Strength-Speed Training of a National Level Badminton Player in the 2018/2019 Season

Abstract

In the spanish national badminton league, the difference between winning and losing, between being or not being in the elite, depends (among the other variables) on a balanced strength-speed profile. The aim was to analyze the experience of applying a speed-strength training plan to a badminton player. An 11-month intervention was carried out during the 2018/19 season with a 21-year-old federated player. The quantitative variables analyzed were the body mass index (BMI) and the classification in the national league, while both the perception of the physical trainer and that of the athlete were the qualitative variables included in the study. The results showed: 1) a reduction in BMI from 22.84 to 20.99; 2) an advance in the individual ranking from 39th place to 23rd place; 3) the physical trainer stated that speed-strength work improved physical performance in tournaments; 4) the athlete commented that the physical work of the training plans was decisive in the rankings of the tournaments. In conclusion, the improvement in sports performance after the application of this training proposal could be largely due to the improvement in the strength-velocity profile. Experimental studies with records before and after the intervention, as well as the control of other covariates, could confirm the findings in the physical plane.