Effects of an 8-week core-strength program on smash accuracy in female badminton athletes

Shuzhen Ma; Yicen Zhong; Kim Geok Soh; Haili Feng; Huajun Hu; Xinzhi Wang; Jing Li

doi:10.37190/abb/224458

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Effects of an 8-week core-strength program on smash accuracy in female badminton athletes

Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics

Volume 28 (2026): Issue 2 (June 2026)

By: Shuzhen Ma, Yicen Zhong, Kim Geok Soh, Haili Feng, Huajun Hu, Xinzhi Wang and Jing Li

Open Access

|Oct 2026

Abstract

Background

To investigate the effects of an 8-week core-strength training program on smash accuracy in female badminton athletes.

Methods

Forty female badminton players were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). Both groups continued regular badminton training, while the EG additionally completed an 8-week structured core-strength program. Smash accuracy was assessed under three conditions – stationary, jumping, and moving smashes – at baseline, mid-intervention (posttest 1), and post-intervention (posttest 2). Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEE) to examine group effects, time effects, and group × time interactions, with age, training experience, height, and body mass included as covariates.

Results

GEE analysis revealed significant group, time, and group × time interaction effects for in situ, jumping, and moving smash accuracy (p < 0.05). Post hoc analyses showed that the EG demonstrated significant improvements in smash accuracy from baseline to posttest 2 across all three smash conditions, whereas improvements in the CG were limited or non-significant. Effect size analysis further indicated that the magnitude of improvement in smash accuracy was substantially greater in the EG than in the CG. None of the covariates showed a significant influence on smash accuracy outcomes.

Conclusions

An 8-week core-strength training program significantly enhances in situ, jumping, and moving smash accuracy in female badminton athletes. These findings highlight the importance of core stability and strength in optimizing technical performance and suggest that systematic core training should be incorporated into routine badminton training programs to improve smash accuracy and overall competitive performance.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37190/abb/224458 | Journal eISSN: 2450-6303 | Journal ISSN: 1509-409X

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Language: English

Page range: 85 - 108

Submitted on: Jan 5, 2026

Accepted on: Jun 11, 2026

Published on: Oct 5, 2026

Published by: Wroclaw University of Science and Technology

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

Keywords:

Badminton,

Core strength training,

Female athletes,

Generalized estimating equations,

Smash accuracy

Related subjects:

Engineering,

Bioengineering and biomedical engineering,

Cellular and tissue engineering,

Biomechanics,

Medicine,

Biomedical engineering,

Materials sciences,

Biomaterials and natural materials

© 2026 Shuzhen Ma, Yicen Zhong, Kim Geok Soh, Haili Feng, Huajun Hu, Xinzhi Wang, Jing Li, published by Wroclaw University of Science and Technology
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 28 (2026): Issue 2 (June 2026)