Balance and quick feet: simple exercises for the court
Leg swings, lunges, jumps and fast-feet games from the BWF manual that train dynamic balance and quickness with no equipment but the court lines.
What these exercises are for
Dynamic balance keeps you stable while you move fast, so you use less energy and are harder to push off balance. Quickness lets you react to the opponent's stroke and accelerate. Both suit all stages of a player's development, as long as correct movement skills come first.
Balance exercises
Choose actions that look like what you do in a game.
- Straight-leg swing. Stand on one foot, hands on hips. Swing the other leg forwards and backwards, as straight as possible. Start low and slow, then build speed and range. Keep your head and upper body still by looking at a fixed point.
- Side leg swing. Same stance, swinging the leg from side to side.
- Lunge with a challenge. Start standing, feet together, hands on hips. Lunge forwards with one foot, return, repeat on the other leg, keeping the body upright. When it is easy, add a trunk rotation or a sideways bend while in the lunge.
- Jumps. Two feet to two feet in a sequence, such as side to side, landing toe then heel. At first pause on landing to find your balance; later, jump again as soon as you land. Vary the direction: forwards and backwards, rotating or in combinations. Later, one-foot variations exist, but only when the basics are steady.
Quickness exercises
- Fast feet in the tramlines. Stand with both feet in the tramlines (the side alleys), facing a partner. On a signal, such as a hand clap, move your feet out to the sides three times as fast as you can. First to finish wins. You can step instead of jump.
- Ladder or lines. Drive off one foot, step in and out of a ladder (or the court lines) with a rhythm such as "drive, one, two", then repeat backwards.
- Fast feet, then run. Do three fast-feet movements in and out of the tramlines, then on the third push off and sprint forwards. Repeat running backwards.
- Lie down, get up, move. Lie on your back in the forecourt, on a signal get up and sprint to the rear line. Variations: lying on your front, or arms crossed on the chest without using them to get up.
Common mistakes and fixes
- Speed before control. Do slow, controlled repetitions first and add speed gradually.
- Heavy, noisy landings. Land softly and keep your knees pointing in the direction of travel.
- Training tired. Quality drops when you are tired. Stop or rest.
- Floors and shoes. Use court shoes and a clean, dry floor.
Simple practice
- Add one balance exercise and one quickness exercise to your warm-up for three sessions.
- Do the straight-leg swing for ten swings on each leg while looking at a fixed point.
- Time a partner game of fast feet and swap who starts.
Limits
These are general exercises, not a programme. Stop at once if you feel pain, dizziness or unusual shortness of breath. If you have a health condition, a past injury or balance problems, ask a doctor or physiotherapist first.
General practice advice: play within your limits and stop if something hurts.