Cool Down Exercise: Step by Step Guide

This guide is not just about cool down exercise after badminton game, but also practical to just about any other sports. Sprinting, Marathon, Tennis, you name it.

Ending up badminton game or whatever sports without proper cooldown and stretching process might lead to serious consequences, especially when you play the tournament. You definitively don’t want to have problems during the next match or increase chances of complications.

You might play very light with a friend or simply do it for fun. But even in that scenario, your rally could last longer than one or two minutes, and your arms and legs might be tired like hell when the game is completed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSHBSEVYyjU

As well as you have already seen, the longest rally could take everything from you. When these kind of matches are over you could simply take everything from you.

Benefits of Cool Down Exercise

Cool down after hard intense activity like badminton has many therapeutic effects:

• It prevents injuries and decreases muscle tension, returning it to the previous length before the physical activity;
• You will decrease the harmful effects of lactic acid;
• It affects positively on the recovery, allowing you to maintain the same intensity even the day after;
• It lengthens your sports career;
• It decreases heart rate and affects positively on your cardiovascular and blood performances;
• Your muscles maintain a reserve of flexibility for a longer period of time which is excellent for protection during slides or sudden direction changes.

Importance of Following Proper Cool Down Exercise

Unlike the warm-up, cooldown has some different rules. First of all, you must relax your cardiovascular, muscular, and nervous system. In the second place, you need to calm down emotionally. After the match, adrenaline levels are usually higher since players are thrilled or sad due to their performance.

Video 1: Cool Down Exercise in General

Video 2: Cool Down Exercise for Badminton

Good cool down session returns you in the state before the match and puts you into a very positive situation for the rest of the day and competitive process.

When you hold the position, make sure it lasts at least 10-20 seconds! One more important rule, do not bounce during cool down sessions, it is extremely harmful!!!

Cool Down Exercise Checklist

Here’s a list of exercises which have to be done (sequences of video 2 are described):

• Run slowly. Depending on the length of your game, run in a very light intensity 1-3 minutes. If you are too tired to run, walk slowly using very long steps. When you run, breathe on every third step, if you walk, breathe on every step. Remember, long strides are the key!
• Deep exhales. It is very important to calm the pulse down. This is excellent therapeutic exercise, perform at least 5-10 repetitions. You can also perform it while laying on the side.
• Arms and legs. Start with your arms above your head and lean towards your toes keeping your knees straight, deep exhale at the bottom of the movement few times (1:00). Congrats, your pulse has returned to normal!
• Cross your arms putting your right hand on your left shoulder and pull this hand towards you to stretch your right shoulder. Perform the same pattern for another hand – it stretches your lateral shoulders.
• Grab your elbow above your head and stretch triceps.
• Stretch your chest. This video shows three best exercises, perform all of them.
• Your back is very important to stretch. Check out this video (1:31) and choose two exercises.
• Lay on the stomach and go up to stretch your abdominal muscles (3:35).
• Lean to the side and stretch your oblique muscles (1:20).
• Lay on the ground keeping your arms in the line with your shoulders, flex your legs and push it to the sides to stretch lower back muscles (3:05 – 3:10).
• Lateral squats. Try to lean to the side and squat down slowly while breathing out. Perform 5-7 repetitions to the each side (0:45 – 0:58). Perform the same moving forward. It will stretch your hamstrings, glutes, and adductors.
• Lay and grab one leg flexing it while another stays fully extended on the ground. It is a great groin stretch exercise (3:50).
• Stretch your glutes – lay on the ground and put the leg on the lower third of quads of another leg. Wrap your arms around hamstring muscles and push backward ( 3:23).
• Lean against the wall, grab your right foot with your right hand, and stretch your quads, perform the movement for both sides (1:34).
• Perform seated adductor stretches. Whenever you turn, these muscles are fully active. Add then another exercise for your groins.
• Sit and flex one leg while another one is extended, and lean forward, trying to touch the fingers of your extended leg, and perform the same for the opposite side (2:48).
• Stretch your calves – this is the most endangered area during smashes. You must hit both gastrocnemius and soleus muscle.
• Stretch tibialis anterior at all costs (4:47).

Your Turn

Congratulations, you have made it this far!

Go practice and let us know what you feel by leaving a comment below!