Hi ive been having trouble adding power into my underhand forearm.... it just doesn't go far or high... i have lots of power in my backhand but but nothing in my forearm.... any suggestions?
It's really difficult to suggest a remedy without seeing exactly what is wrong. Basically, practice practice and finally practice. You need to imagine your racquet is a towel that you are going to whip, acceleration and timing are the keys to "power".
How do you mean? It would follow that if your arms aren't moving properly, then your wrist won't be and therefore the racquet movement won't be correct. Everything has to work together for a good shot, from toes to racquet tip.
Ok maybe you got the completely wrong grip? That can make your shot alot weaker. Look at one of the articles for proper grip, too lazy to try to explain the right grip in words right now... Anyways if that isnt the problem than it could also be the lack of snap and followthrough. Dont try to aggressively power you swing but make it smooth. Swing with your body for extra power and remember to snap the wrist.
it should just be the wrist for the underhand forearm lift, i just use my wrist. it takes practice, so practice practice practice
Pronate the forearm. This applies to every forehand stroke. Technically the wrist does not provide any (significant) power -- only the forearm. It can be misleading to say "just use the wrist", because usually this encourages people to use wrist flexion (a bad idea).
The wrist will apply the snap. Maybe your racquet is strung too tight? So we have a little list... String tension Strength Speed Wrist "snap" Grip Without seeing you in action, it's difficult to diagnose...
i find it hard to adjust when ppl ditch the wrist all together, if i'm gonna be using forearm to do all the work, wouldn't i be playing tennis with a badminton racket? Its hard to determin what u mean by significat power, dig up a drop at the net and clear it, all u do is just a little flick on yr wrist any normal player can clear to the base. Upon recieving a smash u r given only that little time just enough for u to snap yr wrist, a good player with a strong and quick wrist snap can clear it to the back effortnessly. imo, thats significant power, how much wrist add to a smash is debatable but there r that many more sitatuion that its better to have a good wrist action then not.
It depends what you mean by "wrist action" and "wrist snap". These are vague terms and easily confused. Pronation and supination of the forearm are often incorrectly described as wrist movements. The wrist joint can only move in four ways: Flexion and extension; and Radial deviation and ulnal deviation. None of these is useful for power in badminton. If you are using these, then your technique is wrong. This is not a case where there is room for personal preference. All techniques that rely on these wrist movements for power can be replaced by much more effective alternatives. There is only one useful alternative to forearm rotation: "finger power". This technique is championed by Lee Jae Bok, who uses it to create amazingly sharp midcourt and forecourt strokes, such as net kills and half-court drives. Finger power does not involve forearm rotation or wrist movement, but relies on a small, sharp extension of the elbow using the upper arm muscles, together with a tightening of the fingers to produce a rapid rebound action of the racket head. This technique is less powerful than forearm rotation, but often more effective because of the greater accuracy and almost non-existent backswing. The wrist is still very useful in badminton, but only for directing the shuttle, not providing power. Any technique that uses wrist motion for power will be weaker than the alternatives.
By the way, if anyone doubts the importance of forearm pronation and supination, check out the Badminton England techniques DVD. Notice how on just about every shot Gail's voiceover says "pronate the forearm" or "supinate the forearm". Notice also how she never says "snap the wrist" The same is true of the IBF training videos. It's all in the forearm, not the wrist!
That's true enough, but I was trying to speak in lay terms. There's little point in asking someone to pronate their forearm.
Hi there, Just to add to what others said... did you restrict the movement of your arm when executing the shot? I notice in some beginners (not saying you are) they tend to take underarm forehand shots very much in front of their body. Dun quite really know how to describe it but seems that their arm are perpendicular to their body (which is facing the net) when taking the shot. Notice also that the elbow is also on the body. This is a novice mistake but we can move on from here to see what is wrong with it and how to do it right. Maybe from there, you can see a solution.
I disagree, although I recognise you have a good point. In the past, coaching guidelines preferred familiar and vague terms to teach students. More recently, we have started being more precise. I think this increase in precision is a good thing. We should not underestimate the intelligence of our players. I describe the hitting action to my students as "rotating the forearm", which I feel is a good compromise. Obviously I demonstrate it at the same time. Sometimes I throw in the terms "pronation" and "supination", but I don't rely on them exclusively. I never use the term "wrist snap" and similar descriptions, because these phrases confused me when I was coached. At first, I learned to use the wrist movements for all my strokes, and it was only some years later that I discovered better technique. So I believe it is better to tell your students the correct advice, rather than tell them incorrect advice because you are afraid they will not understand. All my students understand, and many of them are consistently using pronation and supination of the forearm -- where before they used the wrist. And guess what? They have much more power now
I think we'll have to agree to disagree. I don't coach badminton. But I do coach rugby and instruct at taekwon-do. In my experience, when I use correct movement phraseology, I am met with blank looks, until I say, for example, "move your arm in this way" - then demonstrate the movemnt. Whatever works for you and your players/students though.
yah i guess i am one of those that need to see a video or demonstration in order to understand the term pronate the forearm.. the words just doesn't connect in my head i can't picture how it should be done properly and hopefully to realize that i've been doing it right but calling it all wrong.. Its not easy to learn different moves and technique nowadays.
Look at the IBF training videos. They demonstrate and explain forearm rotation very clearly. You should be able to download them from this site. Search the forums.
