Frequently cited as the world's fastest racket sport (Sivamani et al., 2022), badminton is characterized by high-intensity dynamics, featuring rapid movements and extended rallies (Gomez et al., 2020). In this situation, badminton athletes must be in ideal physical condition to maximize their performance on the court (Ihsan et al., 2024; Rahadhi et al., 2025). Badminton players who lack a strong physical foundation struggle to maintain peak performance during intense matches (Li et al., 2024).

Victory in high-level competition requires technical skills, such as precise strokes and efficient, effective footwork. Biomotor components such as explosive power, reaction speed, and body coordination are also important (Trofin et al., 2022). To become a champion, a badminton player must possess important abilities such as acceleration speed and footwork skills (Pryer et al., 2025). All these components work together to ensure that the badminton player is in the correct body position before executing a shot (Milon, 2014).

One crucial physical component in badminton that differs from general running speed is acceleration (Chiu et al., 2020). While general speed focuses on linear velocity, acceleration in badminton cannot be considered in isolation. It is inextricably linked to the ability to change direction quickly. Due to the limited area of the badminton court, players rarely reach maximum speed (Madsen et al., 2015). Instead, badminton players are required to perform explosive and repetitive stop-and-go movements, which demand rapid deceleration, sudden directional changes, and immediate re-acceleration (Dos'Santos et al., 2022). Therefore, initial acceleration (pick-up acceleration) is crucial in chasing fast-moving shuttlecocks hit by opponents and unexpectedly sent to various corners of the court (Nagano et al., 2020). Badminton players will lose precious fractions of a second if they have slow acceleration. Meanwhile, efficient footwork skills complement this acceleration by enabling optimal court control and energy conservation during the match (Phomsoupha et al., 2019; Valldecabres et al., 2020).

Although general physical training is often carried out, challenges in the field indicate that more specific methods are still needed to improve performance (Erdogan, 2020). Previous studies have reported the positive impacts of plyometric exercises and ladder drills on physical performance across various contexts. For instance, recent research combined agility ladders with plyometrics but applied it to completely different sports demographics, such as young female volleyball players (Bassa et al., 2024). In the context of badminton, a study by Rasyid et al. (2023) explored a similar combination; however, their research was limited to school extracurricular students rather than competitive club athletes, and it used only a single type of plyometric and ladder drill. Often, conventional methods are not focused enough to improve physical biomotor aspects simultaneously (Matias et al., 2022).

Therefore, there remains a notable gap in the literature regarding a comprehensive, multi-exercise combined application of these methods for competitive development. The novelty of this study lies in its integrated training design and specific subject demographic. Unlike previous studies, this research evaluates a structured dual-training regimen—incorporating varied plyometrics and multidirectional ladder drills—tailored explicitly for intermediate adolescent club-level athletes (aged 14-16 years). Plyometric exercises are focused on increasing muscular power, which serves as the physiological foundation for speed. By improving the muscles' ability to generate force rapidly, athletes can produce a more vigorous explosive thrust against the ground, directly translating into maximum acceleration during court movement (Duchateau & Amiridis, 2023; Krakan et al., 2020).

Meanwhile, to complement the agility aspect, ladder drills were implemented by targeting speed and foot coordination relevant to badminton movement patterns (Rasyid et al., 2023). While previous studies have independently established the benefits of plyometrics and ladder drills, there remains a notable gap in the literature regarding their combined application. The novelty of this study lies in addressing the gap by integrating both modalities into a single, cohesive training regimen tailored explicitly for intermediate badminton athletes. The combination of these two methods is expected to have a greater synergistic effect than conventional training alone.

In light of these considerations, the primary objective of this study is to analyze the impact of a dual-training approach (incorporating plyometrics and ladder drills) on improving acceleration and footwork skills in intermediate badminton players. Furthermore, these findings will provide badminton coaches and sports practitioners with a scientifically validated, time-efficient training protocol. This integrated approach can be directly implemented into daily club routines to accelerate the physical and technical development of youth athletes transitioning to higher competitive levels.

Note: SD = Standard Deviation; PLD = Plyometric – Ladder Drill (intervention group); CV = Conventional (no-intervention group).

Descriptive statistics capturing the pre-test, post-test, and the rate of change or delta (Δ) values for both acceleration and footwork skills are outlined in Table 3.

Following the descriptive evaluation, the data distribution was examined to determine normality. The outcomes of the Shapiro-Wilk normality assessment are exhibited in Table 4.

*: denotes non-normal data distribution (where p>0.05 indicates normality).

Due to the non-normal distribution observed in specific variables, the study utilized non-parametric testing. Specifically, the Wilcoxon test was applied to evaluate significant differences between pre- and post-test scores for acceleration and footwork skills within each group.

*: p-value<0.05 signifies a statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-test measurements.

As a demonstrated by the Wilcoxon test results, both the experimental and control arms exhibited enhanced performance in acceleration and footwork skills (p<0.05). Further analysis was performed to ascertain inter-group disparities, these findings from the Mann-Whitney test are detailed in Table 6.

*: p-value below 0.05 denotes a statistically significant difference between the PLD and CV Group.

Analysis via the Mann-Whitney test revealed statistically significant disparities between the PLD and the CV cohorts regarding both acceleration capabilites and footwork skills. For a visual representation of these comparative performance shifts, refere to Figure 2.

The primary objective of this study was to assess how merging plyometric exercises with ladder drills impacts badminton players' acceleration and footwork skills. Based on the Wilcoxon test results, the intervention successfully yielded significant gains in both acceleration (p<0.05) and footwork skills (p<0.05). Moreover, a comparative analysis using the Mann-Whitney test confirmed the superior effectiveness of this combined approach compared with standard exercises for improving acceleration (p<0.05) and footwork skills (p<0.05).

Current observations are consistent with prior research highlighting the benefits of plyometrics. By utilizing the stretch-shortening cycle, this training modality has been shown to boost neuromuscular performance, amplify motor unit recruitment, and refine both elastic energy storage and intermuscular coordination (Booth & Orr, 2016; Davies et al., 2015; Kurniawan et al., 2025). This provides athletes with the opportunity to generate more power quickly and to produce faster movements and stronger shots when playing badminton (Chandra et al., 2023). Plyometric movements that require horizontal power are associated with faster acceleration ability (Lockie et al., 2012). With the ability to produce maximum power in a short period, it can improve acceleration and footwork speed during movements such as lunges and split steps, which are very useful for practicing footwork skills. Improving explosive ability is vital for badminton players, as it enables high-intensity actions, such as dynamic lunges, smashes, and rapid changes in direction and body position (Phomsoupha & Laffaye, 2020). Gepfert et al. (2025) found that plyometric training significantly improved leg muscle power, short sprints (10 meters), and multi-directional movement abilities in young badminton players. Thus, plyometrics play a significant role in improving acceleration and footwork skills in young badminton players.

Ladder drills are a training method that uses equipment such as plastic ladders and ropes (Putu et al., 2021; Rachman et al., 2024). Through systematic engagement in this training, athletes can enhance their responsiveness to external stimuli. This improvement is attributed to a significant reduction in the conduction time of the reflex arc, thereby optimizing the function of the central nervous system (Zhou & Xu, 2023). Widely adopted across diverse sports, these drills are designed to facilitate rapid and precise foot placement, ultimately fostering improvements in coordination, balance, speed, and agility (Chandrakumar & Ramesh, 2015). Badminton players with speed and agility can move quickly on the court (Shedge et al., 2024). If badminton players have good acceleration and footwork, they are more likely to perform at their best. Our results align with the existing literature, which consistently demonstrates the efficacy of ladder drills in significantly improving speed, acceleration, and agility (Alviana et al., 2020; Marwan et al., 2024; Padrón-Cabo et al., 2020).

The results of this study help identify the effects of combining plyometric and ladder-drill training methods in badminton players. The combination of plyometric and ladder drill training can improve physical attributes, such as acceleration, and technical attributes, such as footwork skills. In addition, the results of this study provide guidelines for badminton coaches in developing and planning appropriate training programs for players, especially to improve acceleration and footwork skills. Considering that badminton players greatly need acceleration (Kuo et al., 2022) and footwork skills (Malwanage et al., 2022; Yu & Mohamad, 2022) to achieve their goals of competing at the highest level.

In summary, integrating plyometrics with ladder drills serves as an effective strategy to enhance acceleration and footwork skills among badminton players. Notably, the cohort subjected to this hybrid training model (specifically using tuck jumps and squat jumps to build explosive power, combined with bunny hops and quick feet for agility and footwork) exhibited superior performance outcomes compared to those in the conventional training group. Theoretically, this study implies that combining plyometric training with specific coordination exercises (ladder drills) has a significant effect compared to traditional physical training. In practice, the results of this study are recommended for application by badminton practitioners or coaches to improve the acceleration ability and footwork skills of their athletes, ensuring they are physically equipped to handle the fast-paced, unpredictable nature of modern badminton.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the PB Remaja Jombang badminton team for authorizing the execution of this study. Appreciation is also due to the Center of Excellence Sport and Exercise Research Center for their invaluable support during the data acquisition phase.

All data supporting the findings of this study are included in the article and its supplementary materials. Additional datasets are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

No external financial support was received for the conduct of this research.

No external financial support was received for the conduct of this research.