Playing Badminton for awhile but just can’t seem to get better? You’re in luck! This guide is the perfect guide for you. In this guide, I will be sharing with you the common pitfalls that many intermediate players make that stop them from advancing beyond. Let’s get right down to it!
Step One: Improve Your Contact Point
This might seem like a no brainer, but most players do not hit the “sweet spot” as often as they think they might. Getting better at badminton comes down to a fundamental understanding of where the “sweet spot” is. The sweet spot is a small area on the string bed of the racket that when used to strike the shuttle, will give a very satisfying feel and give you the greatest transfer of power.
The sweet spot, unlike what some may believe, is not actually at the centre of the racket, but slightly above. This is because racket technology has figured that the physics of having the sweet spot slightly above the centre will give you a greater leverage on power. Improve your contact point accuracy to increase the power and consistency of all your techniques!
Not only that, many players do not contact the shuttle at optimum height, that which reduces the potential angles that a player can use to get better at badminton and win the game. One great way to notice is to take a video of your overhead swing to check for bent elbows and slanted swings that are stopping you from getting better at badminton!
Step Two: Learn Advanced Techniques
In addition to the ten basic techniques. Getting better at badminton means you will have to learn more advanced techniques such as the short and flick serve, jump-smash, spin-net, slice/chop or flick. A larger array of techniques means that your opponent will have to be able to adapt to a bigger variety of challenges you will pose.
Check out our badminton technique guides where we outline all the different techniques and provide you with programs that our BG Academy coaches recommend to help you get better at badminton!
Step Three: Improve Your Footwork
If you are reading this guide, you should have already learnt the basic footwork and have no problem reaching the ends of the court effectively and efficiently. Your footwork has more potential than this however.
To get better at badminton, watch and analyse the games of professional badminton players. You would realise that they rarely return to the exact center because it is strategically unwise to do so.
Being slightly of centre not only improves your ability to anticipate your opponent’s plays and counter them, it also helps you better retrieve shots. That being said, practice makes perfect, check out our footwork guides where we teach you how to bring your footwork to the next level!
Step Four: Devise Your Game Strategy
Devising a game strategy involves a methodical approach. First, you will need to understand you strengths, some players are great with rallies, being physical fit or have astounding technique accuracy, other players are fast and have great power, others have a particular technique that they are excellent in.
From there, devise a few playstyles that work to your advantage, here, you build a vocabulary of the potential plays you can employ, such as rallying, attacking, or setting up for a particular technique.
It always does you good to have backup strategies if the first one fails. It also helps if you are able to define your opponent’s weaknesses, either throughout the match or by watching their games beforehand.
Finally, you align your playing strategies to match their weaknesses. That, is how you devise a game strategy.
For more specific tips on how to devise a game strategy, visit our strategy guides where world class players such as Viktor Axelsen advise you on how to get better at badminton.
Step Five: Get Stronger, Faster and Fitter
Badminton is a physically demanding sport after all, being strong, fast and fit will help. Check out our online training page where we detail the tried and tested methods to train you in the aspects of cardiovascular ability, agility and sport specific power.
Step Six: Challenge Yourself
Playing against a weaker or the same opponent all the time will limit the playing experience that you receive. Playing a lot of badminton while useful, will help you become better at badminton faster if you play with a lot of different badminton players.
No idea where to start? Join our group classes where we provide you with a great platform to play with other players of similar standards.
Conclusion
The coaches at the BG Badminton Academy understand that simply playing a lot of badminton will not bring you to the next level. We have seen players with twenty years of experience lose to beginners with only two. This is because to improve, players must constantly challenge themselves, reflect and find aspects in their game to improve on.
At BG Badminton Academy, we not only provide you with a convenient platform, but also the resources and guidance to get better at badminton. We take the guesswork out of badminton and make it simple for you. Sign up for our 12 classes package and get two classes free here!
Until next time!