How are we different from Foreign players?

How are we different from foreign players?

 I have been hearing this question since I came back to Pakistan. In this article, I will be comparing the training regimes of Pakistani and foreign players. 

MULTISHUTTLE TRAINING:

‘Multishuttle’ way of training is very popular and specific for the badminton training session. 

Working with a lot of shuttles – a multishuttle way is a common form of Badminton training all over Asia. There are many different ways of this exercise which vary with the athlete’s desired goals.  

Taking a look at the concept of Multi training in Pakistan, we see that it is being given more importance than required, and is considered the heart of any training regime. However, we should rather have an equal proportion of the variety of training drills in our regime. While overseas players use multi shuttle training to enhance their Power, Flexibility, and Skills, Pakistani athletes carry the common misconception that this form of training would only develop your accuracy and control. Working with a lot of shuttles in a small span of time, multi shuttle barely helps you to develop much control, but helps in enhancing your speed, reflexes, and power.

SINGLE SHUTTLE TRAINING:

Single Shuttle Training helps improve your control in the court by syncing your movement with your strokes. The power, speed and endurance developed through multi shuttle training are further improved from single shuttle training drills. Drills like playing against 2 players, controlling the shuttle at the front or back court etc, requires stability along with fast foot movement, which multi shuttle drills help develop. Therefore, when you do single shuttle training, controlling the shuttle at a fast pace helps you become consistent in it. Single shuttle helps you to control the strokes that you would face in your matches, hence it enhances your ability to play better during matches. 

It also needs to be understood that long and short sets are equally important in your training regime. For example, doing a full court control at the back of the court for 20-25 mins would help you control the shuttle even when you are getting tired, thus developing consistency, but it may not be effective in improving the quality of your strokes.

 Alternatively, you can add short reps drills in your program like controlling the shuttle at front of the court, playing a 30-35 strokes rally (10 sets) at a high pace, and trying to reach as early as possible to each stroke will yield the best results. I have seen very few Pakistani players who have these short drills in their program as it does not target your physical strength.

 Nowadays with improving technology (modern racket frames, fast shuttles etc), Badminton is emerging as a fast paced game where fast and short rallies with many attacking shots are played, thus these short drills will allow you to play high-quality accurate shots, moving your opponent around at a higher pace and being able to keep up with the pace of the game. 

SKILL BASED TRAINING:

Apart from all the vigorous training you do on and off the court trying to improve your power, endurance, speed etc, YOU NEED TO WORK ON YOUR RACKET SKILLS TOO! This is a major requirement that seems to be absent in our training programs. It is something players do once in 2 weeks, considering it a waste of time, but in reality it is a great way to train your strokes without any pressure. You might know how to run around the court and how to hit the shuttle with immense power, but what is the point of training these aspects if you lack precision in your strokes? 

Therefore, to make your strokes precise, skill training is very important. You might practice a particular stroke, e.g, hitting a cross or a straight drop, whilst standing at the back (or taking a few steps) of the court. It is scientifically proven that a reinforced idea creates strong neural pathways in the brain. As soon as the mind accepts the idea that it needs to re-evaluate the standard response to a situation, it starts building new pathways.Eventually the old pathways wither away because they are no longer being reinforced. Such is the power of repetition! 

GYM:

The physical aspect of the game is as important as your court training. I would like to clarify the myth that "Gyming at an early age hinders your growth". It is absolutely wrong! It can be agreed upon, however, that some high intensity exercises, such as weighted squats beyond your range, should be avoided by those who have their doubts. Physical training early on in life can help in muscle development later on. It is true that faster muscle development can be seen at the age of 17-18 by going to the gym, but gymming early in life can help strengthen your muscles for such time and greatly accelerate development. Moreover there is no evidence that weight training would slow you down on the court. Your methods of training in the gym decide whether you slow down on the court or not. Lifting weights in an explosive way (i.e powerlifting) will make you much more explosive. 

Thank you for reading this article. Hopefully it answers the question that rises commonly in the minds of Pakistani players. Don't forget to like & share this article!

Written by : Muhammad Anas Akhter (Admin of Future Badminton Champions of Pakistan)