[Special Discussion] Badminton Part 1: Conditioning for a sport that requires power and endurance

[Interview]
Strength and conditioning coach Takahiro Sakai
Certified sports nutritionist Kumi Sasaki

Badminton is an endurance sport that requires both "endurance" and "power."

--Badminton is a sport that requires constant explosive movements, so physical fitness is essential. For example, if you are a female college student who is a member of the badminton club (161 cm, 53 kg), what should you be aware of during practice?

Sakai:Badminton is classified as a power-endurance sport. For example, you have to jump high to hit a smash to drop the shuttlecock on the opponent's court, and move quickly to pick up the shuttlecock. You have to keep doing that throughout the match. To do that, you need "power" and "endurance," so it's important to improve them through strength training and endurance training.

However, power and endurance are difficult abilities to improve at the same time. In order to improve your overall performance, it is important to work backwards from the game date and set priorities, such as "strengthen power during this period" and "strengthen endurance during this period," and work on them in a planned manner.

-Do you have any advice for improving performance in everyday life?

Sakai:Before you start practicing badminton, it is important to change your body from the one you use in your daily life to one that is suitable for playing sports. For example, if you spend a long time with your back or hips bent due to studying or desk work, your body may temporarily become unsuitable for badminton.

Sitting too long is also said to be so bad for your health that it has been called the "second smoking habit." For badminton players, it is not good for them to continue to maintain the same posture, so after sitting for a long time, it is necessary to stretch and exercise to get the body back in a position where it can move properly.

--How should you manage your daily meals and energy intake?

Sasaki:This applies to any sport, but first of all, it is important to eat a nutritionally balanced diet on a daily basis. Many athletes are aware that they need to get plenty of protein, but there are also quite a few athletes who have nutritional imbalances, such as not getting enough carbohydrates. Badminton is a sport that requires speed and power, but it also involves shots with delicate touches, such as hairpins (short shots that drop the ball from the edge of the net to the edge of the opponent's net), and requires racket control skills, dynamic vision, and thinking skills. In order to improve your competitive ability while maintaining good condition, it is important to be conscious of eating a diet that provides an even intake of the five major nutrients: protein, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, and minerals.

--As a university student, meal times are limited, so how should you replenish your energy before practice and get nutrition during and after practice?

Sasaki:It is important to go to practice with a sufficient supply of glycogen, which is an energy source. If you have some time before practice, we recommend foods such as rice balls, castella cakes, and bananas, which are carbohydrates that are easily digested and absorbed quickly and are easy to carry.

It is a good idea to replenish carbohydrates with jelly drinks or sports drinks just before and during practice. Especially during indoor training in the summer, it is a good idea to replenish fluids and salt as a measure against heat stroke. Long-term dehydration can also lead to loss of appetite, so it is very important in terms of conditioning in the summer.

To recover from fatigue quickly after practice, it is a good idea to eat carbohydrates and protein together as a snack. For university students, it can be difficult to find time to eat and prepare meals, so it is a good idea to use foods that can be bought at convenience stores, such as salmon rice balls and meat buns, which provide easy access to carbohydrates and protein.

Things to keep in mind to keep your knees and Achilles tendons in good condition

--Body balance is essential in badminton, as you stretch your arms out and swing the racket while jumping. What advice do you have about strengthening muscles that are suited to the unique movements of badminton?

Sakai:The training itself is taught in basic events. Badminton players have been holding the racket in their dominant hand and stepping with the same foot since they were young, so there may be a large difference in muscle strength between the left and right sides. Therefore, we start by doing basic exercises to reduce that difference.

When training with weights (dumbbells, barbells, etc.), the weight is gradually increased, but if there is a large difference in muscle strength between the left and right sides, this becomes a bottleneck and you cannot increase the load. To prevent this, I think it is important to eliminate any significant difference between the left and right sides at an early stage.

--What are the key points to consider when eating during periods of intense training?

Sasaki: The timing of your meals is also important. After high-intensity training, muscle cells are damaged and you need carbohydrates and protein to repair them. After training, you should try to consume carbohydrates and protein as soon as possible, within 30 minutes if possible. If there is a long time between the end of training and your next meal, be sure to take advantage of a snack.

--What is the appropriate nutrition for building the muscle strength needed for badminton?

Sasaki:Hard training builds muscle strength, but a balanced diet is what prepares the body to withstand that training. In other words, a diet that includes a staple food, main dish, side dish, milk or dairy products, and fruit. You should be especially conscious of foods that tend to be lacking in students' diets, such as fruit, seaweed, nuts, and seeds, and soy products. If it's difficult to get enough vitamin C and minerals through meals, snack on dried sweet potatoes, dried fruits, and nuts to supplement your vitamin C and minerals. It's also a good idea to keep some preserved soybean flour on hand and mix it into drinks or yogurt.

Badminton also often results in knee and Achilles tendon injuries, and female athletes with weaker legs are at higher risk. If you don't eat enough or the amount of food you eat is unbalanced, you're more likely to get injured and it's harder to recover, so it's a good idea to make sure you're eating the right amount of food for the amount of training and intensity. Another good method is to eat whole foods, known as "whole foods." For example, if you choose small fish instead of fillets, or chicken with bones, you can get calcium, collagen, and other ingredients that are useful for bone building.

--You mentioned collagen. Is it important to keep your joints flexible and increase your range of motion in badminton?

Sakai:If the range of motion of one joint is narrow, other joints will move to compensate. For example, if the range of motion of the shoulder is narrow, the hips and elbows may move more than necessary, which may put strain on them. To prevent this, it is important to maintain an appropriate range of motion and create a state in which you can move in a balanced manner overall.

Badminton is a tense sport. Stress relief is also important.

-- I think there are many movements that can lead to injuries, such as sudden acceleration or jumping from a stop. Please tell us what you keep in mind to prevent injury.

Sakai:Some people have stiff bodies, while others have flexible bodies but little muscle. It's important to determine what the problem is for each person. For example, if your range of motion is not appropriate, stretch to expand it. If you don't have enough muscle strength and you can't stabilize yourself, you need to do training, and fill in the gaps in your body.

--So, in order to perform at your best, is it important to control your mental state as well?

Sasaki: Badminton is a very tense sport. For example, when you serve, you feel very nervous. The more you think about hitting a good shot, the more nervous you become, which can lead to stress. Also, since it is a brain-based sport, I think the fatigue of the brain caused by thinking about how to outwit the opponent is also great.

I want you to use food as an "off" switch to avoid dragging this stress along with you. It's a good idea to heighten your sensitivity to the taste and smell of food during your regular meals, such as "this is delicious" or "I like this texture." If you do this, you'll be able to change your mood through food even in stressful situations, and you'll be less likely to become exhausted even on long-term expeditions.

Also, depending on the venue, the influence of air conditioning and lighting can make it difficult to read how the shuttle will fall. Such instability can also be a source of stress. In order to overcome stress and maintain concentration, it is a good idea to consume carbohydrates, which are an energy source for the brain, frequently, even in small amounts.

In the first part, we introduced things to keep in mind during regular training and daily meals, as well as things to be careful of during hard training.

In the second part, we will introduce conditioning for the match, recovery methods on the day of the match and the day after, as well as an exemplary meal menu that provides the energy and nutrients needed for the day.

<<Click here for functional amino acid materials related to this article>>

"Whey protein with high essential amino acids" that increases the efficiency of muscle mass building through training

"6 Amino Acid Mix for Joint and Tendon Conditioning" maintains the condition of your joints and tendons and supports ideal movement!