I've seen this guy in a badminton club. He frequently jump smashes. What cat my eye is this way he smashes. He hops backwards with really low duck, he then took a sudden forward thrust with his jump. His thrust gave out alot of power. He taught me how to do it for a couple of minutes and told me to keep practicing that. I'm wondering if this is really practical, and if I should practice that? Any comments appreciated!
Well jumping forward does give you more body power towards your smash. I don't see a reason why you should jump back to prepare for a smash unless it's really late and you have to reach for it. Just move backwards rather then jumping backwards which may take up your energy.
yes i think i know wut ur talking about. my friend andy that goes to london...when he plays front at the net, he jumps backwards and swings his entire arm straight down to create a fast smash(note i said SMASH not KILL) that goes straight down and lands exactly between the green line(in gyms) and the service line. i dont truly think that this is required but it is something that would be useful to learn in some situations......
Thanks guys , I think the purpose for him to jump back is to get that springing effect and to get ahead of the shuttle.
I used to jump smash a lot despite my height (1.88m/ 6 foot 4) to get a harder smash. Usually you should try to be well in front of the shuttlecock when you smash and the added height of jumping will give you a steeper angle. Normally "steeper angle" = "more deadly smash" (perhaps not universally true). You can also do a quick backwards jump to get behind a shuttlecock when you "intercept" a low clear; here it won't give you power (you are fairly unstable and unable to use your body weight) because you only use your arm/ hand/ wrist or shoulder for the smash, but you dramatically speed up your response time and may put your opponent under real pressure. The big problem with jump smashing is that you loose the contact with the ground and thus the ability to change your direction. Once you make contact again you will probably be de-stabilized again. In other words if your smash is not an outright winner you may find yourself exposed to your opponent's response and unable to fully take advantage of a bad defensive shot. This is why in practice, it is only usually the shorter Asian players that use the "real" jump smash because the steeper angle is worth the risk. Taller European players usually stay on their feet (ok they too jump a little) when they smash, which allows them to storm forwards to intercept a blocked defensive shot or a kill missed clear defense; or indeed stay fully ready for anything else. By jump smashing you risk loosing the initiative unless your smash is really, really good. I guess in doubles the risk/ benefit analysis looks a little different because you only have to cover the back of the court and your partner helps you out at the front. In other words: it is best to jump smash only where the benefits outweigh the risks. Be aware of the risk.
