A biomechanical analysis of common lunge tasks in badminton

TLDR

The lunge is a common badminton movement that places high physical demands on the lower limbs, yet little is known about its biomechanics in singles play. The study examined the biomechanics and performance of three badminton lunge tasks—kick, step‑in, and hop—in nine experienced male players. Ground reaction forces and kinematic data were recorded, and lower‑limb joint kinetics were computed via inverse dynamics. The step‑in lunge produced lower horizontal reaction forces and hip power, suggesting reduced muscular demand, whereas the hop lunge generated higher reaction forces, ankle moments, and joint powers, indicating greater positive power output. Keywords: joint moments, joint powers, lunge performance, ground reaction force.

Abstract

Abstract The lunge is regularly used in badminton and is recognized for the high physical demands it places on the lower limbs. Despite its common occurrence, little information is available on the biomechanics of lunging in the singles game. A video-based pilot study confirmed the relatively high frequency of lunging, ∼15% of all movements, in competitive singles games. The biomechanics and performance characteristics of three badminton-specific lunge tasks (kick, step-in, and hop lunge) were investigated in the laboratory with nine experienced male badminton players. Ground reaction forces and kinematic data were collected and lower limb joint kinetics calculated using an inverse dynamics approach. The step-in lunge was characterized by significantly lower mean horizontal reaction force at drive-off and lower mean peak hip joint power than the kick lunge. The hop lunge resulted in significantly larger mean reaction forces during loading and drive-off phases, as well as significantly larger mean peak ankle joint moments and knee and ankle joint powers than the kick or step-in lunges. These findings indicate that, within the setting of this investigation, the step-in lunge may be beneficial for reducing the muscular demands of lunge recovery and that the hop lunge allows for higher positive power output, thereby presenting an efficient lunging method. Keywords: Joint momentsjoint powerslunge performanceground reaction force