Contact point on racquet head during drop shot

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by vip_m, Dec 30, 2005.

  1. vip_m

    vip_m Regular Member

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    I read somewhere (I can't find now) and I heard from some people that it's sometimes advantageous to hit your drop shots (fast or slow drop, not slice drop) using the top part of the racket (above sweet spot). This gives you the following positives:
    - higher reach (so you get to shuttle earlier)
    - steeper trajectory of drop shot

    ...and similar to what Darryl Yung mentioned in the forum topic on "Contact point on racquet head during backhand serve":

    Reasons from Darryl for such this technique (hitting at top part of racket):
    -The strings are tighter at that location
    -There is more sensitivity at that location when using the choked up grip backhand grip (right onto the cone).

    His claims:
    -Should allow for flatter trajectory
    -Most importantly consistency.

    What do you guys think? Have you seen any pros use this technique?

    Of course for power shots like smashes and clears, one should definitely hit the shuttle at the sweet spot.
     
  2. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    dunno about you..but i can't hit a dropping shuttle/fast lob consitently with teh top strings...plus: the sweetspot gives me better feeling (personally)
    when i (accidentaly) drop with teh top strings, it feels just liek any other off-centre-hit...

    when you practsie it you mgiht be able to get it consistent. but in a match, when under pressure and tired..they'll 80% end up as frame-shots..wich off course can also be deceptive..
     
  3. Lobber

    Lobber Regular Member

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    Not too sure about this.But something i notice is that i always do a drop shot slightly above the sweet spot
     
  4. vip_m

    vip_m Regular Member

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    On hitting with top part of racket for finesse shots

    I searched through the forums regarding this and here's a collection of some peoples' comments:

    SystemicAnomaly:
    If you contact the shuttle near the top of the net, be sure to make the stringbed contact away from the sweetspot. If you try to hit a net drop on the sweetspot of the stringbed, the shuttle may bounce too high off the strings... therefore you should make contact closer to the perimeter of the stringbed (but, obviously, you do not want to make contact right at the frame of the racket). This off-center contact should help to control the flight of the shuttle better for a delicate net drop. It should also enable you to cut/brush the cork a bit to impart a bit of a tumble to the shuttle.

    huynd:
    I found out that with soft shots, you can get better control if you hit the shuttle near the top of racket. Especially with net shots, i get faster spinning.
    For power shots, certainly sweetspot is the ideal contact point

    sessyargc:
    have you tried the area below the sweetspot and near the T-joint?
    that's the area I use for tight, spinning/tumbling net shots (of course in response to other net shots, or seriously short drop shots). The nice ones hit the T-joint and wobble off the net cord. On my Cab the sweetspot gives me a netshot almost a foot high. I use only the area above the sweetspot if i get caught in mid-air or while lunging (my racket foot hasn't hit the ground yet) or I do a flick at the net. I use the bottom area for all other situations, ie when I hit the shot after the lunge (my racket foor has already hit the ground).
    I also use that area for my backhand serves, sometimes.

    cappy75:
    Hmm... I find this thread quite pointless. You are asking this as though you can control which specific part of the stringbed you can hit the shuttle with. When your timing is good, you won't even care where you contact the shuttle. Just that it works like a charm.
    In general for maximum power in overhead shots, hit the sweet spot. For control over netshots, slice the shuttle near the edge of the racquet frame. Other than those two, I don't really see any other significant variations.

    odjn:
    if i'm correct if you do a net drop contacting the birdy off the sweet spot, for example near the top of the racket, then the birdy shouldn't bounce up that high. THerefore there's a less chance of you getting smashed in the eye.

    Loopy:
    The sweet spot is just above center. It's about 1/3 to 2/5 from the top of the racket.
    Hitting the sweet spot far outweights hitting near the top of the racket.
     
  5. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    I'm with Cappy. His reply was excellent. I've talked to a few Coaches about this (3+ months ago) and they concur with Cappy's post. :)
     
  6. vip_m

    vip_m Regular Member

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    Making fast drop land closer to net

    DinkAlot, so what did the coaches say?

    I'm just wondering if world-class players who are very good at a fast drop (which normally lands too deep in the court which allows your opponent to get at the ball) sometimes use the technique of hitting with top part of racket (just above sweet spot) to make the fast drop land closer to the net (like the slow drop).

    Note that the fast drop is used when you're trying to surprise your opponent, while the slow drop is used when your opponent is deep in the back court and having a drop land near the net is your aim. The slice drop is a happy compromise between the two, but to be able to do a fast drop and yet have it land near the net, that'll be the ideal.

    Thanks.
     
  7. Blue_Smash

    Blue_Smash Regular Member

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    i hit it differently depending on how high it is compared to the net.
     
  8. vip_m

    vip_m Regular Member

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    Is it "impossible"?

    So Blue_Smash, where you hit it on the racket surface depends on the situation (how high shuttle is compared to net)?

    I also wanted to ask if, as mentioned by others, is it impossible to control where you hit the shuttle on your racket surface? For myself, I find it relatively easy to purposely hit the shuttle at the top part of the racket or at the sweetspot. How do others feel? Is it "impossible"? or difficult? or not so difficult? relatively easy?
     
  9. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    They said basically the same thing as Cappy. :)
     
  10. vip_m

    vip_m Regular Member

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    Hitting control shots near racket frame

    Cappy wrote, "In general for maximum power in overhead shots, hit the sweet spot. For control over netshots, slice the shuttle near the edge of the racquet frame." so you're saying the coaches agree that for control shots, hitting the shuttle near the edge of the racket frame is good?

    Thus hitting away from sweetspot for finesse shots is recommended?
     
  11. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    For overhead shots you hit the sweetspot for maximum trampoline effect which translates into maximum power.

    When you slice the shuttle, you want to maximize spin to make the shuttle drop off. In order to do that you need to keep the shuttle on the frame (maintain contact) as long as possible which makes it grab the shuttle and spin it most effectively. For that to happen, you need to slice/cut the shuttle from left to right (or vice versa) and start at the edge of one side of the string bed and slice/cut to the other side. If you start in the middle (sweetspot), you won't maximize the grab and the slice/cut shot won't be as effective.

    Coaches will tell you not to worry about or try to slice/cut the shuttle near the edge and just hit the slice in the middle because if you practice enough just slicing, you will automatically do it (go from edge to edge), you will automatically "adjust". An example can be driving, how do we learn to drive straight? At first we are taught to look at the center divider line and use that as a reference point. After driving for a while, you just naturally know how to keep the car straight. You don't need to constantly look at the line for reference.

    Hope this all makes sense. :)
     
    #11 DinkAlot, Jan 2, 2006
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2006
  12. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    i agree with dinkalot...

    you gus aroudn here all sound so perfectionistic "i hit my drops a lil bit above teh sweetspot" and "hitting it with teh top will give me more power" i swear I never heard anybody say soemthign like that were i play.... and there are some A's and B's around....

    just hit the damn dropshsot, thinkign abotu such things is almost purely theoretical, whent ryign to do it in a match, under pressure and tired..all you'll get is frame-hits or mis-hits...
     
  13. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    LOL! Agree 100% with Jerby. Funny post. :p
     
  14. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    Marvellous :) A refreshing antidote to our "BC bullsh*t" affliction :D

    Not that I wish to slur this excellent community! We should recognise, however, that such a group of enthusiasts -- as we are -- is prone to intellectualising the sport to absurdity. We are prone also to talking up our own skills more than a little.

    (It's easy to do on the internet: no-one can check how well you really play.)

    That said, there is still some merit in experimenting with the more exotic and subtle variations in technique available to us. But don't lose sight of the basics. Many of us (myself included) experiment with all sorts of fancy techniques, but never master the basics.

    Why don't we master the basics? Because we don't train hard enough: we don't practise enough, and we don't train for fitness enough.
     
  15. vip_m

    vip_m Regular Member

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    More fun when one can be creative

    I appreciate Dinkalot, Jerby, and Gollum's comments about not over-intellectualizing or being a perfectionist, I just think badminton (or any endeavor for that matter) is more fun when you're creative, you experiment. It's what drives humans to achieve things greater than what people before thought impossible, right?

    The badminton slice-drop is common now, but I wouldn't be surprised if in the past nobody had thought about it until some enterprising and creative person decided to try it out.

    So let's not disparage trying out new things. You'll never know unless you try what works and what doesn't.

    Regarding what Dinkalot said, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I was talking about this technique with regards to the fast drop rather than the slice drop (which is what Dinkalot is talking about). I read somewhere that by hitting the fast drop above the sweetspot, you get a shuttle flight that hugs the net closer than if you had it at the sweetspot. And sometimes a fast drop is what you're after than a slice if you're trying to surprise your opponent.
     
  16. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    I agree that we should all be open to new ideas and willing to experiment :)

    But experiment is the key. If you have some zany idea, go try it out! You don't need to receive validation from people on BC forums -- just try it!

    Bear in mind that most zany ideas will fail ;) But some succeed.

    Also, don't forget that you will read some nonsense among the otherwise good advice here at BC.

    Personally, I do not see a good reason for hitting drop shots (slow or fast) with the upper strings. Smashes, perhaps -- with the main benefit being a slight increase in power from using a "longer lever" to hit. Possibly it would help to keep your swing consistent with smashes.

    To be honest, I don't really know where I hit my drops on the stringbed.

    But go try it :) If it works for you, that's great -- and come tell us about it!
     
  17. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    Exactly! You just do it. :D
     
  18. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    Tryign out new thigns is indeed good
    keep theorizing and talking thigns that are utter details is "not"

    i dunno about you, but my drops "are" *hugging* teh net... to rework my stroke with such an implementation would take a long time.

    a: angle is determined by racket angle. not hit-point. change your racket angle, not hit-point...
    b: huggign the net comes from control
    c: control comes from practise
    d: for fast drops the sweetspot gives more repulsion, since it's fast you'd "want" that..
     
  19. jerby

    jerby Regular Member

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    smashes with top-part.
    wouldn't that theoretically (;) ) reduce your power?

    I also don't know were i hit, but i feel it when i mis-hit:D
     
  20. Gollum

    Gollum Regular Member

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    Arguably:

    "Hitting fast drops from the top is good, because there will be less repulsion. Less repulsion means you can use a faster swing, which is more deceptive."

    But, like so many of these ideas, I think it doesn't work/doesn't matter in practice.
     

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