Badminton is a very popular and competitive sport around the World. The love for this sport is abundant, and many young players are longing to establish themselves as professional badminton players.
Renowned personalities like Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, and many more inspire badminton lovers to take up the sport. While some consider it as a hobby, some aspire to make a career in the sport.
However, most of them do not map themselves properly to becoming professional players. You need to be very organized and committed to your journey to becoming a professional player.
Well, if you possess the necessary qualities, talent, and skill, then your tenacity and dedication will lead you to success. Most people want to make a career in badminton, but they lack the knowledge to reach their goal efficiently. Moreover, you might be wondering how to become a professional player?
In this article, I’ll explain a few tips and suggestions that will help you to start your career to become a professional badminton player. It is important to follow certain steps and guidelines to become a professional player and make a career in the sport.
Understand And Know The Game
If you know badminton, then only you will be able to play it. During your training, get familiarized with every type of shot in badminton. You should know the rules and regulations, technical shots like the smash, drop, and many more. It will take time but learn how to execute all the badminton shots correctly.
The game is not only about the shots but also about the footwork. Practice the footwork needed for every shot rigorously. You must be aware of when to jump, when not to jump, and which shot to use during a rally.
Understanding and getting familiar with the game is the first step in your journey to becoming a professional player. Some key elements that you should learn are:
- How to hold a badminton racquet?
- Different types of shots in badminton
- Footwork
- Mental strength
- Skills
Start At The Right Age
Age does not matter when you follow your passion. However, to become a professional player, you need to start early around the age of 7-8. It takes time to learn and get familiarised with the game. Therefore, it is recommended to start at an early age.
When you start early, you get enough time to work on your skills and abilities. Also, you will understand in which category you should play either doubles or singles. At a younger age, the human body responds better to physical training and remembers all essential guidelines in a game.
Fitness
Badminton is the fastest sport in the World. You need to be physically and mentally strong to enter the professional world of badminton. There is no shortcut to becoming a professional. Speed is an essential requirement for playing efficiently.
A badminton match is a set of 2-3 games that can go on for an average of 40-60 min. To play a match, you will require strength (both physical and mental), agility, speed, reaction time, and stamina.
There should be a combination of efficient footwork and handwork to jump, smash and run while receiving or executing shots. Fitness is one thing you need to bear in mind throughout your journey. You will have to put in a countless number of hours practicing so that you gain an edge over your opponent.
Maintain a proper fitness regime, diet plan to control your body weight and fitness. You will observe that all the elite badminton players across the globe are fit and follow a dedicated fitness regime.
Research has proved that it takes about 10,000 hours to become an expert at something, mainly sports.
Develop Your Skills
You might have heard of the former badminton player, Taufik Hidayat. Well, he was famous for his game and one particular skill- His Backhand. Every player has a different skill set.
Practice and hone your skills in a good range of strokes in the game. You should be able to identify when and where to play a particular shot. The coordination of your hands, wrist, and shoulder is also very crucial.
Not only this, understanding your opponent is very crucial in a game of badminton. You should be able to respond according to the situations that come for you.
Develop your game and skills and be accurate with all the details required for every badminton shot. In the long run, with extraordinary skills and fitness, you will be very close to meeting your dream.
Play Against Better Opponents
You need to play against opponents who challenge you. This is the best way of improving your skills and preparing yourself to face tougher opponents in your professional career. While you may feel good playing with players whom you beat easily, it is not beneficial for your game. Talk to good and elite players around you and keep learning from them.
Equipment
The magic sword while playing badminton is your racquet. Also, there are several types of equipment available that help you in improving your game. Select the equipment that you are comfortable with.
In today’s world, there are several options for a racquet. You should be able to identify the one which suits your style of play. Also, your shoes play a very important role. Not wearing proper shoes could lead to injuries and can also affect your footwork.
Therefore, purchase the right equipment with the right quality. Everything has an expiry date. You should know when you need to change your equipment and purchase and a new one. Do not compromise on this aspect during your career.
Coaching
The role of the coach plays a very essential role in defining your career. Depending on the country you live in, search for the best badminton academies out there and enroll yourself for the same. Pay close attention to what your coach teaches you and make the best possible use of coaching.
However, even if you have the best coach, you will have to work hard and practice regularly to achieve results. An elite player practices for around 8 hours a day. Therefore, prepare yourself for more hard work and hard training. Your hard work will reap its results.
Keep Learning and Watching
During your free time, watch videos of the elite badminton players. Follow all the updates on the sport. In such matches, observe the footwork, skills, and abilities of the players. Try to practically incorporate these into your game.
Many articles and videos teach you how to execute different types of shots correctly. Watch and read them, as this will help you to increase your knowledge of the game. Also, keep sharing your skills and knowledge with others. This will help in the development of the badminton community.
Final Thoughts
An elite player does not reach the International stage directly. Start playing district, regional, or collegiate games at the start. This will give a live experience on how to handle pressure during a badminton game.
When you start young, try and play as many school competitions as you can. This will prepare you for the future. Therefore, be updated with all local tournaments in your area and participate in them.
In the World, many players leave the sport because of the added expenditure. Sometimes it gets difficult to afford shoes, racquets, and many more things. Well, there are many sponsorships and scholarships available that help you in the long run. These scholarships are given based on performance and many other factors.
Therefore, work hard, try to win tournaments, which will help you in getting scholarships. Some countries also offer job security to players once they reach the National level.
When you work hard, success will fall in place. Therefore, be focused on your goal and work hard to reach it. I hope I have motivated you to take up the sport professionally. Start practicing now, and eventually, you will see the difference in yourself.
If this article was helpful, I would appreciate it if you’d be willing to share it. It will help more people to find this resource and use it to become future badminton stars.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the game!