Why women don't jump smash?

Discussion in 'General Forum' started by ^Tayo^, Mar 28, 2005.

  1. ^Tayo^

    ^Tayo^ Regular Member

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    I've seen it done... by Rasmussen and Marissa. So it is physically possible as stroke for women. Despite of the power difference (strength and speed) between men and women, why is this shot not performed in women doubles or women single as much as the men's? Shouldn't they drill this move to make a drastic advantage in their games?
     
  2. Jumpalot

    Jumpalot Regular Member

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    I think so. Women should jump smash to get an advantage. In some other sports such as basketball and volleyball which requires jumping and women tends to do just fine.
     
  3. Greasemonkey

    Greasemonkey Regular Member

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    I think the women do jump smash but just not as high as the men. If you look closely, some women do tend to elevate a little bit when they smash but not as high and noticable as the men.
    I think the reason for that is because if they were to do it, they will have a harder time getting back in position. The women physical body is not made the same as the men, so they do have a little more to carry around the us men do.

    But don't let me make this a fact, it is just my guess. A better answer would be one that came from a women.
     
  4. jamesd20

    jamesd20 Moderator

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    Success in a jump smash depends on:

    -Height of Jump (therefore angle of smash)

    -Power of smash

    -Defence of opponent


    The height of jump is important since if it takes a woman a lot of energy to jump 1foot then the benefit they gain in angle will not outweigh the speed with which they tire when jump smashing

    The power is important since when you jump smash you tend to do it to end the rally. In a womens game their smashes are not powerful enough to finish the rally until at least mid court, at which point the likelyhood of they jmp smash is low, since they can finish anyway.

    The defence of your opponent is critical and relates to whether you are likely to win the rally form the jump smash or not. If you jump smash, and your smash is not strong enough to finish then you have the added time to land, coordinate, then move to new position then set up for jump smash again. A tough assignment even for top players.



    Women fall short in most of these categories in relation to whether it is beneficial to jump smash.

    Some men in double dont jump smash all the time for the fact they cannot win the rally, but want to attack, and be mobile to kill the return. (candra wijaya for example rarely uses the jump smash, and he is a worldchamp, olympic champ, and AE champ) Other men use it a lot, maybe because they can, but maybe because they dont know how to use the smash effectively and with variety.
     
  5. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    jamesd20, I would had give the exact reasons as well. ;)

    In WS and especially in WD, rallies tend to last longer than men's because women's defensive strength is equal or greater than their offensive ability (ie smashing). Jumping smashing would be inefficient use of energy. Maybe why some fans(not me though) may view watching WD as not as exciting as men event or that WD match take too long to finish.
     
  6. MarkinJapan

    MarkinJapan Regular Member

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    i agree with cooler.
    Take a look at your own club. At my club the top women is as good a defender as many of the guys, but she doesn't hit as hard. no point in wasting energy without getting an advantage. Good rule for any singles match.
     
  7. SystemicAnomaly

    SystemicAnomaly Regular Member

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    Take a look at basketball. Women often jump when shooting baskets but you never seem them slam-dunking basketballs. Even tall women don't have the same jumping ability of most men of similar height. Women generally do not have a high percentage of fast-twitch (particularly type II-b) fibres in their leg muscles.

    You see the same thing in volleyball. The height of the net in women's v'ball is quite a bit lower than it is for men's v'ball for the same reason.

    If women have a lower percentage of type II-b fibers, then they must have a higher percentage of either type I or type II-a fibers which would both tend to give them more leg endurance for those longer rallies
     
    #7 SystemicAnomaly, Apr 1, 2005
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2005
  8. wilfredlgf

    wilfredlgf Regular Member

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    An exception to the norm would be one of the Korean ladies doubles player. She seemed to be the only one who would and even so, she doesn't jump as high as say, Chen Hong would. I saw it fleetingly on the telly when I went out to eat, don't know her name but from the flag, it's clear she is Korean.
     
  9. Jumpalot

    Jumpalot Regular Member

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    Whether women can jump as high or hit as hard as men is not the point. The point is even if an average woman jump just 1 foot (12 inches), she will have increased her playing height by 1 foot !!! So if an woman who is normally 5-6 is indeed playing at 6-6 when she is jump smashing. I will agree the angle may not change that much from 5'6 to 6'6. But it will certainly be an advantage worth looking into unless it's proven that an woman that is jump smashing is consistantly hitting less hard or achieves less angle than a woman that is performing a standing smash.
     
  10. jamesd20

    jamesd20 Moderator

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    Also genetically Women have a higher percentage of Body fat to men, and body fat is a waste of tissue when trying to jump higher, and is bound to reduce the height of the jump.
     
  11. Wizbit

    Wizbit Regular Member

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    If any women can jumpsmash, the Chinese oughta be able to do it but do you see them do it?

    I have seen some European players do it. I think it will be trained more in the future, this will take ladies doubles :rolleyes: to the next level.

    At the moment, it is too physically demanding for the women players, and minimal advantage gained by doing so.
     
  12. ^Tayo^

    ^Tayo^ Regular Member

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    I don't know about you guys but If I see a woman doing a jump smash at my club, i'd be drooling like crazy. :p
     
  13. ^Tayo^

    ^Tayo^ Regular Member

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    The point is, they still can jump and benefit the angle and power even though they have more fat tissue. Also let's not forget that heavy weight also gives more power to your smashes (energy transfer).
     
  14. ^Tayo^

    ^Tayo^ Regular Member

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    I noticed that all women when they smash (especially the Japanese) from the baseline, instead of jumping they would do the "pinky leg" before smashing i.e. they would lift their opposite foot of the arm racket to gain more weight transfer for their smash.

    However, one thing I don't understand is that 90% of women at international level are able to return smashes from men so in WD it is pointless for them to perform a baseline smash since they don't jump to have the power. Therefore most of their smashes will be returned easily and it would be a waste of energy.
     
  15. SystemicAnomaly

    SystemicAnomaly Regular Member

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    The smash power would come primarily from muscle mass, particulary fast twitch (type II-b), not so much from added weight due to higher body fat percentages.

    Also, many (but not all) ppl get less power, not more power with their jump smash. The primary advantage of the jump smash is the angle. Since most women would not get much height on their jump smash, the added benefit would be less. It might not be worth the added effort for some women since it takes more energy to perform the jump. Those women, not all, might be better off saving their energy for the longer rallies seen in women's games.
     
  16. bluejeff

    bluejeff Regular Member

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    I have some slightly different views:
    1. Because they were wearing skirts :p
    2. Because they do not have that much of attacking desire as men do
     
  17. SWC_Ant

    SWC_Ant Regular Member

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    when i was watching the world juniors championships in richmond last year, i noticed that the indonesian women doubles smashed/jump smashed a lot.. dunno if this helps
     
  18. jcl49

    jcl49 Regular Member

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    Wow...looks like we are on the brink of whitnessing another milestone in the development of badminton. It's good that the sport develops - makes womens badminton a whole lot more exciting!
     
  19. wilfredlgf

    wilfredlgf Regular Member

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    It's one of the best ideas we've had in badminton for years! :)

    This is perhaps the more relevant answer to the question. Women prefer to outwit rather than to overpower the opponent, thus powerful techniques such as the jump smash is not practiced, in comparison to... say, the perfect drop. The desire to win is there, but with a different mentality.
     
  20. Mag

    Mag Moderator

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    I'm sorry, but to me the problem lies with the coaches, not with the players. Or are you seriously suggesting that females are incapable of aggression? :eek:

    The reason why not more female badminton players jump smash is because most of them have male coaches -- and many of those coaches still seem to think that jump smashing is not a natural part of women's badminton. "What women prefer" has nothing to do with it -- rather it's all about what they are taught that the game is supposed to be like.

    :mad:
     

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