Core Strength in badminton is one of the most fundamental attributes any player should have. Often strength training might be overlooked by amateur players because the sport itself is pretty lightweight. The rackets practically weigh nothing nowadays and the shuttle is a cork with a few feathers. When compared with other racket sports such as tennis (with heavier equipment) many players can’t justify strength training.
The average club or even county player might be able to get by with their skills and current level of fitness. However, when it comes to very high levels of play, that’s simply not going to be enough. That’s why the professionals spend as much time on strength and fitness training as they do honing their badminton skills. And one of the most important areas to work on is your core!
Role Of The Core In Badminton
Notice how I said core and not abdominals (abs). The abdominals are often mistaken as the core of the body. Actually, the core encompasses a lot more than that, the abdominals are just part of it.
The core is absolutely vital, not just in badminton but all sports. It acts to stabilise your body, generate force and also acts as part of the kinetic chain for energy transference. All three of these functions are extremely important in performance. While legs are often cited as the foundation of the body, actually this can be considered the core. This is because it determines not only your posture, balance and strength but also aids in providing a stable base from which the limbs can perform their athletic functions.
Core Stabilisation
Core stabilisation is the “control of the position and motion of the trunk over the pelvis and legs to allow optimum production, transfer and control of force and motion to the terminal segment in integrated kinetic chain activities.” (Press et al). In layman’s terms – it’s the ability to maintain balance while moving and creating and transferring energy from one body part to another to perform an athletic task.
You can think of core stabilisation as strapping a load to the roof of your car. If you tie it too loose and you drive away, the load is not secure and likely to move about a lot. However, if you tie it down tight, the movement of the car does not affect the load as it is secured or “stabilised.” Now think of your core as the straps. While not as extreme as the above example; a weaker core will not be able to generate the same force in order to stabilise your body as effectively during extreme movements as a stronger core. Therefore, less energy is generated and more of the energy generated is lost due to inefficiency in transferring that force.
This is incredibly important in badminton as it involves a lot of multi-plane movements. In fact, in badminton, the body moves through all planes and so the core is important in all these movements. The core provides a solid base from which these extreme movements can be carried out. The act of jumping, smashing the shuttle, landing and moving all are possible because of the contribution of the core.
Generation Of Power
The core also acts as a source of power to play shots. You might have been told that power comes from the pronation of the forearm (on a forehand shot). Yes, some power does come from this action. But mostly it comes from your core. The reason we turn side onto the shuttle when hitting overhead shots is that it allows our core to rotate into the shuttle, providing much more power to hit the clear with proper distance.
A simple example you can try when you’re next on the court is to stand square to the net at the back of the court and without rotating your body play a clear as far as you can. Then try it while standing side on and rotating into the shot. You will notice you can hit the shuttle considerably further with this method. The rotation of the core helps to improve the power of the shot. This same with almost all shots in badminton.
It stands to reason in that case that strengthening your core will improve the power in your shots. And since so many people want to improve the power in their smash, this is one of the key elements. In fact, one study found that a group of badminton players who performed core stability training exercises over an eight week period increased their smashing velocity by 28% and smashing accuracy by 14% compared to a control group.
While the study did point out that there are a number of factors that go into a badminton smash, it also concludes that the improvement in core strength and endurance contributed heavily to this increase through the core exercises themselves which were closely co-ordinated based on badminton movements.
My Own Thoughts On This Study
Drawing my own conclusion on this study (although not as qualified to talk about such matters!) is that the increased strength in the core helped to generate more power by improving the power and efficiency of the core rotation (as well as the more efficient transfer of energy as below). The improvement of the accuracy of the smash can be the result of the core stability being improved through core training. This means the base of the shot is more stable. Similar to the idea that tighter strings on a racket provide more accuracy than loser strings.
Another analogy I would use for the improvement in accuracy is that of a canon. You need to hit a target by firing the canon. If you’re firing a cannon from a raft on the water, chances are you’re going to miss. However, if you fire it from the solid ground you’re more likely to hit that target because the foundation of the canon is much more stable. So substituting your core as the ground and the canon as the smash we can infer that a stronger more stable core will mean that your smashing accuracy is likely to be better than someone who may have a weaker core.
Transference Of Power
The core doesn’t just generate power. It helps to transfer the power generated from other areas of the body. It’s the link between all limbs. So for example, in a jump smash, the energy is transferred from the legs, through the core and ultimately into the shuttle. The core doesn’t just contribute energy to this shot (as above) but also helps to transfer the energy from other parts of the body to aid in the final result having more power. The video below shows this. Although it’s about volleyball, the action is almost identical to a badminton jump smash.
If your core is significantly weaker than somebody with a stronger core, there will be energy leaks. Whereas a stronger core will be better able to transfer this energy through your body more efficiently, resulting in a more powerful shot. The core is quite literally the centre of the kinetic chain. And a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
A good way to think of this is jumping. If you jump from a standing start on the ground, the ground provides a solid base from which to jump. The counterforce of the energy is straight into the ground. However, if you jump on a raft on water (as with the canon), this does not provide the same stability. The energy is dissipated across the body of the water. So the energy is leaked, meaning you are unable to perform the jump to the same degree. By having a stronger core muscle you are acting more like the ground. This allows the energy to transfer through your body to perform any action on the court more effectively.
Core Strength In Badminton – The Final Word
If none of the above convinces you to train your core, you might want to consider that the professional players spend a lot of time working on their core strength. Most players have pretty defined abdominals not just because of their lack of body fat but their dedication to training their core. They, or their strength coaches(!), understand the importance of the core function in athletic function.
Many activities you perform in the course of your usual strength training works your core. But working your core directly is imperative in the same way you would condition any other body part. Core strength in badminton is perhaps the most important area to focus on as it determines the effectiveness of all your other actions on the court. If you’re in quarantine, use this time effectively to improve your core and get back on court stronger!
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