Why Do Badminton Players Yell?

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Have you ever watched badminton games where the players yell or scream during the match? Why do they do that and is it legal? It seems like a pretty common occurrence but does it actually help their game or are they just doing it for show? In this post, we take a deeper dive into the reasons why badminton players yell so much during their games.

Badminton players yell to release stress, intimidate their opponents, pump themselves up, and influence their opponents. Due to these reasons, yelling can help a badminton player win a close match. It is common to see players or rivals who are close in skill level yelling after every point to get every tiny advantage possible.

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How Does Yelling in Badminton Help Reduce Stress?

High stakes matches are likely to have highly stressful environments. With such stressful environments, players need a way to relieve themselves so that they don’t crumble to the stress. Yelling is a great way to do so. In fact, there are many articles you can find online, like this one, that claims yelling and screaming is one of the best ways to relieve stress (and potentially make your opponents more stressed). By yelling, you release endorphins, which are natural chemicals produced by your body to help relieve pain and stress.

Furthermore, yelling can actually increase your strength and make you hit harder. Yup, you read that right. By shouting, your core contracts and helps you hit harder. Try it out the next time you smash to see if it helps.

An Se Young
An Se Young

How Does Yelling in Badminton Intimidate Your Opponents?

Yelling is a natural intimidation technique that has been used in all types of sports and even war. By yelling out loud, players show to their opponents that they’re ready to battle and not afraid of them. It’s a message that says “I’m going to make you work for the win. I’m not going to make it easy for you.” Really, yelling is a primal instinct that warns others of trouble if they mess with you. So it’s natural for humans to feel more afraid when others yell or make loud noises.

Keep in mind that you’re not allowed to explicitly intimidate your opponent. Stuff like yelling in your opponent’s face and threatening them with abusive language are big no-no’s. I’ve seen actions like raising your fist while staring at your opponent be given warnings from the umpire. Yelling is the same thing – it can only be done indirectly and not targeted at your opponents.

How Does Yelling in Badminton Pump Themselves Up?

Yelling helps players push themselves to keep playing at a high intensity when they feel tired and at their limit. By yelling, players tell themselves to keep going and helps motivate them to play at their best. Just as much as it tells their opponents that they won’t give up, it’s telling themselves the same thing.

Moreover, repeating what I mentioned above, yelling helps release endorphins – which helps relieve pain, and therefore helping you continue on. Additionally, other sources show that yelling can help release adrenaline, increase your heart rate and blood flow, and also give you a psychological edge. In other words, your body naturally helps you fight harder when you yell!

How Does Yelling in Badminton Help Influence Your Opponents?

Yelling consistently when you do a particular action is a good way to influence and ultimately condition your opponents. By conditioning, I mean making your opponents expect a particular action from you given a particular trigger. In this case, the trigger is the yelling and the action is what you do. Let me give an example.

Many players yell when they smash, especially since it can help them hit harder and get the audience on their side. After a couple times of doing this, it becomes easy for opponents to expect a smash when they hear yelling. However, that is not necessarily the case as players can always change up the shot even when they do yell. A favorite of advanced players is to mix up their smashes with drop shots. Yelling adds another layer of conditioning to their opponents to make their drops potentially even more effective and increases the chance of catching them off guard.

Chou Tien Chen
Chou Tien Chen

Is Yelling Considered a Fault?

Yelling in itself is not considered a fault. Players often yell during rallies when they hit shots and after rallies, especially if it was a difficult one. The act of yelling, as you can see from the above sections, can have many practical reasons and is not inherently bad.

Yelling is only considered a fault or misconduct when it has bad intentions behind it, such as threatening, taunting, or insulting opponents. Yelling cannot be targeted directly to opponents or any particular person. It can only be used as a form of expression and relief, not as a medium for assault.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many legitimate reasons for badminton players to yell during their matches. All of the above effects can help them get an edge over their opponents and win a tight battle. While some may consider it rude to yell all the time, it is not illegal. Furthermore, yelling can give players a psychological advantage if their opponents get annoyed, intimidated, or bothered by it. As a player, you will need to train your mental game to make sure your game is not affected by someone else’s yelling.

Now you know why so many badminton players yell during their matches. Will you start doing it too?


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