Smashing Sound

Discussion in 'Techniques / Training' started by Athelete1234, Jun 6, 2007.

  1. Athelete1234

    Athelete1234 Regular Member

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    Well, I've been playing for about 4 years, and I've durastically improved over the last two years, and for some reason, when I play people, they always get these exploding sounds when they smash hard...(We play plastic, by the way) but when I smash, it's about as hard as theirs, but I get a relatively quiet sound in comparison...it's almost like a "piuuuu" sound instead of a "bang". Any reasons for that? Or is my hearing just shot :p??
     
    #1 Athelete1234, Jun 6, 2007
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2007
  2. Ramster

    Ramster Regular Member

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    Maybe its the type of string...Isnt higher bgs thinner which makes a louder sound or something? (friend told me that XD)
     
  3. stumblingfeet

    stumblingfeet Regular Member

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    I think part of it has to do with how well your hand/fingers "react" to the impact of hitting the bird. When you make contact, there is a sudden load on the racquet. Of course, your have enough momentum to overcome this load and propel the bird forward, but before that happens your body might be overcome in localized areas, such as your hands.

    When this happens your transfer of energy towards the shuttle is somewhat diffused, and what you hear is a softer thud at impact instead of a sharp pow.
     
  4. martin8768

    martin8768 New Member

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    maybe ur slicing ur smash?
     
  5. dp_prinz

    dp_prinz Regular Member

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    Tensions are probably different :D
     
  6. DinkAlot

    DinkAlot dcbadminton
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    Exactly, what Martin said. When I first started playing, I smashed harder than many of my peers. However, though my swing was fast, when I made contact with the shuttle, the sound was minimal. In contrast, my peers made a loud "BOOM" when they smashed the shuttle. This was the same for my forehand and backhand. I could clear as far or further than my peers but there was no "pop" sound.

    I learned real fast it was because I was not hitting the shuttle square (ideally 90 degrees) and cutting/slicing it, not making ideal contact .

    Once I corrected this, well, "BOOM" was in full effect. :D

    Actually, I'm still trying to correct this with my backhand as I still cut it a bit sometimes. It's actually kind of deceptive the first few times as there's no sound and people move in and the shuttle goes back to the baseline. People tell me it's fine but I want my backhand to sound like my dink smash. :p

    Please note: there's nothing wrong with cutting the shuttle. In fact, in many instances, it's good. However, if you're trying to get impressive sound or maximize distance/power, you need to make ideal "BOOM" contact.
     
    #6 DinkAlot, Jun 6, 2007
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2007
  7. DivingBirdie

    DivingBirdie Regular Member

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    The above posts have explained it well.
    What tension do u play at? If you are sure of your techniques, you might want to up your tension

    i haven't heard about this......is this true??
     
  8. Marc E

    Marc E Regular Member

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    If you mean the yonex strings when you say 'bgs' then not neccessarily, bg-65 and bg-70 are the same thickness, bg-68 is thinner than both of them, bg-80 is thinner than bg-68, but bg-66 is thinner than them all.
    So you get bg-65/bg70 > bg-68 > bg-80 > bg-66.
    The thinner the string and the higher the tension the 'sharper' the smash will sound, but it also depends on the construction of the string. I find bg-65ti sounds sharper than standard bg-65 with the same tension.
     
  9. DivingBirdie

    DivingBirdie Regular Member

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    can someone explain to me the theory behind thinner string = louder sound?
     
  10. fsnicolas

    fsnicolas Regular Member

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    I sincerely doubt that the string thickness affects the sound of the impact to a degree described by Athelete1234. As long as the racket strings hit the shuttle squarely and with sufficient force, the "bang" sound should be produced.

    One question is, what produces the "bang" sound? The strings or the bird?
     
  11. SystemicAnomaly

    SystemicAnomaly Regular Member

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    I would think that it could be a combination of the two - the stringbed and the shuttle interacting with each other. The actual waveform of the sound is probably a bit more complex than what our ears & brain tells us. My guess is that the shuttle interacting with the air is really the major contributor to that "bang" that we hear.

    Feather shuttles tend to make more of a "bang" than synthetic ones.
     
  12. Mark A

    Mark A Regular Member

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    One of Lee Jae Bok's videos addresses this point. It's a tricky one to spot, because YOU will never know you're doing it - it has to be pointed out to you.

    I'd suggest the following: do some smashes with your normal grip, then twist the racket slightly "closed" (as though the grip were partly pan handle). Then do some more smashes. If these are more powerful than those from your usual grip, twist the grip even more closed and do some more smashes. As the grip closes more and more, there will come a point where your power peaks and then starts to drop again, as you are slicing "the other way". The grip that gives peak power is the one you should use for smashing.
     
  13. fsnicolas

    fsnicolas Regular Member

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    My thoughts exactly. But, inasmuch as the feathers catch a lot of air, I think it is the strong impact and sudden change of direction of the shuttle produces the impressive "bang" sound. The strings probably just resonate a slight ringing sound. My Yonex racket with "shockless" frame/grommets produce a nice ringing sound that resonates after smashes and strong clears.
     
  14. illusionistpro

    illusionistpro Regular Member

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    i think the more important point is if you are hitting the shuttle properly rather than the sound it produces. I know the sound my woven7 makes is much different than my ti10, so mind your technique over the sound.

    in general yes it should make a louder boom or i like to say pop. for smashing its fairly simple to tell if youre doing it right. Youll get an explosive sound and explosive speed out of the bird, feather or plastic. If youre not doing it right youll likely hear a whiffing sound (from slicing or driving through vs snapping your racket). At this point you need to focus on your technique like i said and focus on how you swing your racket. Like dink says different strokes for different folks, but its more like different strokes for different rackets. Mind your shaft flex and play accordingly, generally i believe the stronger you are, the stiffer shaft, but thats not this topic.

    summed up i wouldnt rely on sound all that much as you can have super tight strings but a "weak" racket so it will be popping and exploding on each shot but they wont have the same speed as a powerful racket with lower tension string. rely more on your feel and response through how the bird flies after you hit it and how it feels down the racket. hope this helps
     
  15. cheongsa

    cheongsa Regular Member

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    The bang sound is a mini sonic boom, so something has to move faster than the speed of sound, for a miniscule amount of time.

    My guess is that it is some part of the bird that has surpassed the speed of sound, most likely the tips of the feathers...
     
  16. Athelete1234

    Athelete1234 Regular Member

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    Thanks to all the replies:)
    I'm pretty sure I'm not slicing the shuttle...it's problably the tensions, as I got my racquet strung to 23 lbs, yet it feels like 25 :confused:
    Perhaps my stringer has a differently calibrated machine, or overtensions to overcome the fact that my current string (Bg 65) tends to relax...

    I think I'm just not hitting hard enough for my strings to activate properly, cause I noticed that I can get a loud bang.... if I hit really hard.
     
  17. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    i suggest you borrow your friend's racket and try it out. see if you can make it "boom" like they can.

    if so, then perhaps it is the racket/string, if not, then perhaps you don't hit like they do.
     
  18. Athelete1234

    Athelete1234 Regular Member

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    That sounds like a good idea. I'm also looking for a replacemnt racquet for the one I broke, so I have to try around anyways:p
    They all have looser strings than me though. I prefer the better control I can get with higher tensions.
     
  19. SystemicAnomaly

    SystemicAnomaly Regular Member

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    Perhaps you are trying too much to hit it harder -- ironically this can actually be counter-productive. Try to relax your body, arm and grip a bit more & see if that helps. Oft times when a player tries to hit a 70% or 80% speed smash, they end up hitting it faster instead (kinda counter-intuitive).

    Is it possible that you area not hitting your smashes on the (longitudinal) mid-line of the stringbed -- in line with the shaft? Another possibility is that you are hitting too low in the stringbed (below the sweetspot)? You might be swinging too late for your swing speed.

    A better contact point would be approx half way between the stringbed sweetspot and the top (tip) of the frame. Try reaching up and contacting the shuttle a fraction of a second sooner -- also, your arm should be extended (but not absolutely straight -- not hyper-extended).
     
  20. SystemicAnomaly

    SystemicAnomaly Regular Member

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    This is a possibility -- much like the tip of a whip breaks the barrier for a very short time when we "crack the whip".

    I believe that the "turn-around" time of a feather shuttle is much quicker than that of a synthetic shuttle -- the feather shuttle is travelling backward and catching extra air for a much shorter period of time than most synthetic shuttles.

    Also, feather shuttles tend to become more stream-lined (initially) when struck forcefully. This often does not happen for many synthetic shuttles. These 2 factors make it easier to accelerate a feather shuttle to a higher initial speed and easier to create the "bang' than most synthetic shuttles.

    (On the other hand, feather shuttles tend to decelerate more -- later in their flight than some/many synthetics. A lot of beginner shuttles hardly decelerate at all).
     

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