Many people neglect badminton footwork because it might not seem important at all. You might hear some people say “why care about footwork when I can do a 300km/h smash”. Are you thinking that way too?

However, I would say that the footwork is THE most important skill you should master. It’s even more important than smashing! This is because an effective and footwork provides superb speed and agility which enables the player to move around the badminton court swiftly and return every shuttlecock. So what if you can do a 300km/h smash when you cannot even reach the shuttlecock in time?

Playing badminton is all about speed. The shuttlecock can move extremely fast and you must move faster than the shuttlecock to be able to hit it.

Always remember your base (starting point) will be at the red dot in the middle. The arrows indicates the possible movements around the court. Every time you move away from your base to hit the shuttle, you MUST QUICKLY return to your base to prepare yourself for your opponent’s shot.

For instance, you move to point A to take a shuttle and then stay there. Your opponent then returns the shuttle back to you at point B. You are less likely able to get to point B in time from point A. Conversely, if you quickly return to your base after hitting the shuttle at point A, you will definitely be able to return the shuttle at point B.

There are many ways of moving out there but does this mean you have to know and follow all? No, just be comfortable with your own style of moving around the court.However, there are a few tips that I would like to share on your badminton footwork.

1) Take ONLY 2-3 steps when moving to the back of the court.

2) Stretch ONLY 1 step towards the sides of the court.

3) Take ONLY 2-3 steps to the front of the court.

All the above is merely a guide. There are no BEST ways for badminton footwork, you should move in a way you are comfortable with and keep practising.