There are certain factors that affect a badminton player’s performance. However, there are a few things you could do to avoid bad performances during badminton games.
1. Sufficient Rest
Get enough rest. It’s essential in helping you deliver peak performance during your badminton games. It’s quite impossible to concentrate when you’re feeling drowsy and tired.
Unlike other sports, concentration and reflex action is very important in badminton – the shuttlecock is capable of flying at 300 km/h! You will need quick reflex to retrieve your opponent’s shots.
Ensure you have at least 8 hours of sleep every night in order to deliver your best performance on the court.
2. Stay Hydrated – before, during and after your sessions
Water is vital to the everyday functions of a human body. Lack of water makes you dehydrated. A mild dehydration could make you lethargic, lose concentration and might also cause a mild headache.
Make sure you drink around 8 glasses of water every day. Besides these 8 glasses, make sure you also drink more during exercise.
3. Have a Meal Before Your Game
I can’t play badminton well when I’m hungry. What about you? You need energy to move around the badminton court. The only way you’re getting energy is from the food you consume.
When your body has all the energy it needs to burn, you’ll be able to move and strike faster, delivering all you can, physically. However, make sure you eat your meal around 90 minutes before you play to allow time for digestion. If you are feeling lack of energy in the middle of your games, you could always have energy bars or sports drinks to power you up.
4. Quit bad habits
If you’re serious about badminton and if you want to perform at your peak, you should quit smoking and drinking.
Smoking in general is harmful to your lungs. In terms of sports, it affects your fitness level dramatically. If you smoke, you might experience having less stamina compared to non-smokers. Drinking on the other hand affects your reflexes.
Social drinkers will probably not experience the effects of alcohol whereas hardcore drinkers will be greatly affected. If your reflex ability is slow, you’re not going to be able to retrieve a high speed shot.
5. Stretching
After warm up, do some stretching for about 15-20 minutes. Before training or during tournaments, national badminton players do stretching exercises for about 15-20 minutes on average.
They understand that stretching not only reduces the risk of injuries, it also helps loosen your muscle fibres so that you can move faster and stretch further during your badminton sessions.
6. Right Equipment
Many badminton shops may seem to try very hard to rip you off by selling you those high priced badminton equipment and apparel. The fact is sometimes, they are not. Using the right equipment will increase your performance to a certain extent as well as prevent potential injuries.
For example, wearing badminton shoes is necessary. Badminton is a sport where you’ll need to move extremely fast. Besides, badminton footwork involves you breaking and reversing your momentum.
If you engage in extreme badminton play without the right pair of shoes, you might find yourself having knee or ankle injuries!
7. Racket That Suits Your Style of Play
A badminton racket is not only for hitting the shuttle. Choosing the correct badminton racket will increase your badminton performance. There are no good or bad badminton rackets in the market. Most badminton rackets are decent.
You should know how to choose the racket that suits your style of play. A racket that reflects your strength will definitely increase your performance.