I've been training for singles for half a year so but finding that quite harsh if you want to reach the top. i'm currently a junior and have found that my knee's are going to give up on me anytime soon. i try to put ice and stretch w/e i have tried have slowed down the pain process but not the stituation. so i was wondering if anyone has ideas i can use to stop this pain in the future.. Thx alot in ADVANCE!!
Yes, it can be really hard on your knees...I know for one thing that my knees hae a slight pain and I'm considering going to the doctor/sports theripist to get a checkup on them. I really can't say too much about how to stop the pain..but to prevent it from happening, it's best to execute the right footwork because certain wrong footwork can be a knee injury causing factor (how you lunge (toe not pointed outwards, etc)). Perhaps to prevent it from getting worse, it might be a good idea to wear a knee brace although there has been some conflict whether it actually helps at all. IMO yes it does..but anyways, there's also some chiense oils/balms that may be a good to rub around the knees..some are just a temporary pain reliever but I find that if you use the right one, it really helps.
True, a good thing to do is to prevent this stuff from happening before it happens. What i do before an intense game is i strech out until the point i'm loose enough to do the splits or kick over my head. The only injury i would probably get it a messed up toe with lots of dead white skin.
You get sore knees, even in doubles, dude, esp those high octane high speed games. I wear kneeguards nowadays to minize the soreness.
yah, that's true..once u get to the high level of play werhe's it quick, you're always prone to injury ..more espicially if you happen to use incorrect footwork. Anyways, when you mention using kneeguards..are you talking about a kneebrace? or an actual kneeguard, similar to those that people wear to play volleyball?
I used to have problems with my knees and hips for many years and ever since (last September) when I started to use an insole called Barefoot Science, I have not had any problems. More importantly so, I started to play competitively again this past winter after many years of layoff and after playing "social badminton" for some six years. Check out this site: http://www.barefootscience.net/ and go to this page: http://www.barefootscience.net/footcaresteps/pages/a_cover.html For those of you who are interested, you should download the 80 monogram (in pdf) and read it at your leisure. The science behind this is facinating. I hope this helps. Everyone whom I know who is using this insole swears by it.
It's a one piece kind of thing, cotton cloth woven with elastic thread, an almost perfect tube contoured to fit over the curves of your knees. Feels pretty restrictive at first, but once you get used to it, it'd be nothing but great support for the knees. How does a kneebrace? I know how a knee support looks like but not a knee brace.
Drink lots of milk We lose lots of calcium around our knees because of playing badminton, so we need to drink more high calcium milk. I drink a high calcium and protein milk about three times a day. Other than that, how you play also affects how long you will last as a pro. An aggressive player will not last longer than a rally player in the professional level because they are more prone to injuries. Also... the lunge... my coach pointed out a new footwork to me, it doesn't involve lunging. In a lunge, your weight is imbalanced towards the lead leg... infact a lot of it is in the lead leg, maybe 90%. This "new" footwork, tries to balance up the weight to 60% lead leg and 40% hind leg. You know how when you lunge, your body is on a low level because the lead knee is bent almost 90% and the hind leg stretched out? Well, in this other footwork, the lead knee is only slightly bent and the distance between your two feet is only more than a shoulder wide by a bit. The key to making this footwork "work" is to have fast feet. Uses short steps, but your feet has to accelerate really fast. I'd say that this footwork is really suitable for the shorter players like myself (168cm) since we really shouldn't be leaping up a lot for a jump smash anyway Anyway, there are many types of footwork that suits different players. I'm being taught this one and I think this one is good because I will still be able to use it when I'm 60 yrs old to be one of those 'crafty old folks' nah seriously, i just feel that this footwork is more energy efficient if I want to be a rally player. Oh!! And also... there are excercises that can strengthen your knee... Ask those physiotherapist or people who has done a knee reconstruction. I'll try asking my coach as well since he said he's going to build up my knee a few days ago.
Here's my experience. I started training singles before seriously after playing many years of doubles. So I'd play about 4 times a week. After a while, maybe 6 months, my knees started hurting as well - more like an ache. I wondered if I was doing any damage but reasoned that that other human beings play more than me and still don't have any problems. Also, I knew I was learning the correct footwork. Later the pain disappeared! I don't get it anymore. Not sure what the reason for the pain was. Perhaps then new movements caused discomfort or I was building up different muscles which were pulling my knee joint differently from before. So now, no knee discomfort!! and I didn't do anything special like wear a knee support, physiotherapy etc.
