Badminton Shots

Badminton Training Instruction

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Essentially, badminton instruction depend on the need of every person badminton avid gamers. It is usually related to the standard of the player. The training for kids who just started to learn badminton is likely just for getting enjoyable with small method on the beginning. But for players who want to become a professional player needs greater dedication to the game and willing to learn many possible training types that will impact its degree of competitiveness.

When it comes for badminton instruction, plainly it is divided into on-court and off-court exercise. On-court exercise meaning by doing badminton movements using a racket and shuttlecocks (rely on the objective you have set prior to). Off-court exercise meaning extra work that includes a goal to improve some aspects of fitness and assistance on-court physical exercise.

By carry on reading this article, you'll find the essential of badminton instruction program along with exercise assortment and training developments. The crucial to become a productive player rely about the seriousness of training plan that he or she followed. Your skill will improve dramatically if you follow all the guidelines and exercise it.

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You need a great badminton instruction program that assist you to improve your stamina, power and master your badminton abilities. You also have to make certain that your training will provide you towards the right path of enhancing your video game expertise.

Badminton Training Concepts

In general, badminton training program will concentrate on developing your wrist flexors and also the endurance. These two components are really crucial for the player. Many actions in the badminton game depend on the energy of your wrist flexors.

Hitting a shuttlecock is usually utilizing your wrist, so if you've a weak wrist will impact towards the game. Great endurance will also benefit you whenever you have to move back and forth across the court during the game.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

Cardiovascular Workouts

Cardio exercise is really a fundamental instruction and need to be a part of every instruction session.

You ought to work at the least 45 minutes of intense cardio physical exercise each and every session inside your badminton instruction program.

The purpose of this exercise would be to increase your pulse and maintain it up for some time period. This physical exercise is good so that you can keep your performance on best form.

Strength Instruction

The badminton training plan ought to provide some workouts to help building both upper and lower entire body. You need to make sure in strength training you get workouts that will reinforce your wrist and arms.

You might use weights inside your training. Stretching is also part of one's instruction plan.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

Mastery Instruction

Your badminton instruction should consist of plan to develop your badminton techniques.

Some fundamental movements are swings and serves. To become able to perform it you have to exercise together with your partner several times a week.

You are able to exercise alone. It's great for focusing on specific technique, but exercise together with your companion will help you to understand more about badminton tactics which you use in real game.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

Individuals instruction previously mentioned are badminton instruction plan that cover all the required elements for you to be better player. Missing out on one part can influence your overall performance and your game.

Badminton game combines a factor of fitness and expertise methods. You have to make certain your badminton training program includes all cardio, power and mastery training so you can be on your best play in the game possible.

A Guide to Badminton Training

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:55:00 +0000

Learning to perform badminton generally is a huge joy, happiness yet fascinating moment whenever you practice it properly. Badminton training can assist you to grow your ability, skill and performance. Additionally, it levels you to maintain great both mental and physical fitness for the game.

For certainly not very long, once you accomplish a lot of techniques you will understand that mastering badminton need a better use of wrist movements along with overhead shots than any other racket games. Those 2 essential motions increases your probability to help you win the game. Of course, there are various elements that you should work with before you find better effect for your performance.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

Foot motion, as an illustration is an additional critical point in badminton training. It provides the speed, agility to move corner to corner to return the shuttle.

To work on your upper and lower body you can do weight training. This kind of exercising increases the power and speed to your physique. This type of badminton training needs more repetitions and extra weight loads as long as the body can accept to give you the top outcomes.

You can even include more perform by doing depth jumps, low impact jumps and bounding workouts. Split squat jumps and push ups are alternative badminton trainings which good for you.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

To increase your speed you can apply sprint throughout the court in order to retrieve and placed shuttlecocks in the court area.

Learn how to serve is a wonderful start for you too. This specific training will make you confidence specially once you start the game. Several more badminton training is often attained through swimming, jogging or cycling. Quick thinking and quick response to the shuttle is essential too.

The crucial part of badminton training is usually to maintain adding your training little by little to accomplish the best endurance, speed, staying power and agility.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

Badminton Training Drills – The Key To Be Successful Player

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:06:00 +0000

If you want success with the game you play, you need to improve your badminton training drills with high level of physical fitness combined with speed, agility and reflexes.

To gain physical fitness as above mention, you need to increase the number of games and exercise your badminton drills more often so your body and mind are ready for the game.

One important thing when you play badminton is speed. It can be your success or lose the game.

When you play the game you need to persistently offense your opponent forcefully while also be ready of your opponent return. That’s why your badminton training drills need include speed agility work.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

The accuracy of your shots is also important part when you play badminton. So you need to practice your shots for the accuracy. You can develop all of your swings and shots by practicing passing drills.

You can ask your partner to stay on the other side of the net and start passing the shuttle on specific direction either by stay on one side of the court or on diagonal side of the court.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

Another way you can practice is to stand in one place and hit the shuttle to your partner who returns the shuttle without moving too. By doing this way you will improve your accuracy and train your wrist to familiarize each shot without the support of the legs.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

Your legs will also need to be trained with the right badminton training drills so you can move back and forth quickly.

Remember, before you start any badminton training you should perform warm-ups to avoid any injury to your body.

Steps to Purchase Badminton Gear

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:22:00 +0000

When you think of sport, you better try badminton. It is a sport that can be played by both beginner and advanced player.

For the beginner, it is good to create strong relationships with your friend, family and love ones. You can play and enjoy the game in the beach, backyard or in the park. Badminton is also good for indoor game.

Before you start to play the game, you will need a badminton gear. These badminton gear include:
√ Badminton Nets
√ Badminton Posts
√ Badminton Rackets
√ Badminton Set
√ Badminton Shuttlecocks
You can add some more like headbands, wristbands, shoes and socks.

Here are some guidance when you decide to purchase a badminton gear.

For The Advance Player

1. As opposed to buy a set of badminton gear, you will need to buy separately. This way, you can have specific features that match the official badminton regulations and also suit to your self.

2. Purchase posts that 5 feet 1 inch height.

3. Buy a net that made from fine cord and make sure the net is between 15mm and 20 mm wide. The depth of the net must be 2 feet 6 inch. Ensure the top of the edged having a 3 inch white tape doubled over a cord through it.

4. Choose a shuttlecock that match your budget. There are 2 options of shuttles: one is nylon and another is authentic feather. For advanced player should go with authentic feathers.

5. Purchasing racket can be little bit confuse. Rackets are designed with many characteristics for different styles of play. There are power player whom relying on the smash and a skill player whom devoting to control and placement. Which ones is your type?

6. Last step is to make sure you get the right measurement of the racket. The frame and handle are not longer than 680mm and 230mm in width. The overall length of the head must be 290mm. The strung surface must be 280mm in length and 220mm in width.

For The Beginner

1. Purchase badminton equipment in sets, since the quality and the features are less important for what you need.

2. When purchasing badminton gear you need to make sure you get 2 – 4 rackets, extra shuttles, 2 posts and a net. That are the basic requirements to play the game.

3. Check on some sporting goods stores to get better deal. The price mostly will cost anywhere between $15 to $40.

Whether you are a beginner or advance, enjoy the game!

What Is Badminton?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:13:00 +0000

Badminton is best played indoors. Badminton is also played outdoors as a casual recreational activity, often as a garden or beach game. Badminton is not only fun but is extremely beneficial to your health. Participating in badminton gives a huge number of health benefits and promotes a long, healthy life. Playing badminton keeps you feeling well, strong and motivated. It can help in coping with anxiety and stress and offers a release from the pressures of everyday life.

Since 1992, badminton has been an.: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, in which each pair is a man and a woman. At high levels of play, the sport demands excellent fitness: players require aerobic stamina, agility, strength, speed and precision. It is also requiring a good technical sport and the development of sophisticated racquet movements.

Badminton features one player opposing another or competing pairs. The game is played on a surface called a court. The size of the court is 44 feet long X 17 feet wide for a single's match and 4 feet long X 20 feet wide for a double's match. The net is supposed to be 5 feet 1 inch on the edges and 5 feet in the centre. The object is to hit the bird or shuttlecock past the opponent so it lands on the court, or to get the opposition to make a mistake and hit the shuttlecock into the net or outside the court. A match is the best of three games, played to 21 points.

Badminton is the fastest-racquet sport and is also considered to be the world's #2 most played sport behind soccer. There are regional tournaments and leagues throughout much of Asia and Europe, as well as countless people playing in schools, gyms, or clubs.

Professional badminton, although thought by many to be non-existent, has all the characteristics that make a sport popular. The stereotype that badminton is an unbearably slow sport with little action could not be more wrong. Badminton is in fact the world's fastest racket sport, even more so than the most popular racket sport, tennis.

by: kotakeripik

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Mechanics of Badminton Backhand

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:20:00 +0000

The mechanics of badminton can include many different areas of the sport. Mostly this will be important with the positioning of your body and your racket as these are the two things you can control the most when playing badminton.

You can also control where you want the shuttlecock to go, however this is going to be an extension of controlling your swing. There is a lot of information to gather when thinking about the mechanics of badminton and so this article will focus on the over the head backhand mechanics of badminton alone.

The over the head backhand swing in badminton is not going to be your most used or your most powerful shot. However there are instances that call for a good backhand or over the head backhand and knowing how to execute one will be helpful. Whenever possible you should strive to use a forehand or "round-the-head" stroke as these will be more successful in most situations.

The first thing you will want to learn in the mechanics of your badminton backhand is how to grip your racket. The best grip on your racket for an over the head backhand will be to have the flesh of your thumb on a bevel that allows the racket to face squarely at the shuttle. This is going to be different for different players, you may want to experiment with it to get the correct placement for you.

It is important that the racket faces the shuttle squarely so the shuttle goes where you are intending and since you often cannot see the target as you hit the shuttle this will have to be somewhat of an instinct for you. The position of your thumb will also have to move depending on where the shuttle is in relation to you and the net. As you practice your over head backhand stroke you will begin to find the naturally comfortable bevel that will allow you free movement and the racket to be squared with the position of the shuttle.

Once you have played with the grip of your racket you will want to then start to focus on positioning the racket and your body correctly to maximize your swing. First your body should be faced away from the net with your back squared evenly with the net. This will allow you to complete a true backhand swing. When your back is to the net you will be able to see the shuttle coming by looking over the shoulder of your racket hand.

As for your racket position, the primary goal is to hit the shuttle before it passes your body completely. To do this correctly you will want your racket elbow to point to the floor in front of your body. The racket in your hand should be pointing in the upward position and the hand you hold the racket in should be close to the opposite shoulder. At this point your upper body will be rotated away from the oncoming shuttle.

As far as your feet go you will want to have your racket foot planted firmly to increase the power with which you can swing. This is a vast amount of positioning to take in. For this area the mechanics of badminton backhand try going through one step at a time, as you remember each movement put them altogether in the end and the flow will make sense.

Now you have the grip and the position down you want to focus on the mechanics of the badminton overhead backhand stroke. The actual stroke in this swing will consist of your hip, shoulder and elbow working together to connect the racket with the shuttle. The faster the shot the more deception it will involve even if the deception is that your opponent does not believe you will be able to hit the shuttle.

As you start the shot your thumb will be pointed down ward, as you raise your arm you will rotate clockwise (right handed) or counterclockwise (left handers). The stroke ends with a powerful twist of the forearm to the point of the racket squarely meeting the shuttle in mid air with your racket arm fully extended. You can follow the shot through with the rest of your arm and body however for full power it is not necessary just follow through comfortably and naturally ready to return the shot if needed.

How to Be a Good Badminton Player

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:41:00 +0000

To become a good badminton player, beside Physical Skill, you also must have a Mental Strength. Mental Strength is very crucial especially when come to the tournament. Besides these, Sport Nutrition is also important especially for the player preparing for the tournament.

1. Physical Skill:

Let's start with the most fundamental of badminton skill, ie: Strokes, Steps/Footwork, Stamina, and Strategy.

Strokes:

The basic technique of badminton strokes includes Overheads forehand and backhand clear / smash / drop, drives, lifts, net shot. You are higher recommended to learn from the badminton demo video. With the video, it will save you a lot of time learning all the basic strokes.

After you have learn the basic strokes, the next step you have to do is practice and practice. Without the ability to execute all the different strokes, one will not be a complete badminton player.

Steps/Footwork:

Steps/Footwork is always comes together with stroke. A good badminton must have a good coordination of footwork and strokes. This includes foot, body, arms, swing coordination.

Stamina:

A badminton can last anything from 15 minutes to 1 hour plus and there can be more than one game within a day. A completed badminton match is best of 3 games, that means you got to play at least 2 games continuously. Without good stamina, a badminton player will be unable to successfully execute his/her desired strokes or even cannot finish the game. Again, stamina need to be build over the time via regular training, workouts or exercises. Regular workout will also help to improve your game by increasing your arm strength.

Strategy:

With good badminton skill and stamina is not enough, you must also have a good strategy to win a game. you have to make the correct shot at the correct time, either a drop-shot, smash, or clear? This is also important to identify the weakest point of opponent. This is especially crucial for doubles game, you should identify your opponent weakness and attack the opponent who is weaker. This is the most simple strategy. If your opponent is weak on his/her backhand clear, then you should hit the shuttle towards his/her backhand more. To go one level higher, it is also important to make the correct choice for a series of return and to lay out a game plan for whole match. This is so called the strategy of a badminton game.

2. Mental Strength:

Besides physical skill, a good badminton player must have good mental strength as well. Mental strength is the ability to make the correct decision even when under pressure or at the crucial moment. For example, when one is down to 5-19, or reaching the match point, 20-20. The player must stay focus to the game regardless whether he/she is leaving behind, leading, or under huge pressure due to the internal or external factor (eg: audience). A good badminton player must also be able to change strategy during the game on different situation. A good badminton player will not go down without a fight and should be able to keep his pace and the accuracy of his shots until the very last point in the game. A good example would be the game in between Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan during the Malaysia Open 2006. Lin Dan was already leading 20-13 in the rubber game and this was a really difficult situation for Lee Chong Wei, But he handled the pressure well and showed a great fighting spirit, slowly clawing back in to the game. And Finally, he won the game by 23-21.

You also have to keep yourself calm in the court and with high EQ. Many incidents, good or bad, can happen during a match either outside or inside the court. For example, bad line calls, umpires decisions or insulted by the audience or even opponent coach. See The Athlete's Mind Guide(refer link below this page) .

3. Sport Nutrition

Beside physical skill and mental strength, Sport Nutrition is also important especially for the player preparing for the tournament. On a day-to-day basis, you have to take care of your nutrition by consuming a well balanced diet comprising carbohydrate, fat, protein, electrolytes, vitamins, minerals and water. A Nutritionist can extend help in achieving this. Water should be consumed in just adequate amounts before, during and after play, ideally at the amounts required to quench the player's thirst. http://www.vonlineshop.com

By Willie Ong
Article Source: ttp://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Willie_Ong

Badminton Smash Shot Biomechanics

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:16:00 +0000

Badminton smash shot biomechanics is an interesting discussion in itself as the stroke.

To everyone playing the game, the smash is the most aggressive and attacking stroke in badminton. It is often employed to finish a point or to increase the tempo of the game. Male players substantially more often use it than their female counterparts.

It is very important to understand the badminton smash shot biomechanics, as it will help players to execute the shot to perfection. It is also necessary for the coach to be well versed in badminton smash shot biomechanics as they can then identify the errors made by the players in executing the shot and rectify them.

Before discussing about the badminton smash shot biomechanics, you must understand that the smash is basically a rearcourt shot, but can be taken from anywhere in the court depending on the situation. In preparation, the player stands sideways to the net with his racket hand facing away from the net and the elbows and shoulders nearly parallel to the horizontal and the racket head held overhead. From this position, the racket hand is swung forwards towards the shuttle, the arm coming in high and close to the head and the racket thrust forwards.

Analyzing the badminton smash shot biomechanics has revealed that during this phase there is a powerful inward rotation of the arm, followed by inward rotation of the forearm and lastly a flexion of the hand. The impact with the shuttle occurs high and slightly in front of the body.

At the time of impact, the racket is gripped tightly and the entire body weight is thrown behind the shot to make it more powerful. The higher the shot is taken, the more steep it is and that much more difficult to return. That is why a jumping smash is much more effective.

In the final phase, the racket hand follows through in the trajectory of the shuttle.

The importance of being familiar with the badminton smash shot biomechanics in badminton is obvious. We often see beginners executing the smash shot with very jerky movements of the racket hand ending up with very poor shuttle velocities. Professional players, on the other hand, obtain exceptional shuttle velocities with their smash shots. The difference lies in fluent execution of the shot following the proper biomechanical principles. This comes with experience and proper guidance.

Now the importance of a coach with a sound knowledge of the badminton smash shot biomechanics becomes apparent. Such a person can identify the problem areas of his wards and guide them accordingly. This will ensure a better performance from the player who will have a stinging and effective smash shot in his armoury.

The fundamentals part II

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:26:00 +0000

There are four very important fundamentals in badminton that all young players must master. They are the grip, footwork, stamina and the service.

We discussed the grip and footwork in the last column.

This week I will continue with the two other fundamentals stamina and service.

3. STAMINA

Every player knows that he/she needs to have stamina to play games like badminton because it is a very energy-demanding game.

But very few players understand that stamina in badminton is related to one's style of play. A player with a defensive style, where he engages his opponent in very long rallies, would develop more stamina than the deceptive player who combines it with some features of the attacking style of play.

So, you need to understand the style of your play and develop the stamina required for your style or combination of styles.

It is also important to know the "rate" of expenditure of energy and the "rate" of recovery required for your style of play.

Take a player with an attacking style. The attacking style saps a lot of energy from a player, at a faster rate than the defensive or deceptive style of play.

In the deceptive and especially the defensive style of play, the rate of energy used is not as fast as the attacking style.

However, these two styles of play require stamina which is longer lasting than the attacking style.

Look at Fung Permadi and Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen. They are in their thirties and still able to play and win tournaments against players 10 years younger than them.

When Hoyer-Larsen won the Olympic singles gold, he was almost 30 years old. And when Wong Peng Soon won his last All-England singles title, he was 37.

Both Hoyer-Larsen and Peng Soon are/were brilliant, deceptive stroke players, whose movements in court are easy and economical.

The fact that at such an "advanced" age (for international badminton), they could win major tournaments is a strong indication that stamina is relative to one's style of play.

There is another important aspect of stamina which is normally ascribed to fitness.

I prefer to look at it as stamina the reserve of energy and strength to enable a player to endure prolonged strain.

Other than stamina to last a gruelling three sets of 15 points, what is not normally emphasized is whether a player has the stamina to last a whole tournament and be at his/her strongest in the finals.

One of my main reasons for training until a player "hits the wall" as noted in my earlier article is to prepare a player, as best as possible, to have the stamina to last a tournament where he/she will be at his/her strongest in the finals.

Admittedly, sometimes it may not be possible to train until a player has sufficient stamina to last the whole tournament and luck can play a part.

Two very recent cases illustrate this - one in tennis and the other in badminton.

When Martina Hingis lost her singles final match to Jennifer Capraiti in the 2000 Australian Open, in her post-match interview, she admitted that she was too tired after the semi-finals match with Venus Williams and had very little to give in the final.

Those who watched the match on TV, could clearly see that her movements were lethargic and she could not go for her shots.

Jennifer played a very good match which made it even harder for Martina to win.

The other case is the men's All-England singles final between China's Chen Hong and India's P. Gopichand. Less than 18 hours after Chen Hong's two-hour match with Roslin Hashim he had to play Gopichand.

Without taking anything away from Gopichand for his fine singles win, I am sure Chen Hong would have given him a tougher game in the final had he not had such a tough game with Roslin.

So, other than stamina for a match, you should train and prepare to have the stamina for a tournament.

4. SERVICE

In tennis, you can easily see that the service is the most important shot, especially on grass courts or hard courts.

The powerful serve in tennis quite often determines whether a player wins or loses a match.

For badminton, especially in singles play, it is not obvious. In doubles play, it is more obvious, and quite a number of matches are won or lost because of the service.

Many young players do not realize that the service is the most important shot. To a good number of them, the service is just to start a point in a game.

Do you know that you can begin to gain advantage and control over your opponent by just using your service but only if it is effectively executed.

A good low service is one where the shuttle is about an inch over the net and is falling immediately after passing over the net to the opponent's court, but has speed to cross the service line.

For a good angled shooting service, it should be played in such a way that your opponent has to bend backwards while running backwards to retrieve the service.

For the high service, the opponent must stand between the two baselines to retrieve the service, he should stand nearer the outer baseline.

I would like to concentrate more on the high singles service because it is not so obvious to a lot of young players that such a service, when effectively executed, is the most important shot to play.

Quite a number of you have experienced this.

Sometimes, in a match where you are able to serve high and deep into your opponent's court so that he has to step near the outside baseline to take your service, you feel that you have put pressure on him just by that service alone.

You know that it is difficult for him to smash because he is so far back, and, if he smashes, it is not difficult for you to retrieve.

On the other hand, sometimes when you lose a point during a game it is because your service is poor and your opponent either smashes it easily or is able to play a shot to put you under pressure.

Quite often, it is the service which determines whether you win or lose a point or even a match.

This can be obvious in doubles play, where you may have watched time and time again on TV that the doubles pair which won the tournament was the one that served well under pressure.

One of the main reasons why Park Joo Bong was so superior in doubles play is because of his low service which combines sharpness with deception.

If you still have videotapes of Park Joo Bong playing doubles, just count how many times an opponent was able to tap his service compared to the services of other doubles players.

Very few times indeed.

During my time, there were two players in the same class as Park Joo Bong. They were Christian Hadinata of Indonesia and Tan Yee Khan of Malaysia.

Both of them had consistently high quality low services, almost impossible to tap and they used it to force their opponent to be on the defensive.

Let me explain to you how you can use your service in singles play to take advantage of your opponent's weak point.

Let us assume that your opponent's forehand stroke at the back court is weak and because of this, you are able to anticipate easier his forehand stroke.

By playing a deep high service to his forehand more frequently, just from the first shot, i.e. your service, you would gain an advantage over him already.

The chances of you receiving a good shot from his forehand is less than if you serve to his overhead corner. This initial advantage can lead to a bigger advantage and finally you would score the point.

These are the four fundamentals in badminton players should know and master if they want to play to their maximum capabilities.

Written by Tan Aik Huang

The fundamentals part I

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:27:00 +0000

Badminton Shots. I would like to highlight four "fundamentals" in badminton which I think are very important, especially for young players. A good understanding of these fundamentals and performing them correctly will go a long way to achieving maximum capabilities.

These four very important fundamentals are the grip, footwork, stamina and the service.

I would not go into their technical details which one could get from most books on badminton. However, I would emphasize on the importance of their application and what to watch for when you practice these four fundamentals.

Today, I will touch on the first two "the grip and footwork", and the next two "stamina and service" in the following article.

1 The grip. If you grip the racket incorrectly, your progress will be greatly affected. Just a simple thing like gripping the handle of a badminton racket can almost determine the future success rate of your badminton 'career'. An incorrect grip will limit your stroke production capabilities, and there would be a loss of power in your shots.

To test whether the grip is correct or not, do a forehand and a backhand flick as if you are retrieving a smash to your forehand and backhand. If you feel that your forehand and backhand flicks are approximately equal in power and quickness, then the grip is most probably correct.

The whole idea of a good grip is that it must not lock your wrist when you hit a backhand or forehand shot. The wrist's fast cocking and uncocking greatly provides the acceleration of the badminton frame, imparting the power to the shuttlecock. You cannot play effective badminton without a good grip. So, young players, make sure that you have a good grip, otherwise you develop strokes which are awkward, with no power and deception.

And you probably would have no future in the game.

2 Footwork. Almost as important as the grip is footwork. To keep it very simple and not to confuse, I would like you to think of good footwork as consisting of two essential elements 'springs' in your legs (a fast starting position) and balance, during and immediately after you hit a shot, whether it is a smash, a lob or retrieving a drop shot or a smash from your opponent. These are the two important things you need to be aware of in footwork.

Some coaches and books will go into a lot of detail on weight on the right foot, weight on the left foot, body positioning, number of steps forward and backward and sideways, in playing the various types of strokes.

This can be confusing and most of the time in badminton, it would be too fast for you to react as you think of what your footwork should be. So, my recommendation is that you keep in your mind only these two things about footwork a fast/active starting position and balance.

What is an active starting position? It means putting your weight more on the balls of your feet, with an easy bouncing action in the knees, preparing your body to move in any direction very quickly and steadily wherever you are on the court and after executing a shot. It is akin to a tiger getting ready to pounce on its prey.

Balance is having a momentary steady/firm position whenever you execute any shots, be it a smash or a lob or retrieving a drop shot or a smash, or making a net shot, etc., etc., in a rally. It is less important to determine how many steps you take to go to the back of the court to execute a smash or how many steps to the front to retrieve the drop shots.

I also do not think that it is important to determine whether it is the left leg or the right leg that you use as the foreward leg when you retrieve the drop shots. Champions display a range of variation in footwork. Some champions appear not to have footwork at all. Some run in small steps, others appear to have smooth gliding big steps and they are a pleasure to watch. Whether it is small quick steps or big gliding steps, there must be two important elements present in good footwork, which all champions have. They are an active starting position, with springiness in the movement of their legs and balance when executing their shots.

These are two of the four fundamentals in badminton every player should know if they want to play to their maximum capabilities.

Written by Tan Aik Huang

Choosing a Badminton Racket

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:19:00 +0000

Badminton Racket. Choosing the correct badminton racket can be a crucial decision, whatever level you are at. With a multitude of rackets available these days,it can seem a little daunting to know which racket is best for you. Hopefully, with a little help, i can help you find just the right badminton racket that suits your style of play.

As you search to find the perfect badminton racket you will soon get to know the more established racket companies such as Yonex, Carlton, Wilson, Head, Prince and numerous other brands, who all want you to part with your cash and select their badminton rackets. Yonex are the most successful and prominant badminton brand, but which manufacturer you choose is entirely down to you.This is where the fun begins. But with the right guidance and information you will be able to make an informed decision, so that you find the best racket for you, and only you.

All badminton players are different, with their own strengths and weaknesses. The trick is to find the right badminton racket which compliments your style of play. You can spend a lot of money on your weapon of choice, or, like most of us, you will no doubt have a limit on what you want to spend on a badminton racket. Remember, you are investing in your game, to improve your standard, so you need to choose wisely.

It can be a real pain when you have spent a whole load of your hard earned cash on the latest "must have" badminton racket, only to find it doesn't quite live up to your expectations, and you can't understand why you aren't playing like the glossy adverts say you should be. Guess what? you have just fallen for the marketing hype, a subtle, sneaky little trick that we experience every day of our lives. However, if you follow my advice i can guide you in the right direction, so you can make the best decision.

Think of your badminton racket as the cherry on top of the badminton cake. Without the base and the ingredients your little cherry isn't going to taste so sweet. In case your wondering what i'm talking about, the base and ingredients are your game, your footwork, technique, grip, fitness and tactical ability. Without these, your new racket is much less effective, and the shuttle will not go where you want it to. In my opinion, a badminton racket you buy will give you, at most, an extra 5% to your game. The actual racket strings are probably more important than the racket itself. The other 95% is all down to you. But don't worry about that, i can help you get the best out of yourself, so you can get the most out of your badminton racket.

I have played with lot's of different rackets over the years, from many different manufacturers, and most of them offer something a bit different, sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but it's all part of the experience of finding that one badminton racket that suits you down to the ground. It's a great feeling when this occurs, but first you need to learn about yourself, your own game, then you can fit the right racket to your game, not the other way round.

What kind of player are you? Perhaps your a power player who smashes the shuttle hard? Or maybe your a touch player who enjoys moving the shuttle around the court with angled shots and deception. Once you know what kind of game you play, you can then find out which badminton racket will bring out the best in your shots, and thus improve your badminton.

If you have just started playing, the chances are that you will not know what type of player you are yet. It's all part of learning the game. There is no point buying the most expensive badminton racket at this stage, you will probably not notice much difference in your play, trust me. However, as your skill level improves you will then start to know more about yourself and this is when you start to look for a specific racket. The more you improve, the more you will understand the basics of badminton, and you will be looking for that tiny advantage to beat your competitors, this is where your badminton racket comes in, but it will only give you a slight advantage, period.

In upcoming posts i will guide you through the badminton racket basics, what to look for, what to avoid, how much to spend, and where to buy.

Biomechanical Principles in Badminton

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 03:42:00 +0000

Badminton. It is very essential to understand the basic biomechanical principles in badminton.

Because, badminton involves sharp eyesight, quick analysis of opponent's shot, preparing your stance, adjusting your hand, changing the face of your racket to the incoming shuttle and generating force as well when you plan to smash it. All of these movements involve understanding basic biomechanical principles without which there is every chance of sustaining a badminton injury by slipping, falling or overuse.

You have to have some idea of "center of gravity" to understand badminton biomechanical principles. Centre of gravity is a point in the body, which is pivotal in balancing the entire body. At that point, your body will be in perfect balance without any need to change posture or rotate to keep it in balance.

The center of gravity is approximately located in the terminal portion of the spinal cord called the sacrum; especially in it's upper one-third portion. The center of gravity in a female is at a comparatively lower level than a male because they tend to have wider pelvis with more fat deposit around their buttocks and thighs.

Similarly, height and age also affects the location of the center of gravity. The center of gravity is important because, by lowering it, you can increase your balance when playing badminton.

Similarly, line of gravity, base of support, mass of the individual and friction between contact surfaces are the other factors helping you to maintain balance. That is, the line of gravity should be approximately in or near the base of support, the base of support should be as wide as possible, the mass of the individual has to be optimum so as to achieve stability and increased friction should be there between the contact surfaces to maintain good balance while playing badminton.

So, any badminton player is supposed to keep his center of gravity as low as possible to allow comfortable shot making, has to keep the base of support as wide as possible to allow maximum balance while playing, maintain his line of gravity approximately around the base of support to optimally combine the benefits, have ideal body mass and wear good friction soled sports shoes for fine balancing without flinching and to prevent sports injuries from occurring.

Lastly, while playing badminton, concentrating on a fixed object rather than moving objects helps in maintaining your balance better. It is because moving flashy objects affect the sense of your balance psychologically while playing.

To achieve the benefits of biomechanical principles discussed above, a badminton player has to take a crouching stance to lower his center of gravity, with his legs apart to widen the base of his support, avoiding lifting his arms unnecessarily above head level which raises the center of gravity, thrive to maintain ideal body mass and wear good friction rubber soled sports shoes to further stabilize himself during playing.

Playing badminton by properly following basic biomechanical principles helps in the following ways.

1. Minimize reaction time, thereby giving extra time in responding to opponent's shots.

2. Aids in playing attacking badminton because by aligning the line of gravity to the center of gravity, pivoting and mobilizing the body to play various shots becomes easy.

3. Helps in avoiding injuries arising from overuse or misuse.

Health Benefits of Playing Badminton

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:42:00 +0000

Playing Badminton. It is a well-known fact that indulging in aerobic sports activity like badminton gives multiple health benefits and promotes longevity.

In fact it has been found that playing badminton till you get an increase in heart rate or mild breathlessness regularly in middle age lowers the risk of death by about 23% in the subsequent 20 years and improves longevity by at least 2 years. The optimal health benefits are achieved by playing badminton for at least 30 minutes a day after adequate warm up.

The main health benefit is reduction of bad cholesterol and increase in good cholesterol with regular badminton play. In our body, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) are bad cholesterols and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the only good cholesterol.

Playing badminton regularly increases the levels of HDL good cholesterol while decreasing the levels of bad cholesterols. As bad cholesterols decrease the size of blood vessels promoting heart attacks and strokes, reduction in their levels translates into multiple health benefits for the individual.

Playing regular badminton conditions the body so that the basal heart rate drops a few beats per minute and blood pressure is reduced. Both these effects are helpful in hypertensive individuals. It may help them to ward off their hypertension without medicines and even if they are needed, only fewer amounts are required.

Another particular health benefit of playing regular badminton is protection from heart disease, especially heart attacks. Playing badminton conditions and strengthens the heart muscle besides reducing hypertension and keeping blood vessels from clogging as we have seen earlier. Even people with pre-existing heart disease can benefit by playing badminton within their endurance levels under medical supervision and advise.

Regular indulgence in badminton helps overweight people to reduce their weight and attain optimal weight for their height and age. This effect is due to the excess calories burnt during playing badminton which prevents them from accumulating as fat and increasing the individual's weight.

Moreover, the existing fat deposits are also mobilized to produce energy while playing badminton. But for achieving optimal weight loss, it has to be combined with diet modification as well.

Osteoporosis is a troublesome problem especially in the elderly and women after menopause. It occurs because the bones loose their density due to complex interactions between the body hormones, bone forming and bone dissolving cells. Individuals with osteoporosis can easily sustain fractures because of reduced bone strength to withstand stress and injury.

Osteoporosis can be prevented or delayed by regularly playing badminton, as physical activity is one major factor that prevents osteoporosis, irrespective of the age and sex of the individual. Playing badminton promotes the activity of the bone forming cells and help in the assimilation of calcium in the bone matrix, thereby strengthening it.

Additional health benefit of playing regular badminton is reduced incidence of cancers like cancer of the large bowel and cancer of breast.

Finally, playing badminton keeps you feeling well, strong, motivated, enthusiastic and young. It helps to ward off depression, anxiety, stress and increase self-esteem. It also helps in enjoying a better sleep in the night, thereby minimizing the incidence of pre-existing illnesses getting aggravated due to lack of sleep.

Badminton Teaching Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 May 2008 03:34:00 +0000

Badminton teaching tips are very essential irrespective of whether the player is a beginner or expert, professional or amateur.

It is because badminton teaching tips help not only in correcting the player's mistakes but to make him a better player also.

Badminton teaching tips should ideally be given to children in their starting years of playing as it will guide and correct them in their budding years, making them overall better players later.

The badminton teaching tips for children should concentrate on:

1. Basic skills like how to hold the racket.
2. Skills in shot making.
3. Covering the court.
4. Safety precautions.
5. Recreational value, that is, learning by fun.
6. Development of social interactive skills.
7. Dietary advise.

Badminton teaching tips can be given in the course of games also to children. You can make them play and give teaching tips after the game is over. Concentrate on the following:

1. Start them with few basic rules.
2. Once they become proficient with them, keep on adding the other rules.
3. Encourage them during their play.
4. Once the play is over, demonstrate the correct stance and shots instead of concentrating on the mistakes they made.
5. Teach about the practice modalities to improve their performance in the subsequent days.
6. Teach them the skills they need to master for the following games.
7. Emphasize on first aid requirement and basic first aid measures.

The following badminton teaching tips are to be concentrated on when coaching a beginner or an intermediate level player:

1. How to appropriately serve without missing.
2. The biomechanics of the execution of various shots.
3. The art of covering the court to reach the shuttle better.
4. The choice of shot to win over an opponent.
5. The mistakes to be avoided, for example, the shuttle should always be directed to land on vacant areas in the opponent's court to always keep him on the move. It must be kept in mind that any opponent can execute deadly accurate shots when he is not on the move and the shuttle is hit for his easy reach.

In addition, badminton teaching tips should focus on the following regarding doubles and mixed doubles players:

1. How to cover the court without clashing.
2. How to make appropriate service returns.
3. To what extent, each have to stretch and take the shot without getting confused.
4. How to assess the opponent's weakness and be able to exploit it to the maximum. It is especially important to assess the opponent girl's weakness in mixed doubles and use it to advantage.
5. How to channelise your attack.
6. How to indulge in cross court defense and attack.

Badminton Coaching Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:03:00 +0000

Badminton coaching tips is something which helps beginners and experts in badminton to successfully master various aspects of badminton with little difficulty, aided by their coaches or trainers, who themselves might have been excellent players in their days and who have sufficient knowledge and insight regarding badminton.

Coaching tips from your coach or trainer in badminton are invaluable because they are the ones who stand near you, watching your game day after day on court and during practice sessions. They are in a unique position to analyze your weaknesses and drawbacks. They also have enough stakes in your success, which enable them to correct them promptly then and there. For when the ward succeeds, it is their success.

For a beginner, serving is the first problem. Often, they try to serve and miss. It happens because they drop the shuttle and swing the racket at the same time. When in fact they should swing the racket AFTER they release the shuttle. Without understanding, they keep on swinging the racket a little before they release the shuttle, missing again and again. A coach can correct this by arranging the serving sequence in order, numbering them and make the ward obey the order.

Similarly some players have difficulty in avoiding the backhand stroke. Incidentally, the backhand strokes are significantly weaker than the forehand strokes and must be avoided to the maximum. When playing across the head forehand stroke may offset inevitable, playing backhand. Good coaching tips can help overcome this problem for the player.

One more advantage in getting coaching tips is that different types of weaknesses are there for different age group players. For example, under 12 players usually have trouble in playing rearcourt shots. Similarly, under 14 commonly have a weak backhand shot, under 16 have weak around the head forehand shot and under 18 suffer from inadequate court coverage. The technical deficiencies involving all the above can only be rectified by coaching tips.

Similarly, court-covering skills is woefully lacking in beginners and intermediate level players. They look at the professionals and wonder at their court covering skills. They think they can never imagine attaining their speeds necessary for covering the court.

But in reality, the coaching tips from the trainer or coach will make them understand that it is the MOMENTUM, not the speed that separates them from the professionals. Coaching tips to cover all portions of the court from a central position will help them cover all the areas of the court better.

Also, flick serves are always a problem in beginners. They do not anticipate them and consequently miss them most of the time. Coaching tips to correct it involve asking them to stand at the place from where they can lunge forward and reach a drop serve or take a couple of steps back easily to meet a high or flick serve.

Coaching Badminton Drills

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:41:00 +0000

Coaching badminton drills are going to be one of the most important part of your badminton training if you want to be a great badminton player.

These types of drills and good instruction on how to execute them are often difficult to find. The reason they can be so hard to find is that you really need good step by step instruction for coaching badminton drills in order to do them correctly. If you are doing your training drills incorrectly you could be doing more harm than good when trying to perfect your badminton game.

One of the most important coaching badminton drills you should learn include in your practices will be to work on footwork. Footwork is one of the best drills to begin with because if you can control your foot work you will have more control of where your shuttle will eventually end up. You of course will need to work on shuttle control and swinging drills as well but we will start for now with footwork.

Footwork drills will help you to add control to your movements on the court as well as help you with control in learning and practicing with other badminton drills. The drills we will discuss here are going to be useful as we will cover the same basic footwork that is used in an actual match of badminton.

The first footwork coaching drill that you will want to practice will be moving to the baseline for a forehand swing. In this drill you will be positioned in the middle of the court in standby prepared for your shot to approach. As you see the shuttle coming you will push off with the right leg and as you do so turn your body clockwise. Skip, using both your legs, to the shuttle and follow a forehand swing through at the baseline. You will then push off with both of your legs to go to the next shot coming.

Footwork is important in all your swings and the next coaching badminton drill is going to the baseline for an around the head shot. Again here you will be positioned in the middle of the court and push off with both legs as you see the shuttle approach. Turn your body so that it is facing the oncoming shuttle, as you hit the shuttle you will then bring your right leg and right shoulder to the front and push off to prepare for the returned shuttle.

Moving to the net for a backhand and forehand are two important footwork drills that you will also need to learn. Moving to the net to use a backhand shot will require you to position yourself ready with your left leg behind your body. As you see the shuttle coming you will take a small step forward with the left leg and then lunge with the right as the final step before hitting the shuttle. Moving to the net for a forehand swing is very similar as you start in a ready stance, take a small step forward with your left leg and then lunge with your right as you swing for the shuttle.

After you have mastered the footwork for general returns you will want to learn how to position your lower body when receiving a forehand or backhand smash. Receiving a forehand smash will require you to lean your entire body to the right and lunge with your right leg, as you do this you will stretch out your racket hand and take the smash with a forehand swing. Receiving a backhand smash is for the most part the opposite. You will lean your entire body to the left as you do so you will want to turn your body and bring your right leg across as you lunge with the right leg you will stretch your racket hand out to take the backhand swing.

Side to side forehand smash footwork will require you to start with your body in the ready position. As you start the drill you will bend both your knees to jump into the air in the direction of the forehand side, be sure to jump with both your legs as far as you possibly can to the forehand side. This drill is very similar to the side to side around the head smash drill. You will start in the ready position and bend both your knees preparing to jump. You will jump in the direction of the around the head side, again making sure to jump with both your legs and as far as possible to the around the head direction.

Finally in the footwork coaching drills is the backhand footwork drill which will again require you to start in the ready position. As you follow to where the shuttle will need to be hit you will move forward with your left leg keeping the right leg stretched to the back. After you have made your swing follow through comfortably and prepare for your next shot.

All of these foot work badminton coaching drills will help you to perfect the rate at which you make it to the shuttle as well as the grace and speed you execute on the badminton courts. Practice them and you will see that the instruction here is simple and easy to follow, mostly these will be natural movements if you are an experienced badminton player, but ease does not mean that you can not improve and practice is the best way to improve your game.

Badminton Activities for Children

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:40:00 +0000

Badminton Activities. There are many different types of badminton activities for children. Finding the right one for you and your child will be the main challenge when looking for such a thing.

Depending on what you and your child are interested in the area of badminton will largely determine what types of activities you choose to get your child involved in.

The different types of badminton activities for children range from fun and less serious activities to activities that are specifically geared toward bettering your child's skill at the more serious game of badminton.

For younger children who are still trying to decide what type of sports they will enjoy you can get them involved in many different activities that will let you and your child know if badminton is right for them.

The first suggestion for the 4 and under age group who may not know if they would enjoy badminton you should first start with simply getting them an inexpensive badminton racket and shuttlecock to bounce around with you or in the back yard. Many children will enjoy simply hitting a shuttle mid air.

Other activities to explore are games that mimic the idea of badminton such as Balloon Badminton. Balloon Badminton is played with a homemade net, usually composed of string tied to two chairs or trees, and inflated balloons.

Use an old racket to hit the balloons across the net in the same manner you would for badminton. Explain to your child as they get acquainted with the game that they get one hit to get the balloon over the net or you score a point and vice versa.

If you see that your child enjoys either of these activities or similar ones you can be assured that they would enjoy learning the game of badminton when they are at an appropriate age. This appropriate age can vary from child to child and it is important not to overwhelm them with the technicalities of the game until they are old enough to understand it and have fun.

For older children who have already shown an interest in this type of sport there are many organized activities for badminton all over the world. Most recreation centers or gym's have badminton courts that you and your child can frequent to play games or practice.

Badminton clubs and teams are also pretty easy to find and unlike some of the other childhood competitive sport these classes often do not fill as quickly. This is a good thing as you and your child may not have to be on a waiting list in order to become a part of a team.

Other activities for older children is to simply make time to teach them drills or different shots so they can grow in their badminton game. Once your child sees that they can improve with a bit of work most children are motivated to practice and become more skilled. This sort of activity will not only help them to be a better badminton player it will also boost self esteem and teach them to use teamwork as well as be a good sport in the face of defeat.

Childhood games and competition is good and healthy for all children. It is a part of growing up that they should be allowed to experience with enough pressure to motivate them but not to discourage them. Be sure you are not applying too much pressure to your child to be "great" at any sport as part of the point is for them to get exercise and enjoy themselves.

The other positive to playing badminton on a team is you will get to see your child developing bonds with their teammates and learning from one another. Badminton is a great sport for children and getting them involved in badminton activities for children can be a healthy outlet for them.

Fun Badminton Drills

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:03:00 +0000

Badminton Drills. You know, practicing and learning badminton need not be necessarily boring. There are fun badminton drills by which you can learn badminton in a comfortable manner.

Fun badminton drills are the complacent, non-competitive way of improving your badminton skills. At the same time, fun badminton drills can also be used to improve camaraderie between same club members, as each drill requires co-operation between participants.

Fun drills can be utilized to improve all the badminton shots, be it clear, lift, drop or smash. Similarly, fun badminton drills can significantly improve the court covering skills from baseline to net or between right and left sidelines.

Now let us discuss some simple fun badminton drills. Remember, fun badminton drills have no rules and regulations and you can devise your own fun badminton drills depending on which shot or aspect of the game you want to improve.

Improving clearing, same side of the court

In this, players A and B, face each other on the same side of the court, standing near the doubles service line in the back of the court. Player A clears to player B, and player B in turn clears to player A. Each should practice clearing drawing an imaginary circle around them, or just within one-foot movement on all sides in practicing clearing.

Improving cross-court clearing

In this, players A and B face each other from the opposite sides of the court standing diagonally. Player A clears to player B who in turn clears it to player A. The same fun badminton drill is repeated after changing to the other same side of the court. By this, both left to right and right to left cross-court clearing can be mastered.

To make cross court clearing more effective and dynamic, both players A and B can clear the shuttle to the opponents unoccupied corner, each time running to meet the shuttle and clearing it.

By the same method, standing near the net, player A can drop to player B, Player B in turn dropping it again to player A. Initially this can be done with both players standing opposite to each other on the same side. Then it can be practiced cross-court and finally both players can proceed to running and cross-court dropping.

To master lifting, player A stands near the net and player B stands near the baseline, initially on the same side. Player B drops to player A, and player A lifts it to player B. Then the lifting and dropping is practiced cross-court and finally the running element is also included, as we have seen in clearing and dropping.

Similar fun badminton drills can be adopted to master driving and smashing skills in three stages like 1) same side 2) cross court and 3) cross court and running as explained above.

Fun badminton drills can also be in the form of mock doubles game. Here, whoever is committing a mistake makes way for another new player to participate in the game.

This is very useful when many players are there and the practicing court facilities are very limited. As players keep on changing on every point scored or lost, everyone gets an equal opportunity to participate and refine his or her skills.

Badminton Dropped in 2012 Olympics

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:18:00 +0000

Esnesnon City: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will begin deliberations this week on revamping the Olympic sports menu. At a pre-conference media briefing, the IOC's spokesperson for Asia Ms Y Rani Gami said that the IOC had decided to drop two sports - badminton and judo - and would review suggestions from member nations on which sports to newly present on the world's biggest sporting stage.

The spokesperson said that a majority of IOC members had recommended dropping badminton and judo to make the Olympics more attractive. These would now be replaced by two other sports which would be formally chosen from a field of five - croquet, rugby union, polo, rackets and chess. Ms Gami revealed that said croquet and chess had received the highest number of nominations and were almost certain to be picked.

Currently, the menu for the Summer and Winter Olympic Games comprises 35 sports with 53 disciplines and more than 400 events — the Summer Olympics features 28 sports with 38 disciplines, and the Winter Olympics has 7 sports with 15 disciplines. A sport or discipline is included in the Olympics if the IOC determines that it is widely practiced around the world. A sport must be played by men in at least 50 countries on three continents, and by women in at least 35 countries on three continents.

Badminton was admitted to the Olympic program in 1992 at Barcelona after its inclusion as a demonstration event in the 1972 and 1988 Summer Olympics. Judo was admitted in 1964, removed in 1968, and then re-included from 1972. Only male judoka participated until the 1988 Summer Olympics, when women participated as a demonstration sport. Women judoka were first awarded medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics. These two sports now join the list of 'discontinued Olympic sports', like polo and tug of war, which were removed either because of lack of interest or the absence of an appropriate governing body.

"Badminton and judo are known only in a few countries. Very few people elsewhere are interested in them," said Dr Latot Toidi, an international sports expert attached to the IOC.

Fans of both croquet and chess are delighted with the news from the IOC. FIDE, the highest international body for chess, said it would hold a press conference in Paris later today to explain how it had managed to win the 'inclusion' battle.

In London, staff members at the offices of the International Croquet Federation have already begun emailing the ICF's members with the good news. They have also been distributing sweets to local visitors and fans.

"Unlike judo, croquet has a distinguished and civilised history," said Laer Diputs, president of the ICF. "It's also not like badminton where you simply run around wildly, hitting back and forth. Croquet is very competitive and depends on a combination of physical skill and careful strategy. Most of all, success depends on a cool assessment of risks and probabilities, yes, much like chess."

Croquet was an Olympic sport at the 1900 Summer Olympics - and Roque, a variation on croquet, was an event at the 1904 Summer Olympics. Several variations of croquet are currently in use, differing in the scoring systems, order of shots, and the layout. Two forms of the game, Association Croquet and Golf Croquet, have rules that are agreed internationally and are played in many countries around the world. The sport has particularly strong followings in the UK, USA, New Zealand and Australia; every four years, these countries play the MacRobertson Shield tournament. Many other countries also play.

The formal inclusion of chess will make Olympic history as it will be the first instance of a mind game ever being admitted as an Olympic sport.

Other major sports still waiting for entry into the Olympic fold include rugby union, polo, rackets, golf, squash, wushu and karate. Along with croquet and chess, these sports had been proposed to the IOC at a 2007 meeting in Singapore for inclusion in the 2012 games. However, the delegates had then decided to reduce the field to just five. For croquet and chess, all that remains is the formal vote in their favour to be featured at the London Games four years from now.

Written by Oldhand
Badminton & Judo To Be Axed After Beijing
By EKAF RETROPER, AFP

Badminton Fitness

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:14:00 +0000

Badminton fitness is pivotal in helping a player to achieve high standards in badminton and play without fatigue hour after hour.

Badminton players need to be more fit than tennis players in that the time the ball remain in play, average length of rallies and distance traveled by players during the game are all significantly higher in badminton. In other words, the endurance level of badminton players should be very high.

Also it is worthwhile remembering that badminton is significantly faster than tennis, so the player needs to be in peak fitness to run, stretch, dive, bend, jump and reach the birdie with lightning quick reflexes and body balance. Speed is the key to winning.

For badminton fitness to be effective, the methods adopted to improve fitness should be specific to badminton. For example, there is no need to strengthen jaw muscles for badminton, as it serves no useful purpose in developing the playing skills of any badminton player.

Specific badminton fitness involves strengthening of the wrist, elbows, shoulders, neck, chest, abdomen, back, thighs, knees and ankles. Because these are the body areas that are actively involved in playing badminton. Consequently, strengthening these areas by specific exercises improves the fitness and strength of the player, enabling him to endure better during play.

The second important factor in achieving badminton fitness is that it should be progressive in nature. That is, the fitness of the player should be gradually improved by gradual upgrading of the exercise employed.

For example, let us consider that a badminton player's on court endurance is going to be improved by exercise. For the first few days, the player should be instructed to jog in casual speed for up to 10 minutes. Once he is able to do that without any difficulty, he must be allowed to do it in peak jogging speed.

After attaining the second level also, the duration should be gradually increased, say 15, 20, 25 minutes. By doing so, his fitness is gradually upgraded without subjecting him to risk of training injuries and undue fatigue.

Even with the above methods of specific and progressive badminton fitness training, any player is going to feel stale on repeatedly doing the above. He consequently looses interest, which may affect his performance at the subconscious level.

To overcome this problem, variation in badminton fitness training is to be practiced. Variations should attempt to make the player staying focused and interested in training sessions and at the same time help to improve his fitness day after day.

For instance, the player can be instructed to do jogging, skipping, hopping or swimming in different days to keep his interest in training alive. If he starts enjoying his training sessions, naturally it will translate into better on court performance.

Badminton Tips - Help You Excel in the Sport

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:24:00 +0000

Badminton is a competitive sport played all over the world, hence you will need some good badminton tips to improve.

Badminton like every other sports where anyone with hard work and passion can make his/her career. All we need to have is will power and willingness to undergo some necessary training and dedication to prove our mental in this sport.

Fortunately for those who really wish to make their career in this sport, these days there are many resources to get help. There are plenty of useful badminton tips to help you excel in the sport in this website. These useful badminton tips can prove to be a mighty weapon for not just beginners but even for expert players.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

Until recently, unfortunately not enough such resources were available for a common man. In the past there were many players who complaint about lack of necessary help and quality assistance from their coaches.

And, sometimes simply due to their poor economic conditions many players weren't able to join this great sport. Apart from moral and monetary support, they need expert tips and guidance in order to gain proficiency in this game. We'll share some of the badminton tips here:

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

One of the most important techniques in the net play area is the Lunge. Here are some of the main technical aspects:

Aim:The objective should be crystal clear. The aim is to get the shuttle back in to the court and trap the opponent down at the net. This will force the opponent to lift the shuttle up and short, thereby offering you an opportunity to attack.

Technique: The most preferred method is to approach the net and Lunge aggressively. The racket leg must work like a brake to your movement. This act will produce the required force thereby generating the stroke with a minimum amount of racket head movement. The focus must be given on reaching out and taking the shuttle within the minimum possible time.

This will facilitate you to get the shuttle over the net and get back in to the play close to the net on the other side. When playing the shot, it is important to face the racket parallel to the floor. Grip the racket handle lightly in the fingers. You must experiment with your grip to get this movement.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

However, it is also necessary to impart some spin on the shuttle and making it 'tumble'. You may move the racket head slightly in an outer motion to increase the tumble action. Lifting the racket head slightly will maximize the effect.

Practice: The best way to practice is to work with a friend. To practice the technique, the feeder should stand on the service line and feed shuttles to the net both underarm and overarm. This mimics the shuttle play to the net in a game.

Top tips for beginners:

Warm-up: Preparing the body well prior to the game is important. Hence, you need to indulge in a gentle jog or skipping to warm-up your body. Once your body is warm, stretch the major muscle groups concentrating on legs, back and shoulders.
Practice the grip: Focus on the grip when choosing a racket. If you have small hands, small grips are ideal and vice-versa. Concentrate on a relaxed grip when holding the racket. You can excel in forehand and backhand shots with the help of a flexible wrist.
Shuttle: The shuttle you choose should not wobble.
Base Position: Returning to a central base position is a good decision.
Play Indoors: Find a proper court to practice.
Be prepared: Badminton is an unpredictable game and you require moving in any direction within a certain period of time. So know your body limits.
Strategy: Make a game plan. It would be advisable to discover your opponents' weakness.
Cross-train: Involve in physical activities that would increase your flexibility such as Brisk Walking and Jogging.
Cool-down: Once you are over with your practice, end with a cool-down session. This may include a gentle walk and light stretching.

Click Here! To visit the official website for Badminton Training Tips.

Importance of Evaluating Badminton Performance

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:01:00 +0000

Badminton. The importance of evaluating badminton performance cannot be undermined, as it is a popular worldwide game with clubs and academies in almost every country.

Evaluating badminton performance in a player is important for the following reasons:

To understand the player's strengths and fine tune them.
To find out the weaknesses of the player and strengthen them.
To assess the attitude of the player.
To evaluate the commitment and competitiveness of the player.
To facilitate domestic or international ranking.
To shortlist the eligible players for funding assistance from the Government or badminton academies.

When evaluating badminton performance, generally the following is taken in to consideration:

Evaluation of performance.
Evaluation of on court performance.
Evaluation of the opponent against the player being evaluated.

When evaluating performance, the following are taken in to consideration:

His skills.
His agility.
His accuracy.
His consistency.
His stroke producing fluency.
His ability to execute correct shots at the correct time.
His stamina.

Evaluating badminton performance on court takes in to account the following additional things:

Adjustments learnt, be it winning or loosing.
Practice modifications needed.
Adjustments required.
Talents lacking in the player.

In assessing the opponent's game against the player being evaluated, the following are noted:

How the opponent affected the game of the player.
How should the opponent be attacked in the next game.
What the strengths and drawbacks of the opponent are.

Although evaluating badminton performance differs in different countries, generally the following is taken into consideration.

Citizen or immigrant.
Whether the player is taking active participation in training programmes adequately and constantly.
Is he committing himself adequately to achieve excellence at the international level.
His Ranking in domestic, state and national level.
His Performance in domestic, state and national championships.
His Performance in Junior championships.
His attitude and work ethic on and off court.
His performance in international tournaments.
His world rank and at what age he is achieving it.
His ability to raise his level and perform better when necessary.
To confirm that he is not averse to make the needed sacrifices to shine in international level and showing indications for the same by fulfilling his professional commitments adequately throughout the year, year after year.

Not only players, but also coaches, umpires, referees, service judges and line judges can also be evaluated regarding their performance in badminton tournaments. It is helpful in prioritizing the people for international tournaments to avoid officiating errors and ensuring fair play.

Free Badminton Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:12:00 +0000

Badminton tips are great for improving your game and giving you a new outlook on some of the current practices you may have, but free badminton tips are even better!

When you can find them free badminton tips are a great way to add to practices as well as adding to your knowledge of how to really get dirty and play the sport.

Some of the better badminton tips found can be looked up on the World Wide Web and others can be found in books. The great thing about using the Internet is that you can often find them for free, books you generally have to pay for especially if you want to keep them.

A couple of the best free badminton tips found include those from your coaches as they are going to know your game best. However if you are to a point of looking beyond what your coach may be telling you to practice you have come to the right place. Some good badminton tips to start with will be for improving your serve, especially for beginners.

Improving your serve can be done by taking some of these things into consideration. First take your time when learning this aspect of badminton. This is after all how you will begin each game of badminton and so starting greatly will increase your stamina, self esteem and positive mental state.

Also when beginning to learn to serve the first thing to remember is to always wait until after you have dropped the shuttle to begin your swing. Swinging slightly before or at the same time of your drop will cause you to miss the shuttle all together and can become very frustrating. Another great tip to keep in mind when learning to serve is to spend some time with visualization before you attempt your serve. If you can see in your mind how the flow of events needs to take place you will start to make that your habit often giving yourself results naturally every time.

As far as swinging tips go you should always try to use a stroke other than the backhand. It is true there is a time and place for the backhand but this should be used only when it is absolutely necessary. This is because your backhand, no matter how good you are, will be less powerful and less accurate than a swing you can fully view with the net.

It is only logical that if you are not looking at the net a backhand is going to be your best guess as to where you are sending the shuttle once you have struck it. There are some players that can become very good at this guess and it is great to have that practiced ability.

However if you can use another shot such as a forehand or around the head forehand you will significantly improve your chance for a successful shot. With any shot it is helpful to visualize how you would like things to turn out, but again this is more difficult with a backhand as often you are not actually going to get a clear view of the play as you finish your follow through.

Finally covering the court is always a good subject to find free badminton tips on. Many beginners have trouble covering the court adequately as well as more experienced players too. Covering the court will become improved if you try to strengthen your speed and grace or agility. This is often best done through drills and circuit training.

The quicker and smoother you can become in your footwork the faster and more completely you will be able to cover the court. This will happen due to strength built in your legs and control built into your muscles and body.

The more you can control your feet and body the more efficient you movements can become. The more efficient your movements across court are the better skill you will have in being where ever you need to be when you need to be there.