Hey, badminton players, i have a question about the jumpsmash. I notice that some people curl their legs and others do not curl their legs while executing a jumpsmash. What is the difference? i heard that it was personal perference but is this true? thank you in advance.
In doubles you curl your legs sometimes to get that little extra cm or so from the momentum of swinging your legs up, to get that little better angle that could mean the point. However in singles, placement is more improtant than angle AND speed to people tend not to do that since if it is returned, they are in a bad position from not having recovery time while in the air. At least, i think... pretty sure though.
If you bend your knees in the air and can transfer the momentum from them when you hit the bird you get more power. This is really hard to do, requires a lot of body control and feel.
When do you start jumping from the moment u see that golden opportunity ? When the bird just crosses to your area ? Or even before that ?
well in singles, when they hit a clear or dig something and return it to mid court or a bit farther back. then i execute my jumpsmash to try to win the point. i know i dont jump very high, but right now people say i have good power and angle, but i dont curl my legs, i tried to curl them once. but it didn't feel natural and my timing was off. People say that its easier to curl if you have lots of air time/ jump high.
It's also a bit of a natural reflex. If you start jumping higher it'll just happen...If you start focussing on the leg-bend you will overdo it. I personally jump way to low to pull my legs up. though on certain days, when I'm feelign good I (halfway) realise I've pulled my legs up (a bit)
when do u jump ? when the bird is in front of you as if u can execute a normal smash already (not jump smash) OR...... ....slightly earlier because you need time to lift off and the flight time going upwards shd be such that when you are on your descent, you have the bird in front of you as if you are doing a normal smash apart from the fact that your feet are nowabove the ground?
some headstart/idea before i try out would be nice, if at all possible to share. otherwise, we don't need to post anything anymore, just try out. if not possible to share, then no worries. i'll just experiment with a blindstart.
theres no way to describe it really, you can only find the right timing through trial and error, depends how high you can jump, how strong your legs are.
Obviously, you need to jump before you smash. Jumping takes time. This means that you must either be ready earlier (have some time to wait), or be jumping as part of your movement to the shuttle (backwards, sideways, or forwards). Ideally, you would either jump straight up or forwards, but often you will not have time and will need to jump backwards or sideways. The top players move backwards very fast and then jump straight up (or nearly straight). You can see this on TV occasionally when you catch sight of a men's doubles game on an adjacent court. If you only just have enough time to play a non-jumping smash (because the shuttle is not so high), then a jumping smash will not work.
I dont think the leg thing has much to do with the actual smash, its more concerned with being able to jump higher. Take a different sport Football (socer for those of you in the US) and watch how players compete for the ball in the air, often the guy who jumps highest to head the ball is using his entire body to gain those extra few milimeters. Now my legs when I do jump for a smash are normally kicking because the chances are I was actually running round the court when I jumped, but I am sure thats not neccesarily the most eficient way of me leaving the ground, but it works.
I always thought it was related to getting as much of your weight into the smash. You curl your legs behind you (so your lower legs are parallel to the floor) and then throw them forward (i.e. straighten your legs) as you smash to add to your momentum. Certainly there are pros who don't do it. Martin Lundgaard comes to mind, he never seems to bend his legs but he's a very good player.
I think that the leg curling definately does help with power. It works even if you are not jumping. When I do a non-jump smash, during the scissor kick when my weight is on the back (right) leg before the swing, I curl my front (left) leg, and uncurl it as I swing and transfer weight to the left leg. If you imagine yourself kicking something (say, a soccer ball) as hard as you can with your left leg, what is your natural motion? You will probably try to generate more power by twisting your upper body to the right, and as you kick, throwing your right arm/shoulder forward, right? Now, say that your intention, instead of kicking, is to throw your right arm forward (for instance, smashing) as hard as you can. The same concepts apply, and you can kick your left leg forward as you swing to generate more power. In a jump smash, this idea is taken a bit further. Because smashing involves not only rotating, but bending the entire upper body forward, kicking the right leg will also help with power. This, I believe, is why some people curl both legs when jump smashing.
i jump when it feels right, simply that. i know how high i can jump and jump to match the timing of when the shuttle reaches the contact point. you can only learn by trying it and practicing it.
are u suppose to fling ur legs out before u hit the bird? cuz i tried this and i like curled my back and legs then like throw my legs forward and smashed, but that produced very little power, and now i am thinking should i fling my legs first and then smahs.
I time the curling/uncurling with my swing. On the backswing, curl your legs, and fling them out as you swing. Try kicking a ball with your left (or right, if you are left handed) leg. The timing should be the same.
