Badminton Footwork Part 1

Badminton footwork is the study of how badminton players move around the court, with a special focus on the feet.  There are many aspects to footwork and movement that lead to efficient and effective technique. Conversely, there is much footwork that can lead to poor movement and injury.  This first article on footwork will attempt to break down movement on the court into the most important aspects.  The most important aspect of footwork must be to minimise injury.  Secondary to that, increasing speed around the court is the aim of good footwork.  The footwork in singles is essentially more critical than it is in doubles. There are a couple of reasons for this: the first is that the player must cover more distance, and they do not have the benefit of a partner. There are three basic steps in badminton:

• Walking or jogging
• Side lunging
• Rotational lunging

The most basic step in badminton is something that we do every day of our lives, that is simply walking.  This step is the most correct way to move forwards and backwards. Surprisingly, some people are confused about how to walk. There are two basic ways that we propel our bodies forward.  The first is walking, or jogging which is based on walking, and the second is sprinting. The fundamental difference between them from a footwork point of view is observed when the foot is placed on the floor, or the ground. In sprinting, the ball of the foot strikes the ground first.  In walking and jogging, the heel of the foot strikes the ground first.  This simple detail accounts for many movement difficulties and injuries.

The second most basic step in badminton is the side lunge.  This movement is used to move from side to side.  Both feet face forward with respect to the body.

There is another movement that is used to move to the side and that is a rotational lunge. The main difference between side lunging and rotational lunging is the direction that the lunging foot faces.  The lunging foot faces forwards with respect to the body in a side lunge, whereas it faces the direction of movement in a rotational lunge.

These three basic movements are used in the vast majority of badminton movements. There are exceptions, of course, but the exceptions are generally a sign that a player is moving in an uncontrolled way.  For example, a player sprinting on the court indicates that the player is not in control.

Technical mastery of these three basic movements can help to reduce the risk of injury and to increase speed of movement on the court.  Mastering these movements is more important than performing numerous drills with poor footwork.

The Grip of Love

As an elite badminton coach I have trained every level of player.  I feel that, as a coach, the most important thing is to train affective learning.  That is, to motivate players to want more.  Badminton grip gives players more control over the shuttle; facilitating players to hit the shuttle to where they want.  That control is a greater advantage than technique, tactics or kinesiology, in my opinion. Let’s briefly look at a couple of groups of badminton players to illustrate what I mean.

Novice Badminton

In any group of novices, one or two will stand out because of their grips.  Their technique gives them an advantage over the others in the group, because they can move their opponents around the court much more than their opponents can move them.  This can be demotivating for their opponents.  If all of the players’ grips were the same, this advantage would be mitigated, making the game more competitive and enjoyable for all.

Intermediate Badminton

The vast majority of players do not learn how to hold their rackets correctly as beginners.  As a result, the vast majority of intermediate players have poor technique.  This limits their tactical abilities because they have poor control of the shuttle.  Compounding this issue is that it is substantially harder for a player to correct a bad grip than it is for them to learn correct grip from the start.  Players in this group with better grips don't suffer this restriction, and so have an advantage over their opponents.

Elite Badminton

Players in this group have very few, if any, grip issues.  Their grip does not prevent them from competing at the level. The power and control in advanced players strokes come from their focus on kinesiology much more than training power itself.

Conclusion

For all but a select few, badminton is played for fun.  Elite players play because they have great passion for the game. Perfecting your grip is the key to unlocking your passion for badminton.  Training for perfect grip doesn't require strength training; but it does take time and dedication. I think that is why many elite coaches focus on grips so much; it is the single biggest factor that facilitates badminton love.

Badminton forehand grip in ultra slow motion

Badminton Grip Trainer

Hello everyone,

I have been working on a badminton grip trainer for a number of years and I'm now at the stage where I could use some market feedback to help me in getting it ready for market.

Here's the survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/badmintongrip

Respondents have the option to leave their details to be included in special offers once the product is released.

Many thanks,
Noel

The overflowing cup

Since spending a year in Denmark to learn badminton coaching, I have had some opportunity to impart what I learned.  I remember Kenneth Larsen saying that the most difficult thing is to get people to forget what they already know.  I've already written about it; that players must do this to move forward.  What I didn't realise is just how fundamental the issue is.

The Laughing Buddha

Having returned to Ireland, I've discovered just what Kenneth meant.  It seemed to me as if there was no room for what I'd learned in people's heads. The excuses I heard ranged from, "I do what it takes to win games" to "I'm not a top level player".  The excuses were endless.  I was so frustrated to hear so many closed minds.  Where else to find wisdom than in a Zen Kōan:

Courtesy of 67notout.com

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"
"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

When it comes to badminton, we all mostly observe the rules to play but we all play according to a further rule set in our heads.  When we play there is a constant dialogue in our heads that tells us which shots we should play and where we should move on the court.  It is our tactical rule set.  Given that we don't win all our matches it seems safe to conclude that our tactical rule set is flawed or limited.  We don't know how to play badminton, we only know how we believe we should play badminton.  We know our rituals for playing, and that is what they are.  Some rituals are more effective than others.
The claim that players are not top players is nothing more than a cop out. It is as much to say that a player has no interest in improving their game through education.  Badminton players are similar to professionals in other walks of life.  Professionals seek out efficient methods of operation in order to compete.  They seek out methods to achieve the same or better results.  It is a cornerstone of progress.  When put back in context of the badminton player it explains why top players have so much time to hit the shuttle with respect to the recreational player.  While certain techniques are beyond the reach of recreational players, many are simply stepping stones along a path.
This explains in part, why the more tactically astute player can gain advantage over a fitter player. 

Badminton grips - forehand

Having looked at many instructional videos and badminton players, it seems that poor grip in badminton is far more prevalent than I previously thought.  The outright pan handlers are easy to spot, but there are also many players with variants of the pan-handling approach.  Little pan-handlers they may be but between the two groups there is a large problem.  What Alvin Toffler said about learning is particularly relevant here:

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.

― Alvin Toffler

 

 

I see the Irish situation on a daily basis and I see mature players with incorrect grips teaching other people, including juveniles, incorrect grips.  I see players being coached with abysmal outdated strokes.  I see international coaches doing the same thing.  When novice players seek to learn, they mostly glean what they can from those around them.  If their role models hold their rackets wrong, it is incredibly likely that the novices will do likewise.

 

So what is the correct grip?  Well truly there are an infinite number of grips for the various situations that can arise, but broadly speaking they are divided into two basic types.  No prizes for guessing that they are forehand and backhand.

 

Both grips are intended to do one thing; to impart energy into the shuttle.  That is to hit the shuttle, with the racket, and ideally using the strings.  The entire process of striking the shuttle utilises a process sometimes referred to as kinetic linking.  Kinetic linking is basically channeling energy from one part of the body into another.  In badminton, it is common to see people swinging their arms in order to make the shuttle go faster, for example.

Think about striking a shuttle with a racket.  Which body part is involved with greatest frequency?  The hand of course.  At the most basic level, the hand stops the racket from falling on the floor. There is a saying that something is actionable if it is significant or recurring.  Grip is crucial

 

Without getting too bogged down in preamble, there are two body parts that are crucial to the process.  That is the hand and the forearm.  Greatest use of the hand lies in its ability to grasp, with dexterity and power.  This grasping can deliver a surprising amount of force, when timed correctly.  The forearm has the capacity to deliver much power also.  This is done through twisting; think of twisting a doorknob, turning a screwdriver, or using a corkscrew.

I was told there is a saying in Denmark that goes something like "Don't fire a large cannon from a small boat".  If our grip is incorrect, that is what we are doing.  The hand is the transfer mechanism that the body uses to transfer energy into the shuttle.  It does this by converting the (kinetic) energy of the twist of the forearm into rotary motion of the racket and thus speed of the head of the racket head.  It's not hard to imagine how a poor grip can lead to many injuries.

The forearm twists in two ways.  One is called pronation and the other supination.  In the standard anatomical position, humans forearms are in a supinated position.  You can see it in the illustration below.  The act of pronating the forearm represents the part that the forearm plays in striking the shuttle on the forehand.  Let's look at this in more detail.

 

 

Like many simple machines that rotate, the forearm twists about a well documented axis.  There are two bones in the forearm; the radius and the ulna.  The radius is so called because it twists around the ulna.  The two positions are shown below.  Notice that the axis passes through the bone that has the smaller bottom part.  That bone is the ulna.  If we continue the axis through it starts to get highly informative for us.

 

  Here's a picture that shows the back of the hand.  The names aren't important really but notice the red line.  That is the approximate axis of the rotation of the hand when the forearm rotates.  In gripping a badminton racket, the trusty thumb joins the third finger to keep the racket from falling on the floor.  That leaves the index finger furthest from the axis on the right hand side.  That means that the index finger is pivotal ( sorry for pun ) in turning the racket...

Stay tuned for the grip trainer I have applied for a patent for.