Effectiveness of On-Court Resistive Warm-Ups on Change of Direction Speed and Smash Velocity during a Simulated Badminton Match Play in Well-Trained Players

Abstract

In badminton, power production can be enhanced through the fundamental practice of a dynamic warm-up with resistance conditioning activity to induce a post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) effect. The use of heavy resistance exercise in the form of heavy weights to induce PAPE during competition is not logistically practical in the badminton arena. Thus, there is a need to investigate the use of easily available alternative preconditioning stimuli to induce a similar potentiating effect in badminton-specific performance. This study adopted a repeated-measures design of three warm-up conditions: control (CON), weighted wearable resistance (WWR), and resistance band variable resistance (BVR). Fourteen badminton players from the national training squad (11 males, 3 females, age 18 ± 1 y) completed the experimental sessions in random order. Change of direction speed (CODS) and smash velocity (SV) tests were performed at five timepoints-baseline test after the warm-up and at the end of each of the four exercise blocks of a simulated match play protocol. CODS was significantly faster under the two resistance warm-up conditions (WWR and BVR) compared to the CON condition at baseline (-0.2 s ± 0.39 and -0.2 s ± 0.46, p = 0.001 and 0.03, g = 0.47 and 0.40, respectively), but there were no differences at the other timepoints (all p > 0.05). SV was significantly faster for all the four exercise blocks than at baseline under all three warm-up conditions (p = 0.02), but there were no differences in SV between the three warm-up conditions across all the five measured timepoints (p = 0.15). In conclusion, implementing resistance (~10% body weight) in sport-specific plyometric exercises using WWR or BVR during warm-up routines may induce PAPE effects on the change of direction speed but not smash velocity, in well-trained badminton players, as compared with the same warm-up exercises using bodyweight (i.e., CON condition). The positive effects of CODS were, however, observed only at the start of the match and possibly lasted for up to between 5 and 10 min of match play.

Keywords: agility; dynamic; muscle potentiation; quickness; resistant exercise; wearable resistance.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1

Study experimental procedure.

Figure 2

Layout of badminton court for simulated match rallies, change of direction speed (CODS), and smash velocity (SV) tests.

Figure 3

Change of direction speed (CODS) (a) and smash velocity (SV) (b) across all five timepoints. * Main effect of time p < 0.05, and post hoc tests revealed significantly faster CODS at exercise block 4 as compared to baseline and exercise block 1.

Figure 4

Change of direction speed, CODS (a) and smash velocity, SV (b) at baseline relative to mean values of exercise blocks 1 to 4. * Interaction effect of trial × time p < 0.05, and post hoc tests revealed significantly faster CODS in weighted wearable resistance (WWR) and banded variable resistance (BVR) as compared to CON condition at baseline. # Main effect of time p < 0.05, and post hoc tests revealed significantly faster SV during the 4 exercise blocks than at baseline under all three warm-up conditions.

Figure 5

Percentage difference (%DIFF) of change of direction speed (CODS) in WWR (a) and BVR (b) vs. CODS–SWC in CON at each measured timepoint. SWC observed at baseline, exercise block 1 to exercise block 3 in (a) and baseline in (b).