Help & FAQ
BadShadow user guide
1. Getting started with BadShadow
BadShadow is designed for badminton shadow training. The app displays targets on the court to guide your movement and help you repeat footwork patterns at a regular or programmed pace.
A shadow session can be performed with or without a racket. Apple Watch is not required to display the targets, but it adds automatic stroke detection and selected workout data when used.
- Choose a training mode.
- Adjust the targets and speed if needed.
- Take your position on court and start the session with the Play button.
- Follow the displayed targets and return toward your reference position between movements.
2. Training modes
Free mode
Free mode lets you quickly start a session using the selected target positions. It is useful for simple sessions, warm-ups and focused footwork patterns.
Program mode
Program mode lets you chain several blocks and exercises with defined durations and rest periods. BadShadow includes ready-to-use programs and lets you adapt sessions to your training.
Play, Pause and Stop
Play starts or resumes the session. Pause temporarily suspends the exercise. Stop ends the current session.
3. Target placement
Targets represent the areas of the half court you should move toward. Their positions can be adapted to the exercise you want to practise.
- Use several targets to cover the full court.
- Reduce the number of targets to focus on one movement or a specific sequence.
- At least one target must remain active.
4. Adjusting speed
The speed setting controls the pace at which targets appear. 100% is the normal pace. You can slow down or speed up the session depending on the training goal.
Start at a pace that allows clean, balanced movement, then increase the speed progressively.
5. Using Apple Watch
When Apple Watch is connected to BadShadow, arm movement can be used to detect strokes. With your permission, the watch can also contribute heart-rate and workout data saved to Apple Health.
For reliable detection:
- wear the watch snugly on your wrist;
- make sure BadShadow is open and connected on the devices being used;
- allow the requested iOS/watchOS permissions if you want to use Health features;
- use a natural and sufficiently pronounced stroke motion.
If the connection between devices is lost, the session may pause to avoid recording incorrect data.
6. iPhone and iPad
BadShadow can be used on iPhone or iPad. iPad provides a larger court display, which can be especially useful when placed at the side of the court. iPhone can provide communication with Apple Watch when required.
The main controls and training logic remain consistent across devices.
7. End of session and statistics
At the end of a session, BadShadow can save useful training information such as duration, exercises, detected strokes and available statistics depending on the features used.
When Apple Health access is allowed, a Badminton workout can also be saved to Apple Health.
8. FAQ
Do I need to use a racket?
No. Shadow training can be performed with or without a racket depending on the goal of the session.
Is Apple Watch required?
No. It is not required to use the target display. It is required if you want automatic stroke detection from the watch.
Why was a stroke not detected?
Check that the watch is connected, worn correctly and that the stroke motion is sufficiently pronounced. A temporary interruption in the connection between devices can also prevent detection.
Why did the session pause?
A pause may be part of a program, triggered manually, or occur when the required connection between devices is temporarily lost.
Can I change the speed during a session?
The speed control is designed to adapt the training pace. Depending on the screen in use, adjust the speed slider before or during the exercise whenever the control is available.
Is my training data sent to the developer?
Not automatically. Training data remains locally on your devices. A diagnostic file is sent to support only if you explicitly choose to share it.
How do I report a problem?
Contact BadShadow support at badshadow.support@gmail.com. For technical issues, include the BadShadow version, device used, iOS/watchOS version and a short description of the issue when possible.
9. Need help?
Support: badshadow.support@gmail.com