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Before all you club players swing back into action remember to warm-up and cool down.


Warm-Up

The purpose of the warm-up no matter what sport, is to prepare both mentally and physically for the sport.

Traditionally warm-ups consisted of a series of stretches that helped to relax the muscles and thus prevent injury.  There is quite a lot of evidence to suggest that doing this type of stretching before activity can actually increase the risk of injury and decrease performance! In a sport such as badminton which relies a lot on speed anything that potentially slows down an individual is not a good idea!

Any warm-up should be sport specific, so what does a badminton specific warm-up consist of? The following is meant to be a guideline and should be varied to provide fun and interest at the start of a session.

1. Gentle Jogging
Any warm-up should start with approximately 10 minutes of jogging or movement to increase the heart rate and improve the blood flow to the muscles. This period can also include swinging arms, bending and some controlled change of directions.

2. Dynamic movements
The next stage become a little more badminton specific and includes a period of dynamic movements.  These can be thought of as stretching except they are dynamic and done in a sport specific way. For example to lengthen the muscles in the legs perform some lunges on alternative legs, then gradually increase the speed these movements are performed at.

3. Shadow Movements
The final period becomes more specific still by introducing shadow badminton movements. These may initially be in one part of the court and then can be built up to full court movements. Players should be starting to sweat lightly towards the end of the warm-up.

In total an effective warm-up can be done in 15-20 minutes.


Cool-Down

This is a commonly neglected area but as important as the warm-up. It is essential to gradually bring the body back down to its resting state after an intense period of exercise. When the muscles and joints have worked intensely, especially if it is a new routine or at increased intensity, chemicals are released into the tissues that can be related to damage.  The heart rate should be gradually brought back down towards is resting rate to encourage maintenance of circulation through the muscles.

The period of cool-down should be done as soon as possible after your session. It should not be physically hard but again should be 15-20 minutes. Whenever possible players should change out of sweaty clothes especially if it is cold.

1. Jog Down
The initial phase is to ‘jog down’ for 5 minutes and then take that to a walk. This is a good time to re-hydrate with a good sports drink or water.

2. Stretching
It is then important to do some basic stretches that include areas that would be under most stress when playing. This should include quads and hip flexors at the front of the thigh, gluts, hamstrings in the back of the leg and calf muscles. Upper limb stretches should biceps, triceps and shoulder rotations. These stretches should be gentle and held for approximately 30 seconds at a time.

It is good to listen to your body and pay attention to how each muscle group feels when it is being stretched to pick up an any aches or pains.