Even without an opponent or court, you can still practice badminton at home. Constant training help sharpen your skills in the sport. Don’t lie idle due to lockdown and the absence of badminton court.
The sport requires flexibility of the foot and wrist. Besides, it also puts to test your core strength. Fortunately, there are several practices you can perform at home to improve your badminton performance.
Provided you have the best badminton rackets, there are many exercises you can do right at home.
Table of Contents
Best Badminton Skills to Practice at Home
Wall Bounce
You can make the wall your playing partner. And besides the fundamental requirements like shuttlecock, racket, and shoes, you need nothing else.
Mark the right net height on the wall by sticking a tape, approximately 1.5m above the ground. Then set your target, for example, aim at a rally of 100, 500, or even more.
You will be hitting the racket to bounce on the wall. Just like in an actual match, you’ll have to squat, jump, move left or right.
Also, ensure you practice both the backhand and forehand badminton shot techniques. The training helps with the agility of the feet, swift changing of grip, and enhancing wrist movement.
Footwork Training
Footwork training requires no superficial set of equipment. Here are a few tricks that can assist with footwork training:
Jogging
You need to plan and set about 30 minutes of jogging time daily. Jogging helps in improving your stamina and endurance.
Rope Skipping
It looks simple, but rope skipping can help improve the suppleness of the feet. Like jogging, you have to set your daily target. For example about three sets of 100 counts each daily will suffice.
Shadow Badminton
Shadow badminton requires you to have a mental image of an opponent. Then stage a match with your imaginary opponent. You don’t need a shuttlecock for shadow badminton.
Instead, you have to hit back at the imaginary shots. Thus it involves you pacing from the left to right and back of the court. Its main aim is to boost the swift movement of your feet, balance, and speed.
As you practice, you can inject different styles of shadow badminton practice. Slowly you need to advance in your speed. The skill can help you reach and save a badminton smash shot in time.
Fast Feet
Another footwork training is the fast feet. It involves practicing a quick on-spot sprint. Further, it also involves movement of the feet with slight displacement from the original spot.
But during the fast feet training, you don’t have to lift your feet beyond10cm above the ground. At the same time, ensure your feet land with the middle part.
Physical Training
Sometimes you might not have time or facilities for playing on the court. That’s when physical training becomes the next best exercise to perform. It aims at boosting your stamina.
Physical training can take the form of any of the following:
Long-Distance Running
The practice requires few items, and you can even use the best badminton shoes for running. Regular long-distance running builds your stamina, fitness, and core strength.
Squats and Push-Ups
In the Badminton game, legs and their muscles play a crucial role. So you can boost their performance at home by carrying out squats.
Besides squats, push-ups also help in building strength in the upper part of the body.
Work on the Deception Skills
In badminton, smart deceptive shots rely on speed and direction. The deceitful shots including short arm stokes can help you end the rally and earn appoint. That’s especially true when your rival has grown tired.
Also, changing the direction or angle of the shot at the last moment looks deceptive. The best way to practice the skills is to have a friend throw the birdie at you.
Then you can hit the shuttle from the unexpected side. Besides, you can also short-change smash shot into a slice and surprise your opponent.
Work on Your Serving Skills
You can best practice your serves in a large room, about the size of the badminton court. Then mark out different locations of the court using containers. After that, try serving to particular locations you had marked out.
Racket Swing Practice
In badminton, the hand and wrist greatly influence the speed and energy imparted to the shuttlecock. The practice of swinging the racket helps you work on the speed and strength of your wrist. Although it might strain initially, it rewards you if you remain consistent with the practice.
You can choose either a regular or training racket. Aim at making about 20 strokes per set for each swing. Here are three tricks to try out.
Stationary Smash
Here you’ll need to take on the imaginary shuttle at the highest point. At the same time, you have to place your racket foot forward. Execute the shot with full force.
Stationary Defense
In this case, you have to take on all the approaching shots forward. At the same time, you have to assume a slight lift or tap on your leg.
Front Wrist Work
Take a short swing on the racket. Then finish off with wrist action to bring about the downward motion of the birdie.
Conclusion
There are many practices and drills you can carry out at home to sharpen your skills in badminton. The initial step to getting better in badminton is working on your stamina, swiftness, and agility. Consistency in practice matters a lot.