VIDEO : Whats wrong with my smash V2

[Jason123]

Im sorry you cant see the contact point on this one, but if you can help me with what you can see i would be great full

[Jason123]

Just a point to make out, all my smashes felt great, like they all made great contact

[a|extan]

u need a coach

[Staiger1]

this is reasonable for a recreation player /beginner . As someone mentioned , you need a coach , because the technique is all wrong and it is hard to pin out where to start .. because we need to go back right to the basic, the grip , footwork etc before we actually can show you the right technique for smashing. But on a + side , you can hit the shuttle with nice power to trouble other beginners , so the potential is there....just need to get a good coach and you will be moving up the standard

[Jason123]

Well Im never going to get a coach, the only thing i have is to look on youtube for help

[Cheung]

You hit the shuttle quite well. However, your potential for improvement will be limited.

Grip can improve. Start of swing can improve, turning action not bad but can be better.

[Jason123]

when i change my grip to the proper technique on how to smash i tend to miss hit it a lot, and when i do hit it, it doesnt feel any better then how i usually hold it

[maxo123999]

when i change my grip to the proper technique on how to smash i tend to miss hit it a lot, and when i do hit it, it doesnt feel any better then how i usually hold it

Practice makes perfect, when changing from something you're used to doing to something new and perhaps a bit more awkward it takes a while to get used to it.

[a|extan]

good try... seriously... alot of thing u r doing isnt correct...

.if u dun get a coach....u at least need some1 who knows the correct thing to teach u....

or else...u b going the long way..round...

if this is what u prefer...

good luck...

[Aurora_]

Lets start with the good thing:
1. You use the wrist (i.e. whip) to smash, which is why you feel great, cause it make good contact.
2. You know how to use your body weight.

Area need to improve:
1. Your grip is wrong, you need to rotate your racket slightly outward (clockwise). Your finger is too close/tight. Close finger grip is good only if you master pronation.
2. You arm is not fully extend on contact, not at the highest point.
3. You use your arm to rotate. This is common mistake when you use a slightly pan-handle grip. This could cause elbow injury.
4. You stroke is slightly tense, can see that in your follow-through. Too much power waste in follow through. Arm power should come before contact, when the racket is behind the back, use the power to swing racket upward. At highest point, use the wrist whip action, then follow through with the racket momentum.

This change will be drastic, take it easy. Practice with 50% power, master the swing is important to avoid injury.

[Staiger1]

If you dont have a coach and have the correct technique , that would mean it does not matter how much you play , you will not improve and always be regarded as a lower standard player , once you get the techniques right , you can go places . And yes there are several videos on youtube that would help (i.e. demonstration) but it is not as good as having a coach

[Staiger1]

Just watch the players in this video especially the guy playing with the indian guy , observe his movement and his technique for his smash which is a perfect example of how to perform an overhead smash. Look how relax his grip , and tighten as the impact , and the power generated by simple whip action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln6KpmjRRZ0

[b.leung]

if you can understand mandarin:


get a coach or a more experienced player to help you out
otherwise, there's really no way to improve too much

having the correct grip will help a lot
the proper grip will help transfer the energy better and make the angle much better

As FHF mentions in the video, the smash isn't supposed to be particularly physically demanding.
The only physical exertion only happens at the moment of impact, so it's about explosiveness instead of raw physical strength (as you notice, FHF isn't not a very built person).
When your body is in full extension you will be able use the abdominal, back and shoulder muscles instead of just your arm muscles. Getting a coach will help with getting the proper form.

Another key point is what I mentioned earlier about explosiveness. Your body should be relaxed up till the point of contact. This all includes your grip. The fingers are actually just loosely gripping the racket and clenches only at the point of contact.

Going back to the grip, you will notice that FHF has very good supination and pronation (around the 1:40 mark). This is another key point in creating the power behind the smash.

Frankly, when you say

when i change my grip to the proper technique on how to smash i tend to miss hit it a lot, and when i do hit it, it doesnt feel any better then how i usually hold it

as a response to a suggestion I wonder whether you're taking what we suggested to heart at all. If you want to improve, you really should take other people's right advice.
If you don't change, you won't improve.

But yea, that's all I got to offer for now...

[kwun]

the grip is wrong.

once that is wrong, nothing else matters. as your grip is wrong, the angle of your forearm is wrong, once the forearm is wrong, the shoulder is wrong, the body is wrong, the feet are wrong.

it will be hard and take determination to change the grip (and the rest that goes with it), but there isn't much to talk about without it.

[Tactim]

when i change my grip to the proper technique on how to smash i tend to miss hit it a lot, and when i do hit it, it doesnt feel any better then how i usually hold it

This is because you're not used to the new grip and you don't know how to swing the racket using the grip. You're using a panhandle grip which works, but as others have said, your potential for improvement is very limited using this grip. Although you think you're ok now, you could be a lot better with the new grip once you master it. It'll be a slow and painful change because you've had the old grip out of habit, but you'll only get better after it. And it's not just for the smash, the proper grip will make all your shots on the overhead in general higher quality shots.

I know it's hard to get a coach as I have not gotten one either. But I've learned all the proper grips and swing from youtube but you have to give them a chance to work. If you resist all change, then there's no point to asking for help on the boards. Nothing is an instant change you'll see in a couple hours, it's going to be months to change your grip and adjust your swing. Asking for help is not a bad thing because you came onto the forums, so it's a good start!

[Cheung]

Just to clarify things a little in addition to all the good advice above -

Your grip, when smashing, is the panhandle variation. It is not the optimal grip for a smash. However, in other situations on court, it is an appropriate grip.

It's very common to experience mishits, poor timing etc when changing part of your game. This happens to almost everybody. But think of it as longer term improvement. You might actually see a lot of players around you use the panhandle grip. However, look at the really good players - county and above and start counting how many use the panhandle grip for a smash. Go even further higher level and you will find even fewer people using it.

Once you change the grip, then you can change aspects of your swing and body rotation. Then you need to get used to readjusting the timing of hitting the shuttle. So it is a step by step process and it does need time.

[b.leung]

the grip is wrong.

once that is wrong, nothing else matters. as your grip is wrong, the angle of your forearm is wrong, once the forearm is wrong, the shoulder is wrong, the body is wrong, the feet are wrong.

it will be hard and take determination to change the grip (and the rest that goes with it), but there isn't much to talk about without it.

kwun always with the concise and accurate posts
sounds exaggerated, but it's the truth

btw, when i switched from panhandle to proper grip it didn't take too much time to adjust...
guess i'm just talented... hohoho (joking)