footwork with ankle weights

**blindfury** · 09-17-2009, 12:14 AM

i thought "strap-rocks-on-yourself-then-take-them-off-you-will-fly" technique is at extinction

**jchan04** · 09-17-2009, 12:21 AM

i think ankle weights are good for endurance... i'm not sure about being faster, but definitely stronger.
you should try jumping with them and soon jump smash with them (if that's recommended) and you'll probably jump higher.
I can also see how a weight vest could help, the weight is distributed, making you work harder and when you take them off... it'll be lighter so essentially all lunges and movements are at ease.

**qkyeong** · 09-29-2009, 09:21 PM

I don't think wearing ankle weight during a game is a good idea. I would say wear it when you are not playing a game. e.g. Walking around, going to work and etc. Take it off when you are playing a badminton game. It should help in the sense, you should feel lighter and faster. It is just common logic.

**jchan04** · 10-06-2009, 03:35 PM

instead of ankle weights, I suggest just working on footwork after a club session or something and keep practising. practice till you become machine and that you become faster and consistence.

also when you are playing opponents that are mediocre, you should work on footwork during play and get the experience from that and reading player's movements so you can take advantage.

**Gollum** · 10-07-2009, 05:26 AM

When you use a training aid that adds weight, you have to think carefully about what you're trying to achieve, and about protecting yourself from injury.

In particular, I think it's unwise to use these weights during a game or competitive practice. If you use them at all, choose practices that are do not demand much agility. The added weight reduces your stability and increases the stress on your joints, so you really don't want to be making unexpected changes of direction.

So you could use them for shadow footwork, where you know in advance what corner you're going to move to next. They might be helpful for jumping practice -- but I would restrict the practice to jumps with a very stable, two-footed landing. Probably "straight up" jumping would be best.

It would be a very bad idea to use them for open footwork practice, such as when the feeder can hit randomly to any corner. This requires a great deal of agility, and the added weights significantly increase your risk of injury (such as a sprained ankle).