Special Olympics provides a range of fantastic fitness resources that coaches and athletes can use to educate themselves on best practice around physical activity, nutrition and hydration.
There are many health-related and performance-related benefits of fitness for Special Olympics athletes.
It is vital that Special Olympics sports programs are not the only source of physical activity and exercise for athletes. As a coach, you should be encouraging your athletes to exercise every day and educate them on ways to stay active outside of organized sport practice.
There are numerous ways that athletes can exercise to stay healthy when they are at home. Walking, running, skipping are simple ways athletes can exercise on their own and work on their cardiovascular fitness. Fitness classes like yoga, core strength, HIIT and many others are great ways for athletes to work on their fitness and physical health outside of organized sports practice.
Special Olympics offers the Fitness through Sport Playbook for athletes and coaches to use. It is a great resource to use when educating their athletes on the benefits of physical activity to their overall health and to their sports performance.
The Fitness through Sport Playbook is designed to provide Special Olympics coaches with information and ideas to introduce fitness topics to athletes. If you are willing to laugh and learn with your athletes, the Fitness through Sport Playbook is for you!
The Fitness through Sport Playbook includes:
Information to support and track healthy habits in your athletes
12 lesson plans in 4 topic areas:
Introduction to Healthy Habits
Physical Activity and Exercise
Nutrition and Hydration
Game Day Minds
12 “Home play” activities for athletes and their caregivers to continue the learning at home
Supporting resources and training for coaches, athletes, and parents/caregivers
The Fit 5 Guide is a plan for physical activity, nutrition and hydration that can help to improve athletes’ health and fitness and make them the best athlete they can be. The Fit 5 Guide and accompanying Fitness Cards provide a fantastic collection of exercises that athletes should do to assist them to improve the skills needed for their sport. The exercises included focus on Endurance, Strength, Flexibility and Balance.
In addition to these resources, there are a number of videos available here for athletes and coaches to view and use when performing these exercises as part of their training plans.
Eating right is important to your health and your sports performance. Proper nutrition and hydration are key points of athlete preparation and recovery for all forms of exercise. However, most athletes don’t understand the connection between nutrition/hydration and sports performance. As a coach, it is important that you emphasize this connection and educate your athletes on correct habits. This is especially important for Special Olympics athletes, as they are at a higher risk for obesity.
It is vital to educate badminton athletes about the importance of timing their meals or snacks prior to training or competition. Inform your athletes of the risk of eating too close to the time they are to train/ play a match and educate them on the best times to eat and the best foods to ensure they are efficiently fueled to perform.
Before training/competition: In the 1-2 hours prior to training/competition, badminton players need to consume a light meal or sustainable snack that is easy digest to avoid gastrointestinal upset during fast movements. It should be rich in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and low in fiber and fat. Examples include a bagel with peanut butter, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, yogurt with fruit and granola, cheese and crackers, and a turkey and cheese sandwich.
During training/competition: In moderate-to-high intensity training/competition, players may need to refuel to keep their energy levels high and maintain focus. In badminton, it’s common to have more than one event in a day or back-to-back matches. Refuelling between events is key to recovery and keeping energy levels high. Only carbohydrates should be consumed, for fats and fiber digest too slowly. Example snacks include a sports drink, banana, applesauce, or energy chews/gels. Athletes should refuel between sets.
After training/competition: Refuelling after trainings/competitions is essential to support the rebuilding of muscle tissue. It is important to have a carbohydrate and protein rich snack or meal within 30 minutes of completing training/competition. Examples include a meat and veggie stir fry with rice or noodles, yogurt with fruit and granola, a peanut butter and honey sandwich, and a chicken salad sandwich.
You can utilize the Fitness through Sport Playbook, Fit 5 Guide, and Sports Nutrition eLearning module to educate your athletes on basic principles. The nutrition, hydration and exercise tracker can help your athletes to pay more attention to these elements at home.
Water is another important fuel for sports and for life. Drinking the right amount of water is important for your health and can also help your athletic performance. Coaches should be educating their athletes about the benefits of drinking enough water every day.
The Fit 5 Guide has a hydration section which provides information for coaches about quantities of water that athletes should be consuming, signs of dehydration in athletes, and the best choice athletes can make when looking for a drink.
Coaches should encourage athletes to take responsibility for their own hydration before arriving at training, and after leaving training. Follow this simple guide below on how you and your athletes can keep hydrated before, during and after training sessions.
As a badminton coach it is so important to help your athletes keep on track with their hydration. Encourage athletes to drink one bottle of water (16-20oz/500-600ml) an hour or two before practice so they show up fully hydrated. Remember to pause for drinks breaks during a training session. It’s recommended that coaches pause every 15-20 minutes to give athletes the chance to rehydrate as they are losing water while exercising. Encourage athletes to drink one bottle of water (16-20oz/500-600ml) during a training session to make sure they avoid cramps, heat illness and dehydration. When drinking, athletes should take many small sips of water instead of large amounts at once as this can sit in their stomachs and cause discomfort when exercising! Encourage athletes to drink water after practice to help them recover from their workout.
Warm-Up
Before beginning any form of physical activity you should always carry out a warm-up. A warm-up should be designed to prepare the body and mind for physical activity and reduces the risk of injuries occurring.
Purpose of a warm-up
Gradual increase in body temperature.
Gradual increase in heart rate.
Gradual increase in breathing rate.
Increase in blood flow to working muscles.
Increase in range of motion of primary muscle groups for the sport.
Mental preparation.
As you can see, warm-ups are extremely important for athletes’ preparation for physical activity. Increasing body temperature and blood flow to working muscles is key for athletes to prevent them sustaining injuries while exercising.
A gradual increase in body temperature reduces the chance of an athlete sustaining muscle and tendon injuries while an increase in blood flow to working muscles ensures a delivery of import fuels that are required for energy production. In addition to this, warming up helps athletes increase the range of motion they have in their muscles. This adequately prepares athletes’ working muscles for the movements they will be performing (stretching, generating power, stabilizing the body, etc.).
Finally, an adequate warm-up will mentally prepare the athlete for exercise; this includes increased focus at practice or in competition, positive self-talk, or improved motivation knowing they are physically prepared to exercise.
It is recommended to carry out a comprehensive, sport specific warm-up for at least 15 minutes prior to starting training activities or competition.
Warm-ups should include three specific components:
1. Aerobic activity to raise heart rate
This can be walking, jogging, cycling, or skipping.
2. Dynamic Stretching
Dynamic stretching involves active, controlled movements that take body parts through a full range of motion.
Dynamic stretching can be done following the Fit 5 Dynamic Stretching Guide
3. Sport Specific Movements
Skills or movements which are core to your sport.
Movements that the athlete will complete in training or competition.
See our Warm-Up and Cool-Down Supplement to learn more information on the components of a warm-up. The Dynamic Stretches Guide also provides a collection of exercises can be included in your warm-up.
Please reference our Badminton Dynamic Warm-Up Guide and Warm-Up Videos for more information.
Competition Warm-Ups:
Before any athletic competition, an effective warm-up needs to be completed. Warm-ups are essential to preparing the athletes’ bodies and minds for physical activity, which will improve their performance and reduce the risk of injury. Here are some tips for competition warm-ups:
Have athletes do the same warm-up routine that they do during training sessions.
Athletes with intellectual disabilities do best when they follow consistent routines. Routines help athletes to build their confidence, skills and time on-task.
If space is limited, encourage athletes to do aerobic activities in place, or go back and forth between the allotted space.
Keep athletes active and moving during staging. If they are sedentary during this time, they will lose the benefits of their warm-ups, such as an increased body temperature and blood flow to working muscle.
When your training, practice or sport session is complete, you should always cool-down. It is just as important to have a good cool-down as it is to have a good warm-up. A good cool-down allows the body to gradually return to a state of rest.
Purpose of a cool-down:
Decrease heart rate.
Decrease breathing rate.
Decrease body and muscle temperature.
Returns rate of blood flow from the active muscles to resting level.
Decrease muscle soreness.
Improve flexibility.
Increases the rate of recovery from exercise.
Promote relaxation.
A typical cool-down includes light aerobic activity followed by stretching. The aerobic activity should gradually decrease in intensity/difficulty. It could be a short jog/walk at 50% intensity with some stretches, led by the athletes, at the end.
A typical cool-down includes light aerobic activity followed by static stretching.
1. Aerobic activity to lower heart rate
The aerobic activity should gradually decrease in intensity/difficulty
It could be a short jog/walk at 50% effort or less. Athletes should be able to move and hold a conversation without being out of breath
2. Static Stretching
Static stretches are those in which you stand, sit or lie still and hold a single position for a period of time
Static stretches should be held for 30 seconds or more and can help to improve flexibility
Observe how your athletes are stretching. Ballistic or ‘bouncing’ movements while stretching can cause injury. Stretching may feel a bit uncomfortable but should not be painful.
See our Warm-Up and Cool-Down Supplement to learn more information on the components of a cool-down. The Badminton Cool-Down Guide and Cool-Down Videos also provide a collection of exercises can be included in your warm-up.
Cool-downs are also perfect opportunities for coaches to have a debrief session with their athletes and review the session they have just had. Use the Athlete Questions of the Day from the Fitness through Playbook to ask your athletes some open, informative questions that will make them think about the session and what they would have learned. In addition to the athletes reinforcing the coaching points you have given them, it also gives you, as a coach, the opportunity to see what works for each athlete as an individual.
Coaches should also use this time at the end of practice to encourage healthy habits. Educate athletes on the importance of staying active and eating healthy outside of practice.
Injuries are problems for athletes in all sports, at all levels. It is beneficial for coaches to be aware of possible injuries that athletes could experience in their sport. Badminton, while a relatively low-risk sport, can lead to several common injuries due to its demands on agility, speed, and repetitive movements.
The graphic above highlights six of the most common injury sites for badminton. Of these injury sites, lower body injuries are most common. Any injuries that athletes happen to obtain during SO training or competition should be immediately tended to by a healthcare professional (doctor, nurse, and physiotherapist). If an athlete reports to you with signs or symptoms of any form of injury it is recommended to send them to a healthcare professional.
Appropriate warm-ups and cool-downs can help to reduce the risk of both acute and overuse injuries specific to badminton. Additionally, strength and flexibility training either in practice or at home can further prevent injuries and improve performance. Specifically, shoulder, wrist, core/lower back and lower body strength and flexibility should be a main focus when trying to prevent injuries. There should also be a focus on training speed and agility.
Physical conditioning is the improvement of physical health through programmed exercises. Badminton-specific conditioning is the use of exercises specifically related to the movements used by players to develop badminton-specific fitness. The main components of physical conditioning are cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, balance, flexibility, and skill development. A successful conditioning program can be accomplished with very little equipment through bodyweight exercises, jumping drills, etc. Some teams may also like to incorporate equipment like resistance bands, weights, stretching straps
In badminton, these components can be developed through various exercises, activities and drills. Badminton conditioning involves building up strength, endurance, balance and flexibility in the muscles that will be used the most while playing badminton. This can be done through a variety of methods using bodyweight exercises, those with added resistance, or agility movements. Examples of conditioning are:
Core strength exercise
Plank hold/side plank
Leg raises
Curl ups
Bodyweight strength exercises
Push-Up
Triceps Dips
Squat/Jump Squat
Calf Raises
Glute Bridge
Lunges
Sport-specific actions
Rotational jumps
Shuffling in defensive position
Full court defensive recovery
Short, reactive, agility movements (side to side, forward and back)
Special Olympics has created a number of Fitness through Sport resources for you to use!
In addition to the Fitness through Sport Playbook and other coaching resources available online, Special Olympics also offers online Fitness specific courses where coaches can learn more about Fitness, SO athletes, and how the two work together!
Fitness through Sport Module Series: This three-part series supports Special Olympics coaches across all sports and age groups with practical tools to support athlete performance:
Fitness for the Sport Coach: This foundational module covers essential fitness knowledge, strategies for integrating fitness into training, and its impact on performance and injury prevention
Sports Nutrition: Offering a practical yet in-depth look at fuelling for sport, this module covers key topics such as meal timing, performance nutrition, and how environmental and sport-specific demands influence nutritional needs.
Physical Activity for Sports Coaches: This module explores types of physical activity and how to build a physical literacy-rich environment. Coaches will learn how to support lifelong participation in sport and physical activity for athletes through inclusive and engaging practices.
Check out the Special Olympics Learning Portal to find these courses, along with many other available courses, and get learning today!
Head coaches may feel confident in integrating all the components of fitness within their training. Additionally, they could consider bringing in a Fitness Coach to work specifically on fitness relevant to their sport. A Fitness Coach is a volunteer role for fitness professionals or upper-level students who can support a team through the tenets of fitness: nutrition, hydration, and physical activity. A Fitness Coach can work with a Head Coach to ensure that fitness is a part of every practice, competition, and off-season.
Head coaches can also consider adding a Fitness Captain to their team. A Fitness Captain is an athlete leadership role on a sports team to lead the team in activities related to fitness and healthy habits, such as warm-ups and cool-downs, and sharing Health Tips. Fitness Captains have a passion for fitness, exercise, and healthy behaviors and can bring this mindset to their teammates. Coaches can nominate their athlete(s) to complete Fitness Captain training with their Program.
