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The aim for this article is to discuss some issues related to training drills as preparation for playing competitive badminton.

We need to look at how we can maximise the value of exercising – train cleverer – and my key point is that we need to bring the exercising closer to the game – “bring game aspects into exercising”.

A starting point would be to identify what qualities the design of each badminton drill brings to the training. Some exercises can be characterised as “closed” as they describe very specific movement and actions for the player to perform. The advantage of these is that the player can concentrate on a few specific tasks and repeat them often. The disadvantage is that this type of exercising is distant to the processes that happen during match play.

Other exercises would have a more “open” concept and require the player to make choices or adapt to the situation.
It therefore makes sense to assess each exercise in terms of what it brings to the competitive situation. I would argue that the more aspects of the match situation an exercise incorporates the more value the exercise brings to the training.

Questions that can be asked:

• Does the training exercise focus on the development of the technical elements or the consistency of these elements?
• Does the exercise allow variations?
• Does the player have to make choices according to the actual situation of the drill (anticipation and tactical considerations)?
• Are there competitive elements in the exercising?
  

It can be argued that each type of drill can have its appropriate use but my concern is that too much training does not incorporate the values of the played game.

Another thing I find important is to determine what qualities we are looking for during the exercising. We should minimise the shots and techniques we don’t want and maximise those we want.

Many coaches are asking more experienced coaches for exercises to improve their own players. However it is not the exercise that makes the player but the physical, technical and mental qualities that the player applies to the exercise.
This means that for each training situation we set up we need to decide what we are looking for. A certain technique, taking the shuttle early, concentration on the task, consistency etc.

In England, and I am sure in other countries as well, we have an interesting debate whether training in groups is more appropriate that “individual training” where one player or a pair.

In understanding that the coach had hitting capabilities that matches the level of the players I believe that each method has its own qualities and can be applied accordingly.
It would be relatively easy for a coach to feed for doubles attack whereas training of defence would be much easier in a group environment.
In “individual training” the coaching focus on the player can be more intense. In a group environment it would be much more up to the player to apply the focus.

Some players thrive more in one of the training environments that the other which should be considered when we are talking about maximising the output of training.

I think that it is much more important to consider whether we as coaches in an “individual training” of group training environment set up situations that address the training issue for each player or pair. There is no doubt that we can apply some general exercising for the group of players to develop the basics. However to fine-tune strengths or improve details we need to include in our weekly approach specific training situations that address these details for each player.