Struggling with overheads.....sometimes..

you are probably too tensed up

 

Actually, the main power of your overhead shot comes from your legs. The purpose of the scissor-kick or jump footwork is to transfer that power from (primarily) your quads and core to your racquet. That's why good footwork is just as important as form for getting it to the back.

It's also much easier to obtain a clean snap if you are using the conventional procedure, where you turn sideways and then straighten out as you hit the bird. This is because you are correctly oriented to hit the bird over your shoulder, and have a fraction more time to do so than if you were standing square to the net.

The pronation should not be deliberate, but you'll have to watch to be sure you maintain it. In situations where you cannot execute the body motions, like a drive straight up and at you, in those situations you basically only have your wrist/forearm to help you. Fatigue could be part of the strength problem here.

I find that when I've been training a lot, or am tired, I simply cannot muster sufficient energy to scissor-kick and rotate effectively, and it makes my snap unclean and I don't get full range on the bird. I think that may be what you're in encountering here. In addition, stiffness in the wrist and elbow joints will inhibit pronation for the snap, and without that the power from your legs cannot be transferred to the bird, so all the hard work you did scissorkicking will be wasted... as difficult as it is, just try and relax your joints, especially the wrist. Perhaps get a wrist massage? Heh.

If I totally missed the point, sorry! Hope that helped somewhat, although it seems like you already have quite a good handle on what's going on with your shot.

 

No, the main power of an overhead shot comes from your arm (albeit coordinated with a snappy wrist and fingers movement).

Try hitting an overhead without using your arm

Coordinating the whole body movement does contribute power, as you described, but the scissor kick is also important to aid recovery into the next shot. Your non-racket foot lands behind you, allowing you to push forwards.

 

That's interesting. But I also have a crazy coach who is always screaming at us to use no arm in every shot, to funnel power from the legs and use wrists only. We never really lift... just flick. I guess it's more deceptive, but maybe not as effective.

I'm going to try and incorporate some arm and see how that effects my power. Thanks!

 

Careful! You've jumped to a false conclusion.

Your coach is being imprecise when he says "use no arm". Any wrist movement is powered by the arm muscles. The wrist itself is a joint, not a muscle, and therefore cannot generate any force. Force is transmitted into the wrist via the arm muscles.

Wrist movments are controlled by arm muscles.

Your coach probably doesn't want to confuse you with all these details. When he says "no arm", he is just trying to encourage a short, snappy, "wristy" swing.

 

Ah, alright. That's what I was trying to impart up there before. I guess then, the key is keeping direct upper arm movement out of the equation, but still getting the power transference from the muscles.

Thanks for all the roundabout technique advice btw, I'm learning a lot from you!

 

Absolutely.

I learn alot from BC everyday. Since I don't have a coach, this is the way I improve...by learning and understanding concepts from others. With understanding, you can test out stuff on the court and usual have positive feedback. Thanks to all of you who help others everyday on the threads!

To answer the thread: I think I have trouble too with overhead. This is due to the fact im slowly changing my stroke, from the typical beginner ''good grip but totally wrong body mechanics.'' I think if your undergoing the same phase, it's nice to visualize the stroke and remember to keep your racquet high.

 

Indeed, if you didn't use your arm at all, you'd have to use something else, like your feet!

 

I'd pay to see that!!!!

Tell ya what, you perfect the technique and videotape it, and we'll start a new religion of badminton.

 

I think the key is timing. The most important part of the swing is the last moment.

A big, wild arm swing is a powerful movement, but the power is not focused on the shuttle. It is diffused, spread out -- wasted. You need the power to be focused at the point of impact.

With a shorter, more controlled, "wristy" arm swing, you can achieve better timing and coordination between muscles.

It's also important to hit in a relaxed manner. If you begin with a tense, forceful arm movement, then the tension in your muscles will prevent the power from flowing into the wrist and racket.

Aim for very fast acceleration at the end of your swing. Make the start of your swing slow and relaxed, and then tense your muscles (and grip) at the last moment.

This will help you to learn an efficient, snappy swing, with good timing. Once you have this timing, you can gradually make the earlier part of the swing faster for more power.

 

In my view, you don't need to worry much about the wrist.

The arm twisting motion that you describe is where the power really comes from. You can see this in slow-motion replays of professional players hitting a smash. Notice how their racket finishes facing out to the side, because of the violent arm rotation.

Let the wrist follow this naturally, rather than trying to force it down.

Wrist movements, in themselves, are extremely weak. The important role of the wrist is to channel power from higher up the kinetic chain (from the arm), by staying relaxed.

Don't worry about your wrist. Concentrate on coordinating your arm movement with a sharp tightening of your grip at the end of the stroke. Your wrist will naturally do the right thing.

 

The scissor kick itself will initially have to be deliberately forceful until it becomes a habit. However, to augment it, you want to force more on rotation of the torso rather than forcing back the leg... the leg will go back by itself and you'll get more power transition out of the torso.

There is usually more power generated out of a scissor kick smash than a jump smash, but a jump smash allows you to a catch the bird higher and at a better angle to put it on the floor. Jump smashes are not usually common until high enough levels where players have built up immense upper body power and don't need to do as much power transfer/just have more in total.

 

The main benefits of the scissor kick are that it allows the hips and shoulders to rotate, and helps you recover quickly forwards after the smash.

With a jump smash, the hips and shoulders are free to rotate anyway, because you are in the air. When you land, it is often still helpful to land in a similar position to the end of a scissor kick: left foot backwards, right foot forwards, land first on the left and then immediately afterwards on the right (for right-handers).