As I understand it, there seems to be 2 camps as to the the actual mechanics of the forehand swing. 1) using the forearm rotation (pronation) to supply the power. 2) Using the wrist in a whip-like action to provide the power. First let me explain how I understand pronation: If you stand with your feet & shoulders parallel to the net and hold the racquet out in front of you with palm up and butt end of the racquet facing towards the net (supinated position) then quickly twist your forearm so that the palm is down and now butt end faces away from the net (pronated position) Let's assume that body position and rotation, and follow-through are the same for both. When the swing is initiated: In pronation the forearm is supinated 1) the elbow leads 2) the forearm quickly pronates to provide power In the wrist action, the forearm is also supinated 1) the elbow leads 2) followed by the wrist 3) then a snapping action much like "cracking the whip" to provide power To me these are 2 different actions or ways to hit a bird. As a beginner, I am struggling to find out which is best for me. I also may have totally misunderstood these concepts and would appreciate any feed-back to further enhance my understanding
I think both are very similar, i mean there a bit of each tecnique in the other so try to do both, IMO they are very similar tecnique. One thing i know is that you wrist must be used. One way to learn the good technique is to touch your back when you hit, this way you will feel the good way to do it and after you will be able to do the stroke without touching you back but with the good technique
They are not just similar techniques - they are the same technique! I refer the right-honourable gentleman to my previous statement http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=19048&highlight=pronation
Maybe I haven't been playing long enough to see the similarity. I can definitley see the "whip-like action" when using the panhandle grip as I get more power and/or distance that way. When I use the standard grip and work on pronating the forearm, I don't sense an obvious whipping wrist action. But then again, I'm just a beginner and still concentrating on technique, and as such, haven't committed either to "muscle memory' yet. Again thanx to you ppl for your understanding and the sharing of your experience and knowledge. I will keep working on it and I know someday a light will go off and I will say ....ahhhh that's what Gollum, James, and the kind ppl here were talking about.
I strongly recommend you stop using a panhandle grip and learn to use the standard forehand grip. There are advocates of panhandle here, but they are generally either: Very experienced players who have developed their own style using panhandle, after having first used the standard grip; Beginners with bad habits and no coaching. You should try the standard grip before you experiment with more controversial suggestions. A proper throwing action for forehand overheads is impossible with a panhandle grip.