Welcome to the series that gives you access to expert opinions and views on all things badminton
We asked a group of experts (coaches and players) …….
If you were to play at 10:00 am?
Transport is the key
It probably depended on the time of the transport, as then you can figure out what time you needed to eat.
So can’t really answer the question fully.
I would like to arrive in the hall an hour before, so you could get into the venue and figure out if running on time, and then figure out when you need to start to think about warming up.
I may have watched a few clips of the person just to refresh, but this would have usually been done the day prior.
Probably around 3 hours before
So wake up at around 7, then finish breakfast by 8:15-ish.
Then get to the competition hall at around 9 am and start warm-up routine. So I’d have around 45 mins to warm-up.
Pack your bag the night before
If I am playing a match at 10am then I would likely be up around 6.30
This will give me time to shake off the lethargy, clear my head and do some mobility and activation.
Then after that, I would look to have my bag ready and packed the night before so that I can concentrate on having a good breakfast and my travel to the venue.
I would aim to arrive about 1.5 hours before the game so that I don’t have to rush. I can assess the hall, see how the shuttle is flying for the other matches, do some more mobility, talk with my coach to reiterate tactics and mindset, then start my proper warm-up and into the match.
I like to be consistent
For me, I like to have a consistent sleep patter,n and I think that is important (especially from what I have read) – I think for full-time athletes.
Going to bed earlier and waking up earlier is better for players, so for me its 9:30pm sleep , wake up at 6:00am, that is my routine.
Then eat as I would normally. I think earlier is easier for me but later would be harder as would have to think more about when I was to eat.
For younger athletes, it is about trying to help them firstly to understand the importance of sleep hygiene – the importance of limiting screen time before bed, consistency in sleep times where possible etc. I think from there things get easier.
Encourage players to know what works for them
Up at 7 am, take something light at about 7.30 – 8 am.
Different athletes have different preferences on what works better for them. Know yourself, know what’s best for yourself.
I should arrive at the hall at 9 am, and warm up mentally and physically before my match.
A tricky one to answer – how far away is the hall?
Generally (let’s say its a 15 minute drive or walk away), we would both want to be eating at around 8am, arriving at the hall for 8:45 with maybe another snack at 9 (usually a banana)!
Drinking lots of water is a necessity – and a coffee for Jenny! And then a good warm-up and hit.
Same routine always – well that’s the plan
For a competition (training is different) then generally is to wake up 3 hrs before playing.
If I’m playing at 10 am, I’d be eating breakfast at 7 am, then at the facility to warm up at 9 am. However, plans always need to change, so be ready to adapt and not stress.
Know how to achieve YOUR best performance
It would depend on a few things, such as how far away from the hall I was. Assuming I was close to the hall, I would be up at 7am, shower and be ready for breakfast at 7.30.
Get to the hall no more than an hour before.
Don’t want to spend too long in the hall for the best performance.
It would depend on how long it would take to get to the hall
I would like to get to the hall about 45 minutes before my match so I’m not there for too long.
So I would hope to eat an hour and a half before I play so it gives it enough time to settle in my stomach but also not too long away that I feel hungry before playing.
Just make sure that I do a good warm-up and have a good hit before playing. Then 5-10 minutes before get some songs on and just try and focus on the game up and coming.
Thanks to everyone for their time and considered thoughts
If you’d like to join this expert team and start sharing your knowledge, send me a message and I’ll send you some questions
It would be great to hear from you
Email : contact@badmintonandy.com
![Keep your racket up - Duplicate - [#38056]](https://badmintonandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/keep-your-racket-up-scaled.webp)
![Introducing the badminton overhead – Challenge No.3 - Duplicate - [#36874]](https://badmintonandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Badminton-Forehand-Overhead-3-scaled-1.jpg)