Roger Federer boasts a 120mph first serve, Andy Roddick can shoot out 150mph
aces, but Gail Emms can make them both look like a couple of slow-coaches.
Emms is a British and Commonwealth badminton champion and an Olympic silver
medallist. Despite her petite frame, she has one of the strongest wrists
you’ll see: a chunky, sinewy mass of muscle that allows her to propel the
shuttlecock at up to 160mph.
Tennis may hog the headlines, but badminton is by far the fastest racket
sport. Top male badminton players can get the shuttle up to 200mph, then aim
it at their opponent’s body for maximum damage. And if you’re a 5ft 3in
blonde, you don’t get any special treatment.
Emms, who won her Olympic medal in the mixed doubles, has the bruises to prove
it. “They try to hit the shuttle straight at me whenever they can,” says
Emms, as she thrashes the shuttle backwards and forwards at the National
Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes where she’s training with the rest of the
Olympic squad.
“It can be scary. Especially when there’s a 6ft 4in Chinese man on top of the
net, lining you up for a big smash.”
Emms spends up to an hour every day in the weights room building her strength
(her leg strength will have improved 10% by the end of her 12-week
preOlympic training plan) and runs for at least 40 minutes 5-6 days a week,
on top of the several hours a day of on-court drills and match play. The
coaches like to vary the training regime as much as possible to keep the
players motivated, so during recent weeks Emms and the team have been
spotted running up the ski slopes at the Snowdome, Milton Keynes’s indoor
ski centre, and fell running in the Peak District.
Rallies in professional badminton are short and sharp: lasting only about
6-10sec in mixed doubles before the point is won. When the shuttle is moving
at the speed of a Formula One car, players need to constantly hone their
reactions. Although Emms has perfect vision, she has recently added eye
exercises to her fitness regime. She and Nathan Robertson, her mixed-doubles
partner, now spend 15 minutes, three or four times a week, doing online
vision-training programmes designed to fine-tune their sight.
Sometimes wearing 3-D glasses, Emms must train herself to hit certain keys as
soon as a particular object appears on the computer screen, often while
other objects are being flashed up to try to distract her. The programme is
designed to improve peripheral vision, depth perception and tone the eye
muscles to pick up objects more quickly.
“If I can train the muscles in my eyes so they’re working to their maximum
potential so I can see the shuttle a second sooner, then I’ve got an
advantage,” says Emms. “I’m improving; I’m up to level six now. But there
are 20 levels.”
What else is required to play badminton like the professionals? “Speed of
thought, tactical awareness and good jumping ability,” according to Emms.
Pro players can burn up to 700 calories in a 45-minute match and have to eat
a diet high in carbohydrates and low in fat, taking care to replenish their
carb reserves after every strenuous training session, usually with cereal
bars or Jaffa cakes, which have a lower fat content than most other cakes or
biscuits.
When it comes to playing in Beijing, where the Olympics get under way next
month, Emms will also need strong nerves. In the Far East, badminton stars
command huge salaries and are feted like racket-wielding David Beckhams.
Emms will have to cope with huge venues, packed with thousands of
spectators, all united against her and cheering on the home team.
“They’ll try to put you off when you’re about to take a shot,” she says, with
a grin, and clearly relishing the drama. “The challenge is to win them over.”
Players are not above a bit of cricket-style sledging. “Often you are trying
to out-psyche or shout at other players. You’ll do anything to annoy your
opponent,” says Emms, whose poster-girl looks can pose their own challenges,
such as serving to the tune of loud wolf whistles from the stands.
Emms whacked her first shuttle at the age of three. Her parents dragged her
along to a tennis and badminton centre in Bedford and, to stop her getting
bored, they cut the handle off a badminton racket and started throwing
shuttles at her. The club was a short walk from home, and she was soon
spending every day there after school, playing tennis in the summer and
badminton in the winter.
Her mother, who played women’s football for England, encouraged her to play as
many sports as possible, and she turned out to be good at most of them. At
13, she could throw a javelin 33 metres, which was junior England standard.
She was also close to being picked for the national junior hockey team, and
at seven, she won a badminton tournament for 11-year-olds.
“That tournament win was when my cockiness and ego started really growing,”
she says. “I was one of those annoying kids who wanted to win absolutely
everything. Even today, I can’t play a game of cards without getting
ridiculously competitive.”
Medal hopes are high for Emms in Beijing, where she will compete in both the
mixed doubles with Robertson, and women’s doubles with Donna Kellogg. She
has said she plans to retire after the Olympics, but it could prove a
struggle. “Sport is such an emotional roller-coaster. When you win it’s the
biggest high ever. Then you might lose in the first round and it all comes
crashing down. It’s very addictive.”
To find your local badminton club go to www.badmintonengland.co.uk
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT SERVE
“The serve is the most important aspect of the game,” says Gail, “as it
determines who defends and attacks the point. In doubles, an accurate, low
serve helps win rallies by making it difficult for the receiver to attack.
Try to brush the top of the net with the shuttlecock to land it in the
front-middle quarter of the service box so your opponent has to dig it out.
If it is just 3in above the net, your opponent has more time to react.
GET IN POSITION
Stand 2-3ft behind the short service line, relax your body and bend your knees
slightly. If you’re right-handed, your right leg should be behind (vice
versa for left-handers).
PUSH IT
Bring the racket forward to meet the shuttlecock, just below your waist level.
Drop the shuttle and push it with the racket face rather than hitting it - a
badminton serve is all about placing, rather than power.
KIT BAG
BADMINTON RACKET
Carlton Powerblade Graphite racket £30 from www.milletsports.co.uk Most
rackets are sold with loose strings, so if you have yours restrung by a
specialist racket shop before you first play, this will instantly yield a
lot more power, advises Ian Wright, head coach of Badminton England. There
is no point in spending a lot of money on a racket unless you happen to
compete at a high level, so instead plump for an entry-level, one-piece
graphite racket such as this Carlton. Badminton rackets are graded in terms
of shaft flexibility, and medium stiffness is fine for most club players.
Finally, always ensure the grip size is correct for your hand.
SHUTTLECOCKS
Yonex M-300 shuttlecocks £10 for six, www.yonex.co.uk Players competing in
badminton at county level or higher tend to use shuttlecocks made from goose
feathers, as these provide a smoother flight. The problem, though, is that
they are expensive and must be replaced frequently. Casual players should
therefore opt for mid-range nylon shuttles, such as this Yonex model. They
will fly better than more basic shuttles yet are harder-wearing than their
feathered friends.
INDOOR SHOES
Adidas Court Stabil 3 shoes £45 from www.adidas.co.uk For club players, good
shoes are more important than costly rackets. Opt for a nonmarking court
shoe – shoes for badminton are lighter than those for tennis. Never use
running shoes as you could twist an ankle when moving sideways. These
mid-range Adidas court shoes are good for cushioning and support.
THE REGIME
BREAKFAST
Normally a bowl of Shredded Wheat with fruit and two slices of toast - lots of
complex carbohydrates to give me a steady boost of energy. I also take a
probiotic multi-vitamin tablet.
MORNING
I warm up in the gym by doing stretches and core stability work, which works
the abdominals and back - a bit like Pilates. I then practise on court with
the rest of the Olympic badminton squad. We start by warming up with various
drills: two players against one; multi-shuttles, which means hitting a
constant stream of shuttles thrown in by the coach; and different types of
shot practice, such as drives, defence work, and smashes. Then we’ll have a
couple of matches, followed by physiotherapy. I’m having treatment for a
niggling foot injury – a common problem for badminton players. This involves
a long foot massage, which isn’t so bad.
AFTERNOON
My favourite lunch is a large wholemeal roll with ham, cheese, mustard and
pickle. I also take Raffa, my west highland terrier, for a walk - it’s
important to tune out in the middle of the day to recharge the batteries.
After that it’s straight into weight training and cardiovascular work, which
usually involves running outside for at least 40 minutes. Then it’s more
court work, this time practising different shots.
EVENING
Finally I either jump in the plunge pool and let the hydro-jets loosen my
muscles, or have a deep tissue massage. Then dinner, usually something
healthy and high in energy - pasta or rice with chicken and vegetables.
