Coaching
Play Better Badminton Training 1：Upper Limb Strength
"If I'm more muscular will I play better?" I think this is question many players ask.
How should strengthen training be carried out in a way that will help you play better? We will explain below!
The usual definition of muscle strength is “The maximum power that a muscle can produce doing a certain movement at a certain speed. That is the power value which is measured when a muscle is exerts maximum power a single time.” Increased muscle strength raises physical capability and, when muscle strength increases, joint stability also increases, so you are less likely to get injured when playing !
When you increase upper body strength the power and speed of your racket swing will increase, giving you lethal smashing power when needed. Strengthening lower body muscle strength can increase your speed around the court and explosiveness when you jump.
Players can train at fixed times, however, we suggest that all weight training progress gradually in terms of weight used and frequency of sessions and that the weights used and frequency of sessions should be suited to the individual’s physically condition.
The weights used and frequency of training sessions can be adjusted to suit individual needs and care taken to avoid “overload” to prevent muscles becoming overtired and thus prone to injury.
Muscle strength training in a gym is usually done using weight machines or free weights. Actually, all you need to do is give you muscles extra resistance to achieve the objective of muscle strength training. The body’s own weight, a towel or a plastic bottle full of water (600 cc) are freely available for you to use !
Today we will introduce you to a few upper body exercises. The following points should be paid attention to when training:
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Breathe when doing the movements: when you exert yourself breathe out and breathe in when you relax.
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Rest a while after each set of movements, doing the next one after a rest of 1-2 minutes.
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Each movement should be done in sets of 6. Those who are in better shape can do sets of 8-12 movements.
1.Shoulder muscles
KEY POINTS
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The feet as wide as the pelvis, knees slightly bent and not locked, don’t lean back .
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Tuck in the abdomen, keep elbows slightly bent, bring the dumbbells up to eye height.
2. Arm muscles（1）
KEY POINTS
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Standing, feet as wide as pelvis, shoulders back and chest out.
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With a dumbbell in one hand bend elbow and lift weight to shoulder height following a curve trajectory.
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Keep balanced when doing this exercise and don’t lean back.
3.Arm muscles （2）
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KEY POINTS
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Lift a dumbbell with one hand over the head and support the lifting arm with your other arm as shown in the picture above.
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Lower the dumbbell behind the head, keeping the back straight and the elbow pointing forward.
4.Chest muscles
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KEY POINTS
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With the hands slightly wider than the shoulders, support the body with arms straight and knees on the floor.
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Breathe in and lower the body slowly so it is parallel to (lightly touching) the floor.
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Breathe out and push the body up with the back angle fixed and head forward.
5.Abdomen muscles
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KEY POINTS
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Lie flat on back with legs bent to reduce pressure on spine; when raising the upper body avoid moving from side to side.
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Raise up the upper body so that only the bottom and feet are touching the floor.
The weights used in upper body strength training can be adjusted to suit individual needs.
This training should not be carried out after playing because after playing the muscles are already tired and can easily be injured or be over-trained.
If you are a player who likes to deliver powerful smashes your performance can be improved if you do weight training to strengthen your upper body.
If you play three times a week you can weight train on two of the days you don’t play. Before carrying out simple weight training exercises don’t forget to warm up, and warm down after.
Warming up/down will help strength your muscles and avoid injury.
