I've noticed recently that when I sqeeze my raquet grip as tight as I can before I start to swing and then let go before impact that - This is the only way I can hit my hardest ... none of my clears or smashes ever have as much power as when I squeeze before and release. is this commonly known as the proper way to swing? because I can't recall reading or hearing this anywhere. I often hear that you should have a loose grip - when I use a loose grip the power from my hip/shoulder eblow/forarm does not get transfered to the raquet - nor do I get any power if i use this tight grip throughout the entire swing ...
In general practice, there's no way holding the racket as tight as you can, can be beneficial but if it works for you...
The subject of grips is a source of confusion for many players. Too often they are given simplistic advice like "always have a loose grip". A good grip is not static. For many shots, the grip will start loose, and then tighten on impact. For a smash, the grip will need to be quite firm throughout the shot, and tightening on impact. Otherwise the racket will wobble around in the hand, and you will slice or mishit the shuttle.
Wedge, in progressive relaxation techniques the way to achieve the best level of relaxation is to tense the target muscle first, then relax. This method produces significantly greater relaxation than starting from scratch and simply trying to relax. In your case what might be happening is while you tense the grip in preparation you may be relaxing extremely well through the hit. The optimum grip for a hard hit will be just enough to maintain a good grip on the racquet. This 'looseness' permits greater arm and hand flexibility through a shot, and flexibility is where real power comes from, not strength.
"Loose" grip is a vague description. I think relax your lower arm may be a better description. If I tighten my fist/finger, I find that I cannot pronate my wrist very easily. My energy and focus is gone to the fist/fringer. I tighten my fist just enough to hold onto the racket but my whole arm (from shoulder to fist) is quite relax. I find this way I can generate the most powerful smash. I hope this helps.
excellent discussion. i always have a problem with the "keeping your grip loose." I do find tightening while having my racquet arm up and ready, then loosening help me produce a harder swing. i agree with the posts above that "keeping your arm loose" is very vague. I have a bad habit that when I get into a ready position, my wrist is already pulled back. My coach would always tell me to relax, which I was. I guess it looked stiff when I have my wrist already pulled back. I found this out just a short while ago.
Yes, this is a hang-over from believing that the power comes from the wrist. Cocking the wrist for smashes is not especially useful.