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Badminton is a sport that uses points to determine the winner. Traditionally every game (other than ladies’ singles) went up to 15 points and currently official competitions use the 21 point rule. During a competition, how many times does a player’s racket hit a shuttle? At the amateur skill level, it usually takes 4 or 5 returns to get a point, and at most around 10-15 hits per side. Then according to these numbers, each player probably swings his/her racket less than 100 times during an entire game; the number is probably closer to 60-70 times. Take a moment to think: out of all the strokes and swings taken in a game, how many of them were serves? How about for clears? What about smashes, drop shots, or drives? If you take the time to think about it, you’ll notice that on average a player doesn’t take many swings of the same type during a game. Therefore, the notion that a player can improve his/her skills and technique just by playing games is somewhat preposterous.
As avid badminton players, we all know that in order to truly understand and master a skill and/or technique in badminton, we need to practice it hundreds and maybe thousands of times. This is to say that practice outside of playing competitively is very important for your badminton well-being. Unless you are extremely gifted, skimping on the practice off the court will probably mean that you can’t perform as well on the court.