Improving my speed on the court

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by Drgn01, Mar 27, 2010.

  1. Drgn01

    Drgn01 Regular Member

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    Hi everyone! I'm in a bit of a problem at the moment. I play for my high school senior badminton team, and I started the season playing mixed doubles. We were really good, but the coach thought that I might be better on my own in singles.
    So lately I've been trying singles, and I'm finding the transition a bit tough. I'm a quick learner, so I didn't have a problem with new things such as the new strategies, new serves/shots, ect. However, my one big problem is speed.
    When I played mixed doubles, I didn't have to worry much about how fast I was because I was a good tactical player, plus I would only cover 1/2 or at max 3/4 of the court at a time, which made for much less running. But now that I'm dealing with the entire court, I find that all my footwork is rather clumsy and I'm not as fast as I have to be. As soon as my footwork starts to fall behind it's a lot harder to make the right shot I want and I end up losing the point..
    So my question is, what's the best, most efficient way to increase my speed on the court? Should I keep practicing my footwork, or should I be training my legs? What excercises or drills would you recommend?
    I really appreciate any help you can give in regards to my problem!

    A bit more about me: I was going weight lifting regularly prior to the badminton season, and I'm not the skinniest guy you'll meet, so I'm a bit on the bulky side. My footwork is fairly good, but I get tired pretty fast so my strides/steps get shorter and I start to stumble or get clumsy. And I would say clears and smashes are my best shots, while I still have to work on doing drop shots from the rear-court.
     
  2. druss

    druss Regular Member

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    Doesn't sound like it's a speed issue but more of a stamina problem.
     
  3. Drgn01

    Drgn01 Regular Member

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    Hm, yeah I was thinking the same thing. I was beginning to cut back on weight lifting and focus predominantly on cardiovascular excercise to avoid gaining any unnecessary muscle or weight, so I should probably stick with that.

    Another small question.. I don't normally do any skipping, but I've heard it helps when training for badminton. Would you suggest I add skipping into my routine?
     
  4. rryz3365

    rryz3365 Regular Member

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    To improve speed

    I think skipping rope is very helpful to train up the calve muscles which increases the speed and also stamina. Skipping rope is a quite intense exercise (especially double skips) which will increase your cardiovascular performance. Although I am not a good player, I think skipping rope as improved my badminton by a lot. I am not that skinny either.
     

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