FITNESS

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by Mark, Jun 15, 2001.

  1. Mark

    Mark Guest

    We don't see much on fitness on this forum, but I need to some help.

    I am quite fit, do some weights and play about 4 times per week, a little bit less now we're out of league season.

    I am better than a lot of people where I live, but the fitness and stamina of 18 year old 'flys' is causing me a problem. I mostly play doubles, and have no fitness issues in these matches(regularly play 3hr sessions), it is singles that is the problem.

    I start a game of singles and nearly all the time will get to a score of 9-3. To me this proves I have the superior game to my opponent, but from there on I struggle to close out the match! I often end up losing 17-14 or 15-13 which is really annoying.

    I know that it is my fitness because as the game goes on I start smashing less, move less (and end up taking the shuttle behind my head), and play lazy drop shots that start hitting the net (normally my best shot).

    Sorry to ramble, but my question is, What is the best exercise/training routine to adopt to really spice up my fitness and stamina. I am willing to work hard, but really think this will help take my game to the next level. PLEASE HELP.

    Regards

    Mark
     
  2. pa player

    pa player Guest

    i had the same problem (infact I'm still not perfectly fit but much better than before). what i do is try to run (on a treadmill unfortunately) about three times a week. I keep the pace pretty fast and steady...and towards the end i notch up the speed considerably (normally i run @ 6.5 mi/h but toward the end @ 9.0 mi/h) this help me if in the game i need a burst of energy to finish off the last 2 or so points...

    hope this helps...i'll be watching this space for ideas as well...
     
  3. Normand

    Normand Regular Member

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    Hi Mark

    There is nothing that can replace an interview with a profesional trainer as he will look at your lifestyle and give you a diagnostic and a follow-up if needed.

    But if you want to try a few things before going to him here's what I noticed. Other than playing you don't have cardio type excercises. There are many ways to do these "excercises" you can joins an aerobic class, jog, bicycle (stationary, street or trail), swim, ... anyone of these type will help you're stamina but it's a matter of doing it for a minimum of 30 minutes at an 75 to 85 % of your maximun hearth rate. (to know you maximum HR you take 220 and subtract your age, this will give you a number representing 100% HR).

    The other thing you should also look into is eating habits of types of food. This topic is somewhat complex as I don't know if you have any controls over this but I suggest that you read on it or if you take time to browsew the Web you will find ample places that will give you information.

    And the next thing you should consider is a "cycle" of performance. This basicly consist that you train with exact peak periods, some low intensity training and some increasing or decreasing training. You will also find documentation on this topic on the Web.

    Hope that this can help

    Normand
     
  4. bad man

    bad man Guest

    So, the new scoring sysytem will work well for you.
     
  5. Batman

    Batman Guest

    Play in spurts?
     
  6. Mark

    Mark Guest

    yes, ive already thought about that one. I guess it will, although ive not played any games to 7 or 9 to see how I fair.

    Maybe it will just make the fitter players come out guns a blazing!
     
  7. Mark

    Mark Guest

    If you are training for badminton you need to do badminton specific training excercises. A lot of county squads use PLYOMETRIC training. This is basically trining your body to work on stop-start movements which badminton is essentially made up of. It helps strengthen your fast-twitch muscles which help you do things like jump, smash, lunge and stop/start. These are all movements which require an 'explosion' of power from your muscles.

    Lifting weights is not ideal for badminton as you actually train the wrong muscle groups. When lifting a weight you use slow-twitch musles which are bulkier. If you do to much of this you end up carrying a lot of unnecessary weight around the court with you. If you look at top singles players physiques they are generally thin. They are not what you could term strong but they are very powerfull. This is due to training that is based around low weights but fast repitions, plyometrics and aerobic training.

    If you could get hold of a copy of the badminton beep test then you would be able to accuractely asses your fitness for badminton and continualy check your progress. Not sure where to get hold of it though, so if you do please pass on the info. I hope this helps.
     
  8. Vic

    Vic Guest

    Do sprints

    Rather than running at a constant pace, do a series of sprints (taking short rests between sprints). That's what playing badminton is--racing from one point to another to reach the shuttle. Rarely will a rally go longer than 30 seconds.
     
  9. Mark

    Mark Guest

    Plyometrics looks good.

    Had a little readup on it and have ordered a book from Amazon. Thanks for putting me onto it. Can't wait for it to arrive,

    Mark
     
  10. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    Something different

    4x per wk with 3hr sessions. That's a fair amount of badminton if you're not off court for much of the time.

    All good suggestions before.

    As for something different, you may want to examine your footwork to see how efficient is your movement. Ever seen camilla martin play? Watch her lunge - it's a big step and then look at the recovery. Compare it to the top Chinese women. If you tend to take one step to reach the shuttle from your base, chances are you are stretching a fair amount. The overstretching and return to base tires you out more. And I guess the chances of this is high because you say you play mainly doubles. Try taking two steps to reach shuttles in the forecourt which are further away.

    And it takes a lot of practice to change one's footwork habits

    hope this helps make you less tired
     
  11. Mark

    Mark Guest

    Re: Something different

    I've been working on my footwork a lot lately and feel I am much more efficient than I used to be. I think this is why I don't get tired when playing doubles anymore.

    I have been looking for some books or websites that deal with court movement though as I know there are many more improvements that I can make. I will shortly be having a coach for summer, and hope that a weekly session with him is going to deal with such issues and bad habits I have in moving around the court.

    I don't always play for 3 hours, usually 2 hours with some sit-offs. Also I don't always play matches. I've started to do skill training sessions with a friend and am finding that this is improving my ability a lot quicker than just playing matches all the time.
     
  12. Roger

    Roger Guest

    It's all in your legs. You might be able to run 20 miles at a good pace or do lots of sprints.... but you have to make sure your legs are strong enough for badminton. 10 points into a good sinlges game, they are feeling like jelly (happens to me). This is due to the knees bent, ready to lunge, waiting stance that you have to use in singles.

    In addition to your running/sprints/interval traning, add some leg workout. Lunges, stationary jumps, squat jumps (with small weights, around 12-15 reps, 7-10 sets or more) . You might actually feel slower initially. Soon your legs will be much stronger.
     
  13. Mark

    Mark Guest

    No luck trying to find the badminton beep test? I will try to find out from my coach on Sunday where i can get a copy. I will pass the info on to you. I am positive that the plyometrics will make a vast improvement to your game though so good luck.

    I'm off out to play now! Mark
     
  14. Steplantis

    Steplantis Regular Member

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    If you`re spending a lot of time on court one way to strengthen your body is through using a weighted jacket ( start with around 4kg and work up) when doing routines. The Chinese team use this method as do many other countries. It should be easy to get a jacket from a large sports retailer.
    I recently started to use this again after using this method a little in training about 3 years ago. During 2vs1 games/patterns or doing footwork ex`s etc it`s really good - after using for a while you really feel the difference. When you take it off and play a game you feel 3 times faster!!
     
  15. zero

    zero Regular Member

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    Can putting ankle weights help?.......Because I've got a 5lbs pair.......I will try it and see how I do......
     
  16. Quan

    Quan Regular Member

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    Thats what I want to know. I've used them for soccer, and they do help if you run a lot. At least for me. Post your results, I want to know how you fare.
     
  17. Quan

    Quan Regular Member

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    Hmm...about the beep test. I've done it the Intermittent beep test. I don't quite remember how I did but I think it was around (20 x 40 meters) 800 meters, or something like that. If the figure is abnormally high or low, perhaps I remembered wrong. But, I played soccer for a long time. You could probably even make your own beep test if you wanted to.
     
  18. jayes

    jayes Guest

    Wow, I've read all the suggestions with interest and they are all excellent. However, I would like to offer another suggestion.

    Throughout my playing years, I find that proper breathing and relaxation helps (in addition to fitness). I can be very fit but without proper breathing and relaxation, I find that I tire faster than anticipated. Thus my stamina diminish much sooner and my playing quality suffers.

    Building relaxation is easier said than done. I find that relaxation comes naturally after playing many high-stress tournaments. That is just me. Different player will find other ways to achieve relaxation. Other player may find 'confidence' is the key to relaxation. So on and so forth.

    Good luck!
     
  19. Steplantis

    Steplantis Regular Member

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    I wouldn`t suggest using ankle weights for doing on court work - if you`re trying to add more weight to your body better to have it on your upper body and let the legs carry that extra load rather than have the weights on the legs themselves which could easily cause ankle and lower leg injuries. I also think it would hinder proper footwork technique.
     
  20. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    Mark, offer your opponent to play with the 7x5 score system :)
     

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