Badminton can be played by young and old alike and is a good way to exercise and keep fit, but to play the game you do need to have a certain level of basic fitness.

If you are overweight, or haven't exercised for a while, you should get yourself into a reasonable condition before attempting to participate in the sport on a regular basis.

 It's an ideal sport for the family to play together and provides a great aerobic workout.

During a normal two set game, a player can expect to run around two kilometers in distance. Quick reflexes, anticipation and good hand-eye coordination are all needed to play the game well.

Badminton is a non-contact sport and is therefore relatively low risk when it comes to injuries, but they do happen; however injuries can be minimised if you know what they are and how to avoid them.

Typical Injuries

Eye Injuries - Although the number of eye injuries in badminton are not as high as in other racquet sports like squash, they do tend to be more serious. Around 70 % of all eye injuries take place during doubles matches. The person most at risk is the player who is nearest the net when their partner is serving. They can get hit with the shuttlecock straight in the eye by the opponent returning the serve. The shuttlecock, because of it's shape, can fit directly into the orbit of the eye and cause serious eye injury.

Tennis Elbow - This can be caused by gripping the racquet too tightly, combined with a lack of strength in the forearm muscles. Racquets that are too tightly strung or too light are also thought to be a contributing factor in causing inflammation of the elbow.

Knee Injuries - Wearing incorrect footwear can be a contributing factor in getting a knee injury while playing. Learning proper lunging techniques, and doing exercises to strengthen your knees, can also help prevent your knees aching and injuries occurring.

Ankle Injuries - Sprains and twists of the ankles are quite common, but normally don't result in any serious long term injury. If you have suffered from recurring ankle injury, then support (strapping) is advised before playing a match.

Avoiding Injury

The risk of injury can be reduced or avoided by proper preparation. A lack of technique, lack of flexibility, insufficient strength, wrong equipment, lack of a warm-up and overuse are the main reasons for badminton injuries.

The correct type of shoes should be worn. While playing badminton, you need to be able to change direction quickly and lunge and stretch to play low shots. To be able to do this, you need shoes that will not slide on the surface. If you wear inadequate shoes on court, you can guarantee that you will eventually do some damage to your knees or ankles.

Before starting a game, you should have a proper warm up. There's lot's of twisting, turning and stretching movements during a game and, if the muscles are warm and flexible before a game starts, the risk of injury is considerably reduced.

If you're a beginner, don't play too often or for too long. There's a tendency for novices to pick up injuries by trying to do too much too soon. More experienced players have a tendency to play too often as well, but they are also inclined to ignore niggling little injuries and try and play through them, with the result that they end up doing more damage and picking up a more serious injury.

It's worthwhile finding out the proper way to play certain shots, how to hold a racquet correctly (to avoid wrist injuries), and the best way to improve your footwork and get around the court easier. Your trainer or instructor will advise you on correct technique and fitness tips.

Source - SafeSport.co.uk