How do you write a good coaching goal?

Start with a time frame and use a doing word, for example "By the end of the session, players will perform a stable lunge". A goal like "improve the backhand" lacks a clear action and a time frame.

What should a badminton session plan include?

Venue, date, time and group at the top, then each practice with its time and the goal it serves, plus a safety check and the equipment needed. It should be detailed enough for another coach to run.

How do you carry out a risk assessment for a coaching session?

Identify the hazards, ask who might be harmed and how, score the risk from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high), note what is already done, then decide further action, who takes it and by when. It is done at every venue.

What is a PRO rally in badminton practice?

Play the Rally Out: after the key stroke being practised, the players carry on and finish the rally. It is less predictable than a fed practice.

What is differentiation in a group session?

Players work on the same skill at different levels, so each is challenged at the right level. A coach adds movement or speed to make a practice harder, or slows it down and makes it predictable to make it easier.

What is the difference between hand feeding and racket feeding?

Hand feeding gives many practice shots in a short time but cannot match the pace of a racket hit. Racket feeding, as a multi-feed or a controlled rally, is used when the practice needs real pace.

What is the difference between reviewing and evaluating a session?

Reviewing describes what happened in the session and what players did. Evaluating decides whether the goals were met and what to change next time.

Badminton · Level 8: Expert · Sub-level 8.3

Planning and Running Sessions

10 tests · 100 facts · updated 29 October 2026 · markdown

A session starts with a clear goal. The manual suggests writing it as "By the end of [time], the player will..." with a doing word such as perform or explain, and SMARTER describes the qualities of a useful goal. Session goals link to the goals for the training period and the season. The plan itself should be detailed enough for another coach to run it: venue, date, time and group at the top, a time and goal number beside each practice, a safety check and the equipment needed.

A risk assessment is done at each venue and asks what the hazards are, who might be harmed and how, how high the risk is on a scale from 1 to 5, what is already being done, and what further action is needed, by whom and when. Every session begins with a warm-up and ends with a cool-down, with skill practice, game play and a summary between them.

Practices progress from simple to complex and slow to fast, from shadowing a stroke to hand-fed and racket-fed shuttles, rallies and a game with bonus points, and a player moves on when reasonably competent. Differentiation lets players work on the same skill at different levels. The facts below cover goals, plans, risk, progressions, hand and racket feeding, managing a group and reviewing a session.

Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.

Test 1Setting goalsTake a test

A clear, time-bound start.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Action verbs.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Perform is a doing word.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Goal qualities.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 10 · recall
Group priorities.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Too vague.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Short goals build long ones.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Long to short.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Observe, choose, write, act.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
A clear goal.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied

Test 2Writing a session planTake a test

Usable by others.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Basic information.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Time management.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Links practice to goals.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Safety and kit.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Plans provide alternatives.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied
Shared plans.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Warm-up to cool-down.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
As in the manual's example.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Time management.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied

Test 3Risk assessmentTake a test

Spot hazards.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Identify hazards.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Slips.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
1 to 5.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Every venue.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Act on it.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied
Step 2 asks who and how.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
As on the form.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Act and assign.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Checking hazards.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied

Test 4The shape of a sessionTake a test

Warm up first.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 9 · recall
Cool down last.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 9 · recall
Link skill to game.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
The manual's three ways.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Transfer to play.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Time management.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied
Review learning.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Standard shape.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Teach, show, do, sum up.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Bringing the group together.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied

Test 5Progressive practicesTake a test

The three progressions.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Simplest first.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Play the rally out.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Competence first.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Simplify.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Next step up.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied
Game-like.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
As in the manual.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Predictable to open.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
A simple practice.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied

Test 6DifferentiationTake a test

The manual's definition.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Right challenge.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Raise the challenge.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Lower the challenge.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Motivates the group.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Differentiate.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied
Group dynamics.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Differentiated levels.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Watch, adjust, keep, check.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Same skill, different levels.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied

Test 7Hand feedingTake a test

Realistic practice.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
The manual's method.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Lots of repeats.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Pace.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Copy the game.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Using the shuttle as a reward.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Time to reflect and prepare.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied
Safe, hold, flight, rate.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Racket feeds are fastest.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Hand feeding.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied

Test 8Racket feedingTake a test

Pace needs a racket.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Racket feeding in sequence.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Rallying feed.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Safety.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Realism.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Time of flight.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied
Feeding skill.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Hand is easiest.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Ready, feed, watch, feed back.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Racket feeding.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied

Test 9Managing a group on courtTake a test

Efficiency.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Common messages only.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Known consequences.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Responsibility engages.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Fairness.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Keep everyone busy.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied
Inclusive coaching.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Signal, gather, tell, return.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
More players, harder.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Time is not wasted.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied

Test 10Reviewing a sessionTake a test

Stages 3 and 4.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Look back.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Judge and improve.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Change for next time.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Continuous improvement.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Adapt.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Players' needs.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Describe, then decide.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
Back to planning.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · recall
After delivery.
Source: BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 3 · applied

Questions people ask

How do you write a good coaching goal?: Start with a time frame and use a doing word, for example "By the end of the session, players will perform a stable lunge". A goal like "improve the backhand" lacks a clear action and a time frame.
What should a badminton session plan include?: Venue, date, time and group at the top, then each practice with its time and the goal it serves, plus a safety check and the equipment needed. It should be detailed enough for another coach to run.
How do you carry out a risk assessment for a coaching session?: Identify the hazards, ask who might be harmed and how, score the risk from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high), note what is already done, then decide further action, who takes it and by when. It is done at every venue.
What is a PRO rally in badminton practice?: Play the Rally Out: after the key stroke being practised, the players carry on and finish the rally. It is less predictable than a fed practice.
What is differentiation in a group session?: Players work on the same skill at different levels, so each is challenged at the right level. A coach adds movement or speed to make a practice harder, or slows it down and makes it predictable to make it easier.
What is the difference between hand feeding and racket feeding?: Hand feeding gives many practice shots in a short time but cannot match the pace of a racket hit. Racket feeding, as a multi-feed or a controlled rally, is used when the practice needs real pace.
What is the difference between reviewing and evaluating a session?: Reviewing describes what happened in the session and what players did. Evaluating decides whether the goals were met and what to change next time.

Sources

BWF Coaches' Manual Level 1 (2017), BWF regulations and history, Olympedia; original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Numbered rules belong to the Rules category (Badminton - Laws of Badminton).

BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 397
BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 92
BWF Coaches' Manual L1, Module 101