Badminton speed Types | How can you increase?
Talking about badminton, which is the fastest sport in the world with an average smashes reaching speeds up to 325 km/h, you should put the speed in consideration.
You may know that the fastest smash in badminton was achieved by the Malaysian player Lee Chong Wei (li zhong wei), and reached 417 Kilometers per hour (259 mph) according to Guinness world records.
Lee achieved this record in the Japan Open final against the Danish player Viktor Axelsen, on 24 September 2017.
So how can you deal with this ultra-speed sport and win? What type of speed should you focus on it?
There are many types of speed in badminton, not only the speed of movement inside the badminton court, but also some other types you will know in this article.
But before starting, let’s ask this question “Did you play badminton before with a professional player and lose?”
Sometimes, while playing badminton with a professional player, you feel that you can still cope with his speed if he does not accelerate.
Once the other player accelerates the game, you feel that you cannot parry, making more mistakes, and quickly defeated.
Why did you actually lose? Probably your speed is the reason. Here are three types of badminton speed you should master.
1. The absolute speed
The speed in badminton is divided into several types. One of them is the absolute speed, which is the overall speed during the match rushing toward the shuttle, moving in the court, jumping to hit killing badminton smashes. It is absolutely differs from one player to another.
Some badminton players pull the shuttle very quickly, some hit killing shots very fast and others move very fast. This kind of speed is more common in young players who are stronger and filled of energy and enthusiasm.
For some middle-aged badminton players, the joints are rusty, the overall movement is slow, the strength is gradually decline, but they still win badminton games.
Does this mean the younger players is always better than the older ones due to their speeds? The answer is in the next type.
2. The speed of change
You can watch some old badminton players walking on the court, hitting a shuttle from the east and diving to catch a shot from the West. They are not fast but not too slow also, and the amazing thing is that the other young players are hard to cope with and lose.
How can this happen and they made more effort and hardly can take breath after the match?
The speed of change is the secret not the absolute speed.
Playing wisely is more important than your speed. You can win without a drop of sweat by changing between your hits quickly and effectively, sending your opponent to the back of the court, force him to rush toward the net, send a drop shot then a smash;
finally, he will do more and more mistakes and will get tired.
What kind of changes should I do fast?
On the court, there are changes in the direction of the shuttle and changes in the speed of it (light and heavy, high and low), killing shots for some times, dropping for a while.
Changing the rhythm of the game, increasing the speed of the game, slowing it. Doing all these conversions very quickly.
If your opponent is more smarter than you, he will control the court and the probability that you can win is not high unless you use higher technology and physical strength to make up for such deficiencies, but you will be half-dead when you finish the game.
It is not difficult to win a game, as long as your absolute level exceeds the other player, but you need to do this with the most power-saving way to avoid exhaustion. The speed of change just mentioned is the way to play your game with more efficiency and less power.
You should be aware of your feet movements, your position in the court, your grip of holding the racket, your fine movements of the hands and when to change your rhythm.
Brain game Play with your brain before your muscles
Pre-judgment consciousness is necessary for any badminton player, to defend well, you should learn where to wait for opponent shots, the most likely shot he will do, wait in the place or move, If you have to wait, what is your position, what is the grip in your hand.
If you decide to attack, you should choose where to hit the shuttle, expect your opponent reaction, consider the position of the next shot.
Consciousness is more important for amateur badminton players. It is very important to choose a suitable solution for different situations.
It is a long-term experience, which requires hard work and time to develop the habit of thinking.
Coaches often cannot directly teach this to badminton players as it is most likely returns to you, you need to think about it.
If you have this pre-judgment consciousness in your mind, it will drive you to master the badminton, make your body cooperate with you, and your heart, hands and feet will work together. You will feel that the whole body is very harmonious.
Of course, it is not enough to hit the shuttle to the right place, but also need to play it with more quality that will not give a chance to the opponent to pick it up very comfortably.
This is the fine detailed skills of your fingers, which is necessary to become a professional badminton player.
Time is an important factor
The more you practice the basic badminton techniques, the fingers’ power will increase, the muscles’ action becomes faster and more accurate, the movement will be Shorter, faster and sudden, so the hits you play will be faster and more effective, and you can beat your opponents’ easily.
Through time, skills and awareness are getting better and better, and your speed will be faster and faster.
The faster and better → the less time you think → the faster changes you can perform → the higher the quality.
3. The connection speed
Playing in a double badminton team leads to the third important speed concept, that is the connection speed of two players, the complementary position of them, the rotation, the harmony etc., which reflects the silent cooperation between the two players.
The double badminton game must be played with two players who can change their speed together. When the first player increase the game speed, the other follow him and vice versa.
This will help them to complete each other and coordinate as a gear. The efficiency will be higher and the performance will be pleasing to the fans.
This is also the unique majesty of Doubles, which can achieve the tacit understanding of the realm. I believe that as a doubles player, it is a wonderful feeling on the court…
When the speed of the two players is not coordinated, there is no harmony between them and a lot of effort is go in vain.
Badminton shoes and speed
Many people buy the best racket to play badminton but ignore the shoes they use in the badminton courts.
Good badminton shoes will help you to move efficiently within the court and will increase your absolute speed.
It is important to be comfortable while playing badminton by wearing a high quality badminton shoes as it will let you to change your directions quickly, easily and smoothly decreasing chances of injuries.
Tips: How can they determine the speed of the shuttle?
The speed is determined with microwave sensors recording the speed of smashes. The technology was introduced firstly by the Badminton World Federation at the world mixed team championships and it was limited to 350km/h.
Conclusion
In short, as a badminton player, you should practice all these types of badminton speed and try to increase it gradually by increasing your fine movements, expectation skills, knowing what kind of shots is more effective and the correct timing.
Now you have a better understanding of concepts of speed, so try to play with your brain before your muscles, learn how to communicate with the other player in badminton doubles and improve your decision speed which will affect your daily life.
Enjoy the badminton speed and don’t fear it.