New Year Sale Is Live - Shop Now!

New Year Sale Is Live - Shop Now!

New Year Sale Is Live - Shop Now!

New Year Sale Is Live - Shop Now!

New Year Sale Is Live - Shop Now!

New Year Sale Is Live - Shop Now!

New Year Sale Is Live - Shop Now!

New Year Sale Is Live - Shop Now!

New Year Sale Is Live - Shop Now!

New Year Sale Is Live - Shop Now!

Understanding the Energy Demands of Badminton: Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Energy Systems - Genetic Nutrition

Understanding the Energy Demands of Badminton: Anaerobic vs. Aerobic Energy Systems

, by Sandesh Prasannakumar, 6 min reading time

Introduction

Badminton is a highly invigorating racket sport that involves a lot of speed and quick and forceful movements. Games may take as little as 20 minutes or as much time as needed for more than an hour of vigorous action. This puts much pressure and stress on the body's energy systems to supply energy for sustained performance. To appreciate the importance of metabolism in the game, it is essential to look at the metabolism needs of badminton.

The two primary energy systems that athletes use during sporting activities are the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. The anaerobic system offers energy for immediate, low-duration power and short bursts, while the aerobic system offers energy for low-effort and prolonged activities. As mentioned earlier, in the case of badminton, both pathways are used more often because of the nature of the game and the length of the matches. Let us look at it in depth below to understand how these systems deliver energy that can be used to perform in badminton competitions.

The Anaerobic Energy System

The energy system that exists in the body and does not involve using oxygen is called an anaerobic energy system. It has two phases: the ATP-CP phase, which supplies energy for the first ten seconds, and fast glycolysis, which supplies energy for an effort of thirty seconds to two minutes.

In badminton, the ATP-CP system provides fast-reacting body movements for rapid change of direction and sudden bursts of power to jump and rush to the shuttlecock. Smashing, dropping, net shots, and rapid footwork are all facets of the game that revolve around this instant energy. Glycolysis provides energy for longer activities like a quick burst, as in the racquet and overhead smashes. Altogether, aerobic systems, as well as other anaerobic systems, supply the powerful burst necessary for competitive badminton.

The only disadvantage is that it is a finite stimulus that gets exhausted quickly and needs to be recharged before it can be used again. The energy reserves of players become depleted when they incur too many all-out rallies and require time to recover their anaerobic capacity. The strategy is to pace high-intensity efforts and not overdo them since the disease will not disappear in a few days.

The Aerobic Energy System

But let it be mentioned that in this sport, the anaerobic power is mainly in focus; however, the aerobic system is not less important, but rather a background. The aerobic system relies on oxygen to generate ATP that fuels steady-state sub-maximal effort from two minutes upwards. Having a well-developed aerobic engine provides several key benefits: 

  1. It can sustain moderate action, such as extended rallies and let players aggressively challenge the whole court without getting exhausted.
  1. Assists in removing lactic acid from intense, short, high anaerobic efforts, which causes muscle soreness and tiredness.
  1. It Is beneficial for more energy during competitive games, which may take sixty minutes or more. A team with a good aerobic fitness level means less fatigue at the end of games.
  1. This allows for a quicker return during breaks in play moments. Restoration of ATP and CP energy reserves only partially depends on aerobic processes.

These two types of fitness are important given the stop-start nature of competition in badminton, especially since the power element is closely linked to aerobic endurance. Training the anaerobic system may sound more entertaining and beneficial than building an endurance base; however, the latter is just as necessary to prevent matches from becoming a treadmill experience.

Optimising Energy System Training

Fortunately, the good news is that smart periodised training can significantly improve both the anaerobic and aerobic systems. Here are key considerations for energy system development:

Anaerobic System

  • Training with actual range of full 20-30 second effort sprints
  • Specialised movements and footwork patterns for a particular game
  • Aerobic exercises such as strength and plyometric exercises

Aerobic System

  • Extensive steady jogging and exercising on the treadmills
  • Fartlek runs with a distinctive intensity
  • Short and low-intensity technical rehearsals after a tournament match

By adopting this holistic approach, players can tap into the energy store and get going for explosive activities while possessing the energy reserve to compete to the ultimate in exercise. Supercompensation indicators such as fatigue and recovery and performance indicators for training should also be observed to achieve maximum efficiency in energy systems training.

Conclusion

Thus, the presented study enlightens the potential of focusing on both energy systems while training, as this racket sport significantly demands metabolism and energy expenditure. This leads to a big gain and allows players the energy required on the match day!

For all your protein and supplement needs, visit Genetic Nutrition!

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How should badminton players prepare their bodies for this energy system?

Some of the best strategies that players can use to enhance their anaerobic power include high-intensity training, sport-specific exercises such as repeat suicide, foot workout exercises, strength exercises with high-intensity loads and lastly, plyometric exercises. The kind of training known as explosive training helps to develop the ATP-CP and glycolytic systems to offer more energy for short, powerful badminton actions.

2. How can one construct the aerobic system for badminton in the best way possible?

Building up exercises that directly prepare for the energy to be expended for an extended period is done through longer training duration techniques, including steady runs, cycling, rounds of low-intensity exercises, and the Fartlek interval runs of varying intensity. Most competitive players should ensure a basic aerobic fitness level and save specific endurance training for later parts or near the tournaments.

3. How does energy system training differ based on a player’s level?

Normally, badminton players, especially youths and beginners, spend most of their time developing their techniques involving aerobic activities. When the players move to the competitive levels, more anaerobic power and sport-specific endurance are required. The highly trained professional players in the game develop intricate plans to optimise both systems with personalisation of the training sessions depending on the player’s capabilities, imperatives, and limitations, including fatigue. Such an approach to programming the best energy support can be achieved in such a way.

Blog posts

Back to top