Effect of resistance band versus free weight strength training on hand grip strength and eye-hand coordination in young adults Badminton Players: A randomized controlled trial.

Badminton is one of the world’s most popular and fastest racket sports, with smashes reaching up to 30 m/s. [1] Every year, more than 2,000 participants from all around the world compete in the Cardinal championships. Around 150 million people play badminton globally, according to estimates from the World Badminton Federation, and over 2,000 players compete internationally. Depending on the population and playing time, the injury rate in badminton might vary from 1 to 7 per 1000 hours. [6]

The equipment needed for the sport includes a shuttlecock, racket, and net, and competes in men’s / women’s singles, men’s / women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.[1] To score a point, two or four opposing players hit a shuttlecock over a dividing net between them in what is regarded as one of the most popular racket sports in the world. The three basic categories of badminton strokes are drop, clear, and smash, with the overhead technique being one of them. This sport requires a certain level of patience, control, and motor skill training. Reaction timing, foot stepping, balance, and other motor skills are crucial for coordination in this sport. [3]

In training and competition, badminton players need to be in good physical shape and possess strong technique and strategies.[1] Regular badminton practice enhances physical fitness, particularly strength, speed, and aerobic capacity. A badminton player must frequently focus quickly and clearly on racketing, improving his assessment, and preparing his next pass while keeping an eye on the court’s shifting positions. Players in badminton need to be quick and flexible on the court. Essential attributes for a player include muscle power, strength, coordination, agility, flexibility, and balance. Different training programs have become common to boost athletic performance and advantages.  Some of them are free weight exercises and resistance exercises. [2]

Strength training regimens that optimize athletic performance and advantages have become increasingly well-liked. A player’s success in badminton is based on strength, not strength limitations. People typically participate in traditional resistance training regimens to strengthen their muscles. Athletic equipment such as dumbbells or other devices, elastic bands, or the body’s weight are used to complete those workouts.[2]

Resistance bands are a useful and portable instrument for workouts. They are rubber sporting equipment that acts as a fulcrum, forcing the muscles to contract against outside weights to improve muscle mass, strength, endurance, agility, and balance. They are made of rubber with a hand grip that serves as a fulcrum. The rubber used to make the bands has different elasticities and grades. By using resistance bands to stress muscles, one can improve muscle strength, balance, and agility stimulate the sensomotor system through neuromuscular adaptation, muscle coordination, and peripheral stimulation.[1]. These bands never operate against gravity and can be used at the same time to train one or more joints. Therefore, they could also theoretically be used as a realistic substitute for resistance training. Resistance bands have been reported as a useful tool for improving muscle strength in young and elderly populations, both genders individuals with and without musculoskeletal pain.[2]

 Free weights often refer to exercises with dumbbells and barbells. These exercises demand greater coordination between muscles to execute the exercises properly due to the higher instability of the movement and the movements are often more similar to daily life activities. Consequently, free-weight exercises are recommended to be more "functional" and better translate into gains in day-to-day physical function. Furthermore, it’s frequently proposed that they have better strength transferability because free weights must operate under unstable settings. Free-weight exercises like bench presses and squats demand greater coordination and can raise myoelectric activity in synergist muscles. [4]

 Hand grip strength plays a key role in injury prevention and overall strength development. The flexor muscles in the hand and forearm must be highly activated for a variety of daily tasks and athletic endeavors. These are the grip strength-related muscles. Muscle and joint strength are essential to enhance performance (smash velocity) and prevent injuries. For the best stroke execution, there must be solid contact between the racket and the shuttlecock, and this is influenced by grip strength. [5]

 Coordination is the capacity to carry out a series of movements smoothly and precisely. Eye-hand coordination is essential to shuttlecock control, speed, agility, and reaction in badminton. A player with good eye-hand coordination is better able to execute intricate motions, react to outside cues, and produce fluid movements. In badminton, eye-hand coordination aids the player in controlling the arm’s velocity and direction of impact in addition to helping the racquet be positioned correctly. [5]

 Hence, hand grip strength & eye-hand coordination play a significant role in the ultimate functional performance of any complex chain of muscular activity & torque transfers required in sports. [5]

Although individual studies have explored resistance band training, and free weights training in badminton players for strength, to my knowledge the comparative effectiveness of these strength trainings, particularly in combination has not been thoroughly examined. The study aims to close this gap by offering a thorough comparison.