Effectiveness of Southeast Missouri (SEMO) Agility Drill along with Ladder Drill Exercises versus Zig-Zag Drill along with Ladder Drill Exercises on Agility in Recreational Badminton Players: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Agility in badminton is crucial as it allows players to quickly change direction, react to opponents’ shots, and reach the shuttlecock efficiently. This enhances performance by enabling better court coverage, precise shot execution, ultimately giving players a competitive edge. Objective: To check the effectiveness of the Southeast Missouri (SEMO) agility drill along with ladder drill versus zig-zag drill along with ladder drill exercises and conventional drills on agility among recreational badminton players. Method: A total of 33 recreational badminton players participated in the study. It was a randomized controlled trial, single-blinded study. The players were randomized into 3 groups, by envelope method, and alternate allocation who underwent intervention for four weeks, which included a SEMO drill along with ladder drill exercises, a zig-zag drill along with ladder drill exercises, and a control group where players performed conventional drills recommended by their coaches. Agility assessment at pre- and post-intervention was done for the players using the badcamp agility test. Result: After 4 weeks of intervention, The SEMO agility drill group demonstrated the highest effectiveness in the badcamp agility test (Mean = 3.4, S.D. = 1.5), significantly outperforming the zig-zag drill group (Mean = 1.9, S.D. = 0.7) and the control group (Mean = 0.4, S.D. = 1.0) based on a one-way ANOVA (F = 19.98, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The SEMO agility drill along with ladder drill exercises and zig-zag drill along with ladder drill exercises effectively enhance agility among recreational badminton players, with the SEMO agility drill along with ladder drill exercises showing superior results in improving agility.