BADMINTON FOOTWORK: Having efficient footwork in badminton is essential for better play.
It is the principle reason why professionals have less injuries. They make playing the game look effortless and graceful.
Elements of Good Badminton Footwork
Powerful smashes and skillful passing strokes are almost unplayable unless you have proper badminton footwork. The chief elements of good footwork in badminton encompass two basic movements:
- Where you position yourself on the court.
- How you position your feet.
You will see huge benefits in your game by practicing these top badminton drills. When you are using the correct techniques beginners will find that:
- It increases your speed around the court.
- You will conserve strength and stamina by reducing unnecessary steps.
- It provides you with sufficient reaction time for the next oncoming shot.
How to Improve Badminton Footwork
1. Court Position: Return to Base Early
There is one common mistake observed most of all. It is players staying rooted in an inactive position between the strokes. It happens most with newcomers to the game. Beginners have a tendency of remaining positioned at the same spot after they hit each shot across court.
Improve your badminton footwork skills by returning to your best base position. Learn to do so instinctively and without delay following every shot.
To simplify and clarify that, you should regard your base as the center of the court zone which you are covering. That provides you with the best opportunity to get to where the shuttle is landing. It means you can achieve that using the least amount of footsteps.
Nifty badminton footwork drills and good court positioning gives you extra time. You can prepare for, and react to, the next oncoming shuttle.
Note: The standard base position varies in singles rules and in doubles badminton games.
2. Balance and Stable Posture
There is no doubt that the fast moving game of badminton requires lightning fast arm and leg reactions. Often, you will find yourself in rallies where you need to stretch your legs and arms outside a normal (neutral) position.
You will stretch far and wide in quick and big movements, forwards and backwards. This is bound to affect your pose, balance, and delay your normal recovery to your base position.
There is help for learners to maintain a stable posture with a sturdy balance. Try placing more of your body weight on your strongest leg and make it your anchoring foot to the ground.
Keeping your other foot fluid and nimble means you can stretch out. That helps you reach the shuttle with better efficiency and accuracy.
Adopting these badminton footwork drills and techniques should also help you to remain balanced. You should find it easier to return to a better, and neutral, ground position.
3. Learn to Jump: Light and Nimble
Watch and learn from the professionals how they move around the court. You will soon realize that the best badminton rules for footwork are about being light and nimble on your feet.
It may surprise you how fast your game improves by adding extra bounce to your footwork. You will start responding faster and react with more precision and speed. This is especially so for those high incoming shots jetted in by your opponent.
Adding leaps and jumps to badminton footwork is also important for players who are ready to hone their skills at the next level. Jumps help you cover the back court area. They are especially useful for playing the jump smash shot, executed in any direction.
Try taking off with one foot and then with two feet. Land on both feet at the same time to spread the shock impact on your knees.
Jump shots offer you a good angle for attack. They are particularly useful for retrieving high shots. Jumping with a light and nimble technique reduces your effort of retracting backwards to retrieve the shuttle. Thus, a faster return from you significantly shortens your opponent’s recovery time.