BIOMECHANICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES OF TEEN-AGED BADMINTON PLAYERS

Badminton books, coaching manuals, and instructional pamphlets all attest to the importance of cardio-respiratory endurance, strength, and flexibility and many provide training methods and schedules. For example, a training schedule for elite badminton players has been compiled by Canada's national team coach, but no norms are provided which would indicate acceptable levels of achievement (Gilliland, 1987). There appear to be no values available to indicate extraordinary, or even acceptable, levels ofperfonnance for badminton players. In one of the manuals (the Level III Training Manual of the Canadian Badminton Association by Reed, 1981:29), reference is made to some nonns including a badminton four-corner fitness test developed by the University of Ottawa Research Group, that provides heart rate recovery, and recovery speed statistics for adult and junior competitors. However, those norms are specific to the four-corner test and provide only a rough indication ofthe demand on the cardio-respiratory system

BIOMECHANICAL PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO BADMINTON POWER STROKES

The purpose of the present paper is to review biomechanical research carried out over the last thirty years on the execution of badminton power strokes, and to share with the coach important implications of that research. Emphasis is on the forehand and backhand clear and smash. Results emphasize the importance of the rotational movements at the shoulder and radio-ulnar joints. Appropriate coaching cues are devised to assist coaches and players in assessing and improving performance

SOME QUALITATIVE COMPARISONS OF BENT AND STRAIGHT CANOE PADDLING TECHNIQUES

The bent paddle has become popular, not only among racers, but also among touring and recreational paddlers. The makers claim that the bent paddle keeps its pushing surface at a 900 angle to the water during the most powerful part of the stroke for a longer period of time than the straight paddle, thus maximizing horizontal propulsive forces. The paucity of literature on the bent paddle suggested that a pilot study was needed. It was the purpose of the present study to compare bent and straight paddles, while being used in the bow of the canoe, at both slow (touring) and fast (racing) paces

MYTHS AND REALITIES IN BADMINTON AND TENNIS STROKES

Biomechanical research with application to sport skills is varied and usually based on the collection Of sport skill data in some form. The research conducted by Gowitzke and Waddell on the power strokes of badminton and tennis was based on data collected from high-speed bi-plane cinematography of some of Canada's top-ranked players