — meaning you can change them to fit your preferences, previous experience level, and schedule.
For example, if you only have 20 minutes or so to get a workout in, you can structure your exercises into a quick circuit training routine. This might look something like:
- 45 seconds of a warm-up exercise
- 45 seconds of a jump-focused exercise
- 45 seconds of a core-focused exercise
- 45 seconds of an arm and shoulder exercise
- 30-second break
- Repeat for 4 to 5 circuits
But what if you want a longer, more intense training session? To make your exercise routine a bit more challenging, you can try:
- A 5-minute warm-up exercise, with a 1-minute rest
- 10 minutes of a jump-focused exercise, with a 2-minute rest
- 10 minutes of a footwork exercise, with a 2-minute rest
- 10 minutes of a core-focused exercise, with a 2-minute rest
Now that you have an idea of how to structure your badminton home workout, here are some of the best exercises to include for explosive speed and power:
1. Jump Rope
Jumping rope is one of the best ways to get your heart rate up, and it works incredibly on its own or as a warm-up to your full-body routine. Depending on your skill level, you can try:
- For beginners: Simple single jumps (or skips) at whatever pace feels best to you
- For intermediate/advanced: Aim for double unders — an exercise that involves getting the rope under your feet twice in a row while in the air. These require a slightly higher jump and faster rope movement speed. As you get more skilled at jump roping, try to see how many double unders you can do without making a mistake.
Note: If you don’t have a jump rope on hand, no worries. Instead, you can try jumping jacks or high knees, increasing the pace whenever you need more intensity.
2. Jump Squats
Jump squats are a great exercise to strengthen your lower body and improve your vertical jump. Simply:
- Start in a squatting position.
- Jump up as high as you can, using explosive power from your quads, hamstrings, and calves.
Note: If you have a plyometric box, you can opt for box jumps instead. To do them:
- Face the box, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bring your hips and arms back to prepare for the jump.
- Push off the ground, swing your arms forward, and use your body’s momentum to leap onto the box.
- Jump back down and repeat.
3. Mountain Climbers Into Push-Ups
Mountain climbers work tons of different muscle groups — including the core, calves, hamstrings, and shoulders. Add a few push-ups into the mix, and you’ve got yourself a challenging whole-body exercise that also targets the triceps and pecs.
Here’s what a single rep of this exercise looks like:
- Start in a plank position.
- Bring one knee up towards your core. Then, quickly alternate with the other leg.
- Repeat ten times, and then do two push-ups.
4. Fast Footwork
This exercise involves a simple, fast-paced circuit of different footwork motions.
As always, feel free to customize this exercise’s duration and intensity to match the rest of your workout — but for this example, we’ll aim for a 3-minute circuit. Here’s how to do it:
- Split-steps: Stand in place with your feet shoulder-width apart. Quickly jump your feet outward into your split-step. Then, quickly jump back into the neutral standing position. Repeat as many times as you can for one minute.
- Side lunges: Jump and lunge out to the left. Then, use your leg strength to push back and jump into your starting position. Lunge out to the right, and repeat for another minute.
- Back-and-forths: Jump back and forth with both feet simultaneously for one minute.
The Bottom Line on Building a Badminton Home Workout
Finding ways to condition your body for badminton isn’t limited to what you can do on the court.
Skipping rope, jump squats, mountain climbers, and fast footwork exercises are all great ways to build explosive speed and power. But don’t be afraid to get creative with your routine! Think about which muscles (and skills) you want to strengthen most, research some exercises that fit the bill, and make them a regular part of your workout regimen.
With time and consistency, you could see a significant difference in your stamina, strength, and overall badminton game.
Looking for more specific ways to train?
Whether you want to practice specific shots, reflexes, or footwork patterns, we’ve got resources that can help. Visit the Badminton Justin blog or check out the YouTube channel for drills, exercises, and other tutorials to help you level up.
Justin Ma
Author
