How to structure training to actually improve?

Many badminton players train a lot, but fail to see any significant improvement in their game.

This is often due to the way their practice sessions are designed. Coaches, in this case, need to step back and evaluate their methods. Simply increasing training volume isn’t enough; it’s crucial to assess whether the training is truly effective in developing the skills players need during competitive play. This article provides a brief overview into 4 crucial factors that you need to consider as a coach to ensure that your player's progress is not stagnated and that they actually improve by training.

1. Learner's investment in the training

The design of practice sessions needs to shift from being coach-centered to player-centered. While coaches often have a wealth of experience and knowledge, simply dictating what players should focus on during training may not always lead to effective results. It’s essential for players to feel that the training aligns with their personal goals and addresses their perceived areas for improvement. 

A coach’s job is not only to impart knowledge but also to help players recognize why certain drills and techniques are important. This means coaches must take time to understand the player's perspective and explain the reasoning behind each training exercise. If players don’t see the value in what they’re practicing, they may disengage or go through the exercise without genuine focus. On the other hand, when players feel involved in the process and understand how the training will benefit their performance, they are more likely to invest fully in the practice. Therefore, a player-centered approach encourages more meaningful learning and ultimately fosters greater improvement.

2. Clarity of training goal

Clarity of the goal is crucial for effective practice. Players must understand what each drill is designed to improve—whether it’s footwork, shot accuracy, technique, decision-making, stamina and more. Without this clarity, they may complete exercises without fully grasping their purpose, limiting the potential for progress. A clear metric of success is equally important. Players should know what successfully completing the exercise means - whether it’s 8 out of 10 successful strokes when practicing a technique, choosing the correct stroke in the correct tactical situation, maintaining a rally length etc.

Additionally, understanding the shuttle feeding pattern is essential for players to practice in conditions that the drill is meant to create. Often when training in a group, the type of feeding is not clearly specified. When players are fully aware of what is expected, they can consciously focus on it, leading to more purposeful training sessions and faster improvement.

3. Practice types and time on task

The way practice (drill) is structured hugely impacts whether players retain what they practiced and whether they are able to transfer it to a match-like situation. Often when teaching technique, coaches tend to ask players to repeat the same skill again and again in isolation. This is called blocked practice and is widely shown in research to not cause long term learning.

On the other hand, random and variable practice is widely recognized as one of the most effective methods for long-term learning, particularly for skill retention and transfer to real life situation. This forces players to constantly adapt and think critically, making their learning more robust. Variable practice, where conditions like speed or shot type are altered, helps players adjust to the unpredictable nature of real matches. These methods strengthen the player's ability to apply skills in varied contexts, leading to better performance under pressure.

For badminton-specific examples of these practice types, check out our full course here.

4. Specificity of practice

Specificity of practice is fundamental to improving performance in badminton. The concept is simple: to get better at a particular skill or aspect of the game, practice needs to directly target that specific area in exactly the situation it occurs. For example, if a player wants to improve their return of serve under pressure from the right side of the court, the training should focus exactly on recreating a pressure situation and practicing return of serve from that side.

Practicing in conditions that closely resemble match situations is very important. If a player trains footwork or shots in isolation but not in game-like scenarios, their skills might not transfer effectively when faced with the pressure and unpredictability of a real match. The match is the most random and variable scenario. So if you can adapt your training to reflect the exact demands of a match, you will be able to ensure that players develop the specific skills they need to excel during actual games.

Bonus tip: Tracking player progress

When you want to go from place A to B, you need to know where A is and what B looks like. That's why at Badmintoo, we believe in rigorous player profiling at specific intervals of time. This involves tracking their technique, tactics, physical skills, mental skills, adaptability to situations and more. We do this using metrics and frameworks that we have internally developed for us. And this is done as a combination of opinion-based feedback plus science-based tools to give a clear snapshot of where the player is currently. Very often, a detailed match analysis is a very useful starting point for this.

Quantitative tracking enables both players and coaches to set realistic goals, adjust training regimens based on data-driven assessments, and ultimately foster a more focused and effective learning environment. By combining qualitative feedback with quantitative metrics, the training process becomes more targeted, leading to greater improvements on the court. 

It is frustrating when you put a lot of time working on something and don't get the desired results. We understand the importance of this and that's why we have made an entire course focusing on this called - 'Learning and practice design in Badminton' with Prof. Chris Cushion who is a world leading expert in sport coaching. For more details and badminton-specific examples of the above mentioned factors, check out the full course here