Sport
Badminton is a sport of lunges, quick first steps and jumping smashes. Social doubles is moderate exercise, and competitive singles is played at about 90% of your maximum heart rate. Most injuries are in the legs: ankle sprains, calf tears, knee pain and, in recreational players around their mid-30s, Achilles ruptures. Half of players have had pain in the hitting shoulder, and shuttles cause rare but serious eye injuries, especially in doubles.
One badminton warm-up has been tested: PreventiBad, a version of the 11+ warm-up from FIFA, football's world governing body. In one small trial in players aged 9 to 18, injuries per hour of play were about 70% lower with it. This guide covers what badminton asks of your body, the common injuries and what's known about preventing them, footwork and jump training, eye protection, badminton in later life, and when to check with a doctor first, with the warm-up step by step and a strength and footwork workout, each move shown in 3D.
Competitive singles rallies last about 5 to 7 seconds with 11 to 15 seconds between them, at about 90% of maximum heart rate on average. The Compendium of Physical Activities gives social badminton 5.5 metabolic equivalents (METs), competitive play 7.0 and match play 9.0.
Across 19 studies, most counted 1 to 4 injuries per 1,000 hours of badminton, mostly in the legs and mostly mild or moderate. The risk rose with the level of play and with a previous injury.
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In a Swedish series, 30 of 31 players who ruptured an Achilles were recreational players or beginners, at an average age of 36. Badminton was behind about a quarter of sports-related ruptures in hospital series from Stockholm and Shanghai.
PreventiBad, a 20-minute warm-up, went with about 70% fewer injuries per hour of play in one small trial in players aged 9 to 18. It's promising, not proven, and untested in adults.
52% of world-class players and 52% of recreational players had had pain in the hitting shoulder.
The shuttle causes about 85% of badminton eye injuries. In one series, most happened in doubles, and most of those were caused by the player's own partner.
In elite singles, rallies average about 5.5 to 7 seconds with 11 to 15 seconds between them, and heart rate averages about 89% to 90% of maximum. Blood lactate stays low, so most of the energy comes from aerobic fitness (about 60 to 70%), with short, explosive bursts making up the rest. The elite game has sped up: the rate of shots in Olympic men's singles finals rose by 34% from 1992 to 2012, and women's singles matches got longer between 2007 and 2017.
The Compendium gives social singles and doubles 5.5 METs, competitive play 7.0 and competitive match play 9.0. On the UK National Health Service's (NHS) talk test, moderate activity means you can talk but not sing, and vigorous activity means you can't say more than a few words without pausing for breath.
The split step, side and crossover steps, lunges to the net and the sides, moving back to the rear court, jumping smashes with one-leg landings, and overhead shots. In 52 players, a maximal-effort lunge loaded the front leg with about 2 to 3 times body weight at impact, and less skilled players braked with more horizontal force (2.40 against 1.61 times body weight).
The sites the studies point to:
Quick first steps in every direction, deep lunges and a fast push back, single-leg landing control, calf and Achilles strength, shoulder and forearm endurance for overhead shots, and the fitness to sprint again and again.
Studies counted injuries in different ways: per 1,000 hours of play, as the share of injuries in hospital records, or as pain recalled in surveys, so figures in different lines aren't comparable. Most studies looked back in time, and recreational players are under-studied.
The numbers, by group:
Achilles ruptures were 34.6% of acute badminton injuries treated at one Swedish emergency department, almost all in recreational players and beginners. In a series of 31 players, the average age was 36, 27 were men, and 29 ruptured in the middle or at the end of a planned game, which the authors put down to tired muscles. The typical Danish player ruptured it at the back of the court, in a sudden movement forwards, despite having warmed up. Badminton was behind 23% of sports-related ruptures in a Stockholm series and 27% in Shanghai. Our Achilles rupture guide covers what to do.
The commonest acute injury in a French series of 140 cases, where outer ankle sprains were 43.4% of leg injuries; ankle sprains were also 6 of the 20 injuries in the PreventiBad trial. Repeat sprains are common. Our ankle sprain and chronic ankle instability guides cover them.
A tear of the inner calf muscle, often called tennis leg, was 8.5% of acute leg injuries in the French series, and muscle injuries were commoner in Danish players over 30. Our calf pain guide covers it.
The knee was among the commonest sites of serious injury in world elite juniors, and the commonest leg site in 150 players at a European senior championship. The braking load of the lunge is a likely reason (our reading). Our knee pain, jumper's knee and meniscus tear guides cover these, and for teenagers, our Osgood-Schlatter and Sinding-Larsen-Johansson guides.
52% of 188 world-class players and 52% of 99 recreational players had had pain in the hitting shoulder, and 16% to 20% had it at the time. Of 45 players under 17, 47% developed shoulder pain within a year, more often those with less inward rotation of the shoulder. In 611 Japanese children aged 7 to 12, training more than 2.5 hours a day went with 2.64 times the odds of shoulder pain. Our shoulder pain, shoulder impingement and rotator cuff guides cover these.
The back was the commonest site of new injuries in Hong Kong elite players, and the lower back among the commonest serious injuries in world elite juniors. Our back pain guides cover it.
11 of 104 serious injuries in world elite juniors were stress fractures, which the 2025 review links to quick rises in training as young players move up levels. In 20 elite French players, 9 had hip pain and 6 had cam-type hip impingement. Our stress fracture and hip impingement guides cover these.
An early review named it, with Achilles tendon pain, among badminton's commonest single injuries, but it hasn't been studied in players since. Our tennis elbow guide covers it.
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A small share of all injuries, 2 of 229 in one Danish study, but often serious: bleeding inside the eye, a displaced lens, a detached retina, and raised eye pressure (glaucoma) years later. 6 of 88 patients at a Melbourne eye hospital needed surgery. More in the eyes section below.
PreventiBad is a badminton version of the FIFA 11+. In one small cluster randomised trial, 28 club coaches were randomly given it or told to keep their usual warm-up, and 273 players aged 9 to 18 (about 14 on average) were followed for 8 weeks. Players who did it had 1.23 injuries per 1,000 hours against 4.07 with the usual warm-up: about 70% fewer per hour of play, with the true effect somewhere between about 25% and 88% fewer. Leg injuries were 0.82 against 2.91 per 1,000 hours, and there were no tendon injuries in the PreventiBad group against 5 in the others. Players did it 2.4 times a week on average, at 76% of their training sessions.
The limits are real. There were only 20 injuries in all; 3 coaches in the PreventiBad group dropped out after randomisation; and the 8 weeks began in September 2020, after more than 6 months without badminton, when the comparison group's injury rate was higher than usual, which the researchers say may explain some of the effect. It hasn't been tested in adults.
About 20 minutes once learned, at the start of every training session, in three parts. Compared with the FIFA 11+, the contact exercise and the 40 m runs are gone, and shoulder work, cross-steps and on-court changes of direction are added. Coaches were asked to cue a steady trunk, hip control and knees in line with the toes.
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No trial has tested a way to prevent them. In the Swedish series, most ruptures came in the middle or at the end of a game, and 5 of 31 players (16%) had noticed Achilles symptoms first. In Shanghai, 22.4% of people who ruptured an Achilles without warming up did so in their first 10 minutes of sport, against 5.5% of those who had warmed up, an association. In a lab study of 20 recreational players, landing a jump smash with the landing foot turned out, the scissor kick elite players use, cut the force on the Achilles by about 25%; injuries weren't counted.
Our reading: warm up before every session, strengthen your calves twice a week, come back from breaks with shorter sessions, and get Achilles pain checked rather than playing through it, as our Achilles tendinopathy guide advises.
No badminton shoulder programme has been tested. PreventiBad includes band rotations and shoulder stabilising work, but its trial had too few arm and shoulder injuries to judge them. The shoulder programme with trial support comes from handball, as our tennis and padel page explains. In children, more than 2.5 hours of badminton a day went with shoulder pain, and in young players, less inward shoulder rotation went with pain later.
48% of 164 world elite juniors had had an injury that kept them out for 30 days or more, and 11 stress fractures were reported. The 2025 review's authors advise matching young players' training to their training history as they move up levels. Our children's guide suggests no more hours of organised sport a week than a child's age in years.
Measures without good evidence in badminton:
In 11 trials of 445 badminton players, jump (plyometric) training improved agility, balance, speed and power, with moderate to large effects, but not reaction time; the certainty of the evidence was low. Across racket sports, 14 trials found gains in change of direction, reaction time, strength, power and sprint speed, and programmes of 7 weeks or less, or of 2 sessions a week or fewer, did as well as longer or more frequent ones. No harms were reported.
In 48 young male players, 8 weeks of balance plus jump training three times a week improved two agility tests more than jump training alone. In 20 boys aged about 13, 30 minutes of balance training twice a week for 8 weeks sped up their push-off for three strokes by 19% to 36% and improved a shuttle run, while the comparison group didn't improve.
Resistance training improved power, speed, agility and endurance in competitive players, and programmes longer than 8 weeks did better. Across 15 studies of 370 players, training programmes of 4 to 10 weeks raised aerobic fitness, mainly through interval training, and sped up agility. Core training improved front-court and back-court skill scores in players aged 10 to 19. For racket sports in general, the authors of an interval training review suggest 3 sessions of 30 to 40 minutes a week for 6 to 8 weeks.
No badminton study. Across 27 studies, mostly of endurance athletes, a 2-week taper that cut training volume by 41% to 60% while keeping intensity and frequency worked best, and in team sports, tapering improved power, change of direction and repeated sprints. Our reading: in the last 1 to 2 weeks before a key event, keep court sessions sharp, halve gym and conditioning work, do the last hard jumps 4 to 5 days out, and add nothing new.
Built on the trials:
Across 19 studies of 378 eye injuries, the shuttle caused 85%, and doubles, the shuttle and no eye protection were the risk factors. In 85 cases in China, 73 happened in doubles and 52 were caused by the player's own partner, and most of the injured and of those who caused the injuries had never had lessons. In a Malaysian hospital audit of 23 injuries, every one was from a shuttle and most were in singles, from the opponent. Few players wear eyewear: 94% of recreational and 88% of professional players in an online survey didn't. In an Australian series, one player still needed treatment for glaucoma 26 years after the injury.
Across racket sports, a median 93% of eye injuries happened without eyewear, and only eyewear meeting updated standards went with no injuries. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) advises polycarbonate sports glasses tested to the standards of ASTM International, or a Canadian racket-sport standard, for racket sports. No eyewear standard we could open names badminton: ASTM F3164-24 covers racquetball, squash, tennis and pickleball, and ISO 18527-2:2021 covers squash, racquetball and Squash 57. Our reading: eyewear made to a racket-sport standard is the best protection available, especially in doubles.
Spectacle lenses can shatter into the eye, glass ones especially: one Melbourne player's eye was pierced when a shuttle shattered his glasses. The AAO says regular glasses can make an injury worse.
An eye surgeon's advice from 1987 still fits: the player at the net should hold the racket up in front of the face. Our suggestion: don't turn round to watch your partner smash, and agree who takes shots down the middle.
In a study of 43 older adults, the 23 who did an 8-week structured badminton programme improved upper-body strength, aerobic fitness, a timing test of anticipation, and confidence to exercise, compared with 20 who didn't; the groups weren't randomised. Players liked playing with people of similar age and ability, and a lack of local badminton was the main barrier to carrying on.
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In the United Arab Emirates, 45 to 60 minutes of badminton three times a week for 8 weeks improved heart and muscle measures in adults aged 40 to 70, most in those with long-term conditions. A 2022 review of 27 studies concluded that badminton "may lead to an improvement in all areas" of health, mostly heart, lung and physical fitness.
In 20 young adults, 10 minutes of badminton improved a test of attention and self-control (the Stroop test) compared with sitting, while 10 minutes of running at the same intensity didn't.
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In the Copenhagen City Heart Study, badminton players lived 6.2 years longer than sedentary people, and in 80,306 British adults, racket sports went with a 47% lower risk of death during the study. Healthier, more sociable people may be the ones who play.
Badminton hasn't been tested as falls prevention. Falls were the commonest cause of racket-sport injuries in US emergency departments, so start with social doubles and add the strength and balance work in our older adults guide.
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Built on the PreventiBad programme as its developers describe it, tested in one small trial in players aged 9 to 18 and untested in adults. The shoulder stabilising exercise, moving each part 2 exercise up a level on its own once it's easy (as in the FIFA 11+), and the hitting order are our suggestions.
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The movement on the figure: Nordic curl
Lunges, side lunges, jumps and balance for footwork, Nordics and calf raises for the hamstrings and Achilles, and band and Y-T-W work for the hitting shoulder. Each has a 3D demo.
3D demoDumbbell lungeIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoCossack squatIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoSplit squat jumpAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoLateral bound (skater jump)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg hop and stickIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg reach matrixIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoShuttle runsAdvanced · No equipment
3D demoNordic curlAdvanced · An anchor point
3D demoSingle-leg calf raise from a stepIntermediate · A step + A wall
3D demoSeated bent-knee calf raise (soleus raise)Beginner · A bench or box
3D demoStanding band external rotationBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoProne Y-T-W raisesBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSide plankIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg standBeginner · A wallThe first two are new: the PreventiBad warm-up and a strength and footwork session. The racket sport warm-up suits a shorter warm-up before social play, and the FIFA 11+ is the football warm-up PreventiBad was built from.
A 20-minute badminton warm-up built on PreventiBad: runs and partner footwork, planks, Nordics, band shoulder work, balance, squats, jumps and court moves.
20 minBeginner14 movesCardio machine, A wallA 45-minute badminton session: side bounds, split jumps and hop-and-stick, squats, lunges, side lunges, hinges and Nordics, calf raises and shoulder work.
45 minIntermediate17 movesA dumbbell, An anchor pointA 12-minute warm-up for tennis, padel, squash or badminton: skipping, leg swings, trunk turns, band shoulder work, forearm circles, shuttles and landings.
12 minBeginner10 movesA wall, A bandFIFA's 11+ injury prevention warm-up as its manual sets it out: running drills, strength, balance and jumping at three levels, then faster running.
20 minBeginner20 movesCardio machine, A wallA 25-minute routine for racket players: the five-part Shoulder Control programme from handball trials, band rotations, forearm lowering, hops and balance.
25 minBeginner12 movesA dumbbell, A cable machineA 25-minute band routine for healthy shoulders: move the shoulder and upper back through their range, then strengthen the rotator cuff and shoulder blades.
25 minBeginner12 movesA wall, A bandAn advanced jump training session: pogo hops, box jumps, split squat jumps, broad jumps and depth jumps.
30 minAdvanced8 movesA bench or box, A stepA staged jump session for 8 weeks: landings and small jumps, then box and broad jumps, then depth jumps, each followed by squats, hinges and calf work.
40 minIntermediate16 movesA step, A bench or boxA 45-minute speed session: running drills, five short accelerations and three flying sprints with full rest, then Nordic curls and calf raises.
45 minIntermediate11 movesCardio machine, A wallA 15-minute barefoot routine for stronger toes, arches, calves and ankles, finishing with balance. You need only a towel, a wall and a resistance band.
15 minBeginner11 movesA wall, Other / check instructionsBalance practice in 10 minutes: tandem stance, single-leg stands, marches, heel walks, tree pose and floor transfers.
10 minBeginner7 movesA wall, A bench or boxA 20-minute warm-up that trains your knees to track over your toes: side-hip strength, squats and lunges with alignment practice, balance and quiet landings.
20 minBeginner10 movesA wall, A bandWrist mobility and forearm strength for desk work, climbing, push-ups and handstands.
10 minBeginner7 movesA wall, A dumbbellA gym lower body workout for legs and glutes: trap bar deadlifts, hip thrusts, reverse lunges, leg curls, hip abduction, calf raises and core.
50 minIntermediate13 movesOther / check instructions, A barbellA 20-minute no-equipment HIIT workout: jumping jacks, jump squats, mountain climbers, burpees, skips and bear crawls.
20 minIntermediate10 movesNo equipmentFit the strength and footwork workout into 2 days of a plan off-season, and 1 in season.
Two full-body strength sessions a week: the minimum that meets health guidelines, with every set, rep and rest, and an 8-week progression.
2 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA beginner gym plan: three full-body sessions a week, alternating workouts A and B, with sets, reps, rest and an 8-week progression.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA weekly workout plan for women: three strength days, cardio and pelvic floor training, with the evidence on periods, pregnancy and menopause.
3 training days45 minBeginner4 days a weekA 4-day gym workout routine for men: upper and lower days, each muscle trained twice a week, with sets, reps, progression and the evidence.
4 training days50 minIntermediateThe PAR-Q+ (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone) asks about a heart condition or high blood pressure, chest pain, dizziness or losing consciousness, other long-term conditions and their medicines, a bone or joint problem that activity could make worse, and being told to exercise only under supervision. If you answer yes to any, check with your GP or a qualified exercise professional first. If you're over 45 and not used to hard exercise, ask a qualified exercise professional before the hardest sessions, and delay if you're ill.
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Competitive badminton is vigorous, at 7.0 to 9.0 METs, and heavy exertion raises the short-term risk of a heart attack most in people who rarely exercise hard. Use the PAR-Q+ and see your GP if it flags anything, and start with social doubles (our suggestion). Our heart disease guide has more.
5 of 31 players who ruptured an Achilles had noticed symptoms first. Follow our Achilles tendinopathy guide's calf loading and pain rule before full play, rather than playing through it.
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Ruptures cluster in recreational players in their mid-30s. Warm up every time, keep sessions shorter at first, and strengthen your calves on other days (our suggestion).
Repeat sprains are common. Our ankle sprain guide: balance training 3 times a week for 8 weeks once you're back on court, and a brace for sport.
More than 2.5 hours a day went with shoulder pain in children aged 7 to 12. Our children's guide suggests variety, and no more hours of organised sport a week than their age in years.
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Glasses can shatter into the eye, and the AAO advises anyone with reduced vision in one eye to weigh the risk and ask their ophthalmologist. Choose prescription or over-glasses sports eyewear made to a racket-sport standard (our reading).
The NHS says it's usually fine to keep doing the activities you already do, but advises against sports with a risk of falling or bumping your tummy, and against starting a new vigorous activity. Talk to your midwife or GP; if you already play, gentle social doubles may suit (our suggestion).
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Our replacement guides suggest doubles or gentle tennis from about 3 to 6 months and discourage high-impact sport. Ask your surgical team before badminton, and start with gentle doubles (our suggestion).
Contact NHS 111 if you heard a snap, grinding or popping noise at the time of the injury, can't walk on tiptoe or up stairs, or have swelling and bruising in your calf and ankle. Our Achilles rupture guide says to get it checked the same day, at A&E (accident and emergency) or a minor injuries unit, or through NHS 111.
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Go to A&E or call 999 if something hit your eye at high speed, your sight has changed, you have severe pain in the eye, a headache or sensitivity to light, you feel or are sick, you can't move your eye or keep it open, or blood or pus is coming from it. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 if it isn't getting better after 24 hours. Raised eye pressure can follow years later, so keep any follow-up appointments (our suggestion).
Call 999 or go to A&E if you heard a crack, the joint has changed shape or is pointing at an odd angle, it's numb, tingling or has pins and needles, or the skin has changed colour or is cold. Get help from NHS 111 if it's very painful, badly swollen, or you can't put weight on it or walk more than a few steps, and for a knee that locks, gives way or painfully clicks.
Call 999 for sudden chest pain or discomfort that doesn't go away, pain that spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness. Call 999 if someone faints while exercising, and call 999 or go to A&E for palpitations that don't go away or come with chest pain, breathlessness or fainting.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 for sudden or very bad shoulder pain, an arm you can't move, a shoulder that has changed shape or is badly swollen, pins and needles that don't go away, or pain that started after a fall.
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Heat exhaustion should improve within 30 minutes of resting somewhere cool, cooling down and drinking. Call 999 if it doesn't, or for a very high temperature, hot skin that isn't sweating, a fast heartbeat, fast breathing, confusion, a fit or loss of consciousness.
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Competitive play averages about 90% of maximum heart rate, and the Compendium gives match play 9.0 METs. Social doubles is moderate, at 5.5.
30 of 31 players in one Swedish series were recreational players or beginners, at an average age of 36.
Danish players ruptured their Achilles despite limbering up, and stretching hasn't prevented injuries in other sports, as our warm-up guide explains. A structured warm-up with strength, balance and jumps went with fewer injuries in the one badminton trial.
The shuttle causes about 85% of badminton eye injuries, including bleeding inside the eye, detached retinas and glaucoma years later.
Spectacle lenses can shatter into the eye, and the AAO says regular glasses can make an injury worse.
Shoe design changes how you lunge, but the studies measured movement, not injuries.
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Jump training improved agility, speed and power in badminton players, and resistance training improved power, speed and agility.
That's an association from one Copenhagen study, in which the more sociable sports did best. Healthier people may be the ones who play.
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Jump and footwork training, leg strength such as squats, lunges and side lunges, calf raises for the Achilles, and band work for the hitting shoulder. In 11 trials, jump training improved badminton players' agility, speed, power and balance, and two sessions a week were enough in racket-sport trials.
About 20 minutes before training: runs and partner footwork, planks, Nordic curls, band shoulder rotations, one-leg balance, squats, jumps and on-court changes of direction. This is PreventiBad, which went with about 70% fewer injuries per hour of play in one small trial in young players. Then hit clears and drops before smashes.
Mostly leg injuries: ankle sprains, calf tears, knee pain and Achilles ruptures, plus shoulder and lower back pain. Most are mild or moderate, but Achilles ruptures and eye injuries can be serious.
Most ruptures happen to recreational players in their mid-30s, pushing off suddenly from the back of the court, often late in a game. Nothing has been proven to prevent them, but warming up, building up after breaks, strengthening your calves and getting Achilles pain checked are sensible. A snap at the back of the heel needs checking the same day.
It's sensible, especially in doubles. The shuttle causes most badminton eye injuries, often from a partner's shot, and some cause lasting damage. No eyewear standard we could find is written for badminton, so choose eyewear made to a racket-sport standard, never glass lenses, and keep your racket up at the net.
Combine jump training with balance work, about twice a week: in young players, adding balance training to jumps improved agility more than jumps alone. Practise lunges and shadow footwork to the corners of the court, slowly at first.
Band rotations, Y-T-W raises and shoulder blade work, as in our shoulder guides, keeping discomfort to about 5 out of 10 and settled by your next session. About half of players have had shoulder pain. Get sudden or severe pain checked.
Yes. Social doubles is moderate activity and competitive play is vigorous, at around 90% of maximum heart rate in matches. People who play live longer on average, though that's an association.
It can be: in a study of 43 older adults, those who did 8 weeks of structured badminton improved upper-body strength, aerobic fitness and confidence to exercise. Start with social doubles, answer the PAR-Q+ first, and add strength and balance work on at least 2 days a week, as the NHS advises for older adults.
Knee pain is common in competitive players, and a deep lunge loads the front leg with about 2 to 3 times body weight. No study we found shows that recreational badminton causes knee arthritis. Strong legs may help you control your lunges (our suggestion), and our knee pain guide covers pain that lasts.
Exercise education for people who play sport, not a personal prescription or a diagnosis, and clinical review of these pages is pending. Check with a GP or physiotherapist before hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or an injury that isn't settling, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
