51 Badminton Tips to Improve your Game

I have made so many mistakes in the past few years which slowed my performance, but congratulation to you I can save all this time by giving away these 51 badminton tips that will help you in avoiding common mistakes.

If you have any questions feel free to comment at the bottom of the article.

1.Warm-up before playing:- I don’t know how many time I have seen player ignoring this or you may have players in your club or Academy start playing without doing a proper warm-up, it can be very risky especially when you are competitive player because it increases the chances of getting injured so always do a proper warm-up.

2. Use smashes only on opportunity:-Some player consider Smash as the only shot by which they can win a rally but without knowing position of your opponent and understanding the situation during a rally it can create disadvantage for you, example if you play Smash from backline and your opponent played a block near-net then it can be very difficult for you to return that shot, I also have an article on smash

3. Your Equipment reflects your level:-I have seen many beginners are using rackets which are used by professional players like voltric Z Force , Duora 10 these rackets have some special features which you can only utilize with proper technique, for example, Duora 10 has two face one forehand and another for backhand, so always choose your equipment according to your level using these rackets will do no benefit to you.

4. Believe in your coach:- I remember when I used to Google every single thing which my coach told me to confirm whether he is right or wrong, now it can be helpful if your coach does not have many credentials but if your coach has played even a national tournament then wasting time on reading or watching YouTube videos to learn new technique is not very productive also it will create a conflict in your mind and you will end up slowing your learning process

5. Keep changing your base position:- As a beginner, you are told to always return to center of court but in real match using this advice can cost you a match, for example, if you have lifted shuttle to left side of court then shifting your base position to that side is more beneficial because straight shot will come faster then cross shots, also if you are defending Smash then shifting your base position backward will allow you to return those long smashes.

6. Be Calm:- It can be very intimidating especially during your first tournament or when you are facing an advanced player, so try to be calm in that situation one technique which I like to use to reduce anxiety is breathing technique

Take a deep breath hold it for 3 seconds and then release

Do this 4-5 times

7. Play game with a strategy:- Badminton is not like martial arts where you have to be with the flow, here if you are not using strategy especially when your opponent is superior or equal to your level then only luck can save you, I have an article on single tactics it will improve your knowledge.

8. Stretching after practice session:- Have you ever got sore muscle the next day due to practice session you did a day before, not doing stretching is one of the reason,

There are so many benefits of doing stretching exercises some of them are

Reduce the risk of injury, keep your muscle relax, and of course improve flexibility

9. Work on your technique:-Playing matches can be very enjoyable for a player but if your technique is wrong you are only making your game more rigid for improvement, so first work on your technique like your footwork, wrist movement, grip, etc.

10. Make video of yourself playing:-Don’t be shy to ask someone for making your gameplay video it can do wonders to you If you are serious about Badminton

It was only because of my gameplay video I was able to correct my non racket arm movement

I’m pretty much sure it will also going to help you.

11. Watch international players video:-There are so many videos available on YouTube which you can watch but one thing to remember don’t watch these videos just for entertainment

Learn from them, focus on things like which shot made player loses the point, what type of technique they are using, how they are behaving on Court and most importantly their footwork.

12. Play with those who are better than you:- If you want to improve your game more quickly than playing a game with a more advanced player is the way to go but if you are playing with players who do not challenge you much then your improvement graph will be much slower.

But what if you don’t have any advanced players around you? In that case, try to make matches harder for you, I used to play half Court versus full court with players who was my junior.

13. Make Network with Advance players:-Don’t be shy while interacting with advanced players mostly they are of welcoming nature.

Building a relationship with good players can help you in the future when you face any problem regarding your game and you can just ask them to give tips or ask them to help you in creating the strategy for a match.

14. Eating before a Match:- I understand that some people are nervous about eating before you play badminton. Whether it’s fears of throwing up or getting cramps, some people avoid it entirely.

But having something in your stomach before you play badminton is important because it keeps you going throughout the practice session.

Eat(here talking about proper diet) an hour before your match

15. Take shower before a match in the tournament:-Taking shower before a match can help you relax your body which is very important when you are playing a competitive match as it will allow you to perform at full capability

if you don’t have a shower available at tournament venue then pour water on your head.

16. Workout 5 times in a week:-If you want to be on top of your game every single day then working out in the morning is very important 3 Days Cardio exercise and 2 Day Weights, 2-day rest in a week to help your body recover, rest day can differ drastically according to your schedule if your intensity during exercise is higher than increase those rest day from 2 to 3.

17. Watch your opponent position if possible:-You may have noticed some players using this technique

Before hitting a shot they look(using peripheral vision)at their opponent to know what their body position is? if you can make this your habit then it will improve your shot choices drastically.

18. Ask an advanced player to watch you match:-Any advice from an experienced player is valuable

Like I mentioned in my earlier tip about building a network with advanced players.

While you are playing a match or doing practice session ask them to look at your game and note some mistakes which you have been doing so that later on, you can work on those wrong techniques.

19. Use indoor court shoes:-Always use indoor shoes while you are playing on badminton court because they provide you more friction with ground which is very essential because there is a lot of change of direction movement in badminton

if you have the budget go for shoes which are specially for badminton because they have been designed according to moment you perform on Court like lunges, side movement, etc.

20. Avoid using aluminum or steel racket:-Most player at some point have used an Aluminum or steel racket these are good if you are recreational player but if you are looking to take coaching then I would suggest you go for racket with graphite which makes your racket more flexible, durable and strong enough to tolerate High Tension string.

21. Play with feather shuttle:-I know it can be expensive playing with feather shuttle but using nylon shuttle can create bad habit, for example, it requires more force to make clear with nylon shuttle, also in tournament, most of the time feather shuttles are used so it will be beneficial for you to keep practicing with these shuttles for maintaining your accuracy during tournament.

22. Focus on a specific body part:-You may have noticed that most of the player’s upper body is not that much muscular as compared to their lower body and that should be your goal also, so going to gym and building huge biceps thinking that it will increase your smash power will not help you in anything.

These are somebody part you should be building strength:- Core, back, legs, shoulder, Glutes.

23. Don’t forget to laugh:- For a lot of consistent badminton enthusiasts, the sport has become a serious passion. Some high-ranked players take the sport very seriously to where they no longer seem to be having fun on the court. It’s all about winning.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with taking the sport seriously, but it’s important to not let it get in the way with what’s important.

Badminton is in a special place. It has the effect of bringing people together for community-building and go old-fashioned fun. Have fun!

24. If possible watch your opponent match:-It can do wonders to you if you know how to analyze a player match and find his weakness out of it, if your opponent is playing a match in that tournament then I would suggest you look at his a gameplay and try to understand what’s his strength and weakness are or look on YouTube if there is any video of him playing.

25. Don’t waste too much time after the match:-I myself used to do this mistake

After my match gets completed I used to hang out with my friend during tournament instead of going home taking shower and some rest for next match, from my experience I can say that instead of taking rest if you are wandering here and there, it will affect your performance for next match.

26. Ask the coach to review your game:-Sometime you just got to ask, not all the time your coach will be focusing on you

Instead of waiting for your coach to give advice ask him to review your game and tell mistakes that have room for correction.

27. Do not waste time teaching others:-There is nothing worse than getting instruction from someone “you shouldn’t be doing that”.

Even after writing so much article on my website I still never give advice unless they absolutely want it, you can give teaching to someone about the rules or something like that. But you don’t know what kind of technique he has learned from his coaches.

It can put people in an awkward situation where there hearing two different things from two different people.

28. Moving on your toes:-Badminton is considered as one of the fastest racquet sport sometimes you get less than a second to react, so any unnecessary moment will result in losing a point

moving on your toes will help you in reducing the time which you utilize while putting whole feet on the ground.

This technique is not used while lunging.

29. Find the weight of racket which suits you:-Racket come in different weight class and according to your game style you should set a range for your racket, for example, A heavy racket is more useful for Smash, medium weight racket is for all-rounder play and lighter rackets are more beneficial for a defensive style

Use a different type of racket and select which suits you the best.

30. Play with the same partner:- If you are a doubles player then stick with the same partner because one of the most important thing in Doubles is movement on the court, how you understand your partner and if you keep on changing your pair then you will find it hard to perform well in the tournament.

31. Play match by giving target:- As I said earlier play with players who are better than you but what if you are the most skilled player in your Academy or club then giving target to your opponent is good way to improve your game,

For example, you are playing with John now tell him that he has to make 10 points in a 21 point game to win, giving these type of challenges to yourself also help you in handling pressure.

32. Use running technique:-Have you ever wondered why many professional players like Lee Chong Wei reach the shuttle so easily,

the reason is they use running technique instead of following rigid footwork especially when moving from backcourt to frontcourt, next time tries to adapt running motion.

You will better understand this by watching videos of international player especially when they are moving from back to frontcourt.

33. Do not forget your non-racket arm:-I don’t know about others sports but if want to maintain body balance especially when you are going for net then position of your non-racket arm is pretty important and also this is the reason when you play backcourt shots your non-racket arm is also up in the air.

34. Participate in the tournament:- Participating in a number of the tournament will give you experience and reduce the pressure of performing in front of a crowd.

Also, look at the competition which you will be facing in tournament weather you can clear 2-3 round or not because if all of the players are of top-level then I don’t take part in that competition

it is just a waste of time to participate in this kind of tournament.

35. Change grip of racket more often:- I have seen many players buying expensive racket, shoes, and attire but when it comes to changing grip they always think that it can survive one more month

You want your grip to be tacky, but it’s easy to not notice it getting smooth. I highly recommend regripping it.

36. Dink to the backhand:-The vast majority of people are going to be weaker in their backhand than they are in their forehand.

When you drive at the net, make it as hard for the opponent as possible and hit to their backhand.

37. Drills, Drills, and more Drills:- Badminton is all about muscle memory and the more you do a single thing over and over again eventually your body will move even when you are not thinking about it and that is a reason why Pro players are so good at their footwork

For example, remember when you first learn how to drive bicycle you were fully concentrated but after 5-6 months even if when you are thinking about something else you can easily drive a bicycle, that is the magic of muscle memory.

38. Take rest:-Don’t push yourself too hard your body needs rest

I have seen players doing 3 sessions in a day 6 times a week following this routine but in my opinion, it is just too much and eventually, your mind will going to feel exhausted and it will cause a drop in your efficiency.

If you don’t believe me take two-three days of rest doing nothing related to badminton and next time when you play on the court you will feel that your game has improved.

39. Eat like an athlete:-It doesn’t matter how much you are practicing on Court if your diet is not healthy then you are just running on a treadmill and not reaching anywhere, I am not a dietitian but I believe that every person knows what is healthy for their body, also there is ton of information available online which you can use to create your own diet chart.

40. Consume everything you can (not just my content). I have tons of content on this site, but so do other people.

The more you learn, the more you can apply when you go to the courts.

41. Do shadow Drills to Improve Footwork:- Earlier I talked about muscle memory

Shadow footwork is also an exercise where you move on the court with proper footwork without shuttle but only a racket in your hand, doing this exercise will help you in improving speed on the court.

42. Wall practice is important:- It is also a drill which you can do at home,

In this exercise you keep hitting a wall with the shuttle as long as you can while staying in a proper stance it might seem boring but there are some benefits which will motivate you to be regular like increase in speed of changing grip, more power in your wrist, better hand-eye coordination, etc.

43. Learn from your mistakes:- We all make mistakes at some point but your focus should be to learn from them,

For example, you lost a match in a tournament instead of blaming yourself analyze which aspect of your game acted as a weakness of you then talk to your coach and work in improving those areas.

44. Take full advantage of bio mechanics:- Biomechanics is the science of movement of a living body,

Every technique you are using in badminton has a science behind it and understanding these will help you in improving your game.

Sports is just like academic, you may have encountered two types of student in your life one who crams everything and second who understand the concept and it is no mystery which one performs better in an exam,

So same as in badminton understanding these movements will going to help you move better on the court.

45. Improve flexibility:- flexibility is the ability to move a joint through its complete range of motion, is arguably the most neglected component of fitness among many players.

Flexible joints are vital for the maintenance of pain-free and independent movement.

46. Always be ready:- Have you ever watched a wicket-keeper in cricket? Are they standing straight up with their hand at their side? Nope! They are crouching slightly with their gloves and hand ready, you should do the same in badminton, it doesn’t really matter how you do it but just getting into your stance is important.

47. Improve service:-Service is the first shot played during a rally and if your service is not good enough then a player can simply make a smash whether it is single or double, so before beginning your practice session do 30-40 serve 5 times a week.

48. Learn rules and faults:- Did you know that service rule has been updated to 1.15 m maximum height for contact point with the shuttle? Keeping yourself updated with these rules and faults will help you in avoiding giving free points.

49. Control your emotion on court:- There’s no better way to utterly decimate your team’s momentum on the court than by sulking.

If you are visibly getting down on yourself on the court, it doesn’t just affect you. It affects everyone around you. If you’re playing competitively, your opponents will eat that up and use it against you

50. Remember split step:- It refers to a small jump which players take before moving to make footwork more smoother and faster, you can learn more about this by reading this guide.

51. Read my blogs:- Just kidding! , If this article helped you in any way then I am pretty much sure my other helpful guide will do the same for your game.