As you all know that badminton is basically played on a court and is mentioned in the list of indoor sports. And today here in this post we are going to discuss how one can cover full badminton court during a match.
Badminton is one of the fastest racquet sport, where players have to move so fast and perform some frequent moves across the court, which indulged a lot of energy of a player in the game and covering the full court. And if we talk about badminton singles, then this might lead a player to face some severe problems and due to it he/she can not give her best during the match.
So, here in this article, I will help you to know, how you can cover the full court in badminton adequately. And if you are a badminton player, then all you need to do is go through this post and apply some of these steps, in your game. I hope these steps will definitely help you in covering the full court and also in improving your game.
But, before discussing this specific topic, let me explain to you some basic points and facts regarding badminton and its court:
Table of Contents
Dimensions of a Badminton court
Basically, the length of a badminton court is 13.4m long and 6.1m wide. Which is a bit smaller in comparison to tennis. So the players do not face more problems while moving across the court.
As the court is rectangular in shape and is divided into two parts with the help of a net which is placed at the center of the court and the linings or markings across the court are known as boundaries of the court.
And according to the rules and regulations of badminton or BWF, the court for singles is 17 feet 5.18 meters wide, whereas the length of the court in doubles is 20 feet 6.1 meters wide. And if we talk about the dimensions of the net, which is placed at the center, then the height of the net is 5 feet and 1 inch and the edges must be 1.55mm wide. As the lines are 40mm wide, which are placed across the court.
To know more regarding badminton court, check out: Badminton Court Dimensions in Feet, Meters, and Centimeters.
How to cover Full Court in Badminton?
Before knowing and learning about how to cover the full court in badminton, you must learn the basics regarding how to play in the center base position and one should be perfect in a ready position for handling the shuttle. Also, you need to work on your footwork, which is one of the basic skills, which is required in a player while playing badminton.
If you are perfect in these major badminton skills, then only you can easily cover the full badminton court, then whether it badminton singles or badminton doubles.
But remember that rather than these, you must be well known about the basic skills of badminton and its basic shots, which will help you learn some standard skills adequately for covering the full court in badminton.
So, now let’s discuss some of these skills, that I have mentioned above:
The Central Base Position
Center base position, also well known as a base position from where one plays his basic badminton shots. This position helps you in covering the whole badminton court because it is the main point from where a player begins with his moves and also helps you to perform some frequent and fast moves after each and every shot played by your opponent.
In the case of badminton singles, there is a single badminton player on each side of the court, which means that the player has to move a lot across the court and if we talk about badminton doubles then, here there are two players on each side of the court, which minimizes the pressure on the players and they easily cover up the court.
Also, the center point can be defined as an area, that is defined with time, which also depends on your skills and playing experience. Here below I have mentioned some points of center base position, which varies on these factors:
- If you’re playing badminton singles or doubles.
- Where the last shot was played.
- Assuming the position of the shuttle in the next shot.
- The time you get before receiving a shot from your opponent.
- Player’s skills and techniques.
- Skills and techniques of your opponent.
How does central base position help in covering the full badminton court?
As the center base of the court isn’t a fixed position on the court but the player has to return to the starting point, from where he begins all his shots and movements.
Ok let me explain this with an example:
Suppose you decide to stay close to the net and what if your opponent hit a backshot. And imagine you are standing at the backcourt instead of the front and then your opponent played a net shot. So always keep this fact in mind regarding why you need to be positioned at the base. Because this will help you to move backcourt and front easily.
And therefore badminton players always position themselves at the base, which even helps them to cover the court easily.
How to Improve Your Central Base Position?
Like I have mentioned above the center base is not an exact or fixed position on the court, as all that matters is the place from where you begin all your prime shots. And here are some points, which will explain to you, how you can improve your central base position:
- Always focus on the position of the shuttle. This will help you to know what and which kind of shot your opponent is going to play and where the shuttle is going to land. Which will also help you to move quickly and handle the shot.
- One should always know about his weaknesses and strengths, which also helps you to play some easy/adequate shots and handle some tough ones.
- Assuming the position and location of the shuttle.
The Ready Position
This position can be defined as awaiting for the next shot, which is to be played by your opponent. In this position, you do not need to move frequently but stand still and assume the position of the shuttle as this position also helps the player to react fast while receiving the shot from his opponent.
If we compare the ready position with the center base position, then we see that they both are way far different from each other because you need to stand and play the shot from the center base of the court after each beginning shot, but here in the ready position you can take a stance and wait for the shuttle at any area of the court according to your assumption.
Here below I have mentioned some various ready positions, that the player needs to perform during a match:
- Receiving ready position. (Both doubles and singles)
- Defensive ready position. (Both doubles and singles)
- Offensive ready position. (Both doubles and singles)
- Standard ready position. (Singles)
How does Ready Position help in Covering the Full Badminton Court?
If we compare the ready position to the center base position, then we see that this is more important than the center base position, because here the player will only cover the center base area of the court with a ready position and he should remain active and conscious to return back the shot to the opponent.
Ok let me give you an example:
Imagine you are holding your racket low and your opponent plays a shot, where you have to raise your racket, then this is going to take time to take a proper position which is a demerit for you. And imagine when your opponent plays a flat shot, you can return the shot only when you’re holding the racket adequately.
So you might have understood how a ready position can help you in covering the full badminton court.
How to Improve Your Ready Position?
In straight words, ready position means waiting for your turn to hit the shuttlecock or waiting for your opponent to play a shot. Here a player usually gets some time to perform some movements and take a perfect stance. Although here below I have mentioned some steps which can help you in improving your ready position. These are as follows:
- Stance
- Keep your body balanced.
- Move to the area, where you are assuming the shuttle.
- Barrel orientation.
- Draw length.
Footwork
If you are a badminton player or a beginner, then you must learn some basic skills of this sport and footwork is one of them. Proper footwork and coordination of a player can lead a player to a great win.
There is some basic footwork in badminton, that the player needs to master to learn some other specific and advanced skills.
Without this, a player can not compete with his opponent and can not perform well. Here below I have mentioned some factors that affect and help in improving your footwork. All you need to do is go through them thoroughly and do apply them while practicing or while playing any competitive match or tournament:
- Stance.
- A good body balance.
- Balanced movements.
- No extra stretching out.
- Always keep your trunk straight.
- Be confident.
- Need to focus on your shot.
- Choose your steps wisely.
- Patience.
- Perfect coordination of your feet and hands.
How does Footwork help in Covering the Full Badminton Court?
Proper footwork always helps a badminton player to cover up the full court easily. Let me explain how.
As I have mentioned at the very beginning that badminton is one of the fastest racket sport, for which a player requires more speed and agility. Only one can cover the full court, especially in the badminton singles. The player has to maintain proper coordination with his feet, eyes, and hands so that he can play a shot perfectly.
Also, the player has to move back and forth during the match according to the shot played by his opponent. So one must be mastered in these basic skills of badminton.
Non-marking badminton shoes or fine quality footgear are also a must to move so adequately across the court.
How to Improve your Footwork in Badminton?
As I have mentioned above that footwork is one of the most important skills required in badminton. So here below I have listed some steps, which will help you in improving your footwork in badminton and lead you to cover full badminton court easily:
- After hitting every single shot you must return back to your base of the court.
- Always be in a proper stance with a well-maintained balance.
- Be alert and quick.
- Keep your body lightweight.
- Use proper footgear.
- Be focused.
Overall
I hope you liked the article. As here I have mentioned some of the basic skills and techniques, which will help you to know, how you can cover up the full court in badminton. So, I hope after reading this post it might be easy for you to cover up the court adequately, then whether it is badminton singles and doubles. Also if you are a beginner or just indulge yourself in this sport, then I would suggest you perfect and master your basic skills before learning these. Because after learning basic skills, it will be easy for you to learn these specific techniques.