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Teaching badminton to children can never be too easy, the mindset of badminton we have to put in, the techniques, the stroke play and the list goes on. However, children can be disciplined and taught easily. With good guidance and proper training, children will definitely excel in it.

When teaching badminton to children, it's good to let them have a little fun because they wouldn't feel pressured and stressed out by the training regime. Badminton is suppose to be fun to learn and enjoyable to play. Children always turn away when something is hard or being forced to learn and practice something that they have no idea what it's all about.  It is also important that the coaches are able to get along with the children. This will definitely lead them to better understand the game and listen to their coaches more and attentively.

Nowadays, more people are attracted to play this sport because of its increasing popularity and health benefits awareness. With this current trend, more and more children are enrolled with training classes and coaches will find it hard to teach everyone the basics they all need. The huge quantities of students will definitely increases the risk of dropping qualities in the teachings of the game. Therefore, coaches should be more dedicated and try to arrange schedules that will benefit themselves as well as the children.

Getting to Know the Equipment

There is one main item that your child should be comfortable with before he/ she steps onto a badminton court: the racket. The racket is made of lightweight metal while the shuttlecock will either be made of plastic or feathers. To learn how to grip the racket:

Using this grip, they should be able to hit the shuttlecock very easily by swinging underhand. If they have any trouble with this forehand grip, ask a friend or adult to help them. The grip should feel natural.

Choosing your Equipment

While there are quite a few pieces of equipment in badminton, they should only be worried about the racket and shuttlecock. A badminton racket can never be too light, but it can be too heavy. Here a few tips to follow when choosing a badminton racket:

• Use rackets made of lightweight metal like titanium and carbon graphite.
• There is an option for a shorter racket if regular-sized rackets are simply too heavy.
• Avoid rackets made of steel or wood.

When dealing with shuttlecocks, just stick with the reliable plastic type. These will last much longer than feather shuttlecocks and give them a good, consistent feel for the shuttlecock.

Playing with the Equipment

Getting the shuttlecock to hit the sweet spot of the racket takes some adjusting. The key is to keep working at it until they can consistently make solid contact with the shuttlecock. Before they actually begin hitting, they should swing the racket a few times to see how it feels. Playing badminton can put a lot of strain on their wrists, so it’s important to see how their wrist reacts to the racket’s weight.

If a racket is ever too heavy to play with, and there isn’t a lighter one available, you can simply choke up on the handle. “Choking up” means holding the racket higher up on the handle. This way it doesn’t require as much power to swing the racket. If you do this, make sure to never hold the racket above the grip.

Hit the Shuttlecock Up

Hold the shuttlecock by the cork with their off-hand and throw it in the air. Swing underhand to hit the shuttlecock and try to hit it up as many times as they can without letting it touch the ground. Don’t worry about how high they hit it and just concentrate on making good contact and hitting it straight up.

To challenge themselves more, they can alternate their forehand and backhand. This means hitting the shuttlecock up in the air with the forehand, then hitting it with the backhand the next time. This way they can practice both strokes, which will better prepare them for a game situation. Once they get twenty or more consecutive hits, they can move on to the next exercise.

Hit Against the Wall

Once these children get the hang of hitting in the air, they should start hitting against the wall. To do this they’ll need to stand at least a racket-and-arm’s distance away from the wall to keep from accidentally striking the wall. Start by hitting only with the forehand stroke and aim the shuttlecock upwards to give themselves more time to hit it again. Again, if they want to challenge themselves, alternate forehand and backhand strokes.

Rally with a Partner

Once they develop a consistent underhand stroke they can start hitting with a partner. Concentrate on consistency and getting the shuttlecock over the net. Their overhand stroke should develop naturally as they rally. If someone else is hitting on the same side as them, be careful about where they swing to avoid hitting another person.

Have Fun Playing

It’s easy to get caught up in trying to perfect the right technique and forget to have fun. If they enjoy themselves, then they ’ll be naturally drawn to the game and feel more comfortable working on their shots and strokes. They could also grab a couple friends to join as they all learn to play a new sport. As they grow as players, they’ll push one another to become better and better. Remember, the hardest part of teaching badminton is having the guts to try something new and different.