i know that the lower back and the abdominal muscles are very important for badminton as they create the of power, which means that power can be transfered more eficently if those muscles are strong, powerful and have a overall better fitness to them, this centre of power is needed so that more power can be put into shots ( i.e. whole body movements such as the racket arm and leg being pulled back and the trunk ''coiled up'' so get the persons full body weight into a shot ), i know that the stronger the ab muscles ( both the rectus abdominals, transverse abdominals and the obliques ) and the lower back ( spinal erectors ) the better the power transfer from ( i.e. less power is lost, so in turn a shot seems more powerful, if you know what i mean ). I train my ab's AND lower back ( which most people neglect ) in order to get the most out of my shots, i'm still only 16, which i know in the eyes of phyisology is not fully mature, and play at a reasonable standard ( hopefully playing 3rd county in england next season ) plus for 2 adult clubs ( hopefully 3 next season ) My question is that no matter how much i warm up ( raise body temp and stretch muscles for between 15-20seconds) and cool down ( lower body temp stretches held for 25-30 seconds ) my trunk muscles they seem to get a bit sore the next day ( well the right side obliques and lower back anyway ) and the only thing that i can think of that is causing this is 1 of 3 things 1. the muscles are cooling down to much between matches at club night and tournaments, so the lactic acid is building up each time. 2. I tend to play a more attacking '' round the head '' shot when at the back hand corner when posible which could be putting more stress on my core muscles ( i.e. my obliques as they must be stretching the most during a round the head shot ) 3. A muscle imbalance between the trunk muscles for some reason or becasue i am still growing. if any of you guys ( or girls ) have any other ideas about this or know of a way that could reduce the muscles soreness the next day ( which isn't bad, it's just fraghstrating because as far as i know i'm doing things as i should do ). Thanks alot for any replies
How about stretching between games and keeping hydrated? Gregr will probably have a good answer to this.
It could be 'growing pains', a long-term virus, or possibly some disease. Have you seen a physician about these symptoms? It's good to hear that you're doing a balanced workout by training both your abs and your lower back. Is it possible that you are over-doing it? 'Round-the-head shots CAN be hard on the back. The combination of these shots plus an aggressive ab/back workout might be too much. You're not doing the back exercises any more than 3x per week, are you? Doing them properly? How much ab work are you doing? Ab work can also be tough on the lower back. Abs should be worked with your knees bent to minimize strain to the lower back. Try easing off a bit from the ab/back workout and see if the prob doesn't go away. As Tim has suggested, proper hydration and stretching is important. Are you also doing your stretches between matches? Do you wear a warmup jacket between matches? Have you tried icing your back and right side after strenuous workout? How about anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or aspirin? Again, check with a doctor about this. Altho' ibuprofen is one of the better non-prescription anti-imflammatories (in many countries), I don't recall if it is reccomended for 16-yr olds. I've had a lot of success for other inflammed areas with a German Ibuprofen (Dolgit) Creme. It might be worth looking into.
well i train my abs 2-3 times aweek, not anymore, i never do straight legged exercises ( apart from jack-knife sit-ups bit these are done with low reps ), i go to a gym about 3 times per week ( weight training ) and do 1 hard areobic sesion per 1 ( normally about a 4 mile run but at a fast pace, under 24 minutes ) plus 1areobic badminton session ( i.e. shuttle runs, foot work exercises plus other badminton drills ). This amount of training tapers off during the season. When at club nights i drink about 3 litres of water in a 3 hour session plus eatting 2 bannanas. The one thing that i can say is that i try to keep correct form while doing ab/back exercises ( never do crunches past 45 degrees as i know the work load after that is placed more on the lower back, and so placing it under extra stress ) thanks to both of you for your advice and tips, i'll look into it
2 more things... How much aerobic training? It's not quite clear how often you train aerobically. Once have built up your aerobic capacity, you don't really need to do it all the time. Better to do more interval training & plyometrics. Altho' badminton requires stamina, it's intensity comes in spurts & is anaerobic for the most part. For this reason interval training is probably more important than a sustained cardio (aerobic) work. The plyo workout should help develop explosive power & the jumping ability. Your feet or shoes can also cause lower back problems. Have you seen a foot doctor? Sometimes orthotics can cure ankle, knee, or lower back problems.
my training SUNDAY is my 4 mile run at a decent pace MONDAY are when i do plyometrics ( called ''air alert 2'' from when i use to play basketball ) plus skipping THURSDAY are when i do the badminton training, i.e. interval shuttles runs For example, place 6 shuttles on the outsie tramline of the court, then starting at the other side of the court ( so you are running width ways across the court ) sprint across the court then pick up 1 of the shuttles off the line then sprint back inthe start, without a rest do this with all 6 shuttles. After that rest for 30 seconds then do the drill again, the drill should be done at maximum speed, so at the llast 2 shuttles on the 5th set it starts to make the legs feel abit heavy. This drill also helps to raise your anareobic threshold ( meaning that it increases the concentration of lactic acid that can build up in the muscles without causing them to fatigue ) The time that you should be aiming for is between 21 seconds ( well thats my best ) when your fresh and about about 24/25 seconds nearer the end of the drill ) Also if i can't get to a court then i will include interval training in my runs, for example, i would jog for approx 8 -10 seconds then sprint for 8 - 10 seconds ( this time is used because it is the time that the average fast really last for ) The reason that i do a lot( ish) of areobic training is because i use to do alot of running with my school and ran cross-county and athletics for my county, so it knid of stuck with me, and i enjoy running, plus it helps me forget the troubles of teenage life ( just jokin ) Let me know any of your view on this, p.s. from my basketball days i have a vertical jump of about 36 - 38 inches
training Sounds like only 1 aerobic session per week. That hardly sounds excessive. Donald A. Chu, PhD, a conditioning expert, feels that aerobic training should not become a dominant component of a conditioning program for athletes focusing on power (speed with strength). While aerobic training may help an athlete recover from high-intensity exercise, it may do so at the expense of speed/power & increases the risk of overuse injuries. On the other hand, Dr. Chu reccomends plyometrics (with medicine ball work and weight training) 3 time per week. This is his program for developing explosive power & strength.
Re: training speedwise, i don't feel that i have a problem as i cover the court well, that being one of my strong points, as the shuttle runs should show. I also i do badminton related areobic exercises ( as showed in the book ''physical training for badminton'' writen by Bo Omosegaard ) which i do for a extra hour per week. As for the plyometric work, i i'm only doing it once per week because i have finished the recommended time to do the full training load at ( which was 4 times per week for 3 months ) and now i'm just at the stage of maintanace as i feel that i won't beable to add much more to the 10 inches that i have added to my vertical jump, or in my acceleration, braking or changing speed times. However, i have now started a strength training work out on my hamstrings which is focusing on the negative ( eccentric ) contraction so i'm doing weights that would be higher than my 1 lift max ( as you can lower more weight then you can lift ). I'm focusing on the hamstrings as this could further add to may explosive power of my legs. I have consulted the people at my gym ( the people that work there that is ) and they have given to the once over and checked that my form is correct throughout the exercises that use just the eccentric, this should hopefully lower my chance of injury while doing these exercises. As for my chance of injury, i have 2 rest days per week, and i eat a balanced diet, which is high in protein ( well 0.8g of protein per lb of body weight ) which should help be maintain the lean tissues, i'm eatting 6 small meals a day rather than 3 larger ones. Please note that i am only 16 and by no means a expert on this, however i would like to learn lots more about this sort of thing because i'm hoping to work in the fitness industy when i'm older as well as hoping to become a full tome badminton coach. I hope i don't seem to bitchy and like what you might expect a teenager to belike, if so i'm sorry, because the points that you have raised are valid and i'm taking note of them so that i can change my training where needs be, Thanks again for your views. p.s. If anyone whats to try and get hold of the '' Physical training for badminton '' book then have a look at www.1st4sport.com
training & diet thnx for the URL. it sounds as if you've done your homework on training. be sure to keep current with this stuff. there are several different philosophies on training for badminton, some better than others. there are also a lot of older myths still hanging around. i've heard some very good advice and some bad advice from trainers in gyms. as for diet... 5 or 6 meals a day sounds like a great idea but it bothers me that so many people are still pushing high protein diets. it's become a fad in the past few years & bodybuilders have been pushing it for decades. carbs, once considered the healthiest of the macronutrients, have become evil (something to avoid). altho' this thinking has become prevalent in gyms and fad diets of the day, the concesus of reputable nutritionists say that high protein, low carb diets may work in the short term but are not healthy in the long run (primarly due to the effects of ketosis). by high protein, i'm referring to diets that derive 30% of calories from proteins (at the expense of carbs). Altho' maintaining & building muscle mass requires protein intake, power athletes probably require only slightly more protein than sedentary people. I don't know about the UK, but it is estimated that the average American eats more than twice as much protein as they really need (quite often with more fat they they need). Except for the carb-phobic guys writing fad diet books, nutritionist usually put protein intake at less than 20% of all calories. For those looking to build muscle mass, the timing of protein intake may be more important than ingesting large amounts of it. Balanced meals sound good (where 50 to 60% of calories come from carbs). For the most part, you should avoid high glycemic snacks. High glycemic carbs should only be consumed as part of a balanced meal. I tend to consume my high glycemic foods after some protein, fat, fiber and low glycemic carbs when eating a meal.
Re: training & diet it's not really homework as i'm doing a sports science course at the moment so it's just the stuff that i have learn't during my first year on the course. In the U.K. it is harder to get the full amount of protein without gettin way to much fat. When ever i have been to the gym i would eat 2 bannanas staright after, and then a meal of carbs, protein and some fat within about 90 minutes of the end of the sesion. I'm not on a extreme amount of protein i'm just at the higher end of the RDA, but i'am tryin to build lean tissue as i'm ( well was before i started weight training ) quite a bit under weight for my height and age, i'm now just about gettin to my recommened weight. Since starting weight traing my body fat % has dropped from 6.6% to about 5.5% ( which i know is very low ) but i'm eatting right and have put at least 6 kg of lean tissue ( that was between last august and the March just gone ) and hopefully i will of improved even more since then. I know that you will probaly say that i shouldn't be trying to build lean tissue as it could reduce my performance, lower my mobiltiy and flexiblity but image is important for teenagers so i try my hardest not to be known as the skinny kid that is good at badminton, but kid with the good body that is good at badminton. As far as i can see, i'm eatting well,warming up and cooling down well, doing the correct training that won't cause be injury, resting enough and enjoying it all which i think is the most important part of the training. I have taken note to all the advice that you have given and thank u for it as it is useful, i always have respect for people older than me and people that have a good understanding of things like this
before each match i warm up and do streaches.... i have thought of the anti flammatory meds but i talked to my doctor and that i should take anything but non asprin medications so i just ice it several time on and off during matches and after matches i streach and ice it again...but due to special vitamins i am taking at the time i am limited to non perscriptions medications due to ingredents thanks
it takes the muscles 15-20 minutes to get all warm and reach the maximum temperature, all excersise after this period is "pure waste". From what you've said that you always tend to be sore the next day could indicate 2 things. 1) You're not using the right technique. And by that I mean you may be using muscles wrong. It's a common mistake with younger players that they want to create maximum power and therefore the more "sling" there body instead of using contractions and "pre-tension"? (Can't remember the expression in english) 2) You're not strong enough to do your movements. stomach-excersise: §1 Lay on your back, legs straight and your arms holding behind your head. Raise your legs as close as 90-degrees you can get when your legs are side-by-side and straighten. take your legs down until 5-10 cm above the ground and take them up again. Simple excersise, but I'm sure will be able to get some good out of it. -This could be extended to your side-muscles instead by moving your legs to one of the sides when the going down. §2 Lay on your back, legs straight and your arms by your side. Lift your legs 10 cm and hold them for 30 sec.
