How to Coach Badminton

Understanding the Basics of Badminton

Have a strong understanding of the courts and equipment. Badminton can be played on any type of court. However, at the professional level, matches take place on a court that is 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter with a length of 44 feet (13 m). A net is then placed horizontally across the court, approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) off the ground. Badminton can be played recreationally on either an indoor or outdoor court.

Understand the different types of shuttlecocks. Players will hit the shuttlecock (also called a birdie) back and forth over the net to score points. They are generally made from plastic and contain feathers at their base for speed. Shuttlecocks come in 3 different speeds (slow, medium, and fast) for different levels of players. For beginners, plastic shuttles are ideal because of their durability and reasonable price. It is recommended to start with a shuttlecock with a medium speed. Altitude and temperature will determine which shuttlecock is best to use. The lowest shuttle speeds should be used in areas with high altitudes such as Colorado Springs, CO and the Yunnan Province in China. Medium speeds are best to use while at sea level. Leaving shuttlecocks with the fastest speeds for areas below sea level or with cold temperatures.

Know how to score the game. Players rally until the first player or team reaches 21 points. A single point is awarded when a player fails to return the shuttlecock. This can be when the shuttlecock hits the ground, hits the net, or is out-of-bounds. Matches consist of 3 games. If the score is tied at 20-20, the first side to gain a 2-point lead, is declared the winner of that game. If there is no winner by the 29th point, and the score is tied, the first side to reach 30 points, wins that game. If the server loses the point, the shuttlecock will be given to the receiver for the next serve. When playing doubles, if the team that is serving scores the point, the same player will serve again but to a different opponent on the opposing team. If the opponent in a doubles’ match wins the point, and the score is an odd number, the serve goes to the player in the left service court. If the new score is an even number, then the serve goes to the player in the right service court.

Be familiar with the racket. There are currently no standard rules regarding Badminton rackets for unofficial and professional players. Have your players look for a light-weight racket that is flexible and has the string strength preferred for their level. The amount of tension in the strings of the racket will affect what types of shots they can make. Strings with a higher tension are geared towards strengthening the control and direction of shots, while lower tension strings will put more power behind the shots. Have your players try as many rackets as they can before they purchase one. Each racket will have a different feel to it, so finding the one that feels the best to each player will determine their success.

Make sure your players practice the right grips. There are 2 grip positions used in badminton: the forehand and backhand. These grips are the foundation for any other stroke so knowing and mastering these grips are essential to succeeding at badminton. Instruct your players to use their forehand to return shots that are directed toward their dominant side. Your players should use their backhand when the other player has returned a shot to their non-dominant side. If they do not have time to reposition themselves to return the birdie using their forehand, have them use their backhand stroke for the return.

Have your players master the strokes for basic and professional play. Make sure, when your students are approaching hits, they follow 3 main steps. Always have them begin with the backswing to aim and get momentum. Have them use the forward swing to make contact with the shuttle and end with the follow-through, for added momentum and direction. After they have perfected the basic swings, you will be able to have them move on to mastering other shots. These include the clear shot, for offensive hits, the drop shot, a slow, shallow hit, and the smash shot, a powerful overhead shot. They will also learn the drive shot which is a shot that travels parallel to the ground.

Instruct your players to perfect their serves. A serve is what will begin every rally — making it a crucial stroke to master. Make sure to have them keep both feet on the ground when serving to keep the serve legal. Instruct your players to alternate between the 4 different types of serves and not to aim their serves directly at their opponent. There are 4 main serves including the low serve, high serve, flick serve, and drive serve. The low serve is a shallow serve that uses a gentle tap to get the birdie over the net. The high serve is a powerful upwards serve that focuses on height and distance. The flick serve also uses an upward motion but will get less altitude. It is used to deceive their opponents because of the players’ use of their backhand. The drive serve will not be one you practice with your players as much. Professionals commonly use this serve to aim the shuttle directly at their opponent to catch them off guard.

Tell your students to return to their beginning position after every shot. The ready position is where they will begin and end each shot. Their rackets should be held parallel to the ground with their dominant hand holding the bottom of the handle. The top of the racket should line up between the middle of their neck and chin. Having your players return to their starting position is key to help them move around the court while staying prepared for any shot that comes from an opponent.

Have your players utilize their overhead shot or lob. Overhead shots tend to lead their opponent back to the farthest edge of the court, depending on how powerful their swing is. These power shots are one of the most effective shots because it is harder for opponents to return. The fall of an overhead shot is harder for your opponent to predict, which makes them very useful when scoring points.

Do not have your students return shots to the same area on the court. Teaching your students variety with their shots will keep them from becoming predictable. Predictability will give their opponent a better chance of returning the shuttlecock to an area of the court they are not able to cover. For better chances of scoring, have them always keep their opponent running.

Starting Your Coaching Career

Complete the required courses to get certified. These certification courses are offered through the USA Badminton Coaching Certification Program and will require you to meet specific standards in various levels to gain certification. These programs take into consideration that you may be coaching professionally or non-professionally and will prepare you for both. For more information on the certification process, visit the USA Badminton Coaching Certification Program website: https://usabadminton.org/coaching/coach-education/. Many countries have their own certification processes. For example, Canadian residents would go through the NCCP or National Coaching Certification Program. Some certification programs may require you to purchase a membership to have access to programs and other resources.

Find coaching positions through official badminton association websites. This is a great resource for new and existing coaches who are seeking employment. These websites will allow you to find clubs and other organizations near you that are hiring. These sites will vary depending on your location. For residents of the United States, there are badminton associations for each state. Badminton associations in other countries cover entire regions. Many of these websites will require you to have a membership to be listed as an available coach or to search coaching opportunities. Always ensure that the websites are legitimate before uploading any personal information.

Use social media to recruit new students if necessary. Using social media platforms, such as Facebook, is a great way to target recruits. Make sure to list any certifications or experiences with coaching on your page. Start by having your friends and family share your Facebook page to spread the word. If you decide social media will not meet your target demographic, try giving out flyers or brochures at local schools, recreational centers, or public parks.

Locate a place for your team to practice. Probably the most important step is to make sure you have a facility secured where your team can practice. This can be difficult to accomplish, but it will relieve a lot of stress when you start recruiting. Look for a facility in your area as most students will not want to travel more than 20-30 minutes for practice. Most public facilities will charge you to use their space. Make sure you look into prices and availability of the facility before you book. Some good facilities to look into are public parks and schools, private schools, community centers, and sports complexes.

Establish your payment and refund policies ahead of time. If you are working for a program through a recreational or community center, they may have their own policies already in place. However, if you are on your own, it is important to establish your policies before you begin recruiting students. For example, collect player fees at the beginning of your sessions or set a firm due date. Decide if you will accept cash, utilize online accounts such as Paypal, or require payments by check. Be sure to take into account certain situations that may be out of your players’ control, such as injuries or unexpected circumstances. While you are being paid for your time, make sure that your refund policies are fair to those with extenuating circumstances.

Developing the Necessary Skills

Show your passion and motivation for coaching and playing badminton. To be a successful coach, you will need to be able to support and motivate your players. If you lack passion for this sport, you will struggle to engage your students, which will affect how successful they are. Showing excitement and drive for badminton will help you gain more respect from your players. You can show your passion for badminton to your team through your dedication to them. Give each of your players the same amount of attention and provide constructive feedback. The more interest you show in improving your team and players, the more receptive and successful they will be as athletes.

Increase your communication skills by being empathetic. Learning a new sport or trying to improve your standing as a player can be very stressful and frustrating. As a badminton coach, it is important to understand these emotions so you can recognize them with your players. Sometimes they may be struggling or pushing themselves too hard and you will need to know how to handle these situations. Some signs that your athlete may be in distress are anxiety, frustration, and unrealistic expectations. If you see these signs in an athlete, it is important that you encourage them to deal with these feelings in healthy ways. This can include having your player practice relaxation techniques, talk to someone they trust, or seek professional help. Showing empathy to your players will help you understand their frustrations, anxieties, and triumphs and allow you to respond in an appropriate way.

Respect any questions, comments, or concerns voiced by your players. Ask your students for feedback and make sure to take any feedback you receive seriously and change your lessons accordingly, when appropriate. If you are receiving complaints from different players on the same issue, it would be an appropriate time to change your lesson. For example, you might not be spending enough time on a specific drill that your players feel is useful to them, or that they may be having trouble getting the hang of. Do not change your lesson if you are receiving complaints simply because your players do not want to participate. For example, running is an important exercise to integrate into coaching badminton. However, not everyone likes to run, and they may complain about running the required amount. Never belittle, embarrass, or insult your students when they ask for clarification or offer suggestions, as this may lead to lower feelings of self-worth.

Get to know the values and goals of your athletes. Not all of your students will start at the same level, and each of them will have different strengths and weaknesses. Knowing this will allow you to cater to each one of your student’s specific needs. Make sure to individualize conversations to understand your athletes, provide motivation, and coach in a way that will help each of your players feel comfortable. Some players may need more reassurance than others. For players that may be shy or introverted, you might need to provide feedback in a one-on-one setting, or somewhere they feel comfortable. It will take a while to learn each player’s specific needs, but it will pay off as you earn more respect and credibility with your players. This will also help you learn how to effectively engage with each of your students, in turn, creating more respect for you as the coach and helping them succeed.

Promote sportsmanship and unity within your team. Even if your students are not participating in competitions, it is important for them to respect everyone on-and-off the court. Expecting your students to show respect towards one another will reduce conflict and will help your lessons run smoothly. Teach your students to respect and support one another. Never allow teammates to belittle or insult other team members or opponents. Try implementing rules such as shaking each other's hands at the end of a lesson or practice match.

Running the Proper Drills and Conditioning

Prepare your students for an aerobic workout. Due to its fast-paced nature, badminton is considered an aerobic sport. Make sure you are working with your students on muscular endurance and speed to increase their success with playing badminton. Add in conditioning workouts that will help your students learn how to move around the court quickly. These workouts can include basic endurance running and sprinting exercises. Start with shorter intervals of aerobic exercises such as 4 sets of 10-second sprints with 30 seconds of walking in between sprints. Allow your students to rest for 2 minutes after each set. As your students’ endurance increases, have them complete 5 sets of 4 minutes of hard running and 3 minutes of jogging.

Practice hand-eye coordination with your students. The entire game of badminton is based on having successful hand-eye coordination. Make sure you are practicing drills with your students that will help them to not only concentrate on the location of the shuttlecock but also, to stay aware of where their opponent is on the court. Hand-eye coordination is one of the most important aspects of the game. Your students will be expected to stay aware of their surroundings, especially when playing doubles. To increase hand-eye coordination, break your students into pairs. Have your partners toss a small ball back and forth. To increase difficulty, adjust throwing speeds, alternate angles, and create throwing patterns. You can also have the partner catching the ball face away from the thrower and have the catcher turn around when the other partner tells them to as they toss the ball.

Implement resistance training during your sessions. These types of exercises will help you enhance the strength of your students’ abdominal, back, and shoulder muscles. Use exercises such as the Kettlebell Woodchopper, which will work all of the areas mentioned above while mimicking the movements required by the torso for both forehand and backhand shots. For this exercise, have your students align their feet with their hips and hold the kettlebell with both hands in front of them. As they bend their knees, have them rotate their torso and hands to one side of their body and then the other, while straightening their legs. Have them lift their hands high to one side upon straightening their legs. For best results, repeat this exercise at least 15 times on both sides with both arms together.

Use exercises that strengthen your students’ wrists. Strong wrists are an essential element when playing badminton. Making sure that your students are properly strengthening their wrists and increasing their flexibility will help them increase their accuracy in many different shots. To exercise your students’ wrists, try adding weight to their racket by placing its cover on it with a book or other heavier objects inside. Have your students flex one wrist at a time with their palm down, 20 times, and then have them make a figure eight with that same wrist 20 times. Have them repeat the same regiment on both sides.

Run footwork drills to increase agility and endurance. Having strong footwork and agility will allow your students to position themselves anywhere on the court to successfully return shots. Building endurance is key to having strong footwork on the court. These exercises, such as the multi-directional shuttle run, work better with a partner. For this exercise, you will want to make sure your students are facing the net at all times. Have their partner call out different directions, such as north and west. The other partner will then sprint for 5 steps in the direction called, hit the floor with one hand and then return to their original position by sprinting 5 steps back, and hitting the floor again with one hand. For this exercise to be successful, it is important that your students keep working towards moving faster rather than further. As your students agility increases, you can substitute the floor touch, for a harder step such as a tuck jump. Make sure you are providing at least 10 minutes for this drill during each training session.

Increase your students’ strength in their calves and ankles. A lot of pressure can be placed on your calves and ankles when you are rapidly changing directions. Building strength in your players’ calves and ankles will help reduce the risk of injuries while helping them to make rapid changes in direction on the court. Try having your students position themselves so that the ball of one foot is supported on a bench or step. Ensure that the heel is hanging over the edge while the other foot rests against the back of the ankle. Using the foot that is elevated, have them lower their heel as much as they can, and then use the ball of their foot to lift the heel as high as they can. Have them repeat this motion 20 times on each leg. When starting strength training, you may need to allow them to switch legs more frequently. As they get stronger, try to increase the level of difficulty by having them do the reps without holding onto anything for support.

Strengthen your students’ legs to help with rapid movements and jumps. To ensure they can return all types of hits and to increase the power of their serves, make sure you include leg-strengthening exercises. These will be very important to not only improving agility but also to keep their knees strong and supported. Have your students practice deep squats, where their heels are slightly aligned outside of their hips, turning their legs outwards from their hips. Make sure that as they slowly bend their knees, their heels and toes stay touching the floor. For this exercise start with 3 sets of 15 and increase the reps as their strength improves. For better results, have your students tighten their gluteal muscles to help strengthen the back of their legs and lower back. Increase the difficulty of this exercise as your students’ strength improves by adding weights or resistance bands.