Badminton Injuries Prevention

To prevent Badminton injuries or reduce the risk, general and sport specific warm-up is important. It increases activity of prime muscles, improves concentric and eccentric power, flexibility and endurance capacity. The duration of warm up and stretching should be approximately 15-30 minutes (evident by a raise in heart rate by 5-10bpm, increased body temperature by 0.5 degree Celsius and mild sweating)

A Typical Warm Up Might Include:

– 5-10 minutes of gentle rhythmic movement such as jogging, skipping
– Short stretches of about 15-30 seconds
– 2-3 minutes of small movement of specific joints eg. shoulder circles, hip forwards and backwards
movements, pelvic rotations, arm and knee bends  and trunk twists
– Slightly longer stretches on 'tight' muscles
– Specific warm-up such as shadow drills, short warm up such as drops and lifts, clears, etc…before
starting to play or practice

Why Stretch?

– It reduces muscle tension
– Prepare the player for physical activity
– Prepare the player mentally for sport
– Help coordination by allowing for freer and easier movement
– Good and regular stretching habit prevents badminton injuries
– Promotes circulation

Guidelines for Safe Stretching

– Warm up prior to stretching
– Always stretching before and after exercise
– Stretch slowly and gently
– Stretch through pain free range and do not overstretch
– Stretches must be held for at least 15 seconds
– Precede all training sessions with 15-20 minutesstretching
– Static stretching
– PNF Stretching (proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation)
– Ballistic stretching

Cool Down

Cool down is the process by which the body is helped to gradually recover from exercise and adjust torest. It helps to remove waste products (lactic acid) of exercise that have accumulated.

Doing all the above will not guarantee you from not picking up badminton injuries, but it wil certainly reduce the risks. We wish you an injury free badminton career !