The Speed and Agility

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by gsc300, Jul 11, 2006.

  1. gsc300

    gsc300 Regular Member

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    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??:crying:
     
    #1 gsc300, Jul 11, 2006
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2006
  2. jas1121

    jas1121 Regular Member

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    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.
     
  3. coops241180

    coops241180 Regular Member

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    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
     
  4. LuckyBoy

    LuckyBoy Regular Member

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    wow that seems quite a work out lolz...

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

    silentheart Regular Member

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    ? 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.
     
  6. DivingBirdie

    DivingBirdie Regular Member

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    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
     
  7. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    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. ;)
     
  8. Eurasian =--(O)

    Eurasian =--(O) Regular Member

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    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.
     
  9. chibe_K

    chibe_K Regular Member

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    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.
     
  10. Monster

    Monster Regular Member

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    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?
     
  11. gsc300

    gsc300 Regular Member

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    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...).
     
  12. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    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! :D Did you mean "in perpendicular" instead? ;)
     
  13. FEND.

    FEND. Regular Member

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    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.
     
  14. chibe_K

    chibe_K Regular Member

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    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 !
     
  15. Monster

    Monster Regular Member

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    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?
     
  16. stumblingfeet

    stumblingfeet Regular Member

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    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.
     
  17. Monster

    Monster Regular Member

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    Does sprinting 100m helps? Or maybe sprint 20m then switch direction and sprint again for 20 m and switch for another 4 times.
     
  18. stumblingfeet

    stumblingfeet Regular Member

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    Not exactly, the physical challenges are different. Consider that in badminton, the most you'll be moving is 3-4 m before a change in direction occurs. Also, the movement pattern is different - in badminton, you use the chasse and crossover steps, and also the lunge. In this case, I think that sports specific training from practising the footwork wins out over doing sprints.
     
  19. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    This is how someone describes agility:

    Agility is the ability to change the direction of the body in an efficient and effective manner and to achieve this you require a combination of:

    Balance
    the ability to maintain equilibrium when stationary or moving (i.e. not to fall over) through the co-ordinated actions of our sensory functions (eyes, ears and the proprioceptive organs in our joints).

    Static Balance - ability to retain the centre of mass above the base of support in a stationary position

    Dynamic Balance - ability to maintain balance under changing conditions of body movement

    Speed
    the ability to move all or part of the body quickly

    Strength
    the ability of a muscle or muscle group to overcome a resistance

    Co-ordination
    the ability to control the movement of the body in co-operation with the body's sensory functions e.g. catching a ball (ball, hand and eye co-ordination)

    How do we improve agility?
    We can improve our agility by improving the component parts of agility (listed above) and practicing the movements in training.

    Agility Ladder

    In various fields of sports competition the body is constantly asked to perform movements from unfamiliar joint angles. The main objective for agility ladder programs is to promote a wide range of different foot and movement patterns. These skilled movements become second nature and the body is able to quickly respond to various angles that are required in sporting events.

    We can improve our agility by practicing the movements in training and an agility ladder is an essential tool in a complete agility program. The standard ladder is 10 yards long with 18 inch squares but you can construct your own ladder using sticks or tape. (I suppose you can also draw the ladder lines on the floor.)

    When beginning an agility ladder program introduce 2 to 4 movements. Once you master these patterns introduce new patterns. Keep in mind, this is a general recommendation as the introduction of movements depends on your athlete's ability to master the movements.

    Exercises

    Detailed below are some ladder drills you could use with your athletes.

    Exercise 1 Exercise 2

    1. Run through the ladder placing one foot in the middle of each square.
    2. Emphasize arm swing, powerful high knee drive with the toes dorsiflexed and quick ground contact.
    3. Run through the ladder touching both feet in each square.
    4. Emphasize arm swing, powerful high knee drive with the toes dorsiflexed (bend towards the upper surface) and quick ground contact.

    Exercise 3

    1. Begin by standing sideways to the ladder.
    2. Moving in a lateral fashion to your right, step into the first square with the right foot.
    3. Step in with the left foot.
    4. Step back out with the right foot.
    5. Step back out with the left foot.

    Repeat the sequence from 2 to 5 all the way along the ladder.

    Exercise 4

    1. Perform the drill in a sideways position to the ladder.
    2. Moving to the right, place the right foot into the first square.
    3. Next, step across the ladder with the left foot.
    4. Remove the right foot from the ladder placing it next to your left foot.
    5. Now, step forward into the second square with the left foot
    6. Next, step across the ladder with the right foot
    7. Remove the left foot from the ladder placing it next to your right foot

    Repeat the sequence from 2 to 7 all the way along the ladder

    Exercise 5

    1. Start straddling one side of the ladder - right foot in the first square and your left foot outside of the ladder.
    2. Do a jump to your right so your right foot stays in the ladder square and your left foot lands in the next ladder square.
    3. Do a jump to your left so your left foot stays in the ladder square and your right foot lands outside the ladder.
    4. Do a jump to your left so your left foot stays in the ladder square and your right foot lands in the next ladder square.
    5. Do a jump to your right so your right foot stays in the ladder square and your left foot lands outside the ladder.

    Repeat the sequence from 2 to 5 all the way along the ladder
    Exercise 6

    1. Begin standing sideways to the ladder.
    2. Step into the first square with the right foot.
    3. Next, step over the ladder to the other side with the left foot,
    4. Step with the right foot laterally to the next square.
    5. Next, step over the ladder to the other side with the left foot.
    6. Step with the right foot laterally to the next square.

    Repeat the sequence from 3 to 6 all the way along the ladder.

    Exercise 7

    As Exercise 6 but moving laterally with the left foot.

    Happy Training! :D
     
  20. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    There are many ways to improve your speed and agility, as others have shown.

    Remember also, however, that poor tactical choices can put a greater burden on your movement. If you smash crosscourt in singles, then your opponent may simply block straight to the net. It will be very hard to reach the shuttle in time.

    Even at the professional level, this often happens when a player smashes crosscourt. If the opponent is able to control the smash return, then the smasher is at an immediate disadvantage.

    Of course, many pros have a killer crosscourt smash and can use it to win rallies outright, even from the rearcourt. But be honest.....can you?
     
    #20 Gollum, Jul 13, 2006
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2006

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