The Speed and Agility

**gsc300** · 07-11-2006, 03:38 AM

Hey, I got some problems on the speed (or agility) of going towards the shuttle. After I smash or drop from the back court, I ran towards the middle for the next move after that, my opponents always lift it high and back which my feet can't balance and stop (even if I have badminton shoes). I always hit it too late because i'm not fast enough. Not only that, whenever my opponet drops and netcross at me, I can't get it because I'm too slow. Is there any training of tecniques that i can learn and use to increase my speed and agility??

**jas1121** · 07-11-2006, 04:24 AM

Originally Posted by gsc300

Hey, I got some problems on the speed (or agility) of going towards the shuttle. After I smash or drop from the back court, I ran towards the middle for the next move after that, my opponents always lift it high and back which my feet can't balance and stop (even if I have badminton shoes). I always hit it too late because i'm not fast enough. Not only that, whenever my opponet drops and netcross at me, I can't get it because I'm too slow. Is there any training of tecniques that i can learn and use to increase my speed and agility??

I used to have the same problem. Lots of footwork training and skipping rope will do. I m usually on my toes most of the time like bouncing a little and if i dont have enough time, i would move 1 step then jump backwards for the backcourt area.

**coops241180** · 07-11-2006, 06:07 AM

yeah - skipping is the key, 20 minutes a day.. with 5 minutes steady pace - 2 minutes as fast as you can, 6 minutes steady pace, 2 minutes as fast as you can and then the final 5 minutes steady / warm down pace.

it'll get you light footed, and improve your balance no end.

... i should skip more

Coops

**LuckyBoy** · 07-11-2006, 07:09 AM

Originally Posted by coops241180

yeah - skipping is the key, 20 minutes a day.. with 5 minutes steady pace - 2 minutes as fast as you can, 6 minutes steady pace, 2 minutes as fast as you can and then the final 5 minutes steady / warm down pace.

it'll get you light footed, and improve your balance no end.

... i should skip more

Coops

wow that seems quite a work out lolz...

as they said...drills, drills, and more drills.

**silentheart** · 07-11-2006, 09:08 AM

? for gsc300
Are you running or are you using cross step back to the center?

Look up some video, see if your foot work is same as the training video.

**DivingBirdie** · 07-11-2006, 09:21 AM

racket foot steps outwards after ur forehand stroke, and continue moving forward after ur racket foot lands....hope u get what i mean. remember to stretch out ur racket foot to take drops

what u can do is practice travelling the court, especially moving backwards, without a shuttle first. make sure u can judge where's out and where's good baseline ball

**LazyBuddy** · 07-11-2006, 09:24 AM

Besides the footwork and physical training, practice your anticipation. With good anticipation, you can start to move "earlier". I've seen some crafy players in local clubs, they are not fast, or even should be categorized as "slow" (due to age or injury, etc), but they can always move to the proper spot on time. Their physical condition might not be the greatest, but they have a decent chance to beat the younger, faster, more powerful opponents (of course, within a reasonable skill range), by playing smart and effectively.

**Eurasian =--(O)** · 07-11-2006, 11:30 AM

you need to get stronger legs so u can switch direction more easily. Or you can compensate by having excellent anticipation and moving more gracefully.

**chibe_K** · 07-11-2006, 04:50 PM

You need to have a stronger back to maintain balance while trying to reverse direction. Also, you need to move in the direction where your body is in parallel with the direction of the shuttlecock. If your body is in perpendicular, its very easy to lost balance and its slow.

**Monster** · 07-12-2006, 01:52 AM

Actually, I also have this problem and still having this problem with speed. I think I have more or less the right footwork but I am sure it can be improved further.

I recently played with two professional players in their forties. They thrashed me without much effort using the old system 15-3, 15-0 and with the other 15-5, 15-3. Some pointers I got from them was mainly my speed. I barely have enough time to reach the shuttle and return whereas they are always one step ahead of me and were able to decide where to smartly place the shuttle in their return. I am pretty ok with my peers but was far behind the pros. These two pros are taller than me by 2-3 inches in height and have longer legs. Could this be the reason too?

**gsc300** · 07-12-2006, 03:17 AM

Other than skipping ropes, is their other training i can do to increase speed, because I already done skipping rope (not everyday... >< and i never know there is so many ways in skipping...).

**Loh** · 07-12-2006, 03:22 AM

Originally Posted by chibe_K

You need to have a stronger back to maintain balance while trying to reverse direction. Also, you need to move in the direction where your body is in parallel with the direction of the shuttlecockIf your body is in perpendicular, its very easy to lost balance and its slow.

Can't figure out what you mean. It seems very odd to me that you're taking the shuttle almost lying down on your back!

Did you mean "in perpendicular" instead?

**FEND.** · 07-12-2006, 05:50 AM

Originally Posted by chibe_K

You need to have a stronger back to maintain balance while trying to reverse direction. Also, you need to move in the direction where your body is in parallel with the direction of the shuttlecock. If your body is in perpendicular, its very easy to lost balance and its slow.

Hence it comes back to his point that he can't run fast enough or cover the rear court as fast as he desires due to his speed, or rather lack of.

Mate, just practice practice practice. Eventually you'll build up the strength in your leg muscles to achieve the desired speed and so forth.

**chibe_K** · 07-12-2006, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by Loh

Can't figure out what you mean. It seems very odd to me that you're taking the shuttle almost lying down on your back!

Did you mean "in perpendicular" instead?

Well....based on my understanding of the description "After I smash or drop from the back court, I ran towards the middle for the next move after that, my opponents always lift it high and back which my feet can't balance and stop (even if I have badminton shoes). "

Looks like gsc300 was having trouble switching direction - he tried to move forward, his opponent hit to baseline, and because of his weak legs and back, he could not switch to backward direction quick enough.

Besides the leg muscles, I find having a strong back also helps to hit baseline shots. Besides that, the position of the body is important too to keep you from off-balance. Parellel means you turn your body 90 degree to your right and your chest should be in parallel with the direction of the shuttlecock. Perpendicular means there is no turning and your chest is directly facing the shuttlecock. Got it !

**Monster** · 07-12-2006, 06:37 PM

Is it really leg muscles? I also have the same problem. After a smash or a drop from my baseline, I run to the middle court but sometimes too slow that I cannot pick a drop to the other side of my court. E.g. I smash from the left rear court near to the baseline and opponent intercepts and drops to the net naer the right side of the court. I also have the same speed problem as gcs300 when I rushed to the middle court just to find out that my opponent has lifted high to my baseline. Is it my speed or leg power or both ? I was commented on my speed and probably footwork. I've seen some pros playing and they can quickly apply their brakes and still switch back even after their opponents have lifted high up to their baseline when they rushed to mid court. I seem to find that braking and sudden change in direction very difficult. I'm 74kg. Too much inertia?

**stumblingfeet** · 07-12-2006, 09:40 PM

It's all about being able to absorb the sudden large reactive forces when you change direction. This is dependent on the strength of your muscles as well as your nervous system's ability to recruit those muscles quickly and efficiently.

My tip is to break your footwork up into unidirectional movements, and develop your force absorbtion ability for each one. For example, from the base to the corner would be one movement, and from that corner back to the base would be another. Take the 2-3 steps necessary to move there, then STOP suddenly. What you're attempting to do is to "stick" the landing, like a gymnast would landing after a series of flips in the air. So, there should be no stumbling, no sliding, no bending of your joints, your body stiff and a completely quiet stop. Soft and efficient.

Once you've developed the ability to absorb forces, you'll find that gaining dynamic balance will be much easier when performing footwork.