I then go into what I call “freestyle movements” to get myself loose. First, I start with some shoulder circles where I move my outstretched arms clockwise and anticlockwise. Next, I do some racket swing movements focussing on bringing my elbow forward during the swing phase to get some mobility and movement into it to prepare my shoulder which leads me straight into some freestyle swimming movements. I finally finish off with some ‘fist circles’ where I essentially make circles with my fists with my elbow tucked in at around 90 degrees for some biceps, triceps movements as well.After these activities, I’m ready to go and smash that shuttlecock!After your game, you’re exhausted, sweaty, and ready to go home – but it’s vital that you really take the time to cool down properly and effectively to make sure you’re not sore or aching the next day, and most importantly, to reduce the chance of injury.Cool-down1. Gentle JogI like to start with a gentle jog after a game. If you’ve had an intense session, this will move the lactic acid that has accumulated in your muscles around so your body can get rid of it ASAP. Doing this gently will slowly start to bring your heart rate down. If you go straight into static stretches, the sudden decrease in heart rate may make you feel light-headed, whereas doing a jog eases that transition from stress to rest. Make sure it is an extremely gentle jog, don’t put more stress on your body after a tough session or game.2. Static Stretches After a jog, I usually do some static stretches. These really aid a speedy recovery to ensure you’re ready to play again soon! I would normally hold each static stretches for at least 30 seconds before moving on to the next stretch. I tend to set an interval timer on my phone to help keep time. You want to be stretching all those major muscle groups that you’ve just used for your badminton game, so that’s your thighs, calves, hamstrings, wrists, and shoulders.
Leave a Reply